II. A WARNING – James 3:14

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Here in verse 14 of James, chapter 3, James says, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition . . . “. Pay close attention to the first four words: “But if you have”. James isn’t saying that it’s a possibility. He’s implying that it is a reality. James has observed this attitude among believers and he is telling them not to glory in it.

Notice three more words in this verse that need to be kept in mind. Those three words are: “in your heart”. That’s where it begins, isn’t it? And that’s where it needs to be dealt with.

James is accusing them of “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition”. The word “jealousy” is not necessarily a bad word. We get our English word “zeal” from the Greek word “zelon” that’s used in this verse. That same word was used of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 2 when He cleansed the Temple of the corruption that was going on inside. It’s a question of motives. Jesus’ motive was to glorify the Father. The jealousy that James is referring to is a “bitter jealousy”. The word “bitter” is the Greek word “pikron” which means “sharp”, “piercing”. The sound of the Greek word, “pikron” brings to my mind the image of an ice pick. The jealous person is pictured as jabbing his rival with it and enjoying the pain and agony that he is inflicting.

Such a jealous person is excessively concerned about himself and resents the good fortune of others. We all have problems with envy at times, don’t we? Even if it’s not obvious on the outside, it’s happening on the inside. We may even envy the success of others when we are successful ourselves.

There’s a legend about a successful Burmese potter who had become envious of the prosperity of a washerman (a laundryman or cleaner). Determined to put this man out of business, the potter convinced the king to issue an order requiring the man to wash one of the king’s black elephants and make it white.

The washerman replied that according to the rules of his vocation he would need a vessel large enough to hold the elephant, whereupon the king commanded the potter to provide one. So the potter constructed a giant bowl and had it carefully delivered to the washerman. But when the elephant stepped into it, it crumbled to pieces beneath the weight of the enormous beast.

More vessels were made, but each was crushed in the same way. Eventually it was the potter who was put out of business by the very scheme he had devised to ruin the man he envied.

This is a very abbreviated version of the story. There are many versions of the full story. My favorite is the one written by Pam Hopper and illustrated by Allan Eitzen. Type “The Potter and the Washerman” into your web browser and you will see it. It is a very amusing story with a good moral lesson to it. You can even find it acted out on YouTube. Enjoy!

So “bitter jealousy” is an excessive concern for oneself, and a resentment for the good fortune of another. Bible expositor and theologian, William Barclay, had this to say about “bitter jealousy” or envy: “As long as we think of our own prestige, our own importance, our own reputation, and our own rights, we will always be envious.”

James also accused his readers of “selfish ambition”. The Greek word is actually a political term. It can also be translated “party spirit”, “rivalry”, or “faction”. It was used to refer to rival schools of thought in the political arena who were heaping abuse on each other. You’ve probably heard the term “mud slinging” used to refer to these kinds of tactics. We are getting very close to an election year here in America, and potential candidates are already canvassing for votes. Have you received any such mail lately? You will very soon!

James’ admonition to those with jealousy and selfish ambition is to “stop being arrogant and so lie against the truth”. Verse 14 is a sequence of events. Warren Wiersbe, in his commentary of James, calls it a “chain of events”. He says: “First there is selfish ambition, which leads to a party spirit and rivalry. In order to ‘win the election’ we must resort to boasting, and boasting usually involves lies.”

If you should find yourself at the first “link” of envy, or you’re already adding links to it, stop now, confess your sin to God and ask for His wisdom and strength before you get wrapped up in those chains and drag others down along with you!

CONSTRUCTION SITE: COMPLETED

Please come back and visit again soon. I don’t want to be the only one having fun! There is much more to learn! You are welcome to visit the other sermons on this site. Thank you for visiting! I would enjoy hearing from you.

EXERCISE GODLY WISDOM – James 3:13

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INTRODUCTION:

Do you consider yourself to be a wise person? Do others consider you to be wise? What is wisdom? Is there more than one kind of wisdom? These questions are addressed in this passage of Scripture. Remember that this is a letter, written by the apostle James to Christian Jews who have been scattered throughout Asia because of the persecution by the Jews and by the Roman Emperor Nero. They have been separated from their Hebrew culture and the values of their forefathers, and are now being exposed to, and immersed in the Greek culture of their new environment. Because of this, one of the issues that James is addressing is the wrong understanding of, and application of wisdom.

