SPEAKER_00: Good morning.
SPEAKER_00: What a blessing it is to be here with you this morning to worship the Lord together, to sing praises to his name, to be a part of this congregation.
SPEAKER_00: So many great people here that love the Lord and uh love each other.
SPEAKER_00: And I am very, very thankful uh to be a part of this group.
SPEAKER_00: There's so many great things happening here at Chisholm Hills that we're all so excited about.
SPEAKER_00: A lot of little ones coming our way.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, some were already here, some are still on the way.
SPEAKER_00: So we're certainly in prayer for all the mamas and daddies out there that are bringing these young ones into our midst.
SPEAKER_00: Uh we love you and we're so grateful for you.
SPEAKER_00: And of course, we uh it's a huge week for both Ellie and Christian.
SPEAKER_00: So we're excited to walk along this journey with you guys.
SPEAKER_00: And I I think I told them last week it's not too late if uh you want to call it off right now.
SPEAKER_00: But uh no, we are uh we're we're still looking forward to this weekend on Saturday for their wedding coming up and uh a new home they're entering into and uh uh such an exciting time in their lives, and we're we're we're celebrating with you, and we're so grateful that you're here and a part of this group uh as well.
SPEAKER_00: But uh and for all of you, we're glad you're here, and we're glad that you're part of the family here at Chisholm Hills, and we hope you can feel that uh as being a part of this group.
SPEAKER_00: We hope you can feel the love and joy that's expressed just by your presence here today.
SPEAKER_00: We want to invite you deeper into this family.
SPEAKER_00: If you've kind of been dipping your toes in and saying, What does this what is this group all about?
SPEAKER_00: Well, jump on in and uh uh feel the warm embrace that comes from this family.
SPEAKER_00: It's been such a huge blessing in my life, and it and I hope you see that and feel that uh as well.
SPEAKER_00: Uh for this quarter, we've been talking about wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: It's all part of this this idea of being rooted in rising.
SPEAKER_00: And uh as we take a look at where we want to be as a congregation, as a church family, we want to be a place where growth happens.
SPEAKER_00: And growth happens in each and every one of us individually, it happens as a congregation, it happens just as a mission of the congregation.
SPEAKER_00: Where are we headed?
SPEAKER_00: What are we what are we seeking?
SPEAKER_00: Uh what is our goal?
SPEAKER_00: And we want to be rooted in God's word.
SPEAKER_00: So the result is rising, so the result is growth in our own lives and growth in this congregation.
SPEAKER_00: So, what are we rooted in?
SPEAKER_00: Where does that start?
SPEAKER_00: So, this whole uh quarter, uh this first quarter of this year, we've been talking about wisdom and being rooted in God's wisdom and and what he has for us.
SPEAKER_00: How do we live in a wise way?
SPEAKER_00: And we talked about many aspects of that, uh, but what it really comes down to is the very first week uh we spoke about being uh rooted in God's word and recognizing that Jesus Christ is our King and that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: Recognizing who He is and allowing His Word to shape our lives, allowing His plan uh to change what we do on a regular basis, to recognize what it means to follow Him.
SPEAKER_00: And we've made our way through several different types of lessons on wisdom, and the one that we've reached today is really practical as we break it down because there's something about listening that brings wisdom in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: And as we make our way through this sermon, you'll see uh the kind of the multifaceted way that this plays out in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: But I think it's such an important part of being wise is listening.
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's one that we may miss, that may we may glaze over if we go through it too quickly.
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's important for us to slow down this week and take a look at what it means to listen and how it leads to wisdom when we allow ourselves to do exactly that.
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna begin this lesson here this morning with kind of a, I don't know if you call it a quiz, but it's one of those finish this sentence kind of uh kind of games, I guess you could say.
SPEAKER_00: So I want you to finish these sentences.
SPEAKER_00: And if you know the answer, say it out loud right where you are.
SPEAKER_00: And they're they're not hard, they're pretty easy.
SPEAKER_00: It starts with birds of a feather.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, y'all are so close.
SPEAKER_00: It's make a mess in any weather.
SPEAKER_00: I I thought somebody might get that one.
SPEAKER_00: So we make our way to the next one.
SPEAKER_00: Um, it says, Win in Rome.
SPEAKER_00: Oh man, I thought we would get more of these.
SPEAKER_00: Don't skip the Colosseum.
SPEAKER_00: Make sure you go see it while you're there.
