Study on the Book of James

Sermon Notes for July 6, 2003 Study On The Book Of James “Everyone’s Call To Ministry” James 5:19-20

Introduction A. Can A CHRISTIAN Backslide? 1. Some believe that a person can “fall from grace.” a. Traditional Methodist doctrine teaches that b. as one man I read this week said, “The Bible does not teach that once you are saved, you are always saved. You don’t have to live your life in fear of falling out of grace, but you can certainly reject or abandon God’s grace if you so choose.” (Pastor Tim Bond – SermonCentral.com) c. I asked a man who was taught while growing up that he could “fall from grace,” how he could live “that way?” 1. his comment was that you lived in fear of losing your salvation every day 2. and that you continued day after day to ask Christ to be your Savior 2. Let me CATEGORICALLY say to you that the Bible is very clear about one’s eternal security. a. The death of Christ was sufficient for all of our sins. II Cor. 5:17-18 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: b. God called us and saved us. John 10:28 – “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” c. As Christians there is nothing that we can do will alter our eternal security. Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” d. We can rest in our eternal security. I John 5:11-13 - And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” B. Can YOU Backslide? 1. Let’s look at the definition of “backslide.” a. There is one view that a Christian can spiritually “slide.” 2

b. But there is another view that one can “slide right off the mountain.” c. It is hard to find a Christian in all of Scripture that did not at one time “slide.” 1. Noah 2. Abraham 3. Moses 4. David 5. Jeremiah 6. Elijah 7. The disciples d. But, as we will see today, each of us at times will “slide,” but if we are truly believers, we will never “slide off of the mountain.” 2. But, not only will we at times “backslide,” others in the Body of Christ will as well. a. When are we going to get it through our heads that the church is filled with sinners? b. It is only when you think that the church is NOT filled with sinners that you have problems. 1. thinking that spiritual life gets “easier” 2. thinking that as you grow spiritually sin will not be a problem 3. that certain people, including Pastors, won’t let you down because they are so “spiritual” c. THIS TEXT SPEAKS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. 1. some people think of church as a “health club” a. some in great shape because they work out all the time 1. they will never be sick 2. their bodies are robust and healthy b. always welcoming others in who need to “become healthy” like the rest of us 2. instead you need to think of the church as a “hospital” a. yes, I have been healed and am glad to help you who are

sick b. but there is daily the possibility that any of us could become sick as well I. The PROBLEM Of FALLEN Brothers. Vs. 19 – “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back.” A. The Definition Of Fallenness. 1. Understanding the “carnal Christian” a. the unbiblical view (Campus Crusade) 1. Campus Crusade For Christ and many others have taught for years that there are three separate types of people in the world a. the unspiritual man – the non-Christian b. the “carnal Christian” 1. the Christian who is not fully committed to Christ 3

2. a Christian who will indefinitely live AS a Christian but not walk with Christ c. the committed Christian 2. the problem with such a view is as follows: a. this view totally denies the Biblical fact that the Christian life is a process 1. as Jesus compared one’s physical birth to one’s spiritual birth, so should a Christian grow in the same way . . . continually 2. the carnal Christian view assumes that a Christian can be spiritually stagnant all of their life b. this view rejects the teaching that God is ultimately behind our spiritual growth 1. Romans 8:30 – “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” 2. Phil. 1:6 – “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 3. If a believer does not continue to change, THEN GOD IS NOT DOING HIS JOB! b. the Biblical view 1. Does the Biblical view however, “allow” for a Christian to be “carnal” at all? a. if it doesn’t, then what does that mean for many who are

sitting in the pews of our churches: 1. who are struggling in their spiritual lives 2. who AREN’T where they need to be b. if not, there would only be two classes of Christians 1. those who are lost and unsaved 2. and those who are doing well spiritually, who are

not struggling, who are moving “onward and upward” 2. notice what the Scripture teaches about being carnal a. I Cor. 3:1-3 – “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly.

For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” b. I Tim. 1:18-20 – “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the 4

good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.” c. and what about the various personalities throughout Scripture 1. did they all do well? 2. did they never stumble? 3. look at Jesus’ disciples – “wonderful models of carnality” c. The Confession of Faith view 1. Of Justification - God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified; and, although they can never fall from the state of justification, yet they may, by their sins, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure, and not have the light of his countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith

and repentance. 2. Of the Perseverance of the Saints - Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for

a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves. 2. Understanding carnality a. I believe that a Christian can be carnal “for a season.” 1. each and every one of us have been carnal “for a season,” “for a time” 2. BUT . . . WE DID NOT STAY THERE! a. God, who is at work in us, DID NOT ALLOW US TO STAY THERE. b. If we are truly saved, WE WILL CHANGE! 1. we will not remain carnal 2. I John 2:19 – “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” 3. Billy Graham – “No man can be said to be truly converted to Christ who has not bent his

