Series: Home James 1:19-21 “Communication”

REVIEW: We continue in our series, just in time for the Holidays entitled “Home” We know that this season of year is often times more heartbreaking than it is heartwarming. We started with a vision for family, Tyler lead us in family celebration last week. This week we will deal with one of the top 3 issues i encounter in pastoring with families.

*ILL> Ive told you before that I grew up a large part of my life in Kennett and also TX, so I’ve always had a bit of a southern accent I guess. My JR year of high school I moved up to Columbia MO, i’ll never forget when people would always ask me where I was from because of the way that I talked. Or if they heard my Mom or Dad talk.

APP> People asked where I was from by the way that I talked. “Men’s language reveal what country they are from.” – Matthew Henry I would change it a bit for today, “A person’s language reveals what family they are from.”

APP> Today we are talking about Family Communication. Today when I am talking about communication, there are two primary forums of communication:

• • • • verbal
      • physical

APP> Today we are dealing with the words that we speak, which the bible has a lot to talk about:

• • • • • “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Genesis 1
        • “And God blessed them. And God said to them..” Genesis 1:28
        • “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say?…” Genesis 3:1

APP> We have talked about the idea that the family we come from affects the family we are apart of. When it comes to communication this is very true.

Family Communication:

• • • • Abusive
      • Absent
      • Aggressive
      • Anxious
      • Assuring

CONTEXT> Today we turn to Jesus’ half brother, in a very practical book of the bible in some ver famous verses. James uses family language, “brothers and sisters” v19a, He is writing to them who think that they know it all. Some people aren’t hearing the word of God or doing the word of God and it’s causes problems in God’s family. APP> I want to pull out 4 words from the text to help us with family communication: 1) Love 2) Listen 3) Speak 4) Receive

1. Love. v19a

• • • • “Know this, my beloved” This stuck out to me so much this week when studying this passage, not s single bible commentary mentioned it. I think the reason not, is apart of the problem. Before James says anything, he says “Hey you are loved” The word that he uses means “to be worthy of love”

*ILL> Roman got a cool Christmas gift, its a “circut board” set (PIC). You can make door bells and stuff. The book teaches you that you always need the positive and negative connection to the battery. Most of us in our communication only have the negative, we need both. APP> Love is the most powerful connector in communication. What if our conversations started with affirming a persons worth before acknowledging their wrongs?

2) Listen v19b

• • • • “be quick to hear” Now remember our context of the passage, James is writing to a church family that has some communication problems when it comes to God’s Word. Solution he says, is to listen first.

APP> Rabbis use to say that God gave us two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much.

1. 1. 1. Listening leads to learning. 1 Samuel 3:10
      2. Listening leads to loving. Philippians 2:3

APP> Talker “Let me tell you about that” Listener “tell me more about that” APP> Parents, “My kids never listen to me?!, Parents, do you listen to your kids?

3) Speak 19c

• • • “slow to spell.. slow to anger..” Very interesting isn’t it? James makes the connection about speaking and anger. The language and the tense of the language that he uses means “explosive anger that severs communication”
    • “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34

APP> Whatever fills my heart, spills out of my mouth.

APP> For some of us, the encouragement was to stop talking and listen. Now, for some of us, the encouragement is to stop listening and actually talk, so something! And anytime we speak, the scripture want’s us to “speak the truth in love” Ephesians 4:15

3 questions to ask yourself before speaking truth in love:

• • • • Is this the right time? Proverbs 15:23
      • Do I have the right tone? Proverbs 15:1
      • Is my heart tender? Proverbs 24:3

4) Receive. v21

• • • • “receive with meekness the implanted word..” Here James gets to the issue. He says we need to humble ourselves and receive the word of God because that’s the only way to receive God’s word.

Big Idea> Healthy family communication starts with humbly receiving God’s Word.

APP> I know what you are saying, “pastor I really wish I had a concert example of what this looks like. I just don’t know!”

• • • • • • “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:16-17

Home-Work : Speak a word of blessing and affirmation over a family member.