Pressure Points - September 28
Blog
Who Are You? Understanding Your Identity in Christ During Trials
In a world that seems to be falling apart with tragedies stacked upon tragedies, understanding who we truly are becomes essential. The Book of James provides timely wisdom for believers navigating difficult times. At the core of today's message is a fundamental question: Who are you?
The Difference Between Your Story and Your Identity
Many of us define ourselves by our life stories - where we were born, our family background, our education, our careers, our struggles, and our achievements. While these experiences shape us, they don't define our true identity.
Your true identity isn't found in your circumstances or experiences. For believers, your identity is rooted in your spiritual rebirth. As one pastor put it: "I was born again when I was six... I've been His child for 45 years. It has been a great journey. It has been a not-so-great journey. I have followed Him well. There are times I have not, but the one thing I have never stopped being is His child."
Why Identity Matters During Trials
Who you believe yourself to be will impact:
The Danger of Forgetting Who You Are
James 1:22-24 warns: "But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
This is a powerful metaphor. Just as it would be absurd to look intently at yourself in a mirror and then immediately forget what you look like, it's equally absurd for believers to hear God's truth and then walk away without living it out.
When you placed your faith in Christ, you were given a new life - one that cannot be taken away or lost. As 1 Peter 1:23 says, you have been "born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."
How Should Christians Respond During Trials?
James 1:19-20 provides clear guidance: "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
Be Quick to Hear
The most fundamental thing you can do in a trial is to take a step back, close your mouth, and listen to what God is telling you. Many of our problems come from not listening - to God and to others.
When crisis hits, our emotions respond immediately to whatever stimulus is happening. That's why we need to evaluate them, take a step back, and ask, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"
Be Slow to Speak
Proverbs 10:19 reminds us: "Where there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent."
We all need an "edit button" - that pause between a thought entering our mind and words leaving our mouth. In that pause, we can ask, "Lord, what do you want me to say? Or should I say anything at all?"
Be Slow to Anger
Notice James doesn't say "no anger" - he says "slow to anger." We will see things in this world that make us angry, but our anger should be thoughtful, not a quick flash of temper.
Verse 20 specifically states that "the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." As believers, we're here to represent God's righteousness, not our own emotional reactions.
Practical Steps for Living Out Your Identity
James 1:21 gives practical guidance: "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls."
This requires action:
The "law of liberty" might sound contradictory, but obedience to Christ brings true freedom:
What True Religion Looks Like
James concludes this section by defining genuine faith: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).
True religion isn't about appearances or pious behavior on Sundays. It's about:
Life Application
Trials will come. Temptations will arise. The question is: How will you respond? Will you remember who you truly are in Christ?
This week, I challenge you to:
In a world that seems to be falling apart with tragedies stacked upon tragedies, understanding who we truly are becomes essential. The Book of James provides timely wisdom for believers navigating difficult times. At the core of today's message is a fundamental question: Who are you?
The Difference Between Your Story and Your Identity
Many of us define ourselves by our life stories - where we were born, our family background, our education, our careers, our struggles, and our achievements. While these experiences shape us, they don't define our true identity.
Your true identity isn't found in your circumstances or experiences. For believers, your identity is rooted in your spiritual rebirth. As one pastor put it: "I was born again when I was six... I've been His child for 45 years. It has been a great journey. It has been a not-so-great journey. I have followed Him well. There are times I have not, but the one thing I have never stopped being is His child."
Why Identity Matters During Trials
Who you believe yourself to be will impact:
- Your decisions
- Your responses to the world around you
- Your view of everything happening in this world
- How you handle trials and temptations
The Danger of Forgetting Who You Are
James 1:22-24 warns: "But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
This is a powerful metaphor. Just as it would be absurd to look intently at yourself in a mirror and then immediately forget what you look like, it's equally absurd for believers to hear God's truth and then walk away without living it out.
When you placed your faith in Christ, you were given a new life - one that cannot be taken away or lost. As 1 Peter 1:23 says, you have been "born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."
How Should Christians Respond During Trials?
James 1:19-20 provides clear guidance: "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
Be Quick to Hear
The most fundamental thing you can do in a trial is to take a step back, close your mouth, and listen to what God is telling you. Many of our problems come from not listening - to God and to others.
When crisis hits, our emotions respond immediately to whatever stimulus is happening. That's why we need to evaluate them, take a step back, and ask, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"
Be Slow to Speak
Proverbs 10:19 reminds us: "Where there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent."
We all need an "edit button" - that pause between a thought entering our mind and words leaving our mouth. In that pause, we can ask, "Lord, what do you want me to say? Or should I say anything at all?"
Be Slow to Anger
Notice James doesn't say "no anger" - he says "slow to anger." We will see things in this world that make us angry, but our anger should be thoughtful, not a quick flash of temper.
Verse 20 specifically states that "the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." As believers, we're here to represent God's righteousness, not our own emotional reactions.
Practical Steps for Living Out Your Identity
James 1:21 gives practical guidance: "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls."
This requires action:
- Take off the "old dirty robes" of sin
- Live by the "implanted word" you have received
- Allow your life to flourish through obedience
The "law of liberty" might sound contradictory, but obedience to Christ brings true freedom:
- Freedom from fear about eternity
- Freedom from the power of temptation
- Freedom from our own destructive desires
What True Religion Looks Like
James concludes this section by defining genuine faith: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).
True religion isn't about appearances or pious behavior on Sundays. It's about:
- Caring for the vulnerable (orphans and widows) - putting others before yourself
- Remaining "unspotted from the world" - living distinctly as God's representatives
Life Application
Trials will come. Temptations will arise. The question is: How will you respond? Will you remember who you truly are in Christ?
This week, I challenge you to:
- Take time to "look in the mirror" of God's Word daily. Remind yourself of your true identity in Christ.
- Practice being "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" in every interaction. When you feel yourself reacting emotionally, pause and ask, "Lord, what do you want me to do or say in this moment?"
- Identify one area where you've been living according to the world's standards rather than as God's representative. What specific step can you take to "keep yourself unspotted from the world" in that area?
- Am I living as if I've forgotten who I am in Christ?
- In what situations do I find it hardest to remember my true identity?
- How might my responses to trials change if I truly embraced my identity as God's child?
Devo 1: Who Are You? (Identity in Christ)
Scripture: James 1:22
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Devotional Thought:
Nathan shared his story, from scars and struggles to calling and ministry. But his identity isn’t found in those details—it’s found in Christ. James reminds us that who we are in Christ shapes how we live. If we forget our identity, we will drift into compromise. Remember: your true identity is this—you are a child of God, saved by grace, empowered by the Spirit.
Questions:
“Father, help me never forget who I am in You. Remind me that I am Your child and that my life is secure in Christ.”
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Devotional Thought:
Nathan shared his story, from scars and struggles to calling and ministry. But his identity isn’t found in those details—it’s found in Christ. James reminds us that who we are in Christ shapes how we live. If we forget our identity, we will drift into compromise. Remember: your true identity is this—you are a child of God, saved by grace, empowered by the Spirit.
Questions:
- What false identities am I tempted to let define me?
- How does remembering “I am a child of God” change the way I face trials?
- Where have I been living more as a “hearer” than a “doer”?
“Father, help me never forget who I am in You. Remind me that I am Your child and that my life is secure in Christ.”
Devo 2 – Hearers vs. Doers
Scripture: James 1:23–24
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror… and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
Devotional Thought:
Nathan described how strange it would be to look carefully in the mirror, then instantly forget your own reflection. That’s exactly what happens when we hear God’s Word but never apply it. It’s easy to nod in agreement at church, but the Word is meant to transform us in daily living.
Questions:
“Lord, don’t let me forget what I hear from You. Help me to be a doer of Your Word, living out the truth I know.”
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror… and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
Devotional Thought:
Nathan described how strange it would be to look carefully in the mirror, then instantly forget your own reflection. That’s exactly what happens when we hear God’s Word but never apply it. It’s easy to nod in agreement at church, but the Word is meant to transform us in daily living.
Questions:
- Where do I tend to “leave the Word on the seat” after Sunday?
- What is one truth I need to actually practice this week?
- How can I remind myself daily not to forget who I am in Christ?