SPEAKER_00: The next one is a penny saved is a penny.
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, it's uh it's still just a penny.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, I really was banking that we would catch some of these along the way.
SPEAKER_00: We'll try one more.
SPEAKER_00: Um, actions speak louder than.
SPEAKER_00: There we go, we got one.
SPEAKER_00: It's words.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you out.
SPEAKER_00: I noticed at the beginning a lot more people were confident in the way you were finishing out these phrases, but we get to this one, and I thought more people would know it.
SPEAKER_00: I thought everybody would know, but there's a few people that were kind of holding on, giving their answer.
SPEAKER_00: But uh actions do indeed speak louder than words.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing as we made our way through these phrases, you notice how we're all so confident in finishing these statements.
SPEAKER_00: Started out with birds of a feather, and everybody immediately knew where I was going, and except that's not where I was going with that statement.
SPEAKER_00: I said, When in Rome, and a lot of people had the right answer.
SPEAKER_00: Do as the Romans do, but that's not what I had in mind when I began that sentence.
SPEAKER_00: You notice we're often confident in our finishing.
SPEAKER_00: We hear part of something and we assume we know the rest.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's funny in a room like this as we make our way through these common sayings, but I think it can also be painful in marriage, in friendship, in parenting, even in church life.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's what Proverbs 18, 13 is getting at.
SPEAKER_00: He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's the temptation we have in conversation.
SPEAKER_00: When we talk about the wisdom of listening, you have to actually listen.
SPEAKER_00: Because oftentimes we hear a part of something and we automatically assume that we know the rest.
SPEAKER_00: We hear the introduction and we're we don't even need to hear the conclusion because we've already got it in the figured out in our heads of where you're going.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe that's what this is talking about when it says it leads to folly and to shame.
SPEAKER_00: Because oftentimes in these types of conversations, instead of listening, we tend to interrupt.
SPEAKER_00: We assume, we fill in the blanks before the other person we're speaking to even finishes the sentence.
SPEAKER_00: We hear a word and we decide what they mean, and then we launch into our own answer.
SPEAKER_00: And I think in conversation that might feel efficient, but in reality, that's foolishness.
SPEAKER_00: That's the opposite of wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: A husband thinks he knows what his wife is saying before she finishes.
SPEAKER_00: A parent corrects a child before hearing the entire story.
SPEAKER_00: A friend answers a struggle with a quick fix instead of patient attention.
SPEAKER_00: And I think even in spiritual life, we tend to rush past God's word looking for something familiar instead of slowing down long enough to actually hear what God has to say about it.
SPEAKER_00: So there's a danger in not listening.
SPEAKER_00: There's a danger in hearing part of the story because it leads to hurt and pain, it leads to folly, it leads to shame.
SPEAKER_00: The irony is this the faster we answer, the less wise we become.
SPEAKER_00: Think about it.
SPEAKER_00: Here's the main point of the sermon this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Wisdom grows when we slow down and listen well.
SPEAKER_00: You want to be wise?
SPEAKER_00: Well, there's something about just slowing down.
SPEAKER_00: Take your time.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, hear, understand.
SPEAKER_00: That's where wisdom is built.
SPEAKER_00: That's where wisdom begins in our own lives.
SPEAKER_00: This is not just a communication principle.
SPEAKER_00: I think this is also a biblical principle.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, Proverbs says answering before listening is folly and shame.
SPEAKER_00: James says we are to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
SPEAKER_00: So what we find in all of this is that God Himself ties maturity, wisdom, humility, and righteousness all to this discipline of listening.
SPEAKER_00: I think there's something to that.
SPEAKER_00: There's something that's calling our attention to that moment.
SPEAKER_00: So I want to invite you this morning to listen.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to God's word, what he has to say for us this morning.
SPEAKER_00: So the question is not, do I hear words?
SPEAKER_00: The question is, am I the kind of person who listens in a way that honors God and loves people?
SPEAKER_00: You see it?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's who we're called to be in this world.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says the greatest command.
SPEAKER_00: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
SPEAKER_00: So we must honor him even in the way we listen.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to love him, you want to show him you care, listen to his words.
SPEAKER_00: And then he says, in the same way, you are to love your neighbor as yourself.
SPEAKER_00: That's the second greatest command.
SPEAKER_00: You want to know, you want to show someone how much you care?
SPEAKER_00: Listen to what they have to say.
