Leicester Church of Christ

Bible Study on Listening, August 2009 Memory Verses James 1:19 & 22

1. Explore the connection between listening and wisdom. Who should listen? Who should we listen to? What is the wisdom expressed in these verses? What are some of the characteristics of a wise person you know?

Proverbs 4:
A Father’s Wise Advice
1 My children listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment,
2 for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.
3 For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.
4 My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.
7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”
10 My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
11 I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.
12 When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.
13 Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.
20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
Proverbs 12
1 To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
14 Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.
15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
16 A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
Proverbs 18
2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
Proverbs 19
2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.
8 To acquire wisdom is to love oneself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.
11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
27 If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.

2. Listen first, speak later: What do these passages teach us about the value of listening? What gets in the way of really being able to listen? Is James saying that anger is wrong in verse 1:19? In verses 1:21-23, James refers to the “word.” To what does that refer? What is the “law” that James refers to in verse 1:25 and why is it perfect. What does James say is the key characteristic of religious behavior? If we do not control our tongue, who are we kidding?

James 1:
Listening and Doing
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

3. Who is the best listener in the universe? Why do you think this is? Why does he listen to people? What does that have to say to us about this topic?

4. What is the difference between knowing and doing God’s will?

5. What freedom or liberty does doing God’s will provide? (Romans 8:2)

6. Does that mean that it is all ‘smooth sailing’ for us as believers? (John 16:33)

Answers to some of the questions

What is the wisdom expressed in James Verse 1:19? (Proverbs 10:19, 10:32, 12:18, 13:3, 15:31-32)

The verse is very clear in saying that you should first listen before speaking or becoming angry. The mention of anger suggest that James is talking about situations where there might be conflict or a diffrerence of opinion. Many Proverbs mention the virtue of listening before speaking for several different reasons (see Proverbs 10:19, 10:32, 12:18, 13:3, 15:31-32) but probably the most important one is that when you are speaking you are not listening, not only to other people but also not to the Lord.

What are some characteristics of a wise person who you know?

Wisdom is characterized by many things: purpose, integrity, discernment, reverence for God (or, as is sometimes said, fear of the Lord), diligence, heeding correction (learning from mistakes), humility, kindness, prudence, righteousness, understanding, and fairness. This is not a complete list; there are many other characteristics (see Proverbs).

In verse 1:19 is James saying that anger is wrong?

Not necessarily. There are many instances when Jesus became angry (at the money lenders in the temple, for example - Matthew 21:12-13) as did Paul (at fortune telling by the slave girl - Acts 16:16-18). There are sometimes good reasons to get angry, but James is counseling us to consider these reasons carefully and not to 'fly off the handle' as that kind of anger 'does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.'
In verses 1:21, 22 and 23, James refers to the "word." To what does that refer? (James 1:18, Jeremiah 31:33-34)

We frequently think of the 'word' as referring to the Bible. But remember, the New Testament was not written when James was writing his letter, however James was, in fact, familiar with the prophesies of Jeremiah. From James' reference to moral filth, we can see that he is using 'word' to refer to the declaration of the Lord in Jeremiah 31:33-34 where He says, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.... No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother saying. 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me." This is elaborated upon in Hebrews 8:8-12 where the author explains that while the written law of Moses was useful, it didn't have the power to transform people's inner attitudes. Something more was needed. God would have to change His people from the inside out, putting the law into their hearts through His Holy Spirit. So in these verses, James is actually referring to the 'word' as the Holy Spirit which he calls in verse 18 the 'word of truth' or God's message to us.
What is the 'law' that James refers to in verse 1:25 and why is it perfect?

Don't confuse this with the law of Moses. It is the law as referred to in Jeremiah 31:33-34, "the law in their hearts." What James is speaking of is God's perfect plan to bless us and give us eternal life if we simply believe in Him and continue to obey the Holy Spirit who lives in each one of us.

What is the difference between knowing and doing God's will?

God does not want us to simply read the Bible, go to Bible studies, discuss the meaning of passages with others, and listen to sermons. As the Bible says in several places, even demons recognize the power of God and know His will, but they do not do His will, which is what He asks of us.What freedom or liberty does doing God's will provide? (Romans 8:2)"The Holy Spirit will give you the life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death." (CEV)
Romans 8:2:
2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Does that mean that it is all 'smooth sailing' for us as believers? (John 16:33)Probably not. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, that "while you are in the world you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world."
John 16:33:33

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
What does James say is the key characteristic of religious behavior?

James says that keeping a tight rein on ones tongue is vital. Without doing that, he says, everything else you do is worthless. Interestingly, he is saying that what you do not say is more important than what you do say. In other words, the potential for your words to hurt is greater than the potential for your words to help. Help, he goes on the say, is better shown by your actions than your words.

If we do not control our tongue, who are we kidding?

We're certainly not kidding God. Are we fooling the person we're talking to? Probably not. The only person that we might be fooling is ourself. And if you start lying to yourself, you might as well not have any religion or faith at all -- you're just going to be polluted by worldly values.

Enjoy :)

Leicester Church of Christ - Blog

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Prayer requests

Update on Judy

Sunday, December 20, 2009

January 2010 - Kids Youth group Rocking & Sliding

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Christmas Card making is still on!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

December 2009 - Kids Christmas card making for the Meadows Nursing Home

VBS - VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2010

Monday, August 31, 2009

VBS 2009 Pics

Listening Bible study - August Ladies Fellowship

What Have YOU been studying lately?

Great way to communicate w/ breathren !

Catagories

Blog Archive

Followers