JAMES 1-5 BE DOERS OF THE WORD2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: James 1-5 Be Doers Of The Word

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014. We are here this evening in the book of James and we'll be looking at all five chapters, which are the chapters that we read this week as we're going through the Bible in three years.

The book of James is written by James, who is the brother of Jesus. There's a few different men named James in the New Testament, but this particular James, we believe, is the brother of Jesus. He probably wrote this book around 62 AD, but that's not an exact date. That's probably kind of like the latest that he wrote this book.

He writes it to Jewish believers, and we know that as he introduces himself in verse 1.

It's specifically towards those Jewish believers who were scattered throughout the whole, well, scattered abroad, he says, or scattered throughout the Roman Empire. And the purpose is to instruct and encourage the dispersed Jews. Now, if you've been reading with us and you've gone through the chapters here in the book of James, you're very familiar that James is a really practical book. You know, it's really interesting coming from Hebrews and

And then going into James. Where Hebrews, I mean, it's theology, it's doctrine, it's, you know, all these references back to the Old Testament and these things that are important and they're essential. But they're also, you know, things that, well, they don't necessarily hit you the same way that the things that James shares. I mean, he really gets practical with us. And the illustrations that he gives just drives his points forward.

If you're familiar with Pastor Romaine, I kind of liken James to the Romaine, you know, of the New Testament. Like he just, he cuts right to the heart of the issue. Just, you know, says it like it is, deals with the issue. And so addresses some serious things in a very practical way, in a very simple way. And it's one of those books that, you know, you kind of get spanked as you read each chapter. You know, the Lord kind of is bringing some correction there.

and dealing with our hearts and the practical things of our lives throughout this book. And so get ready for that this evening. If you haven't been reading, then that's what you can look forward to this evening.

Really quickly though, who is James? James was a younger brother of Jesus. We know that Jesus had other brothers and sisters after he was born. Of course, he was the firstborn and that was necessary for him to be born of a virgin, that he would be the firstborn. But then after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had other children. And James was one of those brothers and he's made mention of in Matthew chapter 13 verse 55.

Now during Jesus's ministry, James and his other brothers did not believe in Jesus. They kind of mocked him a little bit. They, you know, they weren't quite sure, you know, what was really going on. And you might remember the time when Mary and some of Jesus's family went to get him and they said, hey, your mother and brothers are here. And he said, who are my mother and brothers? You know, these who do the will of God, these are my family. These are my mother. These are my brothers. And

But it tells us a little bit before that, that when they went to go get Jesus, they said he's beside himself. He's gone a little bit crazy. He's taking this too far. And so that's why they went to go get Jesus, because they felt like he was taking his ministry and his calling too far. And so they didn't believe. They thought he was a little bit off. They thought he was a little bit crazy. You know, he was the weird uncle, you know, that they were unsure about.

in some respects. And so James was not a believer, but after Jesus resurrected, Jesus appeared to James. Paul makes mention of it in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And at that point, James becomes a believer and he recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior. And so as James becomes a believer...

then he is starting to gather with the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus. And so in Acts chapter 1, James is gathered together with the rest of the disciples as they are seeking the Lord and praying together and waiting for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And going on from there in Acts chapter 15, we see that James has become at that point a pillar in the church at Jerusalem.

In Acts chapter 15, as they're having this discussion about whether or not Gentiles have to become Jews in order to be saved, it's James who brings the whole meeting to a conclusion. He kind of has the final authority, the final say it seems. And so he is established as a leader within the church at Jerusalem by this time.

And then later on, outside of the scripture, we learn from Josephus that James was condemned by the high priest and then martyred or put to death for faith in Jesus Christ. And so the brother of Jesus dies in a similar fashion to Jesus and being put to death by the high priest. And so this is who James is, the brother of Jesus Christ.

He became a believer after the resurrection. And here he is writing now to his fellow Jews who are dispersed. They're scattered abroad. And he's going to be ministering to them some very practical things. So we'll start in chapter 1. James chapter 1 verse 12 is the key verse. It says, Blessed is the man who endures temptation. For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.

In verse 1, he introduces himself. He is James, and he's writing to the 12 scattered tribes. And so there was persecution that began, of course, with Saul of Tarsus, who spread the believers from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. And then persecution later on came from Rome as well that scattered the Jews abroad. And so there's this scattering that has taken place. And

James is writing to those believers who are Jews, but they've been scattered abroad in different places.

And he begins right away dealing with some important things. In verses 2 through 8, he says that testing produces patience. Verse 2 is one of those famous verses that we all know. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And so he calls us, he tells us to count it all joy when

When we are experiencing various trials. Now the reason why we can do this, why we can count it joy, is because he says God is doing a work in you.