“Lord, don’t let me forget what I hear from You. Help me to be a doer of Your Word, living out the truth I know.”
Devo 3 – Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger
Scripture: James 1:19
“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
Devotional Thought:
Nathan admitted listening doesn’t come naturally. Emotions often rise up, leading us to react instead of pausing to hear God’s voice. James teaches that listening first is the foundation of godly responses. In trials or conflicts, being quick to listen and slow to speak is what sets believers apart from the world.
Questions:
“Lord, slow me down. Teach me to listen to Your voice first so that my words and emotions reflect You.”
“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
Devotional Thought:
Nathan admitted listening doesn’t come naturally. Emotions often rise up, leading us to react instead of pausing to hear God’s voice. James teaches that listening first is the foundation of godly responses. In trials or conflicts, being quick to listen and slow to speak is what sets believers apart from the world.
Questions:
- When was the last time I reacted instead of listening?
- How can I make space to hear God before responding?
- What relationships would change if I slowed down my words and anger?
“Lord, slow me down. Teach me to listen to Your voice first so that my words and emotions reflect You.”
Devo 4 – Obedience is Freedom
Scripture: James 1:25
“But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres… he will be blessed in his doing.”
Devotional Thought:
Obedience doesn’t chain us—it frees us. Nathan compared it to gardening: flourishing requires effort, care, and pulling weeds. When we obey God, we flourish in freedom. His commands are not restrictions but pathways to joy, growth, and blessing.
Questions:
“Father, thank You that Your commands are life and freedom. Give me joy to obey You, and help me flourish in Your ways.”
“But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres… he will be blessed in his doing.”
Devotional Thought:
Obedience doesn’t chain us—it frees us. Nathan compared it to gardening: flourishing requires effort, care, and pulling weeds. When we obey God, we flourish in freedom. His commands are not restrictions but pathways to joy, growth, and blessing.
Questions:
- Where have I viewed obedience as a burden instead of freedom?
- What “weeds” need to be pulled from my life so I can grow?
- How might God be inviting me into blessing through obedience right now?
“Father, thank You that Your commands are life and freedom. Give me joy to obey You, and help me flourish in Your ways.”
Devo 5 – True Religion
Scripture: James 1:27
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Devotional Thought:
True faith is not about appearances—it’s about love and holiness. Nathan reminded us that pure religion shows up in compassion for the vulnerable and in staying unstained by the world. It’s not how loud we sing on Sunday, but how deeply we love and how faithfully we live on Monday.
Questions:
“Jesus, help me love others with compassion and live unstained by the world. Let my life reflect Your holiness and heart.”
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Devotional Thought:
True faith is not about appearances—it’s about love and holiness. Nathan reminded us that pure religion shows up in compassion for the vulnerable and in staying unstained by the world. It’s not how loud we sing on Sunday, but how deeply we love and how faithfully we live on Monday.
Questions:
- Where is God calling me to serve those in need?
- What does it look like to stay unstained by the world this week?
- How can I live out love and holiness in practical ways?
“Jesus, help me love others with compassion and live unstained by the world. Let my life reflect Your holiness and heart.”
Transcript
Setting the Stage: Trials Everywhere
My name is Nathan. I am one of the pastors here at Coppell Bible. It is great to see everybody. If you're our guest, thank you for joining us as we are continuing uh in our series in the book of James. Um this has been a challenging series. It will continue to be challenging. Um and I felt today as I was preparing that this was certainly a message that I needed to hear um me personally. And so, uh, I may get a little little personal with you guys today. So, um, and open up some things that maybe you've never heard before from me.
Um, it is difficult, as you probably know, to prepare for a series like this when the world seems to be falling apart all around us. Seems like every week there is some new tragedy stacked upon tragedy, stacked upon tragedy. And I think we can all agree on that going all the way back to when Michael started the message and we had the assassination of Charlie Kirk and he has to come and preach on a book about trials and a world uh that is a difficult place.
And as I was prepping this week, I was thinking to myself, you know, with everything that has happened, God's timing for us teaching this book uh is incredible. But we didn't need those things to happen to understand the book of James. We need the book of James and God's word to make sense of what's going on and how we as believers, those who have place their faith in Christ alone for salvation, are to respond.
Where is your Identity
And as I was uh like I said, preparing, I thought to myself over and over and over again, who am I? Who am I? And that's the question I'm going to ask you today is who are you? Because I think at this message, the fundamental core truth in here is who are you?
Now, I'd like to introduce you uh to me and share a little little bit about me. My name is Nathan William Lee. I was born December 31st, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee. My parents selected that day and had me induced so they could have the tax break.
I was born to William and Janette Lee. My father was a pastor when I was born, but he uh determined through prayer that he was not ready to lead a church and he took a step down uh to grow a little bit more and he went to work for Fredo for 25 years, which is the army of snack foods. So, you move a lot.
Uh my mother was a nurse uh for her entire career. She worked in hospitals. She worked uh home visitation. She actually uh was a nursing home nurse for a while. That's where I got my first job. I was a junior orderly at a nursing home. And so that was the very first job I had and I loved it. It was a great job.
I had a brother named Aaron was a second son who passed away when he was born. I have a third brother Zach uh who was born three years after me. Uh he is in his 20s was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. In my 40s I was diagnosed with the same thing.
Now it happens under stress. I've learned to control it. But there are times when it flares up where I have multiple physical ticks and multiple audible ticks. Um, but like I said, I've learned to control it and uh, you know, things happen. There are certain sounds or specific things that trigger it which my kids immediately learn and use because the way to deal with something like that is humor, right? And if they can just get me going, it's it's very entertaining for everybody.
Uh, my daughter has it as well. You should see the two of us in a room together. It's amazing.
When I was well actually before I could walk and I was still in one of those rolling danger death traps back in the 70s that you put your baby in. Uh my mother was making baked potatoes in our kitchen and she opened up the oven door and she went to turn and as soon as she turned I rolled up as fast as I could and laid both of my arms on a door that was 400°.
Big trip to the emergency room. We've got pictures of these boxing glove looking things. I actually my my fingerprints. I'm easy to identify because I have scars on my fingerprints because I put the whole thing down there.
When I was 5 years old, I dropped the iron, knocked it off the uh ironing board in my parents room because I wasn't supposed to be in there and I got really nervous I was going to get a lot of trouble. So, I went to pick it up, but it was heavy, so I grabbed it with both hands and it was on. Burned myself again, sent myself to the ER again.
I do not like getting burned. I do not like hot hot water. I do not like I I have a phobia of being burned. and I will react strongly. In fact, I get teased a lot in our house because my showers are not warm enough. It's like somebody will get in there and it's like Kim will say, "I can't believe that there's no steam when you take a shower."
Well, when I was little, and I don't know exactly when, my parents, for some reason, uh either went to a drive-in or went to a movie theater to see the movie The Legend of Boggy Creek in the 70s. Now, if you know that movie, it is about a Bigfoot-like creature that terrorizes a small town in Arkansas. Because of that movie, I cannot use a restroom that has a window by a toilet.
I'm being vulnerable today. If I am at your house, I will search for the guest room or the guest bathroom as much as I fast as I can. It's just some weird weird thing.
I entered into youth ministry when I uh when I had graduated uh from Georgia Southern University with a masters. I decided that's not what I wanted to do. I'd been working at Texas Tech for two years uh as a a hall director. Decided, you know what, I can have a better impact on teenagers before they get to college instead of trying to deal with the things there.
Uh four years into student ministry, I met my wife Kim. We were married in 2004 and we had our daughter in uh 2005, three weeks after our first anniversary. So we had three months of being a couple without being pregnant is essentially what it was.
Uh in 2008, yes, 2008, I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to work at a church up there. In 2010, my son was born one day before my father-in-law passed away, less than 24 hours.
In 2011, we moved back to Texas and lived for a while with my in-laws down in Dallas until uh the uh gunfire was a little bit much for us and so we decided to move back to Flower Mount. We settled at the house we are at right now in 2012.
I had multiple jobs in between from working uh the uh receiving dock at Lowe's to opening up the academy uh sports store over in Flower Mound till I finally landed at Irving Bible with the job that I never thought I would have and that's working with children.
Uh I came to Copel Bible uh as a children's pastor and over the years I'm now the NextGen pastor working with teenagers all the way up college students, young adults. I love it. It's been an incredible journey.
