Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
mp3 recording here
READ: JAMES 1:12-27 TEXT: v17 [THE FATHER OF LIGHTS]
Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
There are certain matters, of little importance, where wrong views will do little or any real harm
Any damage will be slight and hardly noticeable and no fundamental harm will be wrought.
How many of us may legitimately claim to have no need to be taught in
the way of God more perfectly, because we have already arrived?
The hymn writer's words come to mind here: No not one, no not one!
But in the matter before James' readers, there is no such a thing as slight error:
The error in mind is outlined for us in v13
There appears to be some folk who when they were tempted to sin, put an undue and misplaced emphasis on the sovereignty of God
They had rightly grasped the idea that there could no temptation come in their direction outside the will of God
James himself runs with that idea and so the words of v2-4
But these folk went further and more/less made God the author of their sin when they failed to conquer in the temptation
This was really an abuse of the doctrine
James therefore early on sought to stamp it out
He did so by showing them that they must bear responsibility for their
own temptations - the lusts etc., come from within, not from above
God Himself cannot be tempted and neither can He tempt any man (v13)
There is no refuge for a sinning Christian in God's sovereignty
When the Christian sins - he can only blame himself
To say otherwise is to err exceedingly - something (v16) to be avoided
Such thinking would open a whole floodgate of sin
Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death
Having already denied that sin comes down from above, James continues
by telling us what does come down from above (text)
Every good and every perfect gift
But James go further and in this wonderful little verse, He gives us a glimpse of the majesty of God as well
This epistle is rightly viewed as a most practical part/Scripture - but that doesn't mean that it has no doctrine to support it
3 main points from v17
1) THE FATHER OF LIGHTS - THE NAME OF GOD:
A/ Non one else/Bible refers to God by this name: Unique/text
Clearly a name of God - one of many as He reveals Himself/Bible
B/ Several verses/Bible which couple God with the concept/light
[i] Obvious one is 1 John 1:5 God is light and in Him: No darkness at all
Very relevant to the context/this message
How can a man say that he is tempted to sin by God when God is Light?
Temptation to sin (v14) is conceived in lust and enticed and leads: death
[ii] Again 1 John 1:7 says: we can only fellowship/God if we walk/light
Moment we embrace darkness, then the fellowship is broken, because God cannot have anything to do with moral darkness/sin
When Lucifer, as the covering cherub, embraced the darkness, he fell as
lightening from Heaven (Luke 10:18) The fellowship was broken
[iii] Again…1 Timothy 6: 16 [God] Who
only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach
unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power
everlasting. Amen.
C/ Please notice that God Himself is not merely said to be in the light
(a strong enough truth) but is said further to be the Father of lights
He Himself sets the standard of what is right/wrong
To the law and to the testimony: if
they speak not according to this word, [God's Word] it is because there
is no light in them. (Isaiah 8:20)
Not a sovereign parliament that determines what is morally right/wrong
Not public opinion or political expediency that determines the matter
It is ever what has "The Father/Lights" said in His Book?
Very dangerous to take away the voice/Scripture
D/ This phrase "The Father/Lights" also refers to those agencies through which He shines His light
[i] The Angels are called the angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)
[ii] The Saints are called "children of light" (Ephesians 5:8)
[iii] Our good works are said to "shine before men" (Matthew 5:16) and do so to the end that our Father/Heaven may be glorified
[iv] The Bible is a lamp unto our feet/light unto our feet (Psalm 119:105)
All these things are sourced in Him who is called the Father/Lights
Such holiness is in the very warp/woof of His name
To go contrary to this would be a denial of Himself
Therefore do not err, beloved brethren, in thinking that when we are tempted to sin, it has found its origins in God
He is the Father/Lights - not the Father/temptations and sin
These temptations and sins have another source other than God
2) NO SHADOW OF TURNING - THE NATURE OF GOD:
A/ James already has given us a little insight into one attribute/God
He is the Father/Lights - Absolute holiness flows from His presence
B/ But here, He gives us another characteristic to study
With this Great Light - there is no variableness nor shadow/turning
Evidently a play on words here
Naturally speaking - the Father (source) of all light is the sun/sky
No one can shine a light and obliterate the light/sun
Other lights/sky move and therefore cast a shadow
But the sun sits completely still and unmoveable
This is another attribute of God
Not only did He never author sin and not only does He not author sin
But He will never ever in the future be the author/sin
No man will never, ever be able to say: I was tempted by God unto sin
B/ That God is unchangeable is supported from other Scripture
It is always used to bring comfort to God's people
All God's truths have a great pastoral import
They are not given merely for information but for comfort/direction
[i] Consider the same truth of v17 as found in Malachi 3:6
I am the Lord I change not…therefore ye sons/Jacob are not consumed
What great comfort! God has pledged to save His people and that pledge can never be tampered with
[ii] Consider the same truth v17 as expressed in 1 Samuel 15:29
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
Such invariableness is linked to God being called the Strength/Israel
Remember the verse about the need for the Strong man to be overcome if his goods were to be taken?