That the testing of your faith produces in you something that's valuable. It produces patience. It produces endurance. It produces the work that God wants to produce in you. And so count it all joy that when you experience testing and trial and hardship,

Of course, it's very easy for us to be discouraged, to want to give up, to be saddened, to be wondering if God hates us. And James is saying, no, God doesn't hate you. He's not, you know, trying to get rid of you. He's trying to refine you. He's trying to develop you into be the Christian that he's called you to be.

Isaiah says something similar. The Lord speaking through Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 48 verse 10. He says,

And the idea of a furnace that would be used to refine silver or refine gold and bring out the impurities that it would be, you know, that what was left would be pure. In the same way, affliction or trials in our lives is that furnace for us to bring out those impurities so that God can make us pure. And so God's doing a work. So when you experience trials...

Count it as joy and rejoice in the fact that God is working in you. Now, it doesn't mean that you have to be happy about all the hardship and hurt and pain, but you can be happy that God is at work. You can rejoice and you can have joy that God is bringing you to perfection. He's building you up and maturing you.

Now, in the midst of a trial, one of the things that we often want to know is why. What is God doing? What is the purpose of this? And so James tells us in verse 5, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Sometimes we struggle to count it joy in the midst of a trial because we don't understand what's going on or we don't understand how to get out of the trial or what we need to do.

And so James gives us some insight here. What we need to do is ask God. If you need wisdom, you need help in figuring out what God wants of your life, what you should be doing in the trial that you're in or the situation that you face. He says, ask God and God will give it to you. That's a great promise that we have, that God will give wisdom to those who ask. Now he goes on to tell us,

That we should ask in faith and not doubting, not being double-minded. So we're trusting that God will give us the insight, the direction that he has promised to give us. And we rest in that and we don't go back and forth and then try to take it back and try to figure it out for ourselves. But that we continue to trust in God to provide for us the wisdom that we need.

Well, going on in verses 9 through 11, he says, let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation. He deals with the rich and the poor here. And the idea here is that there's a level playing field when you look at the eternal perspective. The lowly brother or the poor brother is humbled now but will be exalted.

And the rich brother is exalted now, but, well, will be humbled. That is, will be brought to the same level. Now, there seems to be some situation in the context of what James is writing between the rich and the poor. He's going to deal with it again in chapter 2. And he talks about the rich brother.

taking the poor to court and taking advantage and defrauding the poor. And so there's this corruption that's involved. And so there's this, you know, this division between the rich and the poor. And God says, or James says, hey, there's a level playing field. God's going to even things out. And so you, if you're lowly, if you're poor, if you have nothing, then glory in the reality that, well, God's going to lift you up and you're going to be exalted.

And if you're rich and you have lots and you don't have need like others do, he says you can glory in your humiliation. And he compares it to a flower that will pass away. Because everything that you have, all the physical things, the things that you can see, all the financial things that you have will not last. And like a flower, it's going to fade away. It's not going to last very long at all.

Well, then in verses 12 through 18, he says, blessed is the one who endures temptation. And so again, he's talking about, you know, counting it joy when you face trials. And now you're blessed when you face temptation.

Now trial and temptation, we kind of make a distinction between them, but there's not really that much of a difference. It's really the same word in the Greek. And so the idea here is that it depends on who is doing the work or who is doing the testing or the trying. You could think about it this way. A test reveals what is already within you.

If you are in school taking a course and the teacher administers a test, the teacher's not trying to get the students to fail. That's not the purpose of the test, right? The purpose of the test is to see, are you getting it? Is it making sense to you? Have you learned anything in the course? That's the purpose of the test. And the test will reveal...

Whether or not you've learned from the course. Whether or not you have within you, you know, the answers. That's what the test is for. And that's what trials and testing and temptation do in us. It reveals what's already there. It reveals what's within us.

And so he says in verse 13, So God's not trying to get you to fail, James is saying. He's not trying to cause you to stumble. He's not setting up some things and say, all right, let's see, you know, let's watch. Let's see if they'll mess up and then, you know, blow it and sin in some way.

But God does allow tests to reveal and to show us what is in our hearts, to show us what is already there. Verse 14, but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

You see, the temptation that we have is not, you know, something that God has planted there, but it's something that is within us. It's something that develops from our nature and what's within our heart. And so the point is, you can't blame God for temptation. It's our own desires.

It's those things that we are enticed by that we are tempted by. That it's our own heart, our own sinful condition that causes us to be tempted by those things. And so you cannot blame God. But this also means, this is important to grab hold of, you cannot blame circumstances. Well, you know, I wouldn't be living in this sinful manner if it wasn't for these circumstances.

It means you cannot blame your spouse. Well, I wouldn't talk in this sinful way if it wasn't for my spouse and the things that they did.