According to the Scriptures, wisdom is one of the most desirable things in life. Proverbs 8:11 says, “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” King Solomon wrote those words, and of all the people in the Old Testament, he ought to know!

Mankind has always wanted wisdom, hasn’t it? Right from the beginning, in Genesis chapter 1, man has wanted to be as wise as God. The apostle James even says, at the beginning of his letter, that wisdom is something that is available to all. Let me read James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach.” The word “ask” in James 1:5 means to “beg”. Though wisdom is available to all, it is only received by those who recognize their own inadequacy and realize that only God can provide it in answer to earnest prayer.

There are many words in Chapter 3, verses 13-18, that James has used to describe wisdom. This passage is opening up for me a whole new meaning of the concept. I hope this will be as eye-opening and profitable a lesson for you as it has been for me so far on the topic of wisdom.

I A Challenge (verse 13)

James begins this verse with a question: “Who is wise and understanding among you?” He is not being sarcastic here. He is being honest and forthright. Many of his readers are well-educated people: teachers, businessmen, and experienced craftsman. His question is more than just a question. It is a challenge. James is saying, “If you claim to be wise and understanding (and many of you are), show it, or demonstrate it in the ways that true wisdom should be demonstrated. The word translated “show” is the Greek word “deiknuo”. It literally means “a turning to and fro”. Life is considered to be a quick motion to and fro. We sometimes use the phrase “the ups and downs of life”. True wisdom and understanding are demonstrated regardless of the changing circumstances of life. James used the same word in chapter 2, verse 18 where he says, “I will show you my faith by my works.” Here James is saying, “show me your wisdom by your conduct (or good behavior).”

Verse 13 ends with an attitude of the heart that accompanies true wisdom: “gentleness”. Other translations say: “meekness”, or “humility”. It is a word that has lost most of its original meaning, and is considered a sign of weakness today. Yet Jesus used that word to describe Himself. He also pronounced a blessing on those who are meek in His Sermon on the Mount. In ancient Greece, the term was often used to refer to a strong and high-spirited horse which was brought under control. It’s strength and spirit were now harnessed and put to good use. Gentleness or meekness is one of the marks of true wisdom.

Greetings! There is so much to study and learn in the next five verses, especially the qualities of heavenly wisdom, so I am going to give you an outline of the rest of the paragraph, and will continue at verse 14 in my next message. The rest of the outline is given below.

II. A Warning (verse 14)

III. A Contrast (verses 15-17)

A. Earthly Wisdom (verses 15-16)

B. Heavenly Wisdom (verse 17)

IV. A Conclusion (verse 18)

Summary and Application

II TIMOTHY – Background and Survey

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I. INTRODUCTION:

John Calvin, the great theologian and preacher of the Protestant Reformation, had this to say about I and II Timothy: he said, “What I owe to these two epistles to TImothy can never be told.” In other words, he couldn’t say enough about them and their effect on his life. II Timothy is one of the great heart-warming letters of the Scriptures. It has been called Paul’s last will and testament to Timothy, and through him to the church.

Try to imagine how Timothy must have felt when he received this letter from his friend and spiritual father who had recently been taken away from him forcibly by Nero’s soldiers. Timothy probably thought that Paul had already been put to death by the Roman emperor, Nero. What joy and encouragement must have filled Timothy’s heart as he read about Paul’s affection for him, and about Paul’s appeals to him and promises to Him from the Lord Jesus Christ! Tears must have filled Timothy’s eyes as he read this letter, realizing the sufferings Paul was experiencing and the death he faced because of his committment to Jesus Christ.

II. BACKGROUND:

The apostle Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy in 67 or 68 A.D., just five years after his first letter to Timothy. Paul experienced two imprisonments in Rome. The first was more like a house arrest. Paul lived in his own rented house and was given a great deal of freedom. After this first imprisonment at the end of Acts 28, Paul made some more missionary journeys. Then there developed a dramatic change in attitude toward Christianity on the part of the Roman government. Just a few years before the writing of this epistle, in July of 64 A.D., a great fire destroyed a large part of the city of Rome. There was evidence that the fire had been ordered by Nero himself, and those rumors spread. In a desperate effort to clear himself and get the focus of attention away from himself, Nero blamed the fire on the Christians. The result was that many of the enemies of Christianity took sides with Nero and started persecuting and killing Christians. This perseccution spread to all the Roman provinces. It was not known for sure where the apostle Paul was when he was again arrested, but it may have been at Troas because Paul’s cloak and his precious books and parchments were left there.