will to Christ. He may give intellectual assent 5

to the claims of Christ and may have had emotional religious experiences; however, he is not truly converted until he has surrendered his will to Christ as Lord, Savior,

and Master.” b. So, I prefer to use the following view: 1. I don’t believe that you should use carnal as an adjective – “the

carnal Christian” 2. I prefer to use the term carnal as an adverb – “living carnally” and only for a season B. The DEFICIENCY Of Fallenness. 1. They have “wandered.” a. The word wander is the Greek word planao. 1. where we get the word planet 2. the Greeks believed that the planets “wandered;” that there was

no order in the universe b The sense of this word shows: 1. it is not a continual wandering a. as the carnal Christian is described, a lifetime of wandering b. this is NOT what the word means 2. the word wander means a gradual moving away from the will of God a. it is not necessarily an habitual way of life b. as one has said, it is the occasional “slip up” 3. ALSO, the tense is passive a. meaning that something, or someone lured you b. you were temporarily “taken off” 4. THUS, THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS – a. people “gradually” wander off b. just like the: 1. prodigal son 2. one sheep wandering off from the ninety-nine 2. They have “wandered away from the truth.” a. The truth as found in Jesus 1. John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 2. wandering away from personal, private, devoted time to knowing Jesus a. not knowing “about” Jesus b. but talking, praying, worshipping, asking . . . KNOWING HIM b. The truth as found in the Word of God 1. God’s Word is His “telephone,” the way that He speaks to us 2. when you don’t “talk” to Him, He doesn’t “talk” to you 6

3. this is why Romans 10:17 says – “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” 3. This is where the “wandering” begins. a. When you don’t have dedicated, devoted, predictable time with Jesus, YOU WILL WANDER – WE ALL DO! 1. me – no different than you! a. seminary b. vacation c. my preaching – my devotional time as important as my study time 2. you – if you fall away from Jesus and His Word – YOU WILL WANDER 3. Wiersbe – “Unless the believer stays close to the truth, he will start to drift away.” 4. Thomas Aquinas, The Wisdom of the Saints “No one can live without delight and that is why a man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasures.” b. Is that actually happening in your life? II. The PURSUANCE Of Fallen Brothers. A. The DUTY Of The Church. Vs. 19 – “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back.” 1. The audience of restoration a. We are ALL called to restore one another. 1. the Greek word for someone is the word tis a. anyone b. someone c. any man d. NO ONE IN PARTICULAR! 2. From July 24-28, 2002 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania – there was an incident that the news-media called “The Miracle at Quecreek.” Nine miners were trapped 240 feet under-ground for three days in a water-filled mine shaft. You probably remember, you were no doubt holding your breath with me as they were down in that flooded mine shaft without food and light and drinking water. After they were rescued, they were interviewed about what happened down there. They said that they “decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group.” The 55 degree water threatened to kill them slowly by hypothermia, so according to one news report “When one would get cold, the other eight would huddle around the person and warm [them], and when another person got cold, the favor was returned.” Miner Harry Mayhugh told reporters after being released from Somerset Hospital, “Everybody had strong moments, but any certain time maybe one guy got down, and then the rest pulled together. And then that guy would get 7

back up, and maybe someone else would feel a little weaker, but it was a team effort. That’s the only way it could have been.” They faced incredibly hostile conditions together – and the world marveled when they all came out alive together. [Bill White, Paramount, California; source: adapted from “Teamwork Helped Miners Survive Underground.” CNN.com (7-28-02)] b. THIS IS NOT AIMED AT PASTORS ONLY. 1. in fact, Pastors aren’t even mentioned in this text! 2. this is to be a walk “of” the body “for” the body a. Pastor Tim Bond: I heard a story about a guy who applied for a job as an usher at a theater in the mall. As a part of the interview process, the manager asked him, “What would you do in case a fire breaks out?” The young guy answered, “Don’t worry about me. I can get out fine.” That’s exactly how many in today’s world respond to a lost and dying world around them. If

you asked them, “What would you do if Jesus came back tomorrow?” they would probably respond, “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’d be fine.” But what is all too easy to forget is that you’re an usher! It isn’t enough just to get out yourself. You are responsible for helping others know the way.” b. In 1989, Mother Teresa visited Phoenix to open a home for the destitute. During that brief visit, she was interviewed by KTAR, the largest radio station in town.