Or I wouldn't be doing this sinful thing if it wasn't for my brother. Or it was that guy who crashed into me and that's why I behave in this sinful manner. Or it's that cop who pulled me over and that's why, and on and on and on we could go, right? It's the coworker who lied about you, the person who robbed you, the guy who flipped you off, or the lady who cussed you out. Like that's the reason why I'm behaving in this sinful manner. We try really hard to

to pass the blame. But notice what he says. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. God didn't put those desires there in you. Nobody else put those desires there in you. They're your own desires. And so that temptation and that sin is not somebody else's fault and it's not your circumstance's fault, but it's, well, it's the reality of where your heart is at.

It's the revelation of what's really within you. Your sin is not their fault. It's all theirs.

And that's why we need a savior. That's why we must be born again. Now, God doesn't plant those things in us. But notice verse 17. Every good and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the father of lights. What God does for us is good things. And he gives us good gifts. And he gives every good and perfect gift. It's from him.

And so every bad thing basically is from us and every good thing is from God. That's the reality of our sinful condition. Well then in verses 19 through 27, he encourages us to be doers of the word. And this really I see as a theme throughout the book of James. He's really calling us to action.

Stop talking about it. Stop complaining about it. Stop giving up because you're in trial. But do what you're supposed to do and do what God has called you to do. That's the thrust of James' message. In verse 19 he says, So then my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. He says we need to be

swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. This is another verse that's a classic, and it's a classic for a reason. This is a verse that we need to pay attention to, because a lot of times we are quick to speak and slow to hear. We get it backwards. We're quick to wrath, but it doesn't produce the righteousness of God. It doesn't produce things that are right. Instead, it produces mess and problems. And so,

He calls us to action. Be swift to listen. I was listening to Pastor Dave Rolfe teach on this portion and he challenged his congregation and I don't know if I have the guts to actually do it, but I'll challenge you with it anyways and if you want to do it, you can, okay? So he said, take two days and be swift to hear. That is, just listen.

You're having problems with somebody, like just go listen to them. Let them tell you the issues. You're having a difficulty with a neighbor or co-worker or whatever, like just go sit down with them and do your best to hear what they have to say. And for the next two days, just focus on hearing and listening to people. And then for the two days after that, don't say anything. Now,

doesn't mean you have to have a vow of silence and, you know, if you break it, then you have to start over. Not like that, but just speak as little as possible. Be slow to speak. And then in the last two days, be slow to wrath. Don't respond. Don't let people know how upset you are. Be slow to demonstrate that anger or that frustration. And

He says, see how your week goes. And so, hey, it's a good test. If you want to take some time this week, quiet yourself down, listen to people, be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. This is also valuable for our relationship with God. And I would encourage you to consider this. If you feel like God listens more than he speaks, maybe it's because you speak more than you listen. Did you get that?

If you feel like God listens more than he speaks, maybe it's because you speak more than you listen. Take some time to listen to God. Take some time to hear from him, not just to tell him. And that's important. And he wants us to tell him all the things. But sometimes we're so caught up in telling him everything that we don't take time to listen to him. And God wants to speak to you. And so listen to what he has to say.

Well, then in verse 21, he says, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. So in this call to action, he says, lay aside the junk, the sin, the filthiness, and receive with meekness the implanted word. And this idea of the implanted word, it calls us back to the parable of the sower.

The word has been planted. You've received the gospel message. You've received the word of God. But how have you received it? And make sure that it hasn't fallen on hard soil in your heart. Make sure it hasn't fallen on thorny soil so that the cares of this world choke it out.

Make sure that it hasn't fallen upon the rocks so that, well, it's shallow and it's not going to last. But make sure that you receive it, that it lands on good soil, that it will be productive, that it will produce fruit. And so in verse 22, he says, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

I think this is the key. This is how we make sure that our soil is the best environment for the word to be implanted and to produce fruit. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. If we only hear the word, he says, you deceive yourself. You feel good because you heard the word. Good Bible study tonight. All right, good devotional time. If you only read it, if you only hear it,

you just deceive yourself. James says you also must do it. Be a doer of the word. Now Jesus also talked about this as well and I'm sure you'll remember it in Matthew chapter 7 as he talked about the wise and the foolish builders. Right? The wise builder built his house upon the rock. He dug deep. He founded it upon the rock and then when the storms came it lasted. But the foolish builder

built his house upon the sand. And so when the storm came, the house collapsed. Now Jesus said, this is a picture of those who receive the word. And those who only hear the things that Jesus says are those who build the house upon the sand. But those who hear and then do the things that Jesus says, build their house upon the rock. And so in this storm, it will stand.