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever felt you've been in a situation before where, like, this person just does not hear me, they do not understand me, they don't get me.
SPEAKER_00: And in those moments, it doesn't inspire a lot of trust.
SPEAKER_00: In those moments, it doesn't inspire a lot of comfort.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, you may look at that person and say, they don't really care because they're not taking the time to even hear what I have to say.
SPEAKER_00: You see how this directly goes into this thought of listening?
SPEAKER_00: You want to show someone you care, listen to them.
SPEAKER_00: You want to show someone that you love them, take some time to listen to what they have to say.
SPEAKER_00: Some wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: That's what we're talking about this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Listening begins with humble restraint.
SPEAKER_00: And we go again to our text, Proverbs 18, 13.
SPEAKER_00: He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 18 is filled with observations about speech, conflict, knowledge, and wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: And then here in verse 13 is a direct and sharp answer.
SPEAKER_00: The issue is not merely answering incorrectly, the issue is answering before you actually hear.
SPEAKER_00: The proverb assumes incomplete hearing.
SPEAKER_00: The person has not taken in the full matter, he has not listened carefully, asked questions, weighed the words, or sought understanding.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, they answer quickly and answer anyway.
SPEAKER_00: And the verdict is severe.
SPEAKER_00: That is folly and shame.
SPEAKER_00: So in Proverbs, folly is not intellectual weakness.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, it is moral foolishness.
SPEAKER_00: It's living out of step with the fear of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: You see, a fool is not merely uninformed, a fool is self-confident without wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: And the shame follows because quick answers often expose what's inside of us.
SPEAKER_00: When we're not willing to listen, when we're not willing to sit down and understand someone, what flows from our hearts is who we truly are.
SPEAKER_00: And in those moments, things get exposed like pride, like impatience.
SPEAKER_00: How about self-importance?
SPEAKER_00: You ever tried to talk someone, talk to someone, and they don't seem to be listening because all they want to do is talk about themselves?
SPEAKER_00: It brings out carelessness, brings out a lack of love.
SPEAKER_00: I think that's the shame that the proverb is pointing to.
SPEAKER_00: This proverb teaches us that listening is not an optional courtesy, but wisdom is actually in it.
SPEAKER_00: It's part of wisdom itself.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us think we're strong communicators because we're fast communicators.
SPEAKER_00: We're good with our words.
SPEAKER_00: But speed is not the same as wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: You can answer quickly and still answer foolishly.
SPEAKER_00: You can sound confident and still be wrong.
SPEAKER_00: You can win the moment and still lose the relationship.
SPEAKER_00: You hear that?
SPEAKER_00: I think so often we tend to think of our communication as a as a conquest.
SPEAKER_00: We begin to think of it as some kind of bout or battle instead of looking at it as understanding one another.
SPEAKER_00: So in conversations, humility might sound a little different.
SPEAKER_00: It might look a little different.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it sounds like, help me understand what you mean.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it may take take a moment and say, is there more to this story that I'm missing?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's simply saying, I may be missing something.
SPEAKER_00: Or let me make sure I heard you right.
SPEAKER_00: And if you if you carry these types of questions in your arsenal in these conversations, you may be surprised at how much more understanding you find along the way.
SPEAKER_00: You want to see the opposite of this?
SPEAKER_00: All you have to do is look at our political system right now.
SPEAKER_00: The biggest problem that we have in Washington or or anywhere in politics across the U.S.
SPEAKER_00: is that you have two sides of the aisle that refuse to listen to one another.
SPEAKER_00: They're so far off on their own opinions and their self-importance that they don't take the time to actually listen to what the other side has to say.
SPEAKER_00: And they're so extreme in what they believe that they find no merit on the other side.
SPEAKER_00: And so, what does that lead to?
SPEAKER_00: All these policies that get dropped, all of these ideas that that are lost because you can't get the other side on board.
SPEAKER_00: And then you it leads to addresses where half the room is sitting down because they don't take the time to stand up and clap at a good point.
SPEAKER_00: And it goes both ways.
SPEAKER_00: It's not one side or the other.
SPEAKER_00: But the right is so far over here looking this way, the left is so far over here looking this way, they won't take the time to simply listen to what the other side has to say.
SPEAKER_00: And I hate to get political, but that's the problem in our country.
SPEAKER_00: And I think when we take on this same idea in our personal lives, we we make ourselves so self-important, filled with such pride that we don't take the time to listen to somebody else, that we're missing the very core of who we are called to be as Christians.