Born Again vs. Biography
...but that's not who I am. Those are things that happened from my birth as I have traveled through this world in a place that I do not belong heading towards my home.
Here's who I am. My name is Nathan William. I was born December 31st, 1973. I was born again when I was six, when I was on the phone with a kind old lady at a Bible story phone number and I believed in Jesus for everlasting life. I've been his child for 45 years.
It has been a great journey. It has been a not so great journey. I have followed him well. There are times I have not. But the one thing I have never stopped being is his child. Ever. And that is who I am.
And that is something very serious to James in this passage. Who are you? Do you know identity? Who we are is the most important thing for us to remember. It is going to impact your decisions. It is going to impact your responses to the world around you. It will impact your view of everything that has been happening in this world and your response to it.
And so we're going to be in James chapter 1. We will be in 19 to 27, but we're actually going to start in 22 because I believe that this is the fundamental thing we have to understand before we get into this discussion of practical application in time of trial.
Trials, Temptation, and Consequences
See, Michael started us out with how to view trial. Correct? He started the book of James and said, you know what, trial, difficult times, a difficult world, the things we experience that are hard for us, they are to be seen as something to be joyful about because why? Because we grow in them. They are not something to hide from. They are something to face by the power of the Holy Spirit and look for the chance for you to grow in your knowledge and your relationship with the Lord and he will work through you in that.
And then Barkeff came up ne last week and talked about that temptation is one of those trials that we experience. And temptation comes in all sorts of forms, but the temptation itself is not sin. It's the trial. It's how you respond to it is when it becomes sin. It's when you embrace it. What is of the world—that is when it becomes sin.
And sin can have devastating impacts on each of us. All of us. Those who have placed their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. Sin can have devastating impacts if we pursue it all the way up to even death. And that is a truth for years I wrestled with as I studied, but it's all through the New Testament. There are warnings to be faithful to follow for the salvation of your soul. Not talking about eternal life, talking about this experience here on earth, the soul, the whole person and their physical experience here on earth.
There are consequences to that even up to death. And as James is writing to believers, as he is writing to a church that's under trial, he is telling them, "Do not forget who you are. Do not forget who you are."
Hearers vs. Doers — The Mirror
And so in verse 22 it says this, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
Now, I'm sure everybody here, we get up in the morning, we look in the mirror, we study our face, we're just like, "Okay, mine is get up there and I go," okay, I can go another couple days without shaving. We're good. Um, you know, don't look too bad. Get the—well, at one point I was combing my hair, but um, you know, I'm looking maybe it's time to shave my head. Okay, do I look all right? You know, you're a guy. You're like, okay, let's—yeah, we're good. Um, you know, how my teeth look—brush. I mean, we spend time studying what we look like. Why? Because we want to put our best foot forward.
We want to look good when we go out there. We want to look together. Not necessarily we want to look like supermodel or whatever. We just want to look like we're composed and together and everything's working. And we look in that mirror. We look in that mirror. And James says, "Not knowing who you are is like looking into that mirror, studying it, your real face, your entirety that you see, and then turning around and completely forgetting who you are and what you look like. That is an insane prospect. That's crazy."
In fact, I would argue that the only way that could happen would have to be some kind of trauma that impacts someone with a short-term memory thing to be able to look in the mirror, turn around, and just not know who they were. And I want to stress that he says studies himself, looks deeply into who they are.
And he says this is like being a hearer of the word. Someone who comes and hears the truth, God's truth. They brain, you know, it goes into their brain. They take it all in and then they turn around and don't do it. They just walk away and leave it on the seat on Sunday morning because right now we are all hearers, right? We are all hearers of God's word. Whether it's him speaking to us or he's speaking through me in my imperfect way, he's using me. But if we take that in and leave it on the seat when we leave and walk out the door, we are not being doers. We're just being hearers. And we have studied oursel and forgotten who we are. Completely forgotten who we are.
Now, 1 Peter 1:23, which is actually the book we're going through with our students right now and really enjoying it. It's been a lot of fun. Uh, you want to know who you are? You have been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. When you placed your faith in Christ, you were given a new life. A new life planted. Can't be taken away. It cannot be lost. It cannot be given back. But it can not flourish.
That's a reality. It can be a weak weak plant if you want to picture that. My wife, her new hobby is cut flower garden. And apparently what that means is you get all the Texas native flowers and you do them in your backyard. They look amazing. She works so hard at it. And next year, apparently we're going to do a natural Texas uh native uh flower garden. My neighbor says she has that, but that's just not mowing. So, um, I kid you not, there's an oak tree like growing out of her foundation.
But Kim has spent so much time working on this. First thing in the morning when she gets up, I'm out there getting ready to go to work. She gets up. She walks outside. She walks around the pool. She picks up all the weeds. She checks to make sure the rabbits haven't been eating her flowers. Now, our solution is we actually feed them what's left of lettuce when we have a salad that kind of distracts them because we have—we have an army of rabbits that live in our backyard. And she walks around and she checks all the flowers. She checks the health of them.
When it's the end of the season, she collects the seeds because she's going to uh propagate them over the uh winter and then she's going to replant them. Um she has taken the—I love this. She takes the zenyas and she dries them out and then she makes a garland out of it. It's really cool looking. Like I'm not a flower guy, but I look at that and I go, "That's pretty awesome." And she puts so much time into it. She puts so much effort into it to see these flowers flourish and grow.
We have been given a new life and it's time for us to work to see it flourish and grow. We did a whole series this summer. Salvation versus discipleship. Is there a difference? There is. Salvation 100% free by God alone. We place our faith in him for everlasting life. We are secure in him. But then we have a life to live. We have a life to live.
And that life can be one in which we flourish. It can be one where we just coast all the way to the end. And we don't see this life flourishing. We don't see the product, the fruit of that experience of growing in him, that outpouring of his love, his outpouring of uh the mission that we have that God is doing in us and through us. We're just here.
But the thing is, we've been born again to this new life. When I was born again, I was about six years old. And my new life started right then. And I had my good moments. I had my difficult moments. And I've seen growth. And I've seen times where could could have been better.
But the incredible thing is that you're given something that is your absolute identity. Who you are. I am a child of God. I am saved by his grace through faith. I have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live well. I have been given a mission to represent God here on earth to have the privilege of being part of his massive and mighty work of making disciples, sharing the gospel.
I do not fear death because I know I will be with him and I want to one day stand before him and hear well done good and faithful servant. That's who I am. For everyone who's placed their faith in Christ, that is who you are.
But we can't be people who look in that mirror, see who we are, and the minute something happens, the minute something uh we turn around, we have forgotten it. And sometimes the trial is the easiest place to forget it. That's the easiest place to forget it.
It's interesting that when we place our faith in Christ and we are now his into this new life that we no longer belong to the world. We are travelers. That's something we've been talking about in First Peter on Wednesday nights. We're travelers. This isn't our home. We are the aliens and strangers walking through this world heading home. But right now, we have a job and that is to represent Christ. as well.
How are we seen? Are we seen as great representatives living by the spirit or do we look no different than the world?
Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak
James is going to take uh we're going to go back to verse 19 because before this, before he's established this identity passage, he actually gives instructions for what happens when you're in trial and what we are to do. So, we're going to go back to 19 and I'm going to read 19 and 20.
So, then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
I'm going to confess something right now. I'm not a good listener at all. I blame genetics. I blame the nature versus nurture thing in my family. We are all bad at it. Well, the guys—my mother is just a saint—but the guys are all really bad at it.
In fact, we have this motto used to hang up actually in one of the offices. It says, "Listening is not waiting for your turn to speak." That is our family motto. That is the thing we have to remind ourselves constantly. In fact, it's so bad that I've had people say this: they have seen us physically jockey to get the last word in. Sitting on a couch, three men in the family doing this to get the last word in.
We're not great listeners. We're just not. And of course, you know, we're aware of it. Maybe sometimes we just don't care. Um, we should.
But when James is speaking of be quick to hear, he's laying down the most fundamental thing you can do in trial and that is take a step back, close your mouth, and listen to what God is telling you. Listen to what God is telling you.