And so for you and I, it's a challenge, and James will continue this challenge throughout his book, to call us to action. Don't just say that you believe, but live out your faith. Don't just acknowledge or read or study or memorize the things that God says in His Word, but figure out how to do them. Figure out how they change your life. Figure out what God wants to do as a result of the things that you are reading.

He goes on to talk about if you are a hearer of the word, it's like someone who goes and looks in the mirror and then walks away and forgets what they look like.

Now, if you look in the mirror and you see, oh man, I've got cilantro in my teeth. I've got, you know, things out of place here, things out of place there. Makeup needs to be applied. But then you walk away and you forget. You don't do anything. You walk out of the house that way and everybody looks at you funny all day. That's like someone who reads the word, hears the word, but doesn't do it.

And if you're a hearer of the word, you're walking around and you know the word, you know what the Bible says, but everybody's looking at you funny because it's like, I thought you were a Christian, but look at how you live. Your hair's all messed up. Your face is a mess. What's wrong with you? Didn't you look in the mirror? Didn't you read the word?

And that's what God's calling us to do is not just hear it, not just memorize it, not just know trivia or chapters and verses, not just memorize it or, you know, read it because it helps us to feel good, but to let it change our lives. See what issues you have. See what things need to be addressed and then address it. I like a story that James Vernon McGee tells about this. He says there was a Tennessee mountaineer.

And he wasn't exposed to much modern things. And so he came across this abandoned campsite and found a mirror. It was his first time ever seeing a mirror. But as he picks up this mirror and he looks at it, he says, wow, I never knew my dad had a picture took. As he looks in the mirror, he says, it's my dad. He had a picture taken. I never knew that.

And he was fascinated by this picture of his dad. And so he took it with him as he went home. And he would look at it and put it away and look at it and put it away and thinking about his dad. Well, one day his wife saw him looking at this and then putting it away and not knowing what it was. After he was gone, she went and she pulled it out and looked at this picture of his dad. And she said, oh, that's the old hag he's been hanging out with.

Thinking that he's with some other woman. She doesn't realize what she looks like. Because she's not seeing the mirror either. We have in our minds this vision of ourselves. That doesn't match with reality. And the mirror reveals. It helps us bring us back down to earth. You should see what I look like in my mind. I mean it would be impressive. But that's what I see when I think of myself.

And that's why as much as I can, I avoid mirrors. So I don't get brought back to reality. And the same happens for us spiritually. We have in our mind this idea of like, we're impressive. And the word of God brings us back to reality. Now you can also take it back too far the other way where you have in your mind that you're like this horrible person God would never want you. And the word of God brings you back to reality. Either way, the word of God brings us back to the truth.

And what we need to do is then not just hear it and then forget all about it, but to hear it and then live it out. He says in verse 25, he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. And this one will be blessed in what he does. You cannot look into the perfect law of liberty, that is the word of God, and be pleased with how you look.

So if you're looking into the word of God and you're pleased with, oh yeah, yeah, I'm doing pretty good. You're doing it wrong. Okay, let me just tell you that. It's the perfect law of liberty. It's the perfect word of God. It shows us the imperfections. That's the point. So that then we can change. Then we can apply what God has said. And notice what he says there in verse 25. A doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

does. It's about living it out. You're going to be blessed in what you do if you do what God has said you should do. And so we need to look for the application. We need to look for the living out of the Word of God and not just reading it, not just memorizing it, not just getting information in our heads, but

But looking for God to change our lives. And I would encourage you as we continue reading through the Bible in three years, finishing it up over the next couple months, it's not too late. As you read each day, ask God to show you how he wants you to apply these things. And figure out ways to live them out, to put them into practice and what they mean for you. It's not about education only, it's also about application.

What does God want you to do? Well, moving on to James chapter 2 now, verse 26. He says, Here in verses 1 through 13, he begins to talk about this subject of partiality. And he says,

It is a sin for us to show partiality. And this is, I think, a subject that we would do well to spend some time considering.

Not this evening because I'm already using up most of my time. But on your own. I would encourage you to reflect on these things and allow God to speak to you. He says in verse 2, If there comes into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes. So first of all, let's picture this, right? So Tom Cruise walks in the back door as well as a homeless guy off the street. So these two walk in.

He says, if you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say to him, you sit here in a good place and say to the poor man, you stand there or sit here at my footstool. He says, have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? There's a danger for us to show partiality, to show preference to one type of person over another type of person. He says, to show partiality is to judge others.

