1. Inability
to communicate.
2. James
1:19 – swift to hear.
3. Let
– imperative mood. Not a "helpful suggestion" but a command.
4. Let
every man – applies to everyone.
I. Definition
of hearing.
A. Hear
– can mean to perceive an audible sound.
B. Listen
– thought conveyed in passage under consideration. Means to give our
attention to audible sounds and then interpret, or understand, their meaning
and significance (ex: auto noise). James wrote that we are to be swift to
hear, meaning prepared/ready. We are commanded to be prepared to listen to
others and then understand the significance of what they say.
II. Importance
of hearing.
A. Because
of the time spent in hearing. One study estimated we spend about 70% of our
waking hours communicating. Of this amount, 9% is spent in writing, 16% is
spent in reading, 30% is spent in talking, and 45% is spent listening.
B. Because
of our relationships that are affected by our ability (or inability) to
listen. (ex: jobs, friendships, families – Proverbs 1:8, 4:1).
III. Hindrances
to hearing.
A. Distracting
environment. The best listeners are those who reduce environmental
distractions to a minimum (ex: television, stereo, physical barriers).
B. Selfishness.
We often fail to listen to others simply because we spend too much of our
time talking (ex: incident of woman in auto accident). Consider Proverbs
10:19. Also Proverbs 17:27.
IV. Aids
to hearing.
A. Work
at it. Being a good listener requires effort on our part. If it did not,
then it would not have been necessary for James to command us to be swift to
hear.
B. Posture.
Establish and maintain proper body position (illus. – baseball coach’s
disagreement with umpire).