The aged apostle Paul was now in chains in the dungeon of a Roman prison, locked in his cell and chained to a Roman guard day and night. This epistle to Timothy must have been written only a few months before Paul’s death. Whether or not Timothy arrived at Paul’s side before his execution is not known.

Timothy had been Paul’s faithful missionary companion for over 15 years. He had travelled with Paul throughout most of his second and third missionary journeys. He also went with Paul to Jerusalem in Acts 20 and may have been with him on his voyage to Rome. Paul mentions Timothy’s name along with his own when he writes to Philemon and to the Philippian and Colossian churches. In I Corinthians 4:17 Paul calls Timothy his “beloved and faithful child in the Lord.” He also calls Timothy his “brother and God’s faithful servant in the gospel of Christ” in I Thessalonians 3:2. Because of Timothy’s genuine concern for the welfare of the churches, and because of the loyalty with which he served with Paul “as a son with his father”, in Philippians 2:20-22 Paul went so far as to say, “I have no one like him.” Among all of Paul’s associates, Timothy was unique.

After Paul’s first imprisonment, Paul left Timothy in Ephesis as the accepted leader of that church. But though he was in leadership, Timothy still had some things that weren’t in his favor. Timothy was still young. He was probably in his mid-thirties, but at that time a person of that age was still considered a youth in the Greek and Roman cultures. He was also a frail person with several physical ailments, and he was apparently a shy person.

III. PURPOSE AND CONTENT OF THE LETTER

Imagine for a moment the aged apostle Paul in a dungeon in Rome with no escape but death. His apostolic work is over. But now he must make sure that the work of Christ is carried on to future generations. As Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy, Paul must have been thinking, “Who is going to continue the battle for the truth of the Gospel after I’m dead?”

Paul’ purpose in writing is to remind Timothy again that the precious Gospel is now committed to him, and now it’s his turn to assume responsibility for it, to preach it, to teach it, to defend it, and to preserve it for future generations. In II Timothy 2:1,2 Paul says, “My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who may be able to teach others also.”

Paul’s main purpose in this letter is to focus on the character of the Christian, and he gives several images or portraits of the ideal Christian minister. He is to be like his Master, the “suffering servant” described by the prophet Isaiah: patient, gentle, hopeful, and praying for his enemies. He is to be like a soldier who is single-minded and ready to obey his commanding officer. Thirdly, he is to be like an athlete, running the race according to the rules of the contest, and fourthly, he is to be like a farmer, working hard and earning his reward. Paul also gives an image or portrait of himself. In II Timothy 4:7-8, in the face of death, Paul is unafraid, and gives his own eulogy. He says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”

It is significant that the last time Timothy’s name is mentioned in the New Testament is in Hebrews 13:23 where it is reported that Timothy was recently released from prison. He too is keeping the faith in Christ regardless of the consequences to himself.

IV. AN OUTLINE OF II TIMOTHY:

There are many outlines of the second letter of Paul to TImothy, but my favorite is taken from John Stott’s book entitled, “Guard the Gospel”. I like this outline because it is simple and easy to remember; and also because it views Paul’s letter as a series of challenges to Timothy. Here is his outline:

Chapter 1 – The Charge to Guard the Gospel

Chapter 2 – The Charge to Suffer for the Gospel

Chapter 3 The Charge to Continue in the Gospel

Chapter 4 – The Charge to Proclaim the Gospel

V. THE SIGNIFICANCE AND APPLICATION TO US:

This church, and every church of true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, needs to heed the message in this second letter of Paul to Timothy because many churches and many Christians are relaxing their grip on the Gospel, and in danger of letting it slip from their hands. They are no longer determined to proclaim it; they are unprepared to suffer for it; and they are are unwilling to pass it on pure and uncorrupted to the next generation of Christians who will rise up after them.

In II TImothy we see that even though the aged apostle Paul faces death in prison, his passion for fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission by making disciples is as strong as ever. What does the Lord require of us? He requires faithfulness to Him and His work, not only on Sundays but throughout every day of every week for the rest of our lives. God wants us to finish the race He has entered us in, looking forward to the day when we shall see Christ face-to-face in heaven. Paul’s final charge to Timothy is “Guard what has been entrusted to you”, and his final words are “Grace be with you.”