To pay attention to one person or prefer that person is to judge. We say, oh, this is so-and-so. You know, you need to hear what they have to say. We want to make sure they have a good experience. If they get saved, you know, think about what they could do. And as we think in these ways, we've determined that the poor person is less important or less valuable. It's a danger that we must face.

guard ourselves against that we do not become judges with evil thoughts think about it this way using whatever criteria you use because we all have those biases that we have we kind of evaluate like do i want to talk to this person do i not want to talk to this person whatever criteria you have would you then have spoken with job in the midst of his trial

In the midst of his affliction, you know, as he has lost everything, he's dirty, he's been sitting in the mud, he's got sores all over him. Would you have spoken to Job? Would you have taken some time to be with him? It's probably not something that we would do. I think for a good portion of us, like, yeah, it's like, hey, other people can minister to him. But...

we would avoid that kind of situation. Would we have followed Jesus or would we have followed John the Baptist? You know, John the Baptist had disciples and he was a weird guy. But using the criteria that we have in evaluating whether or not someone's worth our time. Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't be involved in risky behavior and walk down dark alleys and think, well, you know, everybody's valuable so we should allow them to harm us. It's not like being foolish, but

But we need to be careful that we don't have this preference in our hearts towards those that whatever. We like them. We like their style. We like whatever it is that we like about them. But that we recognize that every person is valuable. Every person is important to God. And God wants all people to come to salvation. And so all people need to hear the gospel. Rich or poor. The ones that we like and the ones that we are not so excited about meeting.

He says, if you really fulfill the royal law to love your neighbor as yourself, he says, you do well. But verse 9, if you show partiality, you commit sin and you're convicted by the law as a transgressor. And so it's sinful for us to show partiality, to have these valuations of people

Based on whatever external criteria that we can see. You know, whatever their social class is. Whatever their occupation is. All of those things. It's sinful for us to evaluate people and assess their value by those things. Consider, would you be more interested in the salvation of someone famous than, you know, some person that you've never heard of before? Yeah.

It's something we need to consider. Remember that Jesus in Luke chapter 19, he spends some time with sinners. He spends some time with Zacchaeus, the tax collector, a chief of sinners in some ways. And the Pharisees, the religious leaders complained, he's gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. They evaluated Zacchaeus and said he's not worth it.

We're not going to, you know, spend time with him. We're going to separate ourselves from him. But Jesus evaluated and said he's valuable. He's receiving the gospel. And so I'm going to spend some time with him and call him to repentance. Going on in verses 14 through 26. Faith without works is dead, James says. He says in verse 14, what does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

Now what James is dealing with here is he's addressing or giving us a means of testing the claim to have faith. Notice he says, if someone says he has faith but does not have words. So sometimes people wrestle with it. Well, you know, Paul talks about

salvation being by grace apart from works. Works has nothing to do with it. And James says works has everything to do with it. So are they opposite? Are they at odds with each other? But they're not at odds with each other. I think one commentator said it that, you know, they're not standing face to face fighting against each other. They're standing back to back fighting different foes. James is really addressing the

False claims of salvation. The false claims of those who profess to be Christian but are not. This is someone who says they have faith but doesn't have works. Their life doesn't demonstrate it. In other words, they're a hearer of the word but not a doer of the word. And so people call themselves Christians but that doesn't mean that they are

They claim to have faith and maybe even, you know, have responded to altar calls and such. But that doesn't mean that they are believers. Because, well, there has to be works. And if there is not works, then that faith is dead. He gives the example of someone who's in need. And he says, if you say, well, God bless you, but you don't help them, then they haven't benefited. Right?

Now he's not saying that's the proof of faith if you help somebody who's in need. He's saying that person didn't receive anything. It's not, there's no substance to your blessing to them. In the same way, if there's not a life that's changed, if there's not works, there's no substance to your faith. It's not a genuine faith. In verse 19, he says, you believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe and they tremble.

And so in this faith, you profess to have faith and okay, well that's good, but that's not sufficient. Even demons believe there needs to be more than just your profession, your statement that I believe. And so he gives another example in that of Abraham. He said Abraham was justified by works in verse 21 when he offered Isaac his son on the altar. He believed God and that was proven by

By, well, when God tested him and said, offer your son, your only son whom you love, and sacrifice him to me, Abraham did it. He actually did what God called him to do. And so we know that his faith was genuine. How do we know that Abraham believed God? Because he didn't just sit on the couch. But he got up, he went to the land of Moriah, and he said,

He raised up the knife to offer his son Isaac. He got up and he did what God said. And so in verse 24, you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. Faith produces works. There's a change in a life of one who has believed. There's a transformation. There's obedience. There's steps of faith. And so to make a profession of faith is not enough.

But then your life must demonstrate that that faith is real. He also gives the example of Rahab who professed to believe but backed it up and she lived it out by housing the two spies when they had come through. And so he concludes in verse 26, as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James chapter 3 now verse 2, for we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. In verses 1 through 12, we learn that no man can tame the tongue. Man is used a general term, you know, so it's no man or woman can tame the tongue. And so as a result, he says in verse 1, let not many of you become teachers because, well,

You can't tame your tongue. And if your responsibility is to teach and to talk, well, that means you could say some things that are out of line. You could say some things that are inaccurate. You could say some things that are not according to what God has said. And he says, you shall receive a stricter judgment. And so it's a word of caution for those who would be eager to be teachers. But he goes on then in verse 2 to say, look, we all stumble in many things.