SPEAKER_00: Humility does not mean passivity, but I think it means restraint.
SPEAKER_00: It means refusing to speak beyond what you have actually heard.
SPEAKER_00: This matters in marriage, it matters in parenting, it matters in eldership meetings and small groups, it matters in our friendships and specifically in our conflicts.
SPEAKER_00: Many wounds are not caused by cruelty alone, but they are caused by unearned certainty.
SPEAKER_00: So wise people do not rush to respond, instead, they slow down to listen.
SPEAKER_00: I think so often in our debates and our conversation, we spend so much time thinking about how we're gonna respond instead of actually listening to what the other person has to say.
SPEAKER_00: There's some wisdom in taking a moment to hear, open your ears.
SPEAKER_00: There's the old saying that you've heard many times, but God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.
SPEAKER_00: So listen before you answer if you get better outlines this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Listening is actually a mark of spiritual maturity.
SPEAKER_00: In James 1, 19, it says, Know this, my beloved brothers.
SPEAKER_00: Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
SPEAKER_00: And in this, James is intensely practical.
SPEAKER_00: We look at the entire book, it's all so practical in what he's teaching us.
SPEAKER_00: He's concerned with what real faith looks like in daily life.
SPEAKER_00: In the first chapter of James, he speaks on trials and steadfastness, on temptation.
SPEAKER_00: He talks about the word of God and true religion.
SPEAKER_00: And then he gets to verse 19.
SPEAKER_00: And in that stream of practical holiness, he says this.
SPEAKER_00: Points to being quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
SPEAKER_00: Notice the order of that.
SPEAKER_00: Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that order matters.
SPEAKER_00: Hearing first, speaking second, and then anger last.
SPEAKER_00: How often do we flip the order?
SPEAKER_00: We want to say what we have to say.
SPEAKER_00: We got to get in the word.
SPEAKER_00: We want to hold on to our anger.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to even listen to what you have to say.
SPEAKER_00: James says, turn that around.
SPEAKER_00: Often our order is reversed.
SPEAKER_00: We're quick to anger, quick to speak, and slow to hear.
SPEAKER_00: But James flips the natural instincts of the flesh and replaces them with the pattern of spiritual maturity.
SPEAKER_00: Quick to hear does not mean hurried or shallowed hearing.
SPEAKER_00: He's pointing to being ready to listen, being eager to receive.
SPEAKER_00: It means being prompt and paying attention to what the other person has to say.
SPEAKER_00: Being slow to speak does not mean never speaking, but it means being measured in your speech.
SPEAKER_00: Take care of those words because they're important.
SPEAKER_00: Means governed speech, it means disciplined speech.
SPEAKER_00: And then slow to anger shows how deeply listening is tied to our emotions.
SPEAKER_00: When we fail to hear well, irritation rises quickly.
SPEAKER_00: Did you hear that?
SPEAKER_00: When we fail to hear well, our irritation rises quickly.
SPEAKER_00: Anybody been there before?
SPEAKER_00: I imagine we've all been guilty of that somewhere along the way.
SPEAKER_00: But it's a magic it's amazing how much you can accomplish if you take the time to listen.
SPEAKER_00: Bad listening often becomes sinful anger.
SPEAKER_00: But James is teaching us that mature believers are not marked by their eloquence, but by their receptivity of how they listen.
SPEAKER_00: Some people think maturity means having an answer for everything, but James says it's just the ability to hear first.
SPEAKER_00: That's what spiritual maturity is all about.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to hear these.
SPEAKER_00: A mature Christian does not dominate every conversation.
SPEAKER_00: These aren't easy to hear.
SPEAKER_00: A mature Christian does not assume motive too quickly.
SPEAKER_00: Hope I'm not stepping on too many toes.
SPEAKER_00: May want to pull them back a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: A mature Christian does not treat every disagreement like a threat.
SPEAKER_00: A mature Christian does not confuse volume with conviction.
SPEAKER_00: Stepping on my own toes there along the way.
SPEAKER_00: There's a reason bad listening often leads to anger when we have not tried.
SPEAKER_00: Truly heard someone, we usually respond to a version of their words that we created ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: And then we get angry at our own misunderstanding.
SPEAKER_00: How many times have you had to come back to a conversation and say, I'm so sorry, it was just a big misunderstanding.
SPEAKER_00: Misunderstanding.