PAUL’S EXAMPLE IN WITNESSING – I Corinthians 2:1-5

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INTRODUCTION:

In verses 18-31 of I Corinthians 1, Paul told us that human wisdom plays no part in man’s salvation. In verse 31 Paul says that all glory goes to the Lord because salvation is a work of God. Here, in chapter 2:1-5, Paul uses himself as an example and discusses his message, his method and his motivation for reaching the lost.

I. HIS MESSAGE (verses 1-2)

In verse l, Paul describes his message as “the testimony of God”. The Greek word here is “marturion”, the word from which we get our English word “martyr”. The word was often used in the lawcourts of that day. A witness in a courtroom could only testify to what he himself had seen or heard or experienced. He was not to make guesses or give opinions. When Paul had come to Corinth he shared with them only what God had revealed to him. If you would like to hold your place in I Corinthians and turn with me to Acts 18:1-11, I’m going to read about Paul’s visit to Corinth and ministry in Corinth. (READ IT)

Getting back to I Corinthians, chapter 2, we read in verse 1 that Paul did not come to Corinth to glorify himself or to start a “religious club or cult”. He had come to glorify God. Paul did not depend on “excellency of speech or of wisdom”, as did the philosophers and teachers in Corinth; he simply declared God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The focus of Paul’s message is given in verse 2 : “Christ crucified”. Paul didn’t’ preach Christ as the teacher, nor Christ as the example, but Christ as crucified. In the Greek, the word “crucified” is the perfect participle, implying a past action which has continuing results. The Lord Jesus Christ died on a cross outside Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago, and as a result, God has made it possible for men and women today to have their sins forgiven and have a personal relationship with God through faith in the crucified and risen Christ.

Paul is not saying that “Christ crucified” was all he talked about, but that it was the central focus of his preaching. If Paul would have begun to preach about worldly wisdom rather than the cross, his preaching would have lost its power. He said that in chapter one, verse 17. Even though the cross was a stumbling block to the Jews and considered foolishness to the Gentiles, Paul would not leave it out of his presentation of the Gospel.

How important is the message of Christ crucified? The Lord Jesus Himself says in John 12:32-33, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself”. In the next verse it says, “But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.” In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, the first time the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was openly preached, 3000 people were saved at one time!

When the Moravian missionaries first came to Greenland, they found the people totally ignorant of the meaning of such words as “sin”, “righteousness”, and “justification”. So they decided to educate them about various theological terms. The results were so unproductive that, after a period of time, the missionaries decided that the situation was hopeless and they might just as well leave. Since no ship was due for some time, one of the missionaries began translating parts of the Bible into the native tongue. Seeking to test the accuracy of his words, he read a passage to those who had been unresponsive to his ministry. The portion he chose was Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.

After he finished reading, the chief of the tribe asked him to repeat it. The missionary read the passage again. “Why didn’t you tell us about this in the first place?” asked the chief. “Don’t leave now! We’d be happy to listen to the words of a Man who suffered that much for us!” So they remained and saw much fruit from their labors as they proclaimed Christ crucified. The story of the cross had won the people’s hearts.

We too have the opportunity of telling others of the love that led Christ to die for them. On my blogsite, biblentsermons.wordpress.com, I received the largest response to the sermon entitled “The Suffering and Death of Christ”. Let’s make the cross the focus of our witness.

II. THE METHODOLOGY (verses 3 and 4)

In verse 3, Paul says that his witness is “in weakness and in fear and in much trembling”, yet in verse 4 he says that his message and preaching were “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” It seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? How can there be power in weakness? Yet Paul already said in chapter 1, verse 27, that “God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong , , , that no one should boast before God”.

In a gun factory, an elongated bar of steel, which weighed 500 pounds, was suspended in the air by a chain. Beside it, an average-sized cork was hanging by a silk thread. It was swung gently against the bar which remained motionless. For 10 minutes the cork, with a regular rhythum, continued to strike. Then the heavy piece of metal began to move slightly. At the end of an hour, both objects were swinging together like the pendulum of a clock!

Many of God’s children feel that they are not exerting a feather’s weight of influence upon others or making even a tiny dent upon the strongholds of evil. This is not so! As we recognize our fear and inadequacy, and continue to be an influence for good and a witness for Christ, relying upon the power of God’s Word and the Spirit of God, we will find that in God’s hands there is power in weakness. Therefore courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of fear by relying on the power of God. The Holy Spirit is the source of the power in the Gospel message. Paul’s method was to depend on the Spirit of God to convince the person that the message he was sharing was the truth, and to allow the Holy Spirit to use that message to bring the person to saving faith. We allow the Holy Spirit to empower our witness when we stick to the Scripures, which are the “Sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).

