I've entitled the message for
this evening, Swift to Hear and Slow to Speak. Swift to Hear, Slow to Speak. Now the statement in verse 18
is about as powerful a statement concerning God's absolute sovereignty
and salvation that we'll find anywhere in the Bible, of his
own will. Begat he us with the word of
truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creature.
Now here we have the will of God, of his own will. Here we have the work of God. Of his own will begat he us. And here we have the word of
God. Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth. That being the case, since of
his own will begat he us with the word of truth, Let every
man be swift to hear, slow to speak. You can't listen while
you're speaking, can you? When you're talking, you're not
hearing. And slow to wrath. Now let's break down verse 18
as much as we can. Verse 19, about being swift to
hear, of his own will. And listen real carefully to
this statement. Salvation begins, is carried on, and is completed
by the will of God, of His own will. Beget he us with the word
of truth. His will is supreme in election,
according as He hath chosen us in Him. before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
it. His will is supreme in redemption. By the witch will, the scripture
says in Hebrews 10.10, by the witch will, God's will, we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all. His will is supreme in regeneration
of His own will. begat he us with the word of
truth. Now that lets us know that God's
will is supreme in every aspect of our salvation. In him choosing
us before time began, in him redeeming us by the work of Christ
on the cross, and with the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit by his
own will he begat us. Now let me make three statements
about a man that believes in what is called man's free will.
And most of the people you know believe in man's free will. They believe that man has a free
will. He can choose to accept Jesus
Christ as his personal Savior and be saved, or he can choose
to reject Jesus Christ, and thus he'll be lost, but salvation
is ultimately dependent upon his free will. Now let me tell
you something about the man or woman that believes that. First,
they don't believe what the Bible says about the sinfulness of
man. They don't believe in total depravity. They think the will
is free. True, he has problems, but that's
a complete denial of total depravity. Secondly, that man believes that
his will is sovereign over God's will. God may will my salvation,
but I can stop it. I can trump God's will. And thirdly,
that man has never been born from above. Because if you were
born from above, you wouldn't believe anything like that because
you would know that God saved you. You just know that. Now here is the work of the will
of God. He begat us. By his own will
he begat us. Now notice what it doesn't say.
It doesn't say by his own will he changed us. It doesn't say
that at all. It says by his own will he begat
us. He gave us life that was not
there before. Now I have right now while I'm
talking to you, an old man that has not been changed at all. He's just as bad. He's just as
sinful. He's just as depraved as he ever
was. He hadn't changed. He's just
as bad as ever. But notice it doesn't say by
his own will he changed us. I'm glad it doesn't say that.
It says, by his own will he begat us. Now regarding this old man,
do I merely give in to him? This wicked, evil man that I
have, that hasn't changed any, that's just as bad as he ever
was? Well, look what he says in verse 21. Wherefore, lay apart
all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness. Filthiness, that
which bespoils and bespots and excess of wickedness. I'm called upon every day to
lay aside all this excess of wickedness and this superfluity
of naughtiness and this filthiness and so on, and to receive with
meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save my soul. Now,
I deal with that every day. Is there anybody that doesn't
have to deal with that anymore? You don't have that superfluity of
naughtiness and excess of wickedness? No, we deal with that every day.
It's always there. And we're called upon to put
it away. What does it say? Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth. A changed heart? No, but a new
heart. A new man. One that was never there before, but he
is now. You know, really, it's only the
new man that can see the old man. If you can't see that about
yourself, what I was talking about having a nature that's
evil and wicked and devilish and hasn't been changed any.
It's just as bad as it ever was. And you say, well, I can't see
that. Well, you don't have a new man to see it then. If you have
a new man, you for sure see this. And if you don't have a new man,
it doesn't even make sense to you. It's the new man. It's the
holy man that sees the sinfulness and the evil ways of the old
man. But I have a life begotten of
God, born from above. that believes, that loves God
as he is, that loves holiness, that does not sin, that is moved by the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. that stands in awe of the Lord
Jesus Christ, His beauty, His glory, His majesty. I've got
a new man that stands in awe of the Word of God, that loves
the Word of God. I have a new man that loves God's
way of saving by grace. I've got a new man that gives
Him all the glory. So there we have the work of
God, we have the will of God, of his own will. Here we have
the work of God, begat he us, birthed he us. That's what the
new birth is, being born from above, being given spiritual
life. And here's the word of God, of his own will begat he
us with the word of truth. The Lord said, sanctify them
through thy truth. Thy word is truth. In 2 Thessalonians 2.13 we read,
We're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth,
the truth of the gospel. I want you to look at this verse
with me, Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, in whom you also trusted. Let's go back to verse 12, that
we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in
Christ. Now who first trusted in Christ?
