For our scripture reading tonight, turn with me to James 1. James 1, as we begin at verse 12 and read to the end of the chapter. The text tonight being verse 21 of James chapter 1. A familiar chapter where James begins with those words, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And then taking it up at verse 12 as we give our attention to the Word of God. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, he gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. My dear brothers, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you which can save you. Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Verse 21, once again, the text tonight, Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. Dear people of God, if there's one verse in the book of James that is probably more well-known than anything else in this five-chapter book, it's most likely chapter 2, verse 26, the last verse. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Or as other translations put it, faith without works is dead. Now many, including Martin Luther, prior to the Reformation, before he was brought to the light of the truth by the grace of God, Many have had a difficult time with James because they misinterpret James to be saying that works, good works, are necessary to earn or secure salvation. And therefore, so much for the solas of the Reformation. Sola gratia, sola fide, sola Christus, sola Scriptura. By grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, according to Scripture alone. As well, they believe that James is contradicting Paul who says in Ephesians 2, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. But is this what James is doing here? Is he contradicting Paul? Not at all. James would agree with Paul that we are saved by grace alone, sola gratia, through faith alone, sola fide. And Paul would agree with James that we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. as Paul adds in that Ephesians 2 passage, for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. You see, James is speaking, is writing to Christians, not those in a particular church or congregation, but to believers in general. He's writing to those in whom the Word of God has been planted, as the text says, to those whom God chose to give birth through the word of truth, as he says in verse 18. He clearly speaks of their faith early on. Verses 2 and 3 again. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And listen to what he calls them in verse 1 of chapter 2. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. He is speaking to confessing Christians, although far from perfect Christians. And therefore, he is exhorting them to Christian living. In reality, James is speaking against those who are Christians in name only, who confess Jesus with their lips, but as we know, their hearts are far from Him, as Isaiah says. In other words, to James, it is inconsistent. It doesn't fit that the regenerated heart would not live in conversion, having laid aside the old man and put on the new man. Those who have been born again by the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit are called to live according to a new desire. They have been given a new birth, which implies a new life, and along with that, a new way of living. Even as he says in verse 20, he speaks of the righteous life that God desires. They are to live in conversion, in repentance and faith by the sanctifying strength of the Spirit. and that means that their desire is changed from sin hating it more and more and turned toward God with a heartfelt joy in God through Christ and with love and delight to live according to the will of God in all good works as answer 90 of the catechism so beautifully says and that's why James can also confidently say in verse 22 do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do what it says Not, of course, to get saved, but because they are already saved. Yet it begins in the heart by the grace of God, the regenerated heart. Conversion, we could say, is a spiritual house cleaning. And therefore, in his exhortation to Christian living in this text, in verse 21, believers are taught of faith's uncompromising heart activity toward the Word of God. There can be no compromise when it comes to the Word of God. And this uncompromising heart activity includes, first of all, positively forsaking the flesh. Positively, that means definite, without dragging your feet. Secondly, it includes humble submission to the Word of God. And then finally, it is directed by a gracious motive. Beloved, the Word of God is the stronghold of the faith of the believer. Sola Scriptura. According to Scripture alone. Our faith is to rest securely on the Word of God. And in order to be a doer of that Word, that Word must be received with humility. Yet just as dark and light are opposites and just as oil and water don't mix, the Holy Word of God and the unholiness of the flesh cannot work together. We've seen that in our consideration of 1 John already as those who claim to know God but walk in darkness and those who claim to be in the light but hate their brother are liars. And the truth is not in them. You see, when one is doing the will of the flesh, then he is not doing the will of God. And when one, by God's grace, is doing what His Word commands, then that one is not doing the will of the flesh. And therefore, Christians are commanded to positively forsake the flesh. The text says, Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. With regard to the second part of that phrase, another version says, All that remains of wickedness. But first of all, get rid of all moral filth. The idea here is removing or taking something off, like taking off filthy, dirty clothes. We find this also in the familiar words of Hebrews 12, verse 1. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Now moral filth is talking about that sin which is inside, that produces and governs and directs filthy thoughts and words and deeds. Things like covetousness, lust, anger, malice, greed, hatred, or anything that distorts or corrupts our motives, desires, or intentions, or anything that draws attention away from the Word of God is included here. You see, that which is filthy and dirty is disgusting and it's offensive to us. And I don't think that any one of us here would even think of putting on filthy, dirty clothes. The robe of sin is nothing but filthiness to a pure and holy God and that robe is to be cast aside. but also the deeds of the flesh are to be put aside. Again, the evil that is so prevalent, or as that other version says, all that remains of wickedness. The idea here is that of residue. I think of those tile cleaning advertisements about the soapy and the scummy residue that stays in your bathtub and your shower. You need the scrubbing bubbles to get rid of them. If you've ever taken a bucket of water to wash your windows or to wash your car, that water not only gets dingy and dirty, but you toss the water out and there's that scummy residue on the bottom of the bucket. The preparatory form for the Lord's Supper speaks of those sins that remain in the believer against His will. That residue, if you will. Paul exhorts the Ephesian believers to put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. And then he lists a number of things. Put away lying. Put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking. But of course, All the sinful deeds of the flesh, all the wicked acts that the believer might be tempted to perform are to be removed. The sins of the flesh that would cause one to fail the test of faith, that would cause one to give in to temptation and not consider it all joy, as James says, must be removed. They have no place in the child of God. There can be no compromise between the old man and the new man. There's no room for both. There's a contradiction. between the works of the flesh and the works of the Word of God and antithesis, they are antithetical, completely opposed to one another. And therefore, for the child of God, the garments spotted with the flesh and infected with disease are to be taken off and put aside. Because those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God are, as verse 18 says, the firstfruits of God, holy and dedicated to Him. Why must these things be put aside? Because they stand in the way of receiving, in humility, the Word planted. They are contrary to the Word. They are contrary to God's call to be holy even as I am holy. These things, you see, preoccupy the minds that one doesn't meditate on the things of the Spirit, but instead one meditates on the things of the flesh so that one does not live as one belonging body and soul in life and in death to His faithful Savior Jesus Christ, but instead lives as unto Himself. And these things also cause prejudice against the Word of God so that one is angered by the offense of the Gospel and not humbled by it. So that, for example, one sits in church and can only find fault with everything and everyone but himself, yet including God, instead of recognizing His position in relation to God's position. Congregation, these things that must be put off, minimize the authority of the Word of God and maximize the liberty to do what one sees as right in his own eyes. Filthiness. And all that remains of wickedness calls us to do the opposite of what James calls for in verse 19. He says, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. That saying came up again this last week. I heard it. Maybe you know it too. that I learn more with my mouth shut than with my mouth open. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Yet the truth is those in bondage to the flesh are slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger. Those who speak quickly without hearing are easily excited to anger and they cause so much trouble. But the field of the unbeliever's heart and life in which the Word has been planted that field must be de-weeded. As that Word is planted, all that doesn't belong is to be cast out. The weeds must be pulled out. And this cleansing, you see, is an ongoing operation in this life through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. In His power, we are to do daily battle with the flesh. You see, He is the One. The Holy Spirit is the One who cleanses your heart and my heart to throw off the filthy garments of sin through repentance and faith. And He is the one as well who clothes us with the white garments of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We're given a beautiful picture of this in Zechariah chapter 3. Zechariah chapter 3, the first five verses. Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire? Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, Take off his filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, See, I have taken away your sin and I will put rich garments on you. Then I said, Put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him while the angel of the Lord stood by. A beautiful demonstration of justification. And being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And Paul says in Romans 13, verse 12, the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. See, only when there is definite or positive forsaking of the flesh by the grace of God will there then be humble submission to the Word. The text says, and humbly accept the Word planted in you. Notice that we don't take that Word unto ourselves. We don't reach out and grab it and plant it into ourselves. In fact, the old man doesn't want it. The old man runs away from it, despises it. It is implanted. Peter says, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. What is that Word which is planted? It includes a number of things. It is the Word which testifies of sin and sin's sure punishment. That Word stands before us as a mirror showing us what we are in sin and showing us what will be the destiny of those who depend upon themselves. But that Word also testifies of the grace of God full and free for the sake of the atoning work of His only begotten Son. That mirror also shows us the holiness of God and the salvation that can be found only in Jesus Christ. That Word shows us how to live thankfully. That Word is the Gospel. That Word is Jesus Christ Himself. That Word is living and abides forever. That is the Word which has been planted. And the believer is commanded to receive that Word in humility. Now some translations use the word of meekness instead of humble. The world, you see, sees humility and meekness as weakness and it despises these things because we all know that it's survival of the fittest. That's how we are to get along in this life. But James isn't talking about weakness as the world sees it. He's talking about recognizing who we are and who God is. Recognizing our proper roles. God's role and our role. And then we can't help but to be humble. Humility is one of the great spiritual qualities to be sought and cultivated in the Spirit of Christ. Humility is that inner grace of the Holy Spirit which receives God's Word and His providential dealings without backtalk, without dispute, without questioning, realizing my sinfulness and my unworthiness of the grace of God. To receive God's Word in humility is to receive it with quick hearing, slow speaking, and without anger. Beloved, to truly receive it is to be taught by it. To be transformed by it. To agree to the truths of the Word of God and to obey the laws of the Word of God. It is to receive it as the soil receives that seed and folds that seed so that the Word of God by the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit grows in the heart producing a crop thirty or sixty or a hundredfold. Do you remember the parable of the sower sowing the seed? The seed that fell on the path or on the stones or on the weeds was quickly choked up or snuffed out or never even went to root. Yet the seed that fell upon the good soil was enfolded by that soil and produced a crop. One who is not transformed by the Word of God, who instead rejects it, is a hearer only and not a doer of the Word. Beloved, the Word of God is a feast. But what good is it if one just stands there and looks at the banquet? We sing in that beautiful hymn, Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Feed me until I'm no longer empty but full. Those born again, those regenerated, are called to exercise that new desire and to seek to feast on God's Word. This is evidence of new birth and evidence of faith in Jesus Christ. Without putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, what happens is we arrogantly and we pridefully stand in judgment over the Word of God. And then, for example, we get angry when the preacher preaches something that stings our conscience or convicts us of our sin and wrongdoing. And then, you see, we're not judging the preacher in reality. We might think we are, but we're not judging the preacher. We're judging God. Demanding God to prove His case. Demanding God to defend His Word. But to receive His Word in humility is to bow under the authority of His Word. To desire to see myself as I am in myself. Only then to have my eyes lifted to the cross of Jesus and to see my transformation by the gracious hand of God for the sake of Christ's righteousness. To receive God's Word in humility is to acknowledge that His whole Word, His entire Word, is essential for my salvation and for my faith and practice. Belgic Confession, Article 7, page 71 if you want to follow in the back of the Psalter hymnal. It speaks to this as it talks about the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures to be the only rule of faith. We believe that those holy scriptures fully contain the will of God and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein. For since the whole manner of worship which God requires of us is written in them at large, it is unlawful for anyone, though an apostle, to teach otherwise than we are now taught in the holy scriptures, nay, though it were an angel from heaven, as the apostle Paul says. For since it is forbidden to add unto or take away anything from the Word of God, it is thereby evidently appear that the doctrine thereof is most perfect and complete in all respects. Neither may we consider any writings of men, not even the Belgic Confession. However holy these men may have been of equal value with those divine Scriptures, nor ought we to consider custom or the great multitude or antiquity or succession of times and persons or