And if anybody doesn't stumble in word, well, then you're perfect. And none of us are perfect. So all of us stumble in our words. He goes on to illustrate this idea, the problem or the issue that our tongue has, the place that it has. He says, it's like a bit that we put in the horse's mouth. It's a little piece that we put in the horse's mouth, but we're able then to turn the horse whichever way we desire. Or another example,

He says, large ships, they're driven by fierce winds and they're turned by a very small rudder. So here's an image of a large ship. It's 4,700 feet long. And you'll notice the rudder is very small in proportion to the rest of the ship. So the whole ship is about 4,700 feet long. The rudder is about 8 1⁄2 feet long.

It's very small in comparison to the rest of the ship. Now, I have a little illustration here as well. If this building were a boat, this would be a sizable enough rudder to be able to steer this building as a boat. So if it floods again, which God said it wouldn't, but if it does and we all come here, we could use this to steer the boat, to steer the ship across the waters.

It doesn't take a lot to be able to turn these massive ships. In the same way, your tongue, it's small. It's a small member, but well, it can turn your whole body in some very bad directions. It can turn your whole life into some really bad courses. Your tongue is a little member that boasts great things, he says. It's like a spark that kindles a forest fire.

And so he is driving home for us this imagery to help us understand our tongues are really important. What we say really does matter. He says, out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing, my brethren, these things ought not to be so. And so live out your faith by what you say. Watch your mouth. Be careful what you say. Things that build up and edify and not things that destroy.

Well, how do we know what we say is good or not good or from God or not from God? In verses 13 through 18, he says, Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of good fruits. The way to evaluate your words is by considering the wisdom from above and the wisdom from below. The wisdom from this world is not good, but the wisdom from above is good. And he says, look, if you're wise in verse 13, he says,

Show it by your good conduct. In other words, be a doer and not just a hearer. He says, if you've got bitter and self-seeking in your hearts, this does not descend from above. It's earthly, it's sensual, and it's demonic. But the wisdom that's from above is pure, it's peaceable, it's gentle, it's willing to yield. Evaluate your actions, evaluate your words by these things, the wisdom from above.

Again, because your tongue is able to cause great damage and take you down a path you do not want to go. James chapter 4, now verse 8 is the key verse. He says, Again, you just love how James is like...

Hits you right over the head with it, right? Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In verses 1 through 6, he says that friendship with the world is enmity with God. He talks about the battles that happen between believers. He says, where do those wars and fights come from? He says, they come from your desires for pleasure that war within your members. You lust, you desire, you crave, and you do not have.

And you manipulate and you try to get what you want, but then you still don't get it. And he goes on to say, you do not have because you do not ask. That is, you don't ask God for those things. But then when you do ask God, you don't get it because it says you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. God sees what's going on in your heart. He sees the motivations for those requests and the wars that are happening within and your desire for things

Well, satisfying yourself and fulfilling yourself. And so God withholds those requests. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss. But the point here is, he goes on into verse 4, he says, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? When our hearts are pursuing the things of this life, we are running away from God. You can't pursue the things of this life without running away from God. It's...

They're at opposition. If you're seeking to be friendly with the world, you're going to be an enemy of God. Not that God becomes your enemy, but that you become God's enemy. And when our hearts are in that condition, we are unfaithful to God. That's adultery. Now we like to kind of water it down and say, no, I'm just like a little bit less committed than I used to be, you know, a little bit less involved. But that's not the reality.

And I don't think any of us would accept that from our spouse. You know, hey, I'm just a little bit less committed right now. So I'm just, you know, flirting and having fun. You know, ultimately I plan to come back to you. But, you know, I'm just a little bit less committed right now. No, that's not a right relationship. We need to be pursuing right relationship with God, not friendship with the world.

In verses 7 through 10, he says, submit and draw near to God. He says, submit to God in verse 7, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Here's what we need to do. Submit to God. That is, voluntarily put yourself under God's authority to obey him, ask him what he wants and do it, and then do not do the things that you don't have permission from God to do. It's

Comes from a military idea. Submitting is a military term. It means to be in subjection or to be in the right order of ranks. And so think about a soldier. You know, the soldier can't say, well, I'm going to sleep in today.

You know, I don't really feel like training. You know, boot camp's been really tough, Sergeant. So I'm just going to sleep in a little bit longer. I'll join you guys out on the field later on. It doesn't work that way. You don't have that type of freedom in the military. I didn't like my bunk, so I moved it over. You know, I'm going to be over in a different bunk now. Well, no, that doesn't work. You sleep where we tell you to sleep would be the response, right?