God the Father did. God the Father trusted him with
the salvation of every one of his people. He trusted him completely. When Christ agreed to be my surety
and said everything that you require of him, look to me for.
If I bring him not back to you, let me bear the blame forever.
The Father trusted him with my salvation. He's the one who first
trusted Christ. Now read verse 13. In whom you
also trusted, After that, you heard the word of truth, the
gospel, the good news of your salvation. When did you trust
him? After that, you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation. Of his own will began he us with
the word of truth. Well, who's the us speaking of
when he says, with his own will began he us through the word
of truth? Well, Everybody was forgotten
by the word of the truth. It's the same us as the us in
Romans 831. If God be for us, who shall be
against us? All of the elect. The world is
divided into us and them. People don't like that, I know,
but still, the world is divided into us and them. The sheep and
the goats, the saved and the lost, the elect and the reprobate,
those who believe and those who do not believe, the righteous
and the wicked, and there is no salvation apart from hearing
and receiving the word of truth. the gospel of your salvation. Now what a statement of his own
will, I love that, of his own will, I love the power of it,
of his own will begat he us, birthed he us through the word
of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation. We're the firstfruits. That's
the most important part of creation. It's what's given first. It's
given to God as a pledge. You give Him what comes first,
and it's a pledge of what's going to come after that. When they
gave the first fruits, they did so by faith, believing God would
take care of everything else. They brought them in a basket.
The first fruit in a basket. And they didn't dare offer them
up to God. They had the priest offer them up to God. And that's
exactly what we do. We don't dare offer up anything
to God. We look to our high priest to
offer up everything for us. In light of that, verse 19, wherefore,
in light of the fact that by God's sovereign will he begets
us with the word of truth, wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every
man be swift to hear, and slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Since the divine will begets
life through the word of truth, Let every man be swift to hear. Anxious to hear. Ready to hear. Swift to hear the word of truth.
Now when you hear, there's something that's heard. Listen. When you hear, there's something
that is heard. The word of truth. Now, listen
up. I want to be a hearer of the word, don't you? I want to
be someone who listens to what God has to say. Now, on five
different occasions in the New Testament, the Lord said, He
that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Now, if you're unable to
hear, it's because He hadn't given you ears to hear. If you're able to hear, He has
given you ears to hear. Not everybody has ears to hear.
Turn with me for a moment to John chapter 8. The Lord says
to the Pharisees at this time in verse 43, Why do you not understand my
speech? Listen to his answer, because
you cannot. You lack the ability to hear
my word. You are of your father the devil,
and the lesser your father you'll do, He was a murderer from the
beginning, and a bode not in the truth, because there's no
truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own,
for he's a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you
the truth, you believe me not. Which of you convinces me of
sin? And if I say the truth, why don't you believe me? He
that's of God heareth God's words. You therefore hear them not,
because you're not of God. Now he tells these people, you
cannot, you lack the ability to hear my word. And listen to
this scripture. Romans chapter 10 verse 17 says,
faith cometh, and that's what I want, don't you? I want real
saving faith. Faith cometh by what? Hearing. And hearing by the word of God. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Turn with me to that passage
in Romans chapter 10. I want you to see this. Verse 13, for whosoever, Romans
10, 13, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
him in whom they've not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? As it's written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. But they've not all obeyed the
gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith cometh by hearing. And hearing by the word of God. Now I want to hear somebody whom
God has actually sent, don't you? I don't want to hear anybody
else, but somebody that God has actually sent to preach his truth. The gospel message, a message
from God, a message from his word that reveals the Lord Jesus
Christ. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. Now the word of God is the gospel. It's the word of the cross. It's
the doctrine of the cross. It's the doctrine of who Christ
is and what he did and what he accomplished. That's what I want
to hear. The word of the cross. How God saves by the substitutionary,
successful sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now listen to these
words. Listen. Listen. It is finished. What do you hear? What do you hear? What's your
response to that? Let me tell you what my response
to that is. Praise the Lord. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I hear.