councils, decrees or statutes as of equal value with the truth of God since the truth is above all for all men are all themselves liars and more vain than vanity itself. Therefore we reject with all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule as the apostles have taught us saying prove the spirits whether they are of God. Likewise, if anyone cometh unto you and bringeth not this teaching receive him not into your house. I may not pick and choose instead either it's his whole word either his whole word is for me or I am against him beloved we are to see our faults in the light of the word of God and hear that word patiently and thankfully and desire to be molded and fashioned according to God's word that our hearts might burst forth leading us to be doers of that word and then finally the uncompromising heart activity is directed by the gracious motive or incentive we could say. The text speaks of that Word as that which can save you. Or as another translation says again, able to save your souls. Well, why is God's Word, the Word of the Sovereign and the Holy One, the Creator, able to save your souls? Because it shows us the Savior. It shows us the truth. It teaches us the truth about God. It teaches us the truth about man and our need and it teaches us the truth about our Savior and the only remedy for our need. The Word of God is the very tool in the hand of God the Holy Spirit. This Word also can save us because as Peter says, it is incorruptible or imperishable and it endures forever. As Paul says, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. To those who hear the Word only but quickly forget it, like one who looks into a mirror and turns around quickly only to forget what he looks like, to them the Word of God is foolish and it has no lasting effect. And that Word of God will condemn them forever. But to those who are transformed, who are given that new heart by the power of the Word of God, that Word of God not only gives them hope of being saved, it really saves them because it is the power of God. It is the truth that transforms our lives. That Word of God alone applied by the Holy Spirit of God causes God's people to be mindful of our sin. Indeed, to take notice of our sin. And as well to put aside all filthiness and all remnants of wickedness as He clothes us with the righteousness merited through Christ's blood. It causes God's people to submit in humility to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our whole life. That Word of God alone gives strength to indeed stand firm and to consider it all joy when we encounter various trials for Jesus' sake as well when our faith is tested. Beloved, how do you stand before the Word of God? How do you stand before the Word of God? Do you receive it in true faith by the grace of God and testify that through the evidence of obedience? Do you submit to the Word of God without compromise? What comfort for those who in humility receive the Word planted? As Paul says, if God is for us, who can be against us? Or is your confession empty and vain? Is your life filled with compromise to the Word of God? Evidence also by the filthy garments of wickedness. If that's the case, God is not for you. He's against you. And as Hebrews 10, verse 31 says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And apart from repentance and faith, apart from humble submission to the Word of God through the Spirit, your soul will be forever lost. You are called to heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 10, verse 28, when He says, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. For those who do not believe, they are called to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the faithful promise is yours will be salvation full and free. And what is the natural result that flows from that? Those who look to Him in true faith will give evidence of that by a new life of righteousness. Even as we were taught in adult Sunday school this morning, blessed are you. This is what you are in Christ. So now demonstrate the righteousness of Christ. God leads His people to eternity for Jesus' sake by His Word and Spirit. May we, by His grace, receive His Word in all humility. May we hear His Word. May we truly believe His Word. And may we be truly obedient to His Word. Why? Because salvation belongs only to the Lord. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, indeed, when so many despise Your Word, when so many others consider Your Word just to be a good book, but no better than many other so-called good books, may we as Your people see the truth of Your Word. And may we know, as we have considered even in the article of the Belgic Confession, that all that we need to know unto salvation is sufficiently taught in Your Holy Word. We need nothing else to supplement that. We need nothing else to add to that. Father, we thank You that Your Holy Spirit has given to us new lives by applying the Word of God to our hearts, the Word of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. And may we as Your people indeed receive that Word in humility. May we not compromise the Word of God. May we not seek to take our own opinion over what the Word of God says. But Lord God, may we be diligent hearers and doers of Your Word. We know we cannot do this in our own strength. we need the strength of the Holy Spirit. Fill us, O Lord, with Your Spirit to lead us day by day that we might walk only in His power. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.