City On A Hill: Hearing, Doing, Living the Word |Pt.2| Nick Birmingham

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Date: 3/23/2025

Pastor: Nick Birmingham

Church: Church On The Rock Nashville, Arkansas

Scripture Reference: James 1:19-27

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Show Notes:

• Introduction:
  • Welcome and God's goodness acknowledged.
  • Introduction to James 1:19-27 as the focus of the sermon.
  • Personal anecdote about heart stickers and a public encounter to illustrate how people are always watching.
  • Theme: Continuing the "City On A Hill" concept, emphasizing hearing, doing, and living God's word.
  • Acknowledgment of the distractions and challenges of modern times.
  • Addressing the common feeling that current struggles are unique, highlighting that scripture shows otherwise.
  • Relating the feeling of teenagers who say “you don’t understand” to the idea that people think the bible is not relevant today.
  • Emphasis on James’ instruction to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
  • Prayer for the message to inspire living faith out loud.
• The Struggle with Listening and Speaking:
  • Personal story about impatience in Little Rock traffic to illustrate the struggle with listening and controlling anger.
  • Transparency about personal struggles to connect with the audience.
  • Highlighting the universal struggle of being quick to speak and slow to listen.
  • James' encouragement to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
  • Context from James 1:2-5 and 12-18:
    • Trials as opportunities for growth.
    • Importance of seeking wisdom from God.
    • Clarification that temptation comes from personal desires, not God.
• James 1:19-27 Breakdown:
  • Point 1: Be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger (James 1:19-20):
    • "Know this, my beloved brothers" - emphasis on understanding how to act.
    • Importance of intentional listening in a noisy world.
    • Dangers of hasty speech and the harm words can cause.
    • Importance of creating space for God to speak.
    • Anger destroys relationships.
    • Ancient literature quote: “Be quick to hear but deliberate in answering.”
    • Think before you speak.
    • The negative effects of quick responses in texts or social media.
    • The negative real world effects of uncontrolled speech.
    • Proverbs 29:20.
    • Pausing and seeking God's guidance before responding.
  • Point 2: Don't Just Hear, Live It (James 1:22-24):
    • Being doers of the word, not just hearers.
    • Action authenticates faith.
    • Living intentionally in alignment with God's word.
    • Explanation of the mirror analogy: regularly examining oneself.
    • Nominal Christians.
    • NT Wrights explanation of the mirror analogy.
    • Practical application: reflecting on God's word daily.
  • Point 3: Real Religion Produces Life Change (James 1:26-27):
    • Controlling the tongue as a marker of true religion.
    • The destructive power of words.
    • Proverbs 18:21
    • True religion cares for the vulnerable (orphans and widows).
    • Living differently as Christ followers.
• Application/Conclusion:
  • James' invitation to live a radical life of listening and doing.
  • Prayer for the congregation to be marked by deep engagement with God's word and care for others.
  • Invitation to accept Christ.
  • Prayer for those who need a re-ignition of their faith.
  • Prayer for God to help everyone live out the message of the sermon.
• Closing Remarks:
  • Thank you for tuning in.
  • Encouragement to subscribe and support the ministry.
  • Blessing and farewell.