SPEAKER_00: You know why that happens?
SPEAKER_00: It's because we're not quick to hear.
SPEAKER_00: It's because we're quick to speak.
SPEAKER_00: There's some value in slowing down and listening.
SPEAKER_00: I think this applies in the home.
SPEAKER_00: Parents must listen past the behavior.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Spouses must listen past tone to burden.
SPEAKER_00: Children must listen past correction to love.
SPEAKER_00: I think this applies in the church.
SPEAKER_00: Being correcting, before correcting, we must hear carefully.
SPEAKER_00: Before taking offense, we must ask questions.
SPEAKER_00: Before assuming division, we must seek clarity.
SPEAKER_00: And I think this applies in our discipleship.
SPEAKER_00: Many people are not asking for instant solutions.
SPEAKER_00: They're asking to be heard by someone who cares.
SPEAKER_00: Those that are seeking Jesus, they may not know it.
SPEAKER_00: They're just out there looking for something, someplace to belong, someone that gets them.
SPEAKER_00: You may have heard that somewhere along the way.
SPEAKER_00: We must listen, have an open ear.
SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately, what you'll find is that those people that are seeking are the ones that just feel this constant gnawing inside.
SPEAKER_00: They have this hole in their heart and they've tried to fill it up with all of these other things.
SPEAKER_00: And they may be lost in these other things.
SPEAKER_00: But you have the answer for them if you'll take the time to listen what they truly need.
SPEAKER_00: You know what the answer is?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: He's the only one that can fill that hole in their heart that they've been seeking to fill up in all of these other ways.
SPEAKER_00: So we must be willing to listen and help them get there to understand that's truly what they need in the end.
SPEAKER_00: Sinful maturity shows up in a life that listens.
SPEAKER_00: Excuse me, let me start that over.
SPEAKER_00: Spiritual maturity shows up in a life that listens before it reacts.
SPEAKER_00: Start with listening.
SPEAKER_00: Start with your habits and hearing other people.
SPEAKER_00: So be quick to hear and slow to speak if you're using your outlines.
SPEAKER_00: This one comes directly from God's word.
SPEAKER_00: Be quick to hear and slow to speak.
SPEAKER_00: Because listening well positions us to hear God rightly.
SPEAKER_00: We continue in James 1, 19 through 21.
SPEAKER_00: Um, know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
SPEAKER_00: We pick up there, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
SPEAKER_00: So we see James moving from relationships into receptivity of the word and then onto the word.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that connection matters because listening is not only horizontal, but listening is also vertical.
SPEAKER_00: It means we're open to what God has to say.
SPEAKER_00: We're listening to his word and applying it to our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 20 explains that man's anger does not produce God's righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: Anger clouds judgment.
SPEAKER_00: Anger resists correction.
SPEAKER_00: And ultimately anger drowns out the truth.
SPEAKER_00: And then in verse 21, it says to put away sin and receive with meekness the implanted word.
SPEAKER_00: You see how that kind of flows together?
SPEAKER_00: How that all works out.
SPEAKER_00: So the opposite of self-assertion is meek reception.
SPEAKER_00: The word is not merely analyzed, it is received.
SPEAKER_00: I think the heart posture that we must have is meekness.
SPEAKER_00: That means listening to God is not merely a matter of ears and intellect, it's a matter of surrender.
SPEAKER_00: It's more than just reading the word, but it's allowing it to penetrate our hearts and change who we are.
SPEAKER_00: Recognizing our need for Him because proud hearts do not hear God well because they're too busy defending themselves.
SPEAKER_00: You know, when we talk about what it means to judge others and how we have to uh get the plank out of our own eye before you go working on the speck in your brother's eye.
SPEAKER_00: And our response to that is probably, well, I don't really have a plank in my own eye.
SPEAKER_00: How can I do that?
SPEAKER_00: You know, whenever we find ourselves falling short, whenever we find ourselves in sin, what's our first instinct?
SPEAKER_00: Blame it on somebody else, point to some other circumstance that led us there.
SPEAKER_00: We're masters of making excuses for our own sin.
SPEAKER_00: Anybody been there before?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're in it right now.
SPEAKER_00: You can think of a dozen excuses of why you haven't removed that from your life.
SPEAKER_00: What is it?
SPEAKER_00: What is the sin that you're still holding on to?
SPEAKER_00: Again, and you can probably come up with a reason why you can't get it out.
