Challenges of planting season for farmers and gardeners.

Remember Jesus' Parable of the Sower? In this story, Jesus described four kinds of hearts.
1. Hard Heart - Did not understand or receive the word and therefore bore no fruit.
2. Shallow Heart - Emotional response, but had no depth and therefore bore no fruit.
3. Crowed Heart - Lacked repentance and permitted sin to crowd out the word of God.
4. Faithful Heart - Received the Word, allowed it to take root and it produced a bountiful harvest.

James is using this idea and comparing God's Word to seed and the human heart to soil. He refers to the "Word" as the implanted or engrafted word.

Farmers and gardener have been planting seed in recent weeks. But usually we realize that before doing so the soil needs to be prepared. In this passage of Scripture we find some instruction if the Word of God is to be planted in our hearts.

First of all, Allow God's Word to be planted in your heart by being:

I. Swift to Hear

Jesus cautioned us to be careful of what we listen to. Mark 4:24. Do you really hear? Do you really listen?

After Jesus told the Parable of the Sower He said, "He who has ears, let him hear." V.9. Then before explaining the parable Jesus said , "…while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear nor do they understand. V. 19.

This sound like a description of some churches today, churches in which many fail to grow and mature. Sometimes it may be the fault of the preacher or teacher. Perhaps it is also the fault of the hearer.

The writer to the Hebrews spoke of those who were dull of hearing due to the decay of Spiritual life.

In verse 21 James spoke of "putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness." The word for filthiness has a few interesting meanings: defilement, dirt, soil of clothes and body; surplus of naughtiness speaking of immoral conduct; and another which probably the way it is used here, in a medical sense of WAX IN THE EAR. Sin keeps us from hearing God's Word.

As a mother is usually quick to hear her baby's smallest cry, the Christian should be quick to hear God's Words. We find a good illustration of this in II Samuel 23:14-17. David had been hiding from the Philistines who were in possession of Bethlehem. He longed for a drink of the cool water from the well in Bethlehem. He did not issue an order, but simply said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is near the gate. Three of his mighty men heard this sigh of their king and risked their lives to draw water and bring it to him. They were swift to hear.

II. Slow to Speak

James is not the only writer of Holy Scripture who warns us to be slow to speak. Proverbs is full of the dangers of hasty speech. E.g.:
Proverbs 10:19; "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable. But he who restrains his lips is wise."
13:3; "The one who guards his mouth, preserve his life; the one who open wide his lips comes to ruin."
17:28; "Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is counted prudent."
29:20; "Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

We have two ears and one mouth, which should be a reminder to listen more than we speak. We should be more anxious to listen to God than to speak our own opinions.

Classical writers also had similar advice: Demonex, "Without anger, speaking little, listening much." Bios, "If you hate quick speaking, you will not fall into error."

A tribute was once paid to a great linguist that he could be silent in seven different languages. James is not saying that we should cease to speak. We may recall God's conversation with Moses, that we should really hear and pay attention to God's Word before proclaiming it to others.

III. Slow to Anger

In Proverbs 14:29 we read, "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick tempered exalts folly." An essential condition of listening to God is that our mind not be distracted by thoughts of resentment, ill will, ill temper, hatred, and vengeance. If you have ever been angry with someone, think about how well you were hearing God. Anger and resentment can color our perceptions and distort our hearing and speaking. When we are angry we are likely to only hear what we want at the time, regardless of what is said. James wrote : "The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." We might say that allowing free play to hostile emotions makes loving and just decisions in human relationships impossible. As Christians, we are to strive for righteousness, including in relationships.

Back in verse 18, James spoke of the person who is born of God. If we instead demonstrate anger, hostility, hatred and resentment it becomes more difficult for people to understand the truth that judge of all the earth is moral and does what is right. Years ago I saw a poster with this caption. "Temper is such a valuable thing, it is a shame to lose it." Temper steels our strength. Yes, there is a place for righteous anger. We should get very angry at sin, but not at one another or at God's Word because it reveals our sins to us. We will talk about that more next week. Some folks do not like to read the Bible because it tells the truth about their own sinfulness.

Conclusion:

Do you recall what Peter did in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus was betrayed? Peter was slow to hear, swift to speak, and swift to anger, just to opposite of what James is telling us. In the process, Peter even sliced the ear of f someone. Many problems in families and in churches are caused by short temper and hasty words.

We should allow God's Word to be implanted in our hearts by being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. James saw the human heart as a garden. Left to itself the soil would produce weeds, a surplus of naughtiness. It is the picture of a garden overgrown with weeds, out of control

Being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger are step that allow God's word to be implanted, prepared to hear. Putting aside in this passage speaks of stripping off as filthy garments, so that the Word of God may be implanted in our hearts. The result is prepared hearts, open to hear, cleansed and pure, so that the seed of the Word of God will take root and bear fruit..

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