Or, hey, I'm going to be right back. I just need to go get a hamburger. You know, I want to get something to eat. Sounds really good. So I'm going to cut out. I'll be right back. Well, no, you got to man your post. You got to be where you're supposed to be and so on and so forth. Then the same way, we need to submit to God. That is, we need to be where he wants us to be, doing what he wants us to do.

and not doing what he's told us not to do. So submit to God and resist the devil. I like what the commentator Matthew Poole says. He says, you are never conquered so long as you do not consent. You are never conquered so long as you do not consent. Again, we always like to blame. It's the devil's fault. It's other people's fault. But the real bottom line is we consent. And so we need to resist and not consent.

resist the devil and he will flee. But draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Another great promise. When you take a step towards God, he draws near to you. And so turn your life to him. Turn your heart to him. Wash your hands. Purify your hearts. Then in verses 11 and 12, he says, do not speak evil of one another.

He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. And so he says in verse 12, who are you to judge another? When we speak evil, we have, you know, strong opinions about other believers and what we think they should be doing or shouldn't be doing. He says, watch out. You're putting yourself in a position of judging yourself.

making, you know, yourself the standard and you get to evaluate. And you just don't have that position. It's not a good place to be. And so don't be doing that. But then also verses 13 through 17, he says, boasting about tomorrow is evil. He's really dealing with the issue of pride here. When we are proud and self-righteous, we judge others and speak evil about them. And when we're proud and self-righteous, we boast about tomorrow.

He talks about those who, you know, make these plans. All right, we're going to go here and then we're going to go there and we're going to make this money. We're going to do that. And we have all of these plans because we've got it all figured out. But he says in verse 14, you don't know what will happen tomorrow. He says, for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. A vapor. That's your life. It's there for a moment. And look, where is it? It's gone.

That's your life. And so you can make these plans. Well, I have this, you know, five-year plan, this 10-year plan. And God's not saying that you shouldn't plan, but it's in this arrogance, this boasting. Well, I know I've got it figured out and I'm going to make this happen.

And we saw the results of that not too long ago with the whole crash of the housing market as people were banking on. If I buy it at this, it's going to continue to go up and in five years I can refinance and sell it and make all this money and then go over here and you build your life upon these plans.

that are not from God, that are based on your own pride and arrogance, and it will all come crashing down. And so he says, boasting about tomorrow is evil. Instead, verse 15, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. Now he's not saying, just say these magic words. He's saying, include God in your plans, submit to his will, humble yourself in the sight of the Lord.

Basically saying, Lord, this is what I planned, but what do you plan? And letting God redirect you in that. All right, let's finish up. James chapter 5 verse 8. He says, you also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. In verses 1 through 6, he says, you rich weep and howl for your miseries that are coming.

Now when he's talking about the rich, he's not saying that it's wrong or sinful to have money or to have an abundance or anything like that. You can see from the context in verse 4, he's talking about that they've kept back wages by fraud. That

The people that they've defrauded are crying out to the Lord and God has heard them. You've fattened your hearts as in the day of slaughter. You've condemned. You've murdered the just. And so this is not just the idea of someone who has wealth, but someone who has wealth by corruption. And he says if you're in that condition, you should weep and howl. Miseries are coming. You're going to be judged and dealt with according to the way that you have treated people and obtained the wealth that you have.

In verses 7 through 12, he says, He says, Here he's encouraging us to set our focus on eternity.

We often are disappointed because we're looking for God's rewards in this lifetime. And God does bless us, but we need to continually remember the real fruit of the life that we live in Christ is in eternity. And so be patient. Wait for that fruit. It's going to come, but don't try to get it too early. Wait. The Lord is returning soon. The coming of the Lord is at hand, he says. So wait. Be patient. Be patient.

He says, think about the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They suffered and use them as an example. They suffered, we suffer, it's going to be the case. And so yes, there's going to be difficulty, there's going to be suffering, but in due season, at the right time, we will reap. There will be great reward for your faithfulness to the Lord, for serving God. There will be great reward. So be patient and you will receive that in eternity.

In verses 13 through 18, he says, is anyone sick? Let the elders pray. He says, are you suffering? Well, then you should pray. Isn't that obvious? If you're suffering, you should pray. Well, sometimes, sometimes we only pray when we're suffering. But sometimes when we're suffering, we're so busy trying to figure out how to get out of the suffering that we forget to pray. And so we need to be reminded, hey, you're suffering. So pray, pray about it. Turn that over to the Lord. Are you cheerful?

then sing praise. Now, isn't that obvious? Well, yeah, sometimes we praise God when good things happen, when life is going well, when we receive blessings, but sometimes we're so busy enjoying the blessings that we forget to praise God. And so we need the reminder to praise God for those things. Are you sick? He says, then call for the elders of the church.