It is finished. There's nothing for me to do. Salvation is not due. It's Finished. Do you hear that? Now we ought to be so swift to
hear that it makes us slow to speak because we're afraid of
what we'll miss out on while we're talking. We want to hear
what the Lord says. You can't hear while you're talking. Slow. to speak. Slow to speak. In John chapter 10 verse 27,
the Lord said, My sheep, hear My voice. And I know them, and
they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me
is greater than all, and no man can pluck them out of My Father's
hand. Now did you hear what was said? Listen to this, Acts chapter
22 verse 14, Ananias says to Paul, now listen, listen to what's
being said. This is when he was first converted.
First thing he heard from the preacher, the God of our fathers
hath chosen thee, that thou should know his will. And see that just one, and hear
the voice of his mouth, for thou shalt be his witness to all men
of what you've seen and what you've heard. God of our fathers
has chosen thee. First thing he heard was election.
that you should know his will. He's not talking about his will
of commandment. Paul knew the Ten Commandments backwards and
forwards. He's talking about his will of redemption. This
is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath
given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day. And see that just one. See how God can be just and yet
justify you through the work of that just one. And hear the
voice of his mouth. And here's what this sounds like.
Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Now this epistle was written
to the Thessalonians three weeks after he first came there and
preached the gospel to them. After he preached to them, he
got ran out of town. But look what he says to these people.
He says, knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Now that's quite a statement,
isn't it? He didn't have any access to the Lamb's Book of
Life, yet he says to these people, knowing, brethren, beloved, your
election of God. Paul, how do you make such a
bold statement? Well, let's go on reading. Four, our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. Now, that doesn't really mean
much assurance of your personal salvation, but it means much
assurance of this. This is the truth. This is the
Word of God. That's when it comes in power
and the Holy Ghost. You know this is the Word of
God. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of
God which you heard of us, you received it not as the will of
men, But as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you. Be swift to hear and be slow
to speak, because you can't hear while you're speaking. Listen
to this scripture from Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 2. Keep thy foot
when thou goest into the house of God, and be more ready to
hear than to give a sacrifice of fools. For they consider not
that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and
let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God.
For God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth, therefore let
thy words be few." Now the Lord said, take heed how you hear. Take heed how you hear. Take
heed about your attitude in hearing. Take heed how you hear. Cornelius
said, we're here to hear all the things that God has said
to you. We're here to hear. Make sure
I'm here to hear. Here to actually hear from the
living God. He also said, take heed what you hear. I want to
make sure what I hear is God's word. I want to make sure what
I hear is the truth of the gospel. Be swift to hear and slow to
speak. Let me read you some other scriptures.
Proverbs 10, 19. In the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin,
but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Proverbs 11, 12. A man of understanding holdeth
his peace. Proverbs 13, 3. He that keepeth
his mouth keepeth his life. But he that openeth wide his
lips shall have destruction. Proverbs 17, 27, he that hath
knowledge spareth his words. Verse 28, I love this, even a
fool, even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise. And he that shutteth his lips
is deemed a man of understanding. Anytime I'm around somebody that
doesn't have a lot to say, I think, they're wise. Wish I could be
like them. Proverbs 21, 23, Whoso keepeth
his lips and mouth and tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Proverbs 29, 20 says, Seest thou a man hasty in his words? There's
more hope for a fool than he Let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, and slow to wrath, slow to get angry at what is
said, slow to have a violent reaction to what God says in
His Word, slow to pop off. Slow to wrath. Let every man
be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Verse, back
to our text, James 1, 4, and this is a self-evident truth.
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Of course the wrath of man doesn't work the righteousness of God.