Satan is that strong man and a stronger than he must be brought in if his goods (us in our sins) are to be released:
God is that Strong One - Strength/Israel who knows no change of heart or mind, but ever remains the same
[iii] Consider the same truth of v17 as expressed in Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
What if they did know repentance (a change of mind/purpose) What if God
reversed that kind gift of eternal life whereby we are saved?
What if God reversed that effectual/irresistible call to Himself?
We would reel back into sin once more and to certain doom/despair
But let us rest not only our soul's safety, but it's comfort on this great thought: God knows no shadow of turning
Man does:
The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle (Psalm 78:9)
Even when they were at their strongest, they still failed
Again: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (John 6:66)
What variableness there was with Peter
Poor weak Peter! Tossed to and fro in the various circumstances
What of the double minded man (v6-8) unstable in all his ways?
What of us? Have we not been either hot/cold in our up/down Christian experience?
How weak we are!
But not the Father/Lights! Not our Saviour Jesus Christ who is:
The same yesterday, today and for ever (Hebrews 13:6)
C/ As ever/Bible we must answer apparent contradictions which crop up
What of the several occasions when it says that the Lord repented
Himself in doing certain things and takes another direction? Example:
And Samuel came no more to see
Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul:
and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. (1 Samuel
15:35)
(We quoted v29 earlier proving that God does not repent!)
Surely/fact that only 6 verses separate them proves no contradiction
Answer/apparent problem: Bible gives us two views/God:
[i] As He really is: Texts like ours/1Samuel 15:29
He has eternally decreed what will happen - invariably does
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. (Psalm 33:11)
[ii] As He appears unto us: In 1 Samuel 15:35 God appears to have
changed His mind - He chose Saul and then dropped him for David
It is for us to be content that although the road appears to be so windy and U turns etc.,
(God accommodates His language to help us reflect that) yet it is not unknown to Him who decreed
Secret: Whatever actually comes/pass is that which has been actually decreed by God
God decreed that Saul would only reign a little while - that he would
be dropped (because of his sin) - and David enthroned in his place
This is what actually happened as decided in the eternal purposes/God
3) EVERY GOOD/EVERY PERFECT GIFT - THE BENEVOLENCE/GOD:
A/ James is showing here that instead of God being the author of sin
(and all that is bad/wicked) as some supposed (v13) He is instead the
giver of every good and every perfect gift
B/ Easy to see when these good/perfect gifts extend to things which we enjoy: Health/strength/good/prosperity
C/ Not so easy when they extend to things a little more unpalatable:
Shall there be evil [not a moral evil] in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6)
Or (as in this chapter) Are there not diver's temptations (v2) allowed
by God to test our faith in order to work patience and lead to
spiritual growth (v3-4) all flowing from the goodness of God?
D/ In a practical sense: We face some temptation
We know immediate cause: Satan ("Tempter") working through our flesh
We know Satan's aim: To have us fall and so sully our usefulness
Away/beyond the immediate cause: We see the hand/God in this
We know His aim: (As said) Our spiritual growth (v3-4)
It is that we might ask God for wisdom (v5)
Might ask in faith, with particular reference to this verse to fuel it
That God is a gracious God, the giver of every good/perfect gift, and
that He never will fail to keep His promises and never can fail,
because with Him there is no shadow cast by turning
Armed with this - we can face the Satanic foe
We can rout him as he has never been routed before
And (again) to the greater glory of God, we can acquire this blessed crown of life which God has for those who love Him
THE END