Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
FREE PRESBYTERIAN ISSUES -- GOSPEL ISSUES -- PROTESTANT ISSUES -- EVANGELISM ISSUES -- CALVINISM
ISSUES -- C.H. SPURGEON INDEX -- SERMON NOTES -- MAIN
These words/text are those which James concludes his whole epistle
I like James!
I admire his gutsy stand for truth and straight talking, although I am
conscious that if any every one talked tough and got quickly to the
point and struggled on the diplomacy side, then this world would be a
rough place indeed
Maybe pastoring the church/Jerusalem and being the Moderator of the Apostolic Presbytery gave him that firm edge on things
I cannot help but notice how Paul and the other Apostles usually close their epistles in a gentler fashion
Yet James (in his own rougher way) ends on a positive note
Under the inspiration/Spirit of God he has had his rougher moments
The comments of 4:4 are also directed to those who err from the truth
The truth would have us be at enmity with the spirit/world, but here
were men/women (professing Christians) who sought rather to engage the
world and so do great despite to their Christian profession
But in these closing words, James softens the tone, although not the stand that he took in the earlier chapter
Out of a dark cloud, the sun shines casting forth its bright and warm
beams so that the reader does not walk away from this epistle in a
spirit of gloom, but rather encouraged while facing reality
All in all it is in keeping with James' rough and ready image which has
the spiritual health of his flock at heart and will not rest until each
one is walking with God as it ought to be
Our text yields us 5 main thoughts:
1) THE SAD REALITY OF PEOPLE ERRING FROM THE TRUTH:
A/ In an ideal world, these words would be superfluous and unknown
We do not live in an ideal world - hence (again) the severity of 4:4
We live in a world when even professing Christians go AWOL
We spoke a few minutes ago about the gentler way in which the other
Apostles ended their epistles...yet I remind you that, just before he
invoked the blessing/God, Peter closed his 2nd epistle with these words:
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know
these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error
of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. (3:17)
Not every Christian walks with God and maintains a pure testimony
There is (to a greater/lesser degree) an erring from the truth
[i] There are those who go AWOL in practical matters
The worldly spirit prevails and they leave off prayer etc.,
[ii] There are those who go AWOL in doctrine: Galatians 1:6ff
All kinds of smooth talkers get into the church and lead many astray
Paul warned about it: Acts 20:28-30
So this is a sad reality in any day
B/ It will become much more apparent in the last days when there will
be a general apostasy and no endurance/sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3)
If we are in these last days spoken of here - then how relevant are
these words to us, even more so than in the days when first uttered
Let us never think that we have outgrown the warnings/Bible
Bible is not like an old catalogues that amuse us with its modern wares
Giggle at them - but we must read/Bible with a certain degree of fear
C/ Someone asks: Can a Christian be guilty of apostasy from God?
Bible answers: A true Christian may not…but a false professor may
Warnings/Bible are not there for padding to help a struggling writer
They are there to actually warn that any one of us should not think lightly of erring from the truth
No one who does so should seek to take any comfort from any verse that assures true believers of eternal security
The Bible can be abused - you can open mail that does not bear your
address on it - you can carry a cheque made payable to someone else in
your wallet - but you can't cash it at the bank
Bad enough to make a mistake in such a case…worse still to bear
the guilt of fraud and incur the wrath of the authorities
D/ Yes…it is sadly true: true, professing Christians can err from/truth
Peter himself erred from the truth when he died Jesus
David erred from the truth when he lay with Bathsheba
We err from the truth when periods of coldness/heart set in and the Bible/prayer has no longer any real meaning to us
These things all have causes and they also have effects
2) THE CONSEQUENCE OF SUCH ERROR:
A/ That there is consequence is but natural on two fronts:
[i] The responsibility/error is very firmly placed on the erring one
It is the error of his way
There may well be many contributing factors and others may have played
their part too and also bear responsibility: 1 Corinthians 8:11
But the Christian is not without blame either -Truly Bible: Psalm 119:105
If we trace back our various falls etc., we see many times where we knew that we were overstepping the mark and erring/truth
Cannot shrug our shoulders and look blank with any degree/conviction
The error was clearly ours and that (in effect) by choice
[ii] Another reason for a consequence is the sin itself:
Identified here as the erring from truth
Truth itself is an essential to spiritual wellbeing:
It was the means that God used to bring us into His family: 1:18
It was the means that God used to keep us from falling: John 8:31-32
This is why John enthused so much about it: 2 John 1:4/3 John 1:4
If truth is to mean anything and have any value, then there must be a consequence for the forsaking /neglecting of it
Cannot have it that one who lives without truth gets on just as well as one who lives for truth and in truth
B/ Text is very clear about the sad consequences of such error:
[i] It produces a multitude of sins
One sin always leads to another - it produces a whole next of nefarious
things in the life of a professing Christian - sin multiplies
With what fear we ought to regard sin
If you had two rats in your garden…you would fear greatly
Wouldn't be long before the scratching of little feet :-(
And they would start breeding as well - such is sin
[ii] It infects the soul with death
We know that the true Christian will not taste/spiritual death
No elect saint will ever be in hell: such would slight the entire Godhead:
[i] The sovereignty of God/Father who elected him to salvation
[ii] The blood of God/Son which was shed specifically to redeem him
[iii] Sanctifying work of the God/Spirit who undertakes to preserve him
But nevertheless, sin does have serious consequences and being saved from sin is to be taken out of the very jaws of death
C/ Let us therefore ever fear sin
Not as it appears that matters - but how it really is
Nothing good ever said about sin in the Bible
Sometimes old enemies say nice thing about teach other - they fish
around for some redeeming feature - but God never said anything good
about sin or the Devil and He never will
To err from truth is effectively to call God a liar
No man leaves something good for something less without thinking that
he is making a gain - he leaves the something good because he is
convinced that he has been sold something that was overstated or that
he has found something better
How can we oversell or overstate God and His truth?
God has magnified His word above Himself (Psalm 138:2)
Can we find something better? We can't therefore do not err
3) THE DESIRE OF GOD FOR SUCH AN ERRING ONE:
A/ Easily stated: That such a one should be converted (x2)
Converted means much more than an initial coming to Christ
Used in that restricted sense in Acts 3:19
But it was evidently used in a wider sense in Luke 22:32
We may define it as a returning or a turning back to the truth
A retracing/steps to the place of departure
The Prodigal Son came back right to the Father's house
Abram: And he went on his
journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent
had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of
the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called
on the name of the LORD. (Genesis 13:4)
B/ No break is final as far as God is concerned
Always a way back to God for the backslider - He delights in mercy
Think of His address specifically to the wayward saint: Hosea 14:1-4
That multitude of sins needs to be hidden away out of view
Put beyond reach and beyond reproach - only God can do it
C/ The backslidden Christian feels so full of shame
As the reality of his actions and the sad impact that they brought upon
his God - his testimony - his family - his church - his own life
- he wonders if there is a way back at all
Can all be forgiven and restored again? God says "Yes!"
And I will restore to you the years
that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and
the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)
There can be no doubt entertained on this matter
4) THE MEANS GOD USES TO RESTORE THE ERRING ONE AGAIN:
A/ God has chosen to use means to achieve His great ends
Paul teaches the same thing, only
more forcefully: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which
are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
B/ Sometimes when a brother/sister is overtaken in a fault (err/truth)
they get shunned by the rest/flock - opposed rather than helped
Yes…we must oppose any attempts to bring their compromise/church
But any action, even discipline, is marked by a desire that the erring
one be brought back into fellowship with God and the saints once again
C/ Our chief instrument in such a case must ever be the word/God
The word brings the conviction/sin and the faith needed to return
David was restored through the applications of Nathan the prophet
We will pray for such a one (v16-18) and will do all within our power
to get him to the place whereby he will be converted (wide sense) to
Christ
D/ Let us not sit back and merely think that it will happen
Emphasis is on the spiritual Christian effecting a definite return to the things of God in repentance and in faith
5) THE SATISFACTION WHICH THE AGENT GOD USES MAY DRAW:
Let him know…
A/ These are definite and practical things: Might not know the heart, but we can know the fruit
B/ Such knowledge encourages all who hear it
THE END