In a private moment, the announcer asked Mother Teresa if there was anything he could do for her. He was expecting her to request a contribution or media help to raise money for her new home for the impoverished in Phoenix. Instead, she replied, “Yes, there is. Find somebody nobody else loves and love them.” 2. The aim of restoration. a. restore defined 1. two Greek words a. epi – towards, back b. strepho – to turn 2. to turn toward or to turn back 3. the KJV uses the English word “convert” b. restore applied 1. James is talking to Christians who have wandered – vs. 19. 2. the word means to restore or turn back a wandering Christian to

the place he was before he began his wandering 8

3. as Warren Wiersbe once said: “It is important to win the lost, but it is also important to win the saved.” a. “my brother” b. “if one of you should” wander from the truth 4. in a sense, you are a catalyst a. catalyst – a substance that changes the velocity of a chemical reaction while not being changed itself. The change is usually positive increasing the reaction

rate. b. catalytic converter – (Webster) a device containing a catalyst for converting automobile exhaust into mostly harmless products” c. there were many catalysts in the Scriptures 1. Jethro to Moses 2. Nathan to David 3. Jesus to His disciples 4. Paul to Peter d. We are called to be catalysts – Years ago in London there was a large gathering of notables for a concert. One of the invited guests was a famous preacher, Caesar Milan. A young lady charmed the audience that night with her singing. After the concert Milan went up to her and graciously, but boldly, said to her, “I thought as I listened to you tonight how tremendously the cause of Christ would be benefited if your talents were dedicated to His cause. You know, young lady, you are a sinner in the sight of God, but I am glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse you from all sin.” The lady became so angry at the preacher that she stomped her feet and walked away. As she was leaving he said, “I mean no offense. I will pray that God’s Spirit will convict you.” Now that’s not exactly my style of witnessing, but here’s the rest of the story. The young lady went home, but she couldn’t sleep. The face of the preacher appeared before her, and his words rang through her mind. About two o’clock in the morning she got out of bed, took a pencil and piece of paper, and with tears rolling down her face, Charlotte Elliot wrote: Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. David Jeremiah (The Handwriting on the Wall)

B. The DELIGHT Of The Church. 1. The attitude of JESUS IN SCRIPTURE. a. ISN’T THIS WHAT JESUS DID CONSTANTLY? 1. why He came – Luke 4:16-19 (read) 2. notice these parables all preached together 9

a. Luke 15:1-7 – The Lost Sheep b. Luke 15:8-10 – The Lost Coin c. Luke 15:11-31 – The Lost Son b. Look at Jesus’ reason for coming to this earth – Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." 2. The attitude of JESUS IN YOUR LIFE. a. If this was Jesus’ goal in His life on this earth, b. why shouldn’t it be YOUR goal in this life? 1. this is what drove Him 2. this is what should drive you c. IF JESUS IS RULING IN YOUR LIFE 1. you will have that same passion 2. after all, HOW DOES JESUS DEAL WITH YOU! a. He is constantly calling you, restoring you b. HE DOES NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE – DOES HE? c. Author and teacher Howard Hendricks tells the story of a young man who strayed from the Lord but was finally brought back by the help of a friend who really loved him. When there was full repentance and restoration,

Dr. Hendricks asked this Christian how it felt while he was away from God. The young man said it seemed

like he was out at sea, in deep water, deep trouble, and all his friends were on the shoreline hurling biblical accusations at him about justice, penalty, and wrong. “But there was one Christian brother who actually swam out to get me and would not let me go.

I fought him, but he pushed aside my fighting, grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and took me

to shore. By the grace of God, he was the reason I was restored. He would not let me go.” James doesn’t want us to let anyone go either. Throughout his epistle, he has stressed the need for a faith that works. Now he reminds us not to let go of those who have grown weary and strayed. III. The PRODUCT For Fallen Brothers. A. Salvation From DEATH. Vs. 20 – “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” 1. Notice who does the saving! – YOU a. Even though we all know that Jesus alone saves – b. Notice what the Scripture says – IT GIVES CREDIT TO THE ONE WHO RESTORES THE FALLEN BROTHER! c. HOW NOBLE IS OUR CALLING. 1. that we, as believers, can be used to restore a brother to Jesus 10

2. there is NOTHING more noble to do in this life! a. than being a parent b. than being a Pastor c. than being a missionary d. Recently F.F. Bruce, the greatest evangelical Biblical scholar of our time, passed away. His commentaries have sold millions, and he has influenced thousands and thousands of students and Pastors. Bruce said at the end of his career: For many years now the greater part of my time has been devoted to the study and interpretation of the Bible, in academic and nonacademic settings alike. I regard this as a most worthwhile and rewarding occupation. There is only one form of ministry which I should rate more highly; that is the work of an evangelist, to which I have not been called.