Now, uh in the first service, right after one, somebody uh said that I was going to step on toes today with this message. Message in the second service is not my intent. But how many of us can think back to what our reaction was when Charlie Kirk was shot and assassinated?
What did we feel? What was our first response? Did we immediately speak? Did we immediately uh begin to call out who possibly did this? Whatever side you were on, did you immediately just begin to point fingers and get angry? Or did you take a step back and go, "Lord, what is happening? What is going on?" I'll be honest, it wasn't me. It wasn't me.
Because that ability to hear, to listen, is the beginning of the trail that's going to take you from either listening to God and responding as one who has the identity of a child of God to looking or just looking just like the world. Looking just like the world.
Most of the issues I've had in my life come from not listening. Come from not listening. There's a lot of uh confession today. So, because here's the deal: everybody reacts quickly in crisis, right? Something happens, you have an immediate response. Why? Because emotions are responders. Emotions respond to whatever stimulus is going on. That's why we have to evaluate them. That's why we have to take a step back and listen to what is actually happening, but also go to the Lord and say, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"
Case in point, not being able to use a bathroom with a window next to the toilet is ludicrous. But every time I walk into one and I see it, it's like I tense up. I'm nervous. I'm scared because my emotions are responding to something that's insane.
But when my wife fell off a ladder and crushed her ankle and I hadn't seen her yet and all I heard was that she fell and my daughter called the ambulance and I walked in the door and this is what was going on. There was fear, but it was real legitimate fear. And that was the moment I went, "Oh Lord, please please take care of her."
In fact, by the time I got home—and I believe he did—I think the Lord builds us in such an incredible way that I was able to walk out there as calm as I could possibly be. And that's, by the way, one of my phobias is broken bones. I didn't mention that earlier. And uh, in fact, she had told me not to come outside because she was worried I was going to pass out.
And so I walk out there and the Lord is working. I think, I truly believe it's because I stopped and I said, "Lord, you deal with this because I don't know how I'm going to." And I walked outside and I looked at her and I looked at her leg and I looked back at her and I went, "You're going to the hospital." And then I walked back inside.
I didn't feel a thing until 11 o'clock that night after we got her in the hospital and I sat down and I was just like my whole body started shaking because the Lord is ready to help us in trial. He is ready and he's waiting for us to listen to him.
Slow to Speak — Controlling the Tongue
Proverbs 10:19 says this, "Where there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent."
Um, I always have a lot of illustrations and I kind of try to trim them down, but this one I—I was thinking of between—this is where your lips, quick to speak, you know, you're not listening, but you're quick to speak. This is where it uh it hits you hard.
When my son was little, we were playing a game and uh he lost and he got mad and I was frustrated that he was mad. Really was. I was like, you—you just got to get over this. And uh in my frustration and taking—instead of taking a step back and seeing this young little man who's dealing with this whole new concept of not winning and saying, "Hey buddy, it's okay. We'll try harder next time," I said, "You better get used to losing."
Take a step back. Think about what you're going to say. Listen to what's happening. Everybody in here—and I sometimes believe I don't have it—is we should have an audit edit button. Right? When something is in our head, we should go, "Huh? Should I be saying that? And if I'm going to say it, what part should I edit?"
That's when we're listening. Lord, what do you want me to say? Or am I just going to shoot the first thing out of my mouth? Am I going to respond in that way? Am I going to be quick to speak and potentially make a bad situation worse?
If you're married, you know how easily it is to do that. I got a million stories, but it's 11:30.
Remember, we have an identity. We look in that mirror and we see child of God. We see his representative here on earth. We see indwelt by the Spirit. We see empowered by the Spirit. We see a God who doesn't abandon us. A God who's there with us. Walks with us all the time. When we fail, he does not. When we walk away, he is faithful.
We see all of that and then we go and live as if that's not true. For whatever reason, whether it's uh things got too difficult or maybe there's a sin that we are like, "Hey, I really like this and I understand who I am, but God, this makes me so happy."
We have to remember who we are, and I cannot say that enough, and I will say it over and over and over again.
Do you guys remember The Lion King in that big epic scene? Do you remember what Simba's problem was? He'd forgotten who he was. And his father comes to him and he says, "You've forgotten that you are the king of the Pride Lands."
And so you've embraced this life of just being lazy. You forgot who you were. I was going to play it, but it just—it's a long clip. So, but I remember sitting in the theater watching that going, "Oh my gosh, that's actually pretty profound for a movie that's basically Hamlet." You're sitting here watching this going, "Whoa, Disney got something right. That's really neat." And it has stuck with me for the many, many years since I saw—I did see it in the theater. So, um, I thought, what a great statement. It's been something I've come back to—that concept, that truth that we cannot forget who we are.
Slow to Anger — Responding in Trials
Now, the third one is this, that uh we are to be slow to anger. Notice he doesn’t say no anger. He says slow to anger because we have verses that say be angry and do not sin. Anger—we are going to see things in this world that are going to make us angry.
Hurt, pain, but that should be something that we’re slow to, that we’re not quick flash in the pan. Temper, anger. All of these come down to if you’re not listening, eventually you’re going to end up here. Eventually, you’re going to end up here at anger.
And it says specifically that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. What are we here to do? We’re here to represent the righteousness of God. To have him live in us, through us. I can’t say that enough. Inside out living changes the heart, changes the mind. He begins to work through us. And we flourish when we’re being obedient to him.
But sometimes we go back to that old, old, old self. We go back to that because it’s easy or we stop thinking or maybe we don’t even realize why we’re angry. It’s just a response.
Like I said, anger, just like every other emotion, is a responder. That’s why when we feel that anger, we have to take a step back and think through what is it that’s making me this way? Why am I responding this way?
As a college student, I was angry all the time because I was afraid. I was afraid of growing up. I didn’t want to go out into the world. And so, every time somebody pushed me to do that, I got angry at him—until that was revealed to me by a pastor who I went to. And he, after hearing my plight, said, "Why are you angry? I mean, why are you afraid?" And I thought he was nuts. But then he walked through everything I said. He said, "You’re scared."
I was angry at my father one time, which, you know, that’s being a young man. And in my anger, because I was not quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, I said this to him. I said, "You love Zach, my brother, more than me." He looked back at me and he said, "So what if I do?" Dead silence.
He said, "Are you a child of God? Are you a man of faith? Does the Spirit dwell in you? Because if that’s who you are, you can handle it."
I was like, "Wow, of course he doesn’t love my brother more than me. He’s great at shock value, right? He can get me quiet pretty quick. But I’m not making that up. That was his first statement to me was, 'Are you someone who has eternal life?'"
Because even if you do, and even if that was true, you have this relationship with God that’s greater than the love that I have for my son.
You are not someone anymore to be driven by anger, to be driven by your words that just come out of your mouth. You are to be a holy people set apart from the world, different from them because you are different. All who have placed their faith in Christ, you are different.
Putting Off the Old, Receiving the Word
So, right before he gets to verse 22 where we talked about identity, you may be asking yourself, okay, so what do I do with that? How do I do that? Well, verse 21 says this. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
Once again, we are talking here on earth, practical, following the word of God, listening to the word of God, and taking off that old—those old dirty robes and throwing them on the ground. Don’t need them anymore. And living by that implanted word that you have so that your life here will—again, the same word—flourish, and you will preserve yourself from the consequence of sin.
Notice that there’s action. It’s just so much action here being spoken to these believers that it’s not about just sitting and coasting and riding it out. It’s about actually engaging, feet to the floor, living this out.
Save your souls. The deliverance from the consequences of sin in this life.
Going back to the gardening illustration, we have an implanted seed in the soil here. We want that soil to be thriving. So we feed it. We feed it the word. We feed it so the roots grow strong.
We pull the weeds, the sin. We throw the cloak. We throw that robe off that’s all dirty and we seek to grow. And that’s in obedience.
The Law of Liberty and True Freedom
But not only that, James continues in 25 after we’ve gone through this discussion of who you are and laying aside the filthiness and overflow of wickedness. In 25 he says this, "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."
Now notice that the law of liberty—when you hear law, you don’t necessarily associate freedom and liberty with it, but that’s exactly what it is. In living in obedience to Christ, in obedience to God, we have now experienced freedom.