III. HIS MOTIVATION (verse 5)

In verses 4 and 5, Paul said that he didn’t use persuasive words of wisdom. The reason he gives is so that “your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God”.

It has been said that the great preacher, Jonathan Edwards, read his sermons so that he would not be guilty of using human persuasive techniques to gain a response. He wanted only the message to bring the results. It makes you wonder how many there are in the world today who responded to an emotional appeal or to pressure tactics without a true understanding of God and the saving work of Jesus Christ.

About 40 years ago an evangelism program was set in motion by Campus Crusade for Christ. It was called “Here’s Life America”, and I was personally involved in the program through the church I attended. Maybe some of you were also involved in that evangelistic program. Churches across the United States were given a list of phone numbers of the people who lived in their communities. The purpose was to call each of these phone numbers, share the Gospel message with the people who answered the phone, and ask them to repeat a prepared prayer, asking Christ to come into their lives and give them eternal life. About ten years later a study was done to determine the success of this evangelistic campaign. The findings showed that, of the millions of people who prayed that prayer over the phone, the percentage of them who were now attending churches and showing evidence of a changed life and a genuine relationship with Christ was so small that it couldn’t be printed.

A valuable lesson was learned from this. In spite of good intentions, committment by individuals and churches, and prayer, the United States could not be won for the Lord Jesus Christ through an impersonal and persuasive method such as this. Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is a miracle performed by the power of God working through His Word. True saving faith is the work of the Holy Spirit convincing a person of his sin, of the worth of Christ’s death on the cross, and leading that person to genuine repentance and personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

CONCLUSION:

To try to summarize this passage and apply it to our lives today, Paul is saying that as we witness for Chtist, our message must be God’s Word, not ours, Our focus must be the cross of Christ, not our own human wisdom. Our aim must be God’s glory, not ours. And our confidence is to be in the Holy Spirit’s power, not ours. Then, and only then, will we be useful instruments in the Master’s hands.

Are you equipped with an ever-growing knowledge of God’s Word? Are you ready to focus on the cross of Christ? Is your reliance on the power of the Spirit of God? Is your aim to glorify God? Then be an ambassador for Christ! Your world is waiting!

MAN’S WISDOM VERSUS GOD’S WISDOM – I Corinthians 1:18-25

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INTRODUCTION:

Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 16:25 says the exact same thing. Is that significant? How can something that seems so right be so wrong and have such terrible consequences?

The passage of Scripture I’m sharing today, I Corinthians 1:18-25, gives us an instance in which the reverse principle is also true: “There is a way that seems wrong to a man, but its end is the way of life.” In I Corinthians 1:10-17 we read that the Corinthian church was being divided because of quarrels between groups in the Church. Today we will see that the problem was a reliance on human wisdom. There is one area where human wisdom plays absolutely no part, and that is the salvation of one’s soul.

I. THE SUPERIORITY OF GOD’S WISDOM (verse 18)

When man focuses on and glories in his own wisdom, he automatically tries to lower God’s wisdom, which seems like foolishness because it disagrees with his own thinking. In verse 18, “the word of the cross” includes the whole gospel message and Christ’s saving work. The thought of God becoming a human being and dying on a piece of wood on a small hill in a remote part of the world, and that this would determine the eternal destiny of every person who has ever lived, sounds foolish or stupid to the natural man. It leaves no room for man’s wisdom, man’s achievements, and man’s pride.

A Christian was made fun of by an atheist because of his faith in God. “The idea that the blood of Christ can wash away sin is foolishness”, said the atheist. “I don’t understand it or believe it.” The Christian, a student of the Bible, answered, “I think you’re telling the truth. In fact, you and the apostle Paul agree exactly on one thing.” “What do you mean?”, asked the atheist. The believer read I Corinthians 1:18 which says, “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness”. Then he witnessed to him and told him that Christ could change his life. But the atheist walked away unmoved. He was not willing to accept the Lord. The next time you share the Gospel with someone and the person responds by saying, “that’s ridiculous”, you might show that person I Corinthians 1:18 and say, “that’s just how God said you would respond!”

