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Ben Fetterolf
Follower of Jesus | Husband | Father | Pastor at Hampton Park Baptist Church of Greenville, SC
User since 2019
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The gospel is a comfort. But the gospel is also a call on our lives as believers. We need to hear both: the comfort AND call of the gospel.
Romans 8:1-9
How do you view God? Do you view him as angry at you? Or committed to you? This prophet helps us see how we *should* view God.
Obadiah 1-21
Livestream is a technological gift. But have we adequately thought through the potential downsides to this particular methodology?
Hebrews 10:24-25
I have died. The significance of that statement can't be overstated. I must believe it and live in light of it in order to truly live.
Romans 6:1-14
There are two realms (or kingdoms!) in which to live. The realm where death reigns and the realm where righteousness reigns.
Romans 5:12-21
Most conversations about biblical manhood/womanhood go to a few NT texts. But what God says in the very beginning sets a solid foundation.
Genesis 2:18-25
In what or whom do you find your joy? Does it last through the varying circumstances of life? Where can true, enduring joy be found?
Romans 5:1-11
"No list of sins I have not done; no list of virtues I pursue; no list of those I am not like can earn myself a place with you..."
Romans 4:1-12
What do your words say about your heart?
James 3:3-12
Trials bring dark days. But those times are most important to remember who God is and who we are.
Hebrews 10:32-39
What do you feel you are lacking today? Are things spinning out of control? Anchor yourself in God's character and promises.
Psalms 23:1-6
How do you respond to disappointments and discouragements? Do you run from them? Avoid them? Paul teaches us how God intends to use them.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Grace, gift, faith. These are the words that dominate this foremost text on how to be made right with God.
Romans 3:21-31
What is the role of the law in the life of a believer? And what does the law teach us about God?
Romans 3:1-20
Why do you call yourself a Christian? Your answer to that question is significant and identifies where you rest your hope.
Romans 2:17-29
Have you ever thought about how many sermons you've heard in your lifetime? Knowing is useless apart from faith and repentance.
Romans 2:1-16
We often think of God's wrath on the last day. But how is his wrath manifest in the present day?
Romans 1:18-32
Why do you like spending time with other Christians? Because you have mutual interests? Or because you long to see God at work among them?
Romans 1:8-17
Why did Paul write Romans? What is Romans about? These important questions are answered from the very start of the letter.
Romans 1:1-7
What role, if any, do works play in being made right with God?
Romans 4:1-5
Does God keep you in His love? Or do we keep ourselves in His love? Jude answers this very specifically.
Jude 17-25
Contending for the faith initially seems external. But the greatest battle for the faith may need to happen in my own heart.
Jude 8-16
You're probably familiar with loving others on Sunday. But what does love look like on Monday through Friday?
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
Has your evangelism been fueled by guilt? Why not fuel it with joy?
1 John 1:1-4
view all (25 total)
Whose Words Rule?
James 1:19-21
How highly do you view your words? Are you more likely to encourage others to listen to you or to listen to God?
#thetongue
#words
#righteousness
Published March 4th, 2020
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Main point summary
Rather than demanding your own way, humbly receive gospel truth which saves and sanctifies completely.
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NT
James 1:19-21
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g Know this, my beloved brothers:
This is an important truth for you whom God loves:
let every person h be quick to hear,
everyone among you should view his own words in an appropriate way, being eager to listen,
i slow to speak,
and further purposeful ( measured ) in speech,
progression
j slow to anger;
and further hesitant to demand his own way;
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
because selfishly demanding one's own way does not produce the fruit that God desires.
Therefore k put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness
Therefore , cut off this and all other kinds of selfish/wicked pursuits,
and receive with l meekness the implanted word,
and rather eagerly and humbly receive ( note: "quick to hear" ) and respond to the gospel truth from God that is in you,
m which is able to save your souls.
because it is able to save and sanctify you from now to the end.
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Notes
Why quick to hear? What is it about not being quick to hear that we should avoid? The next two phrases help us understand this. We should be slow to speak (measured/thoughtful in our speech) and slow to anger. It seems that the point of this is to view our own words in an appropriate way, not giving more significance to them than we ought and further not demanding our own way. It's not as if our words don't matter. They do matter. However, we should understand that selfishly demanding our own way is not the path towards bearing fruit that is pleasing in God's sight. V.20 is the grounding link between 19a-d and 21a-c. It gives the foundational truth of this text: selfishly demanding one's own way does not bear fruit that is pleasing to God. 19a-20 and 21a-c mirror one another in several ways. 19b says to be quick to hear. 21b says to receive with meekness the implanted word. 20 speaks of the detriment of being too quick to speak and quick to anger, while 21c gives the blessing of receiving humbly the gospel truth from God. Anger produces rotten fruit. Receiving the good news of the gospel in God's Word bears good fruit. Anger incites more anger/filthiness/wickedness (21a). Filling our minds with God's Word encourages spiritual growth and healing, namely sanctification (21c). How am I using my words? Am I talking when I should be listening? Am I talking over others, demanding my own way? How highly do I value my words? Do I value them more than God's Words? Does the tone of my words contradict God's Word? OR Am I regularly receiving God's Words and letting it shape my words and the manner in which I communicate? Am I encouraging others to receive God's Word? Do I go to God's Word even when I am in conflict with others? Am I depending on God's Words more than my own words to lead to sanctification in the lives of others?
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Disclaimer: The opinions and conclusions expressed on this page are those of the author and may or may not accord with the positions of Biblearc or Bethlehem College & Seminary.