SPEAKER_00: And it may make sense in your head.
SPEAKER_00: Because a proud heart is not going to listen to God's word.
SPEAKER_00: We can find all these excuses in our own mind, but listening to God is not a matter of ears and intellect.
SPEAKER_00: It's a matter of surrender.
SPEAKER_00: It's a matter of recognizing his word, recognizing God's way is better and handing it all over to him.
SPEAKER_00: In order to truly listen, you got to step aside from your own pride.
SPEAKER_00: Proud hearts do not hear God well because they're too busy defending themselves.
SPEAKER_00: Want to know God's will for your life?
SPEAKER_00: Well, it starts with understanding his word and putting it into practice.
SPEAKER_00: Stop making excuses.
SPEAKER_00: Angry hearts do not hear God well because they're too stirred up to receive correction.
SPEAKER_00: Man, you ever talk to someone that's just so mad you can't tell them anything?
SPEAKER_00: So fired up about whatever it may be.
SPEAKER_00: And it may be something that they're justified in being angry about.
SPEAKER_00: But they're so angry that you're never gonna make a difference.
SPEAKER_00: The person that they're angry at, they're never going to heal that wound because they're so angry.
SPEAKER_00: Are you holding on to that kind of anger?
SPEAKER_00: It may be righteous in and of itself, but if we allow it to dominate our emotions, we're not taking enough time to hear.
SPEAKER_00: We're not taking enough time to listen.
SPEAKER_00: God is leading us to something.
SPEAKER_00: Dirty hearts do not hear God well because they, because cherished sin distorts spiritual hearing.
SPEAKER_00: We hold on to that sin, make excuses for it, we let it live in our lives and dwell there, then it makes it a lot more difficult to hear what God has to say.
SPEAKER_00: Listening well to people and listening well to God are not identical, but they are deeply connected.
SPEAKER_00: In both cases, the key is humility, coming to God with a humble heart.
SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes when we go to God, we want a fast answer, we want a favorite verse, we want a preloaded opinion that we have affirmed when we go to God's word.
SPEAKER_00: But wisdom grows when we slow down and listen well.
SPEAKER_00: That means when we come to Scripture, we do not say, What do I already think?
SPEAKER_00: We say, Lord, what are you saying to me?
SPEAKER_00: What are you telling me in your word?
SPEAKER_00: And we treat his word as ultimate truth, not our own opinion, and looking to validate what we have to say and what we have to think.
SPEAKER_00: That's led to so much error in our world and in our nation right now.
SPEAKER_00: We take the opposite approach.
SPEAKER_00: This means that prayer is not only speaking to God, but yielding before Him.
SPEAKER_00: It means Bible reading is not just checking a box, but it's being attentive in our receiving.
SPEAKER_00: It means sermons are not performances to evaluate, but truth to welcome.
SPEAKER_00: It's not about the preacher, it's about the word of God being shared.
SPEAKER_00: It means conviction is not inconvenience, but it's mercy.
SPEAKER_00: We're always quick with God.
SPEAKER_00: We will remain shallow with God.
SPEAKER_00: Here's the big idea of this whole point.
SPEAKER_00: We cannot hear God clearly without the humility to receive his word.
SPEAKER_00: So slow down to hear God and others well.
SPEAKER_00: A little bit more.
SPEAKER_00: Quick answers do real damage.
SPEAKER_00: Both of our texts, from Proverbs 18 and James 1, they both tell us the danger of haste.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs says, quick answers bring folly and shame.
SPEAKER_00: James says quick quick speech often travels with quick anger, and anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
SPEAKER_00: But together, they show that haste and speech is not harmless.
SPEAKER_00: But when we haste, when we're hurry, hurried in our speech, it creates destruction.
SPEAKER_00: Think about this: things like misunderstanding, things like conflict, embarrassment, things like unrighteousness.
SPEAKER_00: In Scripture, words are never small things.
SPEAKER_00: But instead, words reveal the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Words can heal or they can wound.
SPEAKER_00: Words can direct, but they can also destroy.
SPEAKER_00: I think quick answers are dangerous because they are often driven by something other than love.
SPEAKER_00: Our quick answers are a need to control.
SPEAKER_00: They may be a need to appear smart, a need to protect ourselves, or maybe it's just the need to win a conversation.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that is why listening is a relational act of love.
SPEAKER_00: Want to care about someone?
SPEAKER_00: Just listen to them.