On the other hand, verse 18 goes on to say, “but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Another story illustrates the truth that those who believe the Gospel will experience the Lord’s saving power. A missionary told the story that he went to a western town to pastor a small church. He didn’t know that many of its members were antagonistic to “old-fashioned preaching”, and that some were practically atheists. As he spoke about sin and the atoning work of Christ, the irritation of his audience became obvious. In a few weeks, the attendance had dwindled to 10. But the faithful preacher continued to give out the Word and the Holy Spirit brought sinners under conviction. At one service three entire families received the Lord, and the downward trend was reversed. The Gospel is indeed the power of God!

There’s a Chinese tale about a young man who captured a tiger cub, brought it home, and raised it in a cage. When it was full-grown, the man loved to brag about how ferocious and powerful it was. “That tiger isn’t wild anymore,” scoffed his friends. “He’s as tame as an old house cat!” This went on until a wise old man overheard them and said, “There’s only one way to know whether this tiger is ferocious or not. Open the cage!” The young man smiled, placed his hand on the latch, and challenged his friends, “Want to try out my tiger?” There was a moment of silence, and then one of the friends said, “We’ll believe you! Just don’t open that latch!”

A tiger’s strength, of course, is destructive and can bring death, but the power of the Gospel leads to life and freedom. It destroys guilt and breaks the stranglehold of sinful habits. If we have experienced this power ourselves, let’s challenge others to “try out our tiger!”

II. THE PERMANENCE OF GOD’S WISDOM (verses 19-20)

In verse 19, Paul quotes from Isaiah 29:14. It reads: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Paul’s purpose is to point out that the wisdom of men will be destroyed. The background of this verse is important to the understanding of it. In chapter 8 of Isaiah, God tells the people of Judah that Assyria is going to invade them. Instead of asking the Lord what they should do, they went to witches and sorcerers, and in Isaiah 30, following their advice, they make a treaty with Egypt, thinking that will protect them. But that treaty gets them into even more trouble! Their plans fail, but God shows them that He has a better plan. Judah would be saved completely by God’s power, with no human help. In Isaiah 37:36 God destroyed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army with just one angel! The complete account of this is given in II Kings 17. I encourage you to read it.

The apostle Paul teaches here in verse 20 that human wisdom is not only unreliable, it is also not permanent. Paul asks several questions. Each question is asking, “Where are all the smart people today that have all the answers?” How much closer to peace, in the world and in the heart, is man today than he was a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago?

Paul asks: “Where is the wise man?” He is paraphrasing Isaiah’s words, and the prophet Isaiah was referring to the wise men of Egypt – the sorcerers and magicians who made promises but gave bad advice that led Egypt astray. “Where are the scribes?” Paul is probably referring to the Assyrian scribes who went along with the soldiers to record the plunder that was taken in battle. But God saw to it, in this case, that they had nothing to record, and nothing to count or to weigh. What was left of the Assyrian army ran away empty-handed.

“Where is the debater of this age?” Paul is probably referring to the Greek philosophers of his day who spent most of their time arguing with each other! Throughout history, human wisdom has never solved the basic problems of man. And nothing has really changed over the years, has it? Life has the same problems. People have the same struggles.

III. THE POWER OF GOD’S WISDOM (verses 21-25)

Verse 21 says that God planned it that way. Man cannot come to know Him by the wisdom of the world. In Acts 17, when Paul came to Athens, he noticed a shrine on which were written these words: “To an unknown God.” With all their learning and philosophies they made for themselves many gods, but the God who had made them, they did not know.

God does not expect people to come to Him through their own wisdom. He knows they cannot. But they can come to Him through His wisdom. And that wisdom has been given to us in the simple message of the Gospel. It is not through philosophy or human wisdom that salvation comes, but through believing God’s Word and His plan of salvation. God saves only those who believe. People cannot figure out salvation, they can only accept it in faith.

Unbelief is always the basic reason for not accepting God’s will and God’s way, but unbelief can be expressed in various ways. In verses 22 and 23, the Jews wanted supernatural signs before they would believe the Gospel. The Gentiles, represented by the Greeks, wanted proof through human wisdom, through ideas they could consider and debate over.

