What Gear Are You In?
Introduction:
A. Being in the wrong gear can get you into trouble.
1. When you drive a big truck, with a manual transmission,
with a heavy load on it, you know you had better be in
low gear when you are trying to take off.
2. If you are trying to back a car out of a garage...it matters
what gear you are in.
3. I have heard of people who were backing boats into the
lake, who thought they had their car in "Drive", but didn't!
B. James also says we need to be in the right gear - James 1:19.
1. The tongue, and the temper can get a person in trouble
faster than anything else in the world.
2. Therefore, James give us some good advise...be swift
to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.
Let's apply James' advise to ourselves, and see what gear we
are in.
I. Are you swift to hear?
A. First and formost we need to be swift to hear God's word.
1. We need to hear the word of God for it...
a. Is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and for
instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16).
b. Will make us perfect, and thoroughly furnish us unto
all good works (II Timothy 3:16).
c. Keep us from sinning against God (Psalm 119:11).
d. It is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16),
and the source of faith (Romans 10:17).
2. But, how swift are we in hearing it?
a. Do we hear it with an open mind, an honest heart, and
receptive ears?
b. Do we meditate on what it says...even if we do not like
what it says?
c. And, when we hear what it says do we do what it says?
James says we not only need to be hearers, but doers
of the word (James 1:22).
B. We also need to hear others as well.
1. Do we listen to one another as brothers and sisters?
a. We are told to help one another (Galatians 6:10).
b. We are to comfort/support one another (I Thess.5:14).
c. If we do not listen how are we going to know when a
brother or sister needs help, comfort, or support?
d. It is a good sign when brethren stick around after
services and talk, or do things together.
2. Do you listen to your spouse?
a. Husbands are to love their wives (Ephesians 5:25&28),
and wives are to love their husbands (Titus 2:4).
b. But, one of the things that leads to more problems in a
marriage than any other is when husbands and wives
do not talk to one another.
c. How can you love someone if you do not even want to
talk to them?
3. Do you listen to your children?
a. Children go through a lot of things, and face a lot of
problems and pressures.
b. If we are going to help them...we need to listen to them.
C. There are benefits to listening.
1. One who listens learns.
a. "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning.."
(Proverbs 1:5).
b. It is hard to hear someone else if you are speaking,
and if you cannot hear, how can you learn?
2. Keeping your mouth shut, and your ears open can keep
you out of trouble.
a. "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he
that refraineth his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19).
b. Have you ever said something, and wished you hadn't
said it?
3. You can be consider wise by keeping your mouth shut.
a. "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace,is counted
wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man
of understanding" (Proverbs 17:28).
b. Have you ever said something and what you said did
not make any sense?
II. Are you slow to speak?
A. The tongue can get us in real trouble.
1. James says it cannot be tamed - James 3:1-5.
a. Words of anger slip out faster than any others.
b. Gossip is just waiting for us to open our mouths.
2. What other part of the body can cause us to sin
more than the tongue? With the tongue we can...
a. Lie.
b. Gossip.
c. Use profanity.
d. Slander.
e. The only other part of the body that can cause
us to sin more than the tongue is the mind, and
of course, the mind controls what we say.
B. Therefore we need to learn to be slow to speak.
1. James says the tongue cannot be tamed, but he
does not say we cannot control it.
a. What we think is what we say - Matthew 15:17-20.
b. Therefore, if we control our thoughts we can
control our words.
c. And, we need to, for we shall give account for
every idle word (Matthew 12:36).
d. The temper also has a lot of influence on the
tongue, so we need to learn to control our temper,
and/or learn that when we are getting angry that
we need to keep our mouths shut.
e. Those we associate with influence us (I Cor.15:33),
and that includes the words we use, so chosing
our friends carefully can help us control our tongues.
2. When we speak...
a. We need to choose our words carefully.
b. We need to use our tongues to help others, and
please God.
c. Paul said.."Let your speech be alway with grace,
seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought
to answer every man" (Colossians 4:6).
III. Are you slow to wrath?
A. James goes on to say..."for the wrath of man worketh not
the righteousness of God."
1. We have several Biblical examples:
a. Cain's wrath caused him to kill Abel (Gen.4).
b. Joseph's brothers wrath caused them to sell him into
slavery (Gen.37).
c. Solomon's anger towards David caused him to throw
a spear at his own son (I Samuel 20:30-33).
2. Man's wrath does not work the righteousness of God.
a. The righteousness of God would include - Gal.5:22-23.
Where does wrath fit in to that?
b. How do most people react when someone makes them
mad? Do they: smile at them; say nice things to them;
look for ways to help them; etc.? Just the opposite!
c. But, that is what Jesus says for us to do - Matthew 5:44.
B. We must control our tempers.
1. God says we can.
a. Be ye angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26).
b. James 1:19.
2. Just like anything else it can be controlled.
a. Anger management classes are very popular today.
b. An old remedy was...count to 10.
c. Anyway you look at it, what it takes is determination,
patience, and desire. And, if we desire to please God
then we need to put forth the effort.
d. Paul said to the Colossians..."But now ye also put off all
these; anger, wrath, malice...."(Colossians 3:8).
e. John said..."he that doeth righteousness is righteous.."
(I John 3:7). If wrath does not work the righteousness
of God, then we must work to put off wrath.
Conclusion:
A. Being in the wrong gear can be dangerous, so we need to:
1. Be swift to hear.
2. Slow to speak.
3. Slow to wrath.
B. If you have a problem in any of these areas you need to
correct it. If we can help you in any way, we would be glad to
do so.