Freedom from what? Well, let’s start with the first one. Freedom from the fear of where we’re going. When we place our faith and trust in him for salvation alone, we don’t have to worry about it anymore. But what we do need to worry about is what we’re going to do here.
And following his word, the obedience that we’re called to, frees us from the temptations. It frees us from those—the things that the enemy wants to throw at us. And not just the enemy, our own flesh that’s still hanging around out there because we haven’t gone home yet, that’s saying, "Oh, come on. Just a little bit. It’ll be okay. It’s just a little spot on your new robe. Don’t worry about it."
But obedience is freedom. Now, when I was a kid, I didn’t think obedience was freedom, right? I’d get up and go, "Okay, what are we doing today, Dad? I just need to plan out my day from all the terrible things you’re going to have me do in the morning to when I can get out of here and do whatever I want because that’s freedom." And usually, I ended up doing something dumb, get in trouble.
But what he was teaching me was just like with our God in heaven—that obedience was keeping me out of trouble. It was maturing me. It was helping me understand what it meant to be a godly man because I got to spend the time with him.
He who looks into the perfect law of liberty. What a great phrase.
In John 8:31–32, Jesus says this: "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth will"—what?—"make you free." When you look in that mirror and you see who you are, that should set you free. Not to forget, but to be who you are.
It’s not just knowing the truth. It’s not just taking it in. It’s not just having it in here, but it’s living it out.
Listening to God and Community Together
Something I want to say here. When we think back to the slow to speak, quick to—quick to hear, sorry. Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. I always mess that up. That’s about listening to the Lord, right? It’s about listening for his guidance. It’s about listening where he’s going to take you to give you that uh that path to respond to in obedience. And it’s in his word, right? It’s right here.
But here’s the good news as well. On top of that, he’s also given us each other. He’s also given us one another—that we have friends, that we have communities that are uh of people who are mature and growing in their faith, that are there for the Lord to use to speak through them to us in those difficult times.
That’s why we believe so strongly in the cord of three strands. That’s why we believe so strongly in finding a life group that you can be a part of. And we have some exciting news about life groups that I’m going to get to share at the end of the service in our announcement time because we believe that the foundational discipleship happens together, not alone—because that’s when God is using us and working through us and he’s communicating his truth.
Pure Religion Defined
And then finally, in the last two verses, James writes this, and this is a passage that I believe has often been kind of twisted around, or at least part of it forgotten. If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Let’s just talk about it simply. We can come here and we can put up a good front and we can walk home and do the exact opposite and not be that person. We can have a pious appearance. We can come here and feel good about the sermon when we’re done. We can walk home today and be terrible to our families. We can walk home today or drive and forget who we are and forget what we look like in that mirror.
Like I said before, we can leave it on the seat. Remember, we’re representatives of Christ. They look at us. The world looks at us. You know what they’re looking at? How much of what you heard impacts your life? How much of what you heard are you putting into practice?
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows. And many people have said, "You’re not a Christian unless you visit orphans and widows. Unless you do that, I can’t believe…" You know, you go on the—don’t go on the internet anymore, it’s a terrible place. But you hear people say things like, "Oh, if you are a Christian, can you believe these Christians who don’t want to help the poor? They’re not real Christians. They’re not true ones."
And it’s like, okay, one, let’s talk about your definition first, because your definition is flawed. But two, what does that mean deep down? Of course, we are to take care of orphans and widows. But at the core of it, what is it saying? It’s like you stopped thinking about yourself.
Yes, we are to. But the pure, undefiled religion that we want to show the world is that we follow Christ and not ourselves. That we have put him first. And in putting him first, we are caring for the least. That we have set ourselves aside as the center of the universe and put him there. That we are willing to think of others before ourselves.
But here’s the last part—because this verse gets thrown out, right? The widows and orphans part. But the last part is this: keep oneself unspotted from the world. Because we still have to be in it. We’re not home yet. We’re going there, but we’re not home yet.
Remember, we took off those robes, right? We took off—we’re to take off those filthy robes of the old life and sin, and we’ve got clean ones now. We don’t go roll in the mud immediately. We try to, through his power, through his leading, avoid the stain of the world, because that is a testimony of God’s power to raise up his people, believers, to transform them, to live impactful lives, to be a part of his mission, but to be excellent representatives of him.
If we’re travelers through this world, we’re ambassadors. And you never want to mess that up. You want to represent your home well. True religion doesn’t show up in how loudly we sing, but in how deeply we love and seek to keep us undefiled by the world, to follow our Lord, our Savior.
Conclusion
So, bringing it all the way around, trials are going to happen, right? They’re just going to happen. It’s the world we live in. Temptation is going to come. Those are chances to grow.
You can’t sit around and avoid them. We had a lot that happened in our first year of marriage, and we got to the end of that first year and went, "Woo, Lord, please don’t let anything bad happen next year because I’d really like a year off." And God said, "Well, you ain’t home yet, so sorry. It’s going to happen."
So, how are you going to respond? Who are you? Your eternal life is secure. Your salvation is a fact when you place your faith in Christ in that moment. But your discipleship is the journey you’re taking now to walk.
Well, I’ll say this at the close. A couple years ago, I had a friend who was a pastor at a church that I used to be at, and we didn’t always see eye to eye. We didn’t always—you know, we had our moments back and forth. But he was always one of the quietest men that I ever met. And he would listen, and we would get in discussions, and sometimes I didn’t like what he said.
But when he passed away, we were at the funeral, and everybody who spoke said, "I can’t believe how joyful he was at the end, because I hope that I walked well and now I get to go hear it from my Lord."
I hope that my journey as it ends, I didn’t give up who I was and I lived that out. That I looked in the mirror and I never forgot who I was and who I am in Christ Jesus.
Now, if you’ll bow your heads with me, I’m going to pray.
My name is Nathan. I am one of the pastors here at Coppell Bible. It is great to see everybody. If you're our guest, thank you for joining us as we are continuing uh in our series in the book of James. Um this has been a challenging series. It will continue to be challenging. Um and I felt today as I was preparing that this was certainly a message that I needed to hear um me personally. And so, uh, I may get a little little personal with you guys today. So, um, and open up some things that maybe you've never heard before from me.
Um, it is difficult, as you probably know, to prepare for a series like this when the world seems to be falling apart all around us. Seems like every week there is some new tragedy stacked upon tragedy, stacked upon tragedy. And I think we can all agree on that going all the way back to when Michael started the message and we had the assassination of Charlie Kirk and he has to come and preach on a book about trials and a world uh that is a difficult place.
And as I was prepping this week, I was thinking to myself, you know, with everything that has happened, God's timing for us teaching this book uh is incredible. But we didn't need those things to happen to understand the book of James. We need the book of James and God's word to make sense of what's going on and how we as believers, those who have place their faith in Christ alone for salvation, are to respond.
Where is your Identity
And as I was uh like I said, preparing, I thought to myself over and over and over again, who am I? Who am I? And that's the question I'm going to ask you today is who are you? Because I think at this message, the fundamental core truth in here is who are you?
Now, I'd like to introduce you uh to me and share a little little bit about me. My name is Nathan William Lee. I was born December 31st, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee. My parents selected that day and had me induced so they could have the tax break.
I was born to William and Janette Lee. My father was a pastor when I was born, but he uh determined through prayer that he was not ready to lead a church and he took a step down uh to grow a little bit more and he went to work for Fredo for 25 years, which is the army of snack foods. So, you move a lot.
Uh my mother was a nurse uh for her entire career. She worked in hospitals. She worked uh home visitation. She actually uh was a nursing home nurse for a while. That's where I got my first job. I was a junior orderly at a nursing home. And so that was the very first job I had and I loved it. It was a great job.
I had a brother named Aaron was a second son who passed away when he was born. I have a third brother Zach uh who was born three years after me. Uh he is in his 20s was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. In my 40s I was diagnosed with the same thing.
Now it happens under stress. I've learned to control it. But there are times when it flares up where I have multiple physical ticks and multiple audible ticks. Um, but like I said, I've learned to control it and uh, you know, things happen. There are certain sounds or specific things that trigger it which my kids immediately learn and use because the way to deal with something like that is humor, right? And if they can just get me going, it's it's very entertaining for everybody.
Uh, my daughter has it as well. You should see the two of us in a room together. It's amazing.