The elders, it's a group of men who have authority within the congregation. It's the group that makes decisions about the resources of the congregation and the direction of the church. And so, you know, for us, we have a board of directors that we really look to as our elders. And so if you're sick...

I would suggest to you, do what James says, call the elders. And for us specifically, that's one of the roles of our Sunday evening service where most of those guys are able to be with us. And so it's an opportunity for you to receive prayer. And so if you're sick, I would encourage you to come Sunday evenings and allow the elders to pray for you.

In verse 16 he says, Much.

And so we're to confess our trespasses to one another. This isn't a confession for forgiveness like, you know, we would see perhaps in the Catholic Church. But it's a confession for prayer. The idea is like, hey, I'm struggling. I'm wrestling. And so please pray with me as I battle these things, as I wrestle with these things, as I seek to be faithful in the things that God has called me to.

And God has designed us to need these kinds of relationships within the body of Christ. We need this prayer for one another. We need this strength and this accountability with one another. We can't just do it on our own. Perhaps the reason that you are half-hearted and lukewarm as a Christian is because you're trying to do this all on your own. That's something you should consider.

If you're wondering like, hey, I've been around for a while, but I just don't seem to progress. I can't be set free from these things. I'm still like just halfway in, halfway out. Maybe it's because you haven't allowed others to come alongside. You haven't allowed them to pray with you and for you for the things that you are going through. He says, the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. That doesn't mean, okay, go find Harvey because he's the most righteous man.

It means pray for one another. It's effective. It's powerful. You need those kinds of relationships in your life. And those things are powerful. Those relationships are powerful in setting you free, in delivering you, in bringing you to completion the way that God desires. And he gives the example of Elijah in verse 17 and 18. And the whole point there is Elijah prayed for rain and it came. He starts out in verse 17. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

The point is, Elijah prayed and God sent rain, but not because Elijah was some super special, awesome, righteous dude. He had a nature just like ours. He was just like you, just like me. We don't have like some level of superiority, you know, in the faith. It's like, okay, I've reached this level. Jake's over here at this level. And then here's whoever.

it's not like that. I got to have that person pray because, you know, they're really righteous. No, no, no. We all have this sinful nature, but it's about turning to God and trusting God and those relationships, confessing and praying for one another. He says, that's effective. That's powerful. You want to see God work in your life, then start engaging in that. And again, I would encourage you, that's another aspect of our Sunday evening service.

Where we do have the time for prayer requests and praise reports. And we get to share and pray for one another. And participate in each other's lives in that way. Well finally verse 19 through 20. He says, he who turns a sinner from error will save his soul from death. If anyone wanders from the truth and someone turns him back. He says, let him know that you save a soul from death. And cover a multitude of sins. I think it's interesting that he concludes this way. Right? No sin.

you know, hey, I've been thinking about you and greet one another and send this back to me and I'm going to come to see you soon. You know, like he just ends just like, okay, I'm done. Again, he's the Romain of the New Testament. But I think it's appropriate that he ends in this way. He says, if you turn a sinner from error, then you save his soul from death. He finishes with a reminder. Listen, eternity is what really matters, right?

And so live out your faith, live out your life, pray for one another, let them pray for you, confess your trespasses. And then if you see them wandering off, bring them back, care for one another, have a faith that's genuine, have a love that's real. And yes, you're going to go through suffering. You're going to go through trials. It's producing in you patience, you know, starting at the beginning, kind of working your way back. And then coming to this conclusion, we're in this together.

You're not alone. You can't do it alone. If you're going to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only, well, it's going to be with the help of other believers. You need these other believers that God has placed around you. And so share your life with them. Allow them to pray for you. But then also watch out for them and help them as they wander, as they struggle. This is the way that God has designed it. We cannot live the Christian life alone.

And if we want to experience the fullness of what God has for us, we need to engage together in the work of God, in the pursuit of God. And as we do, well, there's great power. It's effective. It's powerful. And God can do a great work in us. Let's pray. Lord, as we consider your word, I pray that you would help us not to just hear these things and walk away, but Lord, show us how to do them. Show us how to live them out.

And Lord, whatever it is that we might be going through, and maybe it is a trial, and you want to show us how to count it all joy. Maybe it is an issue of partiality, and you want to show us that, that we might change, that we might learn to love people and value them as you do. Lord, maybe it is the need to open up and allow others to help us and pray for us and

We need to also be reaching out to others. I pray, Lord, that whatever it is as you've been speaking to us, that you would help us to live these things out, to be doers of your word and not hearers only. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.