These two groups that Paul mentions here, the Jews and Greeks, are representative of all unbelieving mankind. Whether, like the typical Jew, they demand proof by a supernatural sign, or like the typical Greek, they want proof by natural wisdom, unbelievers will find an excuse for rejecting the Gospel. But God has called out a people for Himself from among the Jews and the Gentiles. These will believe and find that Jesus Christ is both the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Paul closes this portion of his letter by saying that, even if God could possess any sort of foolishness, it would be wiser than man’s greatest wisdom. And if God were able to have any weakness, it would be stronger than the greatest strength that man could muster. Jesus may have appeared to be foolish and weak as one imagines Him hanging on a Roman cross, suffering and dying. But by doing so, Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the world and opened the gates of heaven for all who would believe in Him. Christ’s death and His resurrection were actually the greatest demonstrations of His infinite wisdom and power.

CONCLUSION:

I would like to give two different applications of what Paul has taught us in this passage of Scripture. First, God’s wisdom is opposed to man’s wisdom. We Christians make a great mistake when we water down the Gospel message to make it acceptable to people, and reasonable to them. The Gospel isn’t an argument, but an announcement. And this announcement is meant by God to be proclaimed clearly and accurately.

Secondly, if you still have your own personal philosophy about God and about life, and it doesn’t agree with the Bible, the wisest and most needful statement I can make to you is that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on the cross for your sins in your place, and shed His blood so that you could be acceptable to a holy God. And the wisest decision you could ever make in your life would be to believe that announcement, repent of your sins, and accept Jesus Christ into your life and your personal Savior and Lord. If God is calling you to make that decision, don’t delay or look for excuses, but respond to His call by receiving Him into your life; and let other Christians know what you have done so that they can rejoice with you and help you grow in your knowledge of Him.

THE PROFILE OF A LEADER – II Timothy 2:1-7

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INTRODUCTION:

William Sangster, a popular preacher and writer of the 1950’s, said this: “The church is painfully in need of leaders.” In the Scriptures God is frequently described as searching for a man of a certain type; not “men”, but “a man”; not a group, but an individual. I Samuel 13:14 says, “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart.” In Ezekiel 22:30 God says, “I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap . . . but I found no one.” Are you such a person? What kind of a person is it that God is looking for? In II Timothy 2:1-7, the apostle Paul, after telling Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”, describes such a person by using four images:

I. A TEACHER (verse 2)

In verse 2, the first image Paul uses to describe the Christian leader is that of a teacher. A college student was having difficulty with his studies so he finally decided to talk to his professor. He complained, “I’m studying hard. I’m doing my best, but I just can’t retain what I read or try to memorize. Do you think it would help if I hired a tutor?”

Clearly understanding the young man’s problem, the instructor replied, “No, I wouldn’t recommend that at all. You don’t need a teacher, you need a pupil!” He knew that learning is increased when we share our knowledge with others.

This professor’s advice reminds us of believers who know many Bible facts but still have a poor understanding of scriptural truths. They attend church every Sunday, listen faithfully to religious broadcasts, and study the Scriptures personally; yet they seem to lack a working knowledge of the Bible. What’s the problem? They never do anything with that information! They don”t need to be taught more; they need to tell others what they have learned. As they put it into practice, they will begin to understand it more fully. That is what Paul said to Timothy in verse 2. The things Paul said were confirmed by many witnesses as being the truth of God. There are many teachers today who compromise the Scriptures so that they are acceptable to the mentality of this age in which we live. Paul is telling Timothy to “entrust” the things he’s learned from him to faithful men. The word “entrust” gives the picture of a precious treasure being placed in the safekeeping of another person. We each have things that we treasure, either because they are expensive or because they have sentimental value. If you were going on a trip, would you hand these items over to a total stranger? No! You would give them to a trusted friend with information on how to care for and protect them. The Gospel is a precious treasure and should be given to “faithful men” who won’t misuse it or abandon it.

The teacher is described in verse 2 as equipping others to teach, not satisfied with just communicating the message. The nature of the Gospel message demands that it be propagated or reproduced in the lives of others. The ultimate goal of the teacher is to see God’s Word passed on to others, and through them to still others. That is the key to reaching this world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

II. A SOLDIER (verses 3-4)

The second image that Paul uses is that of a soldier. You could say that if any apostle was an authority on soldiers, it was the apostle Paul. He had been in prison and chained to soldiers during much of his Christian life. What comes to your minds when you think of a soldier’s life? In verse 3, Paul describes a soldier as one who is willing to suffer hardship. The apostle Paul was a good soldier of Jesus Christ because he suffered for the cause of Christ, and had the scars to prove it. There was a popular saying during World War II: people would often say to each other, “there’s a war on!” It was a reminder to them that hardships were to be expected and accepted.