When I was well actually before I could walk and I was still in one of those rolling danger death traps back in the 70s that you put your baby in. Uh my mother was making baked potatoes in our kitchen and she opened up the oven door and she went to turn and as soon as she turned I rolled up as fast as I could and laid both of my arms on a door that was 400°.
Big trip to the emergency room. We've got pictures of these boxing glove looking things. I actually my my fingerprints. I'm easy to identify because I have scars on my fingerprints because I put the whole thing down there.
When I was 5 years old, I dropped the iron, knocked it off the uh ironing board in my parents room because I wasn't supposed to be in there and I got really nervous I was going to get a lot of trouble. So, I went to pick it up, but it was heavy, so I grabbed it with both hands and it was on. Burned myself again, sent myself to the ER again.
I do not like getting burned. I do not like hot hot water. I do not like I I have a phobia of being burned. and I will react strongly. In fact, I get teased a lot in our house because my showers are not warm enough. It's like somebody will get in there and it's like Kim will say, "I can't believe that there's no steam when you take a shower."
Well, when I was little, and I don't know exactly when, my parents, for some reason, uh either went to a drive-in or went to a movie theater to see the movie The Legend of Boggy Creek in the 70s. Now, if you know that movie, it is about a Bigfoot-like creature that terrorizes a small town in Arkansas. Because of that movie, I cannot use a restroom that has a window by a toilet.
I'm being vulnerable today. If I am at your house, I will search for the guest room or the guest bathroom as much as I fast as I can. It's just some weird weird thing.
I entered into youth ministry when I uh when I had graduated uh from Georgia Southern University with a masters. I decided that's not what I wanted to do. I'd been working at Texas Tech for two years uh as a a hall director. Decided, you know what, I can have a better impact on teenagers before they get to college instead of trying to deal with the things there.
Uh four years into student ministry, I met my wife Kim. We were married in 2004 and we had our daughter in uh 2005, three weeks after our first anniversary. So we had three months of being a couple without being pregnant is essentially what it was.
Uh in 2008, yes, 2008, I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to work at a church up there. In 2010, my son was born one day before my father-in-law passed away, less than 24 hours.
In 2011, we moved back to Texas and lived for a while with my in-laws down in Dallas until uh the uh gunfire was a little bit much for us and so we decided to move back to Flower Mount. We settled at the house we are at right now in 2012.
I had multiple jobs in between from working uh the uh receiving dock at Lowe's to opening up the academy uh sports store over in Flower Mound till I finally landed at Irving Bible with the job that I never thought I would have and that's working with children.
Uh I came to Copel Bible uh as a children's pastor and over the years I'm now the NextGen pastor working with teenagers all the way up college students, young adults. I love it. It's been an incredible journey.
Born Again vs. Biography
...but that's not who I am. Those are things that happened from my birth as I have traveled through this world in a place that I do not belong heading towards my home.
Here's who I am. My name is Nathan William. I was born December 31st, 1973. I was born again when I was six, when I was on the phone with a kind old lady at a Bible story phone number and I believed in Jesus for everlasting life. I've been his child for 45 years.
It has been a great journey. It has been a not so great journey. I have followed him well. There are times I have not. But the one thing I have never stopped being is his child. Ever. And that is who I am.
And that is something very serious to James in this passage. Who are you? Do you know identity? Who we are is the most important thing for us to remember. It is going to impact your decisions. It is going to impact your responses to the world around you. It will impact your view of everything that has been happening in this world and your response to it.
And so we're going to be in James chapter 1. We will be in 19 to 27, but we're actually going to start in 22 because I believe that this is the fundamental thing we have to understand before we get into this discussion of practical application in time of trial.
Trials, Temptation, and Consequences
See, Michael started us out with how to view trial. Correct? He started the book of James and said, you know what, trial, difficult times, a difficult world, the things we experience that are hard for us, they are to be seen as something to be joyful about because why? Because we grow in them. They are not something to hide from. They are something to face by the power of the Holy Spirit and look for the chance for you to grow in your knowledge and your relationship with the Lord and he will work through you in that.
And then Barkeff came up ne last week and talked about that temptation is one of those trials that we experience. And temptation comes in all sorts of forms, but the temptation itself is not sin. It's the trial. It's how you respond to it is when it becomes sin. It's when you embrace it. What is of the world—that is when it becomes sin.
And sin can have devastating impacts on each of us. All of us. Those who have placed their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. Sin can have devastating impacts if we pursue it all the way up to even death. And that is a truth for years I wrestled with as I studied, but it's all through the New Testament. There are warnings to be faithful to follow for the salvation of your soul. Not talking about eternal life, talking about this experience here on earth, the soul, the whole person and their physical experience here on earth.
There are consequences to that even up to death. And as James is writing to believers, as he is writing to a church that's under trial, he is telling them, "Do not forget who you are. Do not forget who you are."
Hearers vs. Doers — The Mirror
And so in verse 22 it says this, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."
Now, I'm sure everybody here, we get up in the morning, we look in the mirror, we study our face, we're just like, "Okay, mine is get up there and I go," okay, I can go another couple days without shaving. We're good. Um, you know, don't look too bad. Get the—well, at one point I was combing my hair, but um, you know, I'm looking maybe it's time to shave my head. Okay, do I look all right? You know, you're a guy. You're like, okay, let's—yeah, we're good. Um, you know, how my teeth look—brush. I mean, we spend time studying what we look like. Why? Because we want to put our best foot forward.
We want to look good when we go out there. We want to look together. Not necessarily we want to look like supermodel or whatever. We just want to look like we're composed and together and everything's working. And we look in that mirror. We look in that mirror. And James says, "Not knowing who you are is like looking into that mirror, studying it, your real face, your entirety that you see, and then turning around and completely forgetting who you are and what you look like. That is an insane prospect. That's crazy."
In fact, I would argue that the only way that could happen would have to be some kind of trauma that impacts someone with a short-term memory thing to be able to look in the mirror, turn around, and just not know who they were. And I want to stress that he says studies himself, looks deeply into who they are.
And he says this is like being a hearer of the word. Someone who comes and hears the truth, God's truth. They brain, you know, it goes into their brain. They take it all in and then they turn around and don't do it. They just walk away and leave it on the seat on Sunday morning because right now we are all hearers, right? We are all hearers of God's word. Whether it's him speaking to us or he's speaking through me in my imperfect way, he's using me. But if we take that in and leave it on the seat when we leave and walk out the door, we are not being doers. We're just being hearers. And we have studied oursel and forgotten who we are. Completely forgotten who we are.
Now, 1 Peter 1:23, which is actually the book we're going through with our students right now and really enjoying it. It's been a lot of fun. Uh, you want to know who you are? You have been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever. When you placed your faith in Christ, you were given a new life. A new life planted. Can't be taken away. It cannot be lost. It cannot be given back. But it can not flourish.
That's a reality. It can be a weak weak plant if you want to picture that. My wife, her new hobby is cut flower garden. And apparently what that means is you get all the Texas native flowers and you do them in your backyard. They look amazing. She works so hard at it. And next year, apparently we're going to do a natural Texas uh native uh flower garden. My neighbor says she has that, but that's just not mowing. So, um, I kid you not, there's an oak tree like growing out of her foundation.
But Kim has spent so much time working on this. First thing in the morning when she gets up, I'm out there getting ready to go to work. She gets up. She walks outside. She walks around the pool. She picks up all the weeds. She checks to make sure the rabbits haven't been eating her flowers. Now, our solution is we actually feed them what's left of lettuce when we have a salad that kind of distracts them because we have—we have an army of rabbits that live in our backyard. And she walks around and she checks all the flowers. She checks the health of them.
When it's the end of the season, she collects the seeds because she's going to uh propagate them over the uh winter and then she's going to replant them. Um she has taken the—I love this. She takes the zenyas and she dries them out and then she makes a garland out of it. It's really cool looking. Like I'm not a flower guy, but I look at that and I go, "That's pretty awesome." And she puts so much time into it. She puts so much effort into it to see these flowers flourish and grow.
We have been given a new life and it's time for us to work to see it flourish and grow. We did a whole series this summer. Salvation versus discipleship. Is there a difference? There is. Salvation 100% free by God alone. We place our faith in him for everlasting life. We are secure in him. But then we have a life to live. We have a life to live.
