Jump Start # 1540

James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

  This week we are taking a look at the theme of God as a judge. We love the saving Jesus. We like the concept of the merciful and forgiving God. The thought that God judges scares us and it ought to. That thought makes us more responsible to Him and more respectful and obedient to His word.

Our verse today must be included in the discussion about judgment. Here, in the verse, James reminds his readers to not rush to become teachers without giving serious thought to what comes with that. There is a “stricter judgment” that comes with teaching. James is not talking about school teachers but Biblical teachers, those that teach God’s word.

There are a few thoughts from this passage.

First, if no one ever became a teacher, we would be in a mess. Teachers remind us of God’s word. Teachers open our eyes to truths and applications that we have not seen. Teachers strengthen our faith and answer our questions. In Ephesians four, where it says that God gave apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers—those were all different kinds of teachers. The apostles taught. Evangelists teach. Pastors teach. The backbone of God’s kingdom is knowledge in the word of God. That knowledge is spread from one generation to the next by teachers of God’s word.

In James’ setting, he may had in mind those who teach publically, such as preachers and elders. He may have also had in mind those who taught in smaller, private settings. Today, there is a lot of teaching done through blogs, emails and other forms of communication. These words of James still fit. One must be careful what he is saying. One must do his homework and be accurate. One must realize that what is said, written and shared can lead hearts to Christ or it can cause confusion and even doubt. There can be a lot of complaining, especially in blogs, that leads to discouraging hearts.

We need brethren who are willing to teach. We need brethren who are serious about their teaching. We need brethren who grasp what this passage is about. James isn’t shutting the door to teaching. He didn’t say, “No one should ever teach.” He wants the teachers of God’s word to understand the gravity of what they are doing. They are leading hearts through their teaching. Stuffing our opinions, and mingling error innocently with doctrine is all it takes to poison hearts.

Second, this passage shows us that judgment recognizes our responsibilities and opportunities. Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much is required.” The teacher will be judged for his teaching. The parent will be judged for his parenting. The shepherd will be judged for his shepherding. The different hats we wear come with responsibilities and accountabilities to God. There is not a separation between my faith and the roles I play. If I am in the role of a manager, how I manage others is important to God. This tells us that I can’t park my convictions, my faith and my religion in the office parking lot and become a task master that is mean, rude, oppressive and not think that God will judge me for that. The way we treat others affects our relationship with God. The way we judge others is the means that God will judge us. If we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us. Our faith belongs as much in the work place as it does at home or the church house. Stop flipping switches. Stop being a nice lovable guy on Sunday and a cruel monster on Monday. God will judge us for our responsibilities and the roles we play. Those fathers who are out of touch, not involved and uncaring will be judged for that. Those who are too wrapped up in their world to pay attention to those little ones that need guidance will be judged for that. Neglectful and absentee parents do not get a pass because they are trying to “find themselves.” The roles you take on, you will be judged for. Now, a person can just sit at home and do nothing, or they can understand this, be careful with what they are doing and do the best that they can.

All of us are leaving impressions for others to see. Our children grow up and they first learn parenting from the way they were parented. This is often why dysfunction is passed on from one generation to another. It’s all they have ever seen. It’s all they know. It’s what they think is right.  But successful homes and spiritual homes often lead to another generation of successful homes and spiritual homes. We leave impressions. Younger preachers learn from older preachers. Up coming shepherds learn from current shepherds. We pass the baton on to the next generation. We leave models for them to follow. Sometimes those models may need updating. Sometimes those models are no longer working. Without the wisdom and the insight to see what God wants in His word, some simply keep repeating generation after generation what was done before. We leave impressions and footprints for others to follow. Do you remember the first preacher in your life? I do. His name was Loren Raines. He seemed old. He always wore a dark suit. I don’t remember any of his sermons. I wish I could. He had us kids on the front rows on Sunday nights and he would quiz us on Bible facts. That’s what I remember. The next preacher was a young scholarly man named Ferrell Jenkins. He was a writer that  published his own material. He didn’t stay long, but he left an impression upon me. Years later, he was one of my college professors. The next two that followed became good friends. It was those next two that pointed me to preaching. Impressions. We have them. You leave them. You leave impressions where you work. You leave impressions as a student. We leave spiritual impressions.

The wise teacher is always looking two directions. First, he is looking to the people that he is teaching. He is leaving impressions. The impressions he wants to leave is of Jesus, not himself. But there will be impressions about how he taught. Was he angry? Was he kind? Was he thorough? The wise teacher is also looking upward. He is looking to God. He realizes that God is noticing what he is doing. The wise teacher will do his best to please the Lord and to be faithful to God’s word.

Looking upward to God and looking to his students or audience –that’s what the teacher must do. The person who is trying to make a name for himself, will mess up. The one who is building a legacy and an ego will crash. The one who is trying to build faith in the Lord and hides himself behind the Lord, so that only the Lord will be seen, will be one that touches hearts and influences generations.

Be careful. Be mindful. That’s what James wants us to know. Some can’t handle this, so they shouldn’t teach. Some are so into themselves that they shouldn’t teach. Some don’t know what they are teaching, so they shouldn’t teach. But the one that is careful and mindful will do fine.

My life has been blessed by many godly teachers that took the time to share and instruct me. I expect your life has as well.

Roger