SPEAKER_00: To hear another person carefully is to say that you matter, your words matter, and I will not treat you casually.
SPEAKER_00: Think about this.
SPEAKER_00: How many conflicts in your life could be reduced if one person paused long enough to ask one more question?
SPEAKER_00: Tell me more.
SPEAKER_00: Is that what you meant?
SPEAKER_00: Why did that hurt you?
SPEAKER_00: What are you afraid of right now?
SPEAKER_00: How can I understand this better?
SPEAKER_00: Think about though that last time you got in a big argument.
SPEAKER_00: If the last question you would have asked was one of these, how far would that have gone to kind of heal that bridge, to help mend that brokenness?
SPEAKER_00: I think those questions do not weaken the truth, but they prepare the way for truthful and loving speech.
SPEAKER_00: Quick answers can be especially damaging when someone's hurting.
SPEAKER_00: A grieving person does not need a slogan, a struggling person does not need a lecture.
SPEAKER_00: A confused person does not need to be shut down.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, they need patient, wise wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: They need compassionate attention.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Himself was never rushed by insecurity.
SPEAKER_00: He could ask questions, he could draw people out, he could expose hearts without crushing people thoughtlessly.
SPEAKER_00: You notice his wisdom was never panicked.
SPEAKER_00: When we answer too quickly, we often hurt people that we were called to love.
SPEAKER_00: And ultimately, we see the example of Jesus Christ, who models the very wisdom that we lack.
SPEAKER_00: And he gives the grace that we need.
SPEAKER_00: Neither Proverbs nor James is giving us a technique, they were revealing a character.
SPEAKER_00: And if we're honest, we often fail here.
SPEAKER_00: And I look at my life and look at many times that I that I could have done a better job listening.
SPEAKER_00: And I and I imagine many of us have been there.
SPEAKER_00: But the good news is God's grace steps in in those moments.
SPEAKER_00: So this sermon doesn't end with try harder.
SPEAKER_00: We need more than just advice, we need grace.
SPEAKER_00: You know, oftentimes we we talk about what it means to be a Christian and following God's word and how we have to do this and that and this.
SPEAKER_00: And like, how do we get there?
SPEAKER_00: How do we take that next step?
SPEAKER_00: How do I get better at listening to people?
SPEAKER_00: It's annoying to listen to people sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: How do I get there?
SPEAKER_00: You want to know how to get there?
SPEAKER_00: Just fall in love with Jesus a little bit more.
SPEAKER_00: Recognize who he is, be more like him.
SPEAKER_00: And I think the more we love him, the more we love the people around us.
SPEAKER_00: It can be difficult to deal with our neighbors.
SPEAKER_00: Anyone in an HOA that's just annoying sometimes?
SPEAKER_00: Any of you have that neighbor that always wants to talk about something random?
SPEAKER_00: Anyone got that person at work that just wants to gossip all the time?
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people are just not fun to deal with.
SPEAKER_00: And the quick answer is to say, forget you and move on.
SPEAKER_00: But there's some wisdom in allowing God's word to work in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: You want to get better at listening to people?
SPEAKER_00: Fall in love with Jesus a little more.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's the answer to a lot of things that are wrong in our world.
SPEAKER_00: That's the answer to a lot of things that are wrong in our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Just love Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Fall in love with Him.
SPEAKER_00: He begins to change us.
SPEAKER_00: That's the transformation that He talks about that happens in our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: And that's why the order is set out there.
SPEAKER_00: I actually read this morning a Facebook post of someone talking about how they left the church and they're closer to God than they ever have been because they live by one principle, and that's to love everyone like Jesus loves everybody.
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, you're so close.
SPEAKER_00: You got number two, but you're missing number one.
SPEAKER_00: You want to love everybody like Jesus loves them?
SPEAKER_00: Well, how does it start?
SPEAKER_00: Follow the first command.
SPEAKER_00: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
SPEAKER_00: And once you got that in place, then that begins to change your heart.
SPEAKER_00: And then it makes it easier to love your neighbor as yourself.
SPEAKER_00: Because how hard you have to look around to see some neighbors that you may not want to get along with too well.
SPEAKER_00: Read a few more and keep scrolling down some more of those posts.
SPEAKER_00: You may even get some of that righteous anger or unrighteous anger along the way.
SPEAKER_00: But it begins by falling in love with Jesus and allowing his heart to change us.
SPEAKER_00: The grace of Christ forgives foolish speech and forms wise listeners.