2. Notice what they are saved from – DEATH. a. For the unbeliever – 1. to save one from an eternal hell 2. to eternal life – forever b. For the believer 1. in another passage in James, he talks of the spiritual death of a Christian through sin 2. here, James seems to refer to the same issue a. that separation from God b. a sense of lostness, no direction c. overwhelming guilt and fear d. Robert Robinson had been saved out of a tempestuous life of sin through George Whitfield’s ministry in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote the hymn, Come, Thou Fount. Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Sadly, Robinson wandered far from those streams and, like the Prodigal Son, journeyed into the distant country of carnality. Until one day – he was traveling by stagecoach and sitting beside a young woman engrossed

in her book. She ran across a verse she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it. Prone to wander – Lord, I feel it – Prone to leave the God I love. Bursting into tears, Robinson said, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years 11

ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” Although greatly surprised, she reassured him that the “streams of mercy” mentioned in his song still flowed. Mr. Robinson was deeply touched. Turning his “wandering heart” to the Lord, he was restored to full fellowship. B. Salvation From SINS. Vs. 20 – “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” 1. The extent of forgiveness. a. Notice that James says that we can help cover a multitude of sins. 1. a multitude of sins a. multitude 1. Greek – plethos (plethora) 2. multitude, company, bundle, the whole number b. sins 1. Greek – hamartia 2. missing the mark 2. to cover a. Greek – kalupto b. to cover, hide, veil 2. The excitement of forgiveness a. THINK ABOUT THIS – 1. YOU can be used by God to affect the eternity of another person 2. WHAT ELSE CAN TOUCH THAT! 3. III John 4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 4. William Barclay – “The highest honor God can give is bestowed upon him who leads another to God; for the man who does that does nothing less than share in the work of Jesus Christ, the Savior of men.” b. However, this will never be your passion unless you have sensed the forgiveness, blessing and joy of Jesus. Conclusion: Dr. Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute in Boston, Mass. when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid. To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield started asking questions, “How long have you worked here?” “I’ve worked here almost since the place opened,” the maid replied. “What can you tell me about the history of this place?” he asked. “I don’t think I can tell you anything, but I could show you something.” With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building. She pointed to one of what looked like small prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age, and said, “That’s the cage where they used to keep Annie.” “Who’s Annie?” the doctor asked. 12

(In 1876, a 10 year old little girl was placed in the Tewksbury poor house in Boston because her mother had died and her father had deserted the family. Being almost blind from a childhood infection, Little Annie was at times disruptive and difficult to deal with.) “Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because she was incorrigible – which means nobody could do anything with her. She’d bite and scream and throw her food at people. The doctors and nurses couldn’t even examine her or anything. I’d see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them. I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think, ‘I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that.’ I wanted to help her, but I didn’t have any idea what I could do. I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn’t help her, what could someone like me do? “I didn’t know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work. The next day I brought them in. I walked carefully to her cage and said, ‘Annie, I baked these brownies just for you. I’ll put them right here on the floor and you can come and get them if you want.’ Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me. But she didn’t. She actually took the brownies and ate them. “After that, she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around. And sometimes I’d talk to her. Once, I even got her laughing. One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor. They asked me if I’d help them with Annie. I said I would if I could. So that’s how it came about that every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand. Which is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind.” After they’d been working with her for about a year – and it was tough sledding with Annie – the Perkins Institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her and she went on to study and became a teacher herself. Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit, and to see what she could do to help out. At first, the Director didn’t say anything and then he thought about a letter he’d just received. A man had written to him about his daughter. She was absolutely unruly – almost like an animal. He’d been told she was blind and deaf as well as ‘deranged.’ He was at his wit’s end, but he didn’t want to put her in an asylum. So he wrote here to ask if we knew of anyone – any teacher – who would come to his house and work with his daughter. And that is how Annie Sullivan became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller. When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, “Annie Sullivan.” But Annie said, “No, Helen. The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute. 1. Helen Keller would eventually attend Radcliff college and receive honorary Doctorates from: Temple University; Harvard University; The University of Glasgow, Scotland; Berlin, Germany; and Delhi, India. 2. After Helen Keller died, she was buried by her mentor and teacher, Anne Sullivan. 3. Toast given by Helen Keller on Anne Sullivan’s 63rd birthday, April 14, 1929: Here’s to her who is God’s Gift to me! Think of it, forty-two years long her love has shone upon my life blessing it! Really, she is not a year older tonight than when she first came to me; for there is no age in beautiful deeds, and her deeds shine ever more brightly in my darkness! May each return of her birthday gladden her with a new sense of the miracle she has wrought! I cannot begin to count over all she has done to give me eyes and ears within my limitations! I can only say, we have lived together in all these years working, striving, losing and winning, and the roses she 13 planted in my heart when I was a wild, unhappy little creature are still blooming, every tree her dear hands put there is still bearing fruit of happiness! Here’s to her whose birthday is so sweetly linked with my soul birthday!