Who's the only one who can work the righteousness of God? The God-man. Christ. God. That's God's righteousness. You
know who else works God's righteousness? Everybody that God imputes the
righteousness of His Son to, so that it actually becomes your
righteousness. I can't get over that. 2 Corinthians
5 21 says, For He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no
sin, that we might be made, what? The righteousness of God in Him. Now the wrath of man is not going
to work the righteousness of God. We know that. That's a self-evident
truth. Verse 21, Wherefore, lay apart
all filthiness, and superfluity of naughtiness, excess of wickedness
is what that means, and receive with meekness the engrafted word
which is able to save your soul. Lay apart all filthiness, anything
that befouls and stains. You got any of that? Sure you
do. You deal with it every day, laid
apart. And superfluity, or excess of
wickedness, that's the word, naughtiness means there's nothing
but wickedness. You got any of that? Sure you do. Every day you deal with it. That's
why I'm saying, that's why I said at the first of this message,
it's not that my heart's changed. The old heart's always the same.
It has that filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness that I'm called
upon to lay down every single day. I've got to deal with this
every day. And you do too. And we're called, we're not told
to just give in to it, but to lay it aside and receive, I love
this, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, the living Word, planted within
your heart that is able to save your soul. Now, let me tell you
one thing you're going to do if God gives you His Word. Here's the one thing you're going
to do for sure, you're going to receive it. And if you don't
receive it, He never gave it. He never gives someone something
that they do not receive. He's got the power to cause you
to receive it. So if He gave you His Word, you
will receive it. And how do we receive this engrafted
Word? With meekness. With humility. This is God's
Word. That's such an awesome thing
to think that this is the Word of God. I'm preaching the Word
of God right now. You've got the Word of God in
your lap right now. This is God's actual Word that's able to save
your soul. The engrafted Word, the Word
implanted within your heart that causes you to see who Christ
is, to see who you are, to rely completely on Christ. That's
the engrafted Word which is able to save your soul. Turn with
me to 1 Peter for a moment. 1 Peter. Verse 23. Being born again. There's the sovereign work of
God, of His own will. Begettius, with the word of truth. Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, not of man seed, but of incorruptible by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth forever. This is that engrafted
word, the table to save your soul, the word of God, which
liveth and abideth forever. And he gives us what that word
is. This is a quotation from Isaiah
chapter 40. Here's what that word is. First
thing you hear is all flesh. What is flesh? Is it just the
stuff we feel? Well, that's flesh, but what
that's talking about when it's talking about the flesh is the
way you and I were born into this world as a natural man.
All flesh is what? Grass. Grass. And all the glory of man is as the flower
of grass. What does that do? The grass
withers and the flower falls away. That's man. That's his
righteousness. That is his goodness. Withered
up, the flower falls away. There's nothing there. But, verse
25, what is it that endures forever? The word of the Lord. And that's
the engrafted word that saves your soul. That's the word of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what's going to last? I quoted
this silly little statement. Life is short and soon will pass.
Only what's done for Christ shall last. Have you ever heard that
before? False. Life is short and soon will pass. Only what's done by Christ will
last. Now, here's my only hope. What Christ has done for me is
all I have. I do not have anything else. And on Judgment Day, the only
reason I'm going to be accepted is because Christ paid the debt
of my sins and gave me His righteousness. And there's not going to be anything
done by me that's brought up except this. What Christ did,
I did because I am united to Him. That's all that will endure. That's all that will count on
Judgment Day. Now, this word, when engrafted
and you're able to believe the message, it will save your soul. And one day, you're going to
be standing in that great throng with the saints in light, praising
the Lamb. This message is able to save
your souls. Now, in light of his own will,
begat he us with the word of truth, let every man be swift
to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, and to receive with
meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. Let's
pray together. Lord, how we thank you for your
glorious will, your sovereign, all-powerful will. How we thank
you that your will is supreme in salvation. Because Lord, we
know if it wasn't, we wouldn't be saved. So we give thanks for
that. We thank you for the divine begetting,
how you give life, life that was not there before. That you
cause us to be born from above. And you do so with the word of
truth, the gospel of our salvation. Lord, enable us by your grace
to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Lord, enable us to put aside
all filthiness and excess of naughtiness and enable us to
receive with meekness the engrafted word of your gospel, the living
word implanted by you that is able to save our souls. Lord,
enable us to look to Christ only. Teach us what it is. To look
nowhere but Christ. To look only to Christ. And to
want to look only to Christ. How we thank you for Him. In
His name we pray. Amen.