And that life can be one in which we flourish. It can be one where we just coast all the way to the end. And we don't see this life flourishing. We don't see the product, the fruit of that experience of growing in him, that outpouring of his love, his outpouring of uh the mission that we have that God is doing in us and through us. We're just here.
But the thing is, we've been born again to this new life. When I was born again, I was about six years old. And my new life started right then. And I had my good moments. I had my difficult moments. And I've seen growth. And I've seen times where could could have been better.
But the incredible thing is that you're given something that is your absolute identity. Who you are. I am a child of God. I am saved by his grace through faith. I have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live well. I have been given a mission to represent God here on earth to have the privilege of being part of his massive and mighty work of making disciples, sharing the gospel.
I do not fear death because I know I will be with him and I want to one day stand before him and hear well done good and faithful servant. That's who I am. For everyone who's placed their faith in Christ, that is who you are.
But we can't be people who look in that mirror, see who we are, and the minute something happens, the minute something uh we turn around, we have forgotten it. And sometimes the trial is the easiest place to forget it. That's the easiest place to forget it.
It's interesting that when we place our faith in Christ and we are now his into this new life that we no longer belong to the world. We are travelers. That's something we've been talking about in First Peter on Wednesday nights. We're travelers. This isn't our home. We are the aliens and strangers walking through this world heading home. But right now, we have a job and that is to represent Christ. as well.
How are we seen? Are we seen as great representatives living by the spirit or do we look no different than the world?
Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak
James is going to take uh we're going to go back to verse 19 because before this, before he's established this identity passage, he actually gives instructions for what happens when you're in trial and what we are to do. So, we're going to go back to 19 and I'm going to read 19 and 20.
So, then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
I'm going to confess something right now. I'm not a good listener at all. I blame genetics. I blame the nature versus nurture thing in my family. We are all bad at it. Well, the guys—my mother is just a saint—but the guys are all really bad at it.
In fact, we have this motto used to hang up actually in one of the offices. It says, "Listening is not waiting for your turn to speak." That is our family motto. That is the thing we have to remind ourselves constantly. In fact, it's so bad that I've had people say this: they have seen us physically jockey to get the last word in. Sitting on a couch, three men in the family doing this to get the last word in.
We're not great listeners. We're just not. And of course, you know, we're aware of it. Maybe sometimes we just don't care. Um, we should.
But when James is speaking of be quick to hear, he's laying down the most fundamental thing you can do in trial and that is take a step back, close your mouth, and listen to what God is telling you. Listen to what God is telling you.
Now, uh in the first service, right after one, somebody uh said that I was going to step on toes today with this message. Message in the second service is not my intent. But how many of us can think back to what our reaction was when Charlie Kirk was shot and assassinated?
What did we feel? What was our first response? Did we immediately speak? Did we immediately uh begin to call out who possibly did this? Whatever side you were on, did you immediately just begin to point fingers and get angry? Or did you take a step back and go, "Lord, what is happening? What is going on?" I'll be honest, it wasn't me. It wasn't me.
Because that ability to hear, to listen, is the beginning of the trail that's going to take you from either listening to God and responding as one who has the identity of a child of God to looking or just looking just like the world. Looking just like the world.
Most of the issues I've had in my life come from not listening. Come from not listening. There's a lot of uh confession today. So, because here's the deal: everybody reacts quickly in crisis, right? Something happens, you have an immediate response. Why? Because emotions are responders. Emotions respond to whatever stimulus is going on. That's why we have to evaluate them. That's why we have to take a step back and listen to what is actually happening, but also go to the Lord and say, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"
Case in point, not being able to use a bathroom with a window next to the toilet is ludicrous. But every time I walk into one and I see it, it's like I tense up. I'm nervous. I'm scared because my emotions are responding to something that's insane.
But when my wife fell off a ladder and crushed her ankle and I hadn't seen her yet and all I heard was that she fell and my daughter called the ambulance and I walked in the door and this is what was going on. There was fear, but it was real legitimate fear. And that was the moment I went, "Oh Lord, please please take care of her."
In fact, by the time I got home—and I believe he did—I think the Lord builds us in such an incredible way that I was able to walk out there as calm as I could possibly be. And that's, by the way, one of my phobias is broken bones. I didn't mention that earlier. And uh, in fact, she had told me not to come outside because she was worried I was going to pass out.
And so I walk out there and the Lord is working. I think, I truly believe it's because I stopped and I said, "Lord, you deal with this because I don't know how I'm going to." And I walked outside and I looked at her and I looked at her leg and I looked back at her and I went, "You're going to the hospital." And then I walked back inside.
I didn't feel a thing until 11 o'clock that night after we got her in the hospital and I sat down and I was just like my whole body started shaking because the Lord is ready to help us in trial. He is ready and he's waiting for us to listen to him.
Slow to Speak — Controlling the Tongue
Proverbs 10:19 says this, "Where there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent."
Um, I always have a lot of illustrations and I kind of try to trim them down, but this one I—I was thinking of between—this is where your lips, quick to speak, you know, you're not listening, but you're quick to speak. This is where it uh it hits you hard.
When my son was little, we were playing a game and uh he lost and he got mad and I was frustrated that he was mad. Really was. I was like, you—you just got to get over this. And uh in my frustration and taking—instead of taking a step back and seeing this young little man who's dealing with this whole new concept of not winning and saying, "Hey buddy, it's okay. We'll try harder next time," I said, "You better get used to losing."
Take a step back. Think about what you're going to say. Listen to what's happening. Everybody in here—and I sometimes believe I don't have it—is we should have an audit edit button. Right? When something is in our head, we should go, "Huh? Should I be saying that? And if I'm going to say it, what part should I edit?"
That's when we're listening. Lord, what do you want me to say? Or am I just going to shoot the first thing out of my mouth? Am I going to respond in that way? Am I going to be quick to speak and potentially make a bad situation worse?
If you're married, you know how easily it is to do that. I got a million stories, but it's 11:30.
Remember, we have an identity. We look in that mirror and we see child of God. We see his representative here on earth. We see indwelt by the Spirit. We see empowered by the Spirit. We see a God who doesn't abandon us. A God who's there with us. Walks with us all the time. When we fail, he does not. When we walk away, he is faithful.
We see all of that and then we go and live as if that's not true. For whatever reason, whether it's uh things got too difficult or maybe there's a sin that we are like, "Hey, I really like this and I understand who I am, but God, this makes me so happy."
We have to remember who we are, and I cannot say that enough, and I will say it over and over and over again.
Do you guys remember The Lion King in that big epic scene? Do you remember what Simba's problem was? He'd forgotten who he was. And his father comes to him and he says, "You've forgotten that you are the king of the Pride Lands."
And so you've embraced this life of just being lazy. You forgot who you were. I was going to play it, but it just—it's a long clip. So, but I remember sitting in the theater watching that going, "Oh my gosh, that's actually pretty profound for a movie that's basically Hamlet." You're sitting here watching this going, "Whoa, Disney got something right. That's really neat." And it has stuck with me for the many, many years since I saw—I did see it in the theater. So, um, I thought, what a great statement. It's been something I've come back to—that concept, that truth that we cannot forget who we are.
Slow to Anger — Responding in Trials
Now, the third one is this, that uh we are to be slow to anger. Notice he doesn’t say no anger. He says slow to anger because we have verses that say be angry and do not sin. Anger—we are going to see things in this world that are going to make us angry.
Hurt, pain, but that should be something that we’re slow to, that we’re not quick flash in the pan. Temper, anger. All of these come down to if you’re not listening, eventually you’re going to end up here. Eventually, you’re going to end up here at anger.
And it says specifically that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. What are we here to do? We’re here to represent the righteousness of God. To have him live in us, through us. I can’t say that enough. Inside out living changes the heart, changes the mind. He begins to work through us. And we flourish when we’re being obedient to him.
But sometimes we go back to that old, old, old self. We go back to that because it’s easy or we stop thinking or maybe we don’t even realize why we’re angry. It’s just a response.
Like I said, anger, just like every other emotion, is a responder. That’s why when we feel that anger, we have to take a step back and think through what is it that’s making me this way? Why am I responding this way?