SPEAKER_00: In marriage, listening says, I will not reduce you to your last sentence.
SPEAKER_00: Do not prepare your defense while your spouse is still speaking.
SPEAKER_00: Slow down, clarify, reflect back what you heard.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you the way I heard what you just had to say.
SPEAKER_00: Is this what you meant?
SPEAKER_00: How many arguments could you have saved if you would have used that wisdom instead of just getting angry at what you heard?
SPEAKER_00: And parenting, children need correction.
SPEAKER_00: Anybody want to say amen to that?
SPEAKER_00: Children need correction, but they also need to be heard.
SPEAKER_00: Listening does not remove authority, it strengthens wise authority.
SPEAKER_00: You want to make an impact on your children's lives?
SPEAKER_00: Listen to what they have to say.
SPEAKER_00: The listen of why they were doing what they're doing.
SPEAKER_00: Abundant friendships.
SPEAKER_00: Do not be the friend who always has the instant answer.
SPEAKER_00: Be the friend who creates safety.
SPEAKER_00: Be the friend that's known for patience.
SPEAKER_00: The one that's known for truth.
SPEAKER_00: And you may have that friend or that person, that family member that you go to.
SPEAKER_00: They always have a quip, they always have something quickly to say back to you.
SPEAKER_00: They got an answer for everything.
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes that's not what you want to hear.
SPEAKER_00: You just want to go to someone that you know cares.
SPEAKER_00: You want to go to someone that's gonna listen.
SPEAKER_00: Be that friend.
SPEAKER_00: One that shows patience and love and understanding.
SPEAKER_00: In church life, many church conflicts are not theological at the root.
SPEAKER_00: Let's be real.
SPEAKER_00: They are relational failures of hearing.
SPEAKER_00: So we as a church family must listen before we assume motive.
SPEAKER_00: And it's important that we listen before picking a side.
SPEAKER_00: I shared the story before.
SPEAKER_00: There was a one congregation that couldn't decide on which color tile they wanted on the roof, which color uh shingles they wanted up top.
SPEAKER_00: It created a big argument within the congregation.
SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, they decided to make one side in black and one side in brown on the roof.
SPEAKER_00: Ones that wanted one shingle sat on this side and the other sat on the other.
SPEAKER_00: They couldn't get along.
SPEAKER_00: Let's not have those kind of arguments.
SPEAKER_00: Let's listen to one another.
SPEAKER_00: Let's make it important of what we believe.
SPEAKER_00: Let's make it a part of who we are.
SPEAKER_00: How about in your walk with God?
SPEAKER_00: Do not rush through scripture looking for familiarity, but sit under the text, spend some time in it, receive with meekness the implanted word, come to it with humility.
SPEAKER_00: Some of the worst moments in your life may have started with a sentence you spoke too soon.
SPEAKER_00: Some of the healing God wants to bring to your home may begin when you say less, ask more, and listen longer.
SPEAKER_00: I know I'm over time, but we'll end with this, and it's right where we started.
SPEAKER_00: Wisdom grows when we slow down and listen well.
SPEAKER_00: Take some time.
SPEAKER_00: Listen.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to one another.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to those that have something to say.
SPEAKER_00: Most importantly, listen to God.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to his word.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to the plan that he has set out for you.
SPEAKER_00: That begins with recognizing who Jesus Christ is.
SPEAKER_00: The love that he shared for you by coming to this earth, by going up on that cross and carrying your sins with him.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to hear that this morning.
SPEAKER_00: The love that was poured out on the cross to bring you back into relationship with God.
SPEAKER_00: That's only accomplished through Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that he made on that cross.
SPEAKER_00: And now he's inviting you to be a part of the family.
SPEAKER_00: That begins by when we come in contact with that blood by being baptized for the remission of our sins and raised up to walk a new life.
SPEAKER_00: If you've never made that choice, we encourage you to do that today.
SPEAKER_00: Give your life to him, to allow his word to change you, to allow Jesus' blood to wash you clean.
SPEAKER_00: If you made that choice before, but you've been pulled away for whatever reason and it's time to come back, we encourage you to come.
SPEAKER_00: Come forward to confess your sin and invite the prayers of the church.
SPEAKER_00: If you need to come in repentance this morning, we invite you.
SPEAKER_00: If you just need the prayers of our group this morning, please come.
SPEAKER_00: As together we stand and sing.