As a college student, I was angry all the time because I was afraid. I was afraid of growing up. I didn’t want to go out into the world. And so, every time somebody pushed me to do that, I got angry at him—until that was revealed to me by a pastor who I went to. And he, after hearing my plight, said, "Why are you angry? I mean, why are you afraid?" And I thought he was nuts. But then he walked through everything I said. He said, "You’re scared."
I was angry at my father one time, which, you know, that’s being a young man. And in my anger, because I was not quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, I said this to him. I said, "You love Zach, my brother, more than me." He looked back at me and he said, "So what if I do?" Dead silence.
He said, "Are you a child of God? Are you a man of faith? Does the Spirit dwell in you? Because if that’s who you are, you can handle it."
I was like, "Wow, of course he doesn’t love my brother more than me. He’s great at shock value, right? He can get me quiet pretty quick. But I’m not making that up. That was his first statement to me was, 'Are you someone who has eternal life?'"
Because even if you do, and even if that was true, you have this relationship with God that’s greater than the love that I have for my son.
You are not someone anymore to be driven by anger, to be driven by your words that just come out of your mouth. You are to be a holy people set apart from the world, different from them because you are different. All who have placed their faith in Christ, you are different.
Putting Off the Old, Receiving the Word
So, right before he gets to verse 22 where we talked about identity, you may be asking yourself, okay, so what do I do with that? How do I do that? Well, verse 21 says this. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.
Once again, we are talking here on earth, practical, following the word of God, listening to the word of God, and taking off that old—those old dirty robes and throwing them on the ground. Don’t need them anymore. And living by that implanted word that you have so that your life here will—again, the same word—flourish, and you will preserve yourself from the consequence of sin.
Notice that there’s action. It’s just so much action here being spoken to these believers that it’s not about just sitting and coasting and riding it out. It’s about actually engaging, feet to the floor, living this out.
Save your souls. The deliverance from the consequences of sin in this life.
Going back to the gardening illustration, we have an implanted seed in the soil here. We want that soil to be thriving. So we feed it. We feed it the word. We feed it so the roots grow strong.
We pull the weeds, the sin. We throw the cloak. We throw that robe off that’s all dirty and we seek to grow. And that’s in obedience.
The Law of Liberty and True Freedom
But not only that, James continues in 25 after we’ve gone through this discussion of who you are and laying aside the filthiness and overflow of wickedness. In 25 he says this, "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."
Now notice that the law of liberty—when you hear law, you don’t necessarily associate freedom and liberty with it, but that’s exactly what it is. In living in obedience to Christ, in obedience to God, we have now experienced freedom.
Freedom from what? Well, let’s start with the first one. Freedom from the fear of where we’re going. When we place our faith and trust in him for salvation alone, we don’t have to worry about it anymore. But what we do need to worry about is what we’re going to do here.
And following his word, the obedience that we’re called to, frees us from the temptations. It frees us from those—the things that the enemy wants to throw at us. And not just the enemy, our own flesh that’s still hanging around out there because we haven’t gone home yet, that’s saying, "Oh, come on. Just a little bit. It’ll be okay. It’s just a little spot on your new robe. Don’t worry about it."
But obedience is freedom. Now, when I was a kid, I didn’t think obedience was freedom, right? I’d get up and go, "Okay, what are we doing today, Dad? I just need to plan out my day from all the terrible things you’re going to have me do in the morning to when I can get out of here and do whatever I want because that’s freedom." And usually, I ended up doing something dumb, get in trouble.
But what he was teaching me was just like with our God in heaven—that obedience was keeping me out of trouble. It was maturing me. It was helping me understand what it meant to be a godly man because I got to spend the time with him.
He who looks into the perfect law of liberty. What a great phrase.
In John 8:31–32, Jesus says this: "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth will"—what?—"make you free." When you look in that mirror and you see who you are, that should set you free. Not to forget, but to be who you are.
It’s not just knowing the truth. It’s not just taking it in. It’s not just having it in here, but it’s living it out.
Listening to God and Community Together
Something I want to say here. When we think back to the slow to speak, quick to—quick to hear, sorry. Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. I always mess that up. That’s about listening to the Lord, right? It’s about listening for his guidance. It’s about listening where he’s going to take you to give you that uh that path to respond to in obedience. And it’s in his word, right? It’s right here.
But here’s the good news as well. On top of that, he’s also given us each other. He’s also given us one another—that we have friends, that we have communities that are uh of people who are mature and growing in their faith, that are there for the Lord to use to speak through them to us in those difficult times.
That’s why we believe so strongly in the cord of three strands. That’s why we believe so strongly in finding a life group that you can be a part of. And we have some exciting news about life groups that I’m going to get to share at the end of the service in our announcement time because we believe that the foundational discipleship happens together, not alone—because that’s when God is using us and working through us and he’s communicating his truth.
Pure Religion Defined
And then finally, in the last two verses, James writes this, and this is a passage that I believe has often been kind of twisted around, or at least part of it forgotten. If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Let’s just talk about it simply. We can come here and we can put up a good front and we can walk home and do the exact opposite and not be that person. We can have a pious appearance. We can come here and feel good about the sermon when we’re done. We can walk home today and be terrible to our families. We can walk home today or drive and forget who we are and forget what we look like in that mirror.
Like I said before, we can leave it on the seat. Remember, we’re representatives of Christ. They look at us. The world looks at us. You know what they’re looking at? How much of what you heard impacts your life? How much of what you heard are you putting into practice?
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows. And many people have said, "You’re not a Christian unless you visit orphans and widows. Unless you do that, I can’t believe…" You know, you go on the—don’t go on the internet anymore, it’s a terrible place. But you hear people say things like, "Oh, if you are a Christian, can you believe these Christians who don’t want to help the poor? They’re not real Christians. They’re not true ones."
And it’s like, okay, one, let’s talk about your definition first, because your definition is flawed. But two, what does that mean deep down? Of course, we are to take care of orphans and widows. But at the core of it, what is it saying? It’s like you stopped thinking about yourself.
Yes, we are to. But the pure, undefiled religion that we want to show the world is that we follow Christ and not ourselves. That we have put him first. And in putting him first, we are caring for the least. That we have set ourselves aside as the center of the universe and put him there. That we are willing to think of others before ourselves.
But here’s the last part—because this verse gets thrown out, right? The widows and orphans part. But the last part is this: keep oneself unspotted from the world. Because we still have to be in it. We’re not home yet. We’re going there, but we’re not home yet.
Remember, we took off those robes, right? We took off—we’re to take off those filthy robes of the old life and sin, and we’ve got clean ones now. We don’t go roll in the mud immediately. We try to, through his power, through his leading, avoid the stain of the world, because that is a testimony of God’s power to raise up his people, believers, to transform them, to live impactful lives, to be a part of his mission, but to be excellent representatives of him.
If we’re travelers through this world, we’re ambassadors. And you never want to mess that up. You want to represent your home well. True religion doesn’t show up in how loudly we sing, but in how deeply we love and seek to keep us undefiled by the world, to follow our Lord, our Savior.
Conclusion
So, bringing it all the way around, trials are going to happen, right? They’re just going to happen. It’s the world we live in. Temptation is going to come. Those are chances to grow.
You can’t sit around and avoid them. We had a lot that happened in our first year of marriage, and we got to the end of that first year and went, "Woo, Lord, please don’t let anything bad happen next year because I’d really like a year off." And God said, "Well, you ain’t home yet, so sorry. It’s going to happen."
So, how are you going to respond? Who are you? Your eternal life is secure. Your salvation is a fact when you place your faith in Christ in that moment. But your discipleship is the journey you’re taking now to walk.
Well, I’ll say this at the close. A couple years ago, I had a friend who was a pastor at a church that I used to be at, and we didn’t always see eye to eye. We didn’t always—you know, we had our moments back and forth. But he was always one of the quietest men that I ever met. And he would listen, and we would get in discussions, and sometimes I didn’t like what he said.
But when he passed away, we were at the funeral, and everybody who spoke said, "I can’t believe how joyful he was at the end, because I hope that I walked well and now I get to go hear it from my Lord."
I hope that my journey as it ends, I didn’t give up who I was and I lived that out. That I looked in the mirror and I never forgot who I was and who I am in Christ Jesus.
Now, if you’ll bow your heads with me, I’m going to pray.
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