Fellow Christians, there IS a war on! We, as Christians, are in a war against the world, against our own sinful flesh, and against Satan. Are we willing to accept all the hardship that comes as a result of identifying with the cause of Christ? As modern-day believers, we may not all experience great persecution for our faith, but we do face hardships and trials. Our faith in Christ is not an escape from them, but it does give us the strength to endure them.

In verse 4, Paul says that a soldier is obedient and loyal. The words “on active duty” describe the life of a soldier of Christ as a constant battle. There are no “furloughs” or “vacations” from the Christian life. Constant and complete dedication is needed. A soldier also does not “entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life”. A Roman soldier was forbidden to engage in civilian occupations and was told to avoid becoming overly involved in the affairs of the market-place. He was a soldier first and his loyalty was to be to his commander.

The Christian is also to be single-minded. This may mean laying aside certain habits, amusements, pursuits, and maybe even certain relationships, not necessarily because they may be wrong in themselves, but because they may be an entanglement, keeping us from performing our primary responsibilities as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

III. AN ATHLETE (verse 5)

In verse 5, Paul uses the image of an athlete to describe the Christian. The word “competes” comes from two Greek words which were used together to describe a “professional” as opposed to an “amateur” athlete. It was a full-time dedication of one’s life to excellence in the athletic event or events he had chosen. Paul says that the goal of the athlete is to win the prize by “competing according to the rules”. Several athletes in the 1976 olympic games were discovered to have taken prohibited drugs. Their medals were taken away from them. All those years of preparation and hard work were for nothing!

As a Christian leader, the standard is God’s Word, and we have several umpires observing what we do and how we do it. We have the divine umpire, and He doesn’t miss a thing. But we also have the Christians and non-Christians around us. I’ve personally found that some non-Christians will tempt you, test you, argue with you, and antagonize you, but inwardly many of them want you to succeed, to pass their tests, because they want something worth believing, and worth giving themselves to. God is looking for faithful Christians, faithful to Him and to His Word, whatever the cost. And some day we will win the prize when God rewards our faithfulness to Him.

IV. THE FARMER (verses 6 and 7)

The fourth image that Paul uses to describe the Christian leader is that of the farmer. In verse 6, he describes the farmer as being “hardworking”. The word means working to the point of weariness and exhaustion. As a kid, I remember spending a week with a friend on his parents’ farm. We went to bed early every night and got up really early every morning. His mother made the biggest breakfasts that I have ever seen! There were eggs, pancakes, potatoes, meat, rolls, fruit, and hot cereal. I soon found out why there was so much food. We worked hard after breakfast gathering the eggs, feeding the chickens, cows, horses, and pigs, spraying the weeds, and picking the ripe fruit and vegetables. By lunch time, and also at supper time, I was famished and ate lots of food. After the week was over, I can remember coming home exhausted. Now I knew why their son liked to spend a week with us once in a while!

The farmer must be content to keep working hard, and also to keep waiting. More than any other worker, the farmer has to learn that there is no such thing as quick results. It takes months after the seed is sown and the ground is continually watered and cultivated, that the fruit, vegetables, and grain finally begin to ripen and can be harvested. But all that hard work will finally pay off.

The Christian life is also hard work The Christian too must learn to work hard and also to wait. Often he will sow the seed of God’s Word into the hearts of others and see no immediate results. Sometimes it takes years of sowing and watering before some people respond to the Gospel message and are saved. But we must, like the farmer, keep on working and waiting. The pastor and author, John R.W. Stott, said: “This notion that Christian service is hard work is so unpopular in some happy-go-lucky Christian circles today.”

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

Let me summarize the qualities of a good Chrtistian leader. As a teacher, he should be characterized by faithfulness to uphold the truth of God’s Word, and a zeal to see it reproduced in the lives of faithful people, and then passed on to others. As a soldier, he is to be undistracted from his calling and willing to endure anything for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. As an athlete, he is to be above reproach in his actions, attitudes, and methods, both before the eyes of the world and the eyes of God. And as a farmer, he is to work long and hard, trusting God for the harvest to come.

Will you be such a person: the kind of person that God and His church seeks after; the kind of person that this world needs? Will you be able to say confidently to those you are teaching and helping to grow spiritually, what the apostle Paul said in verse 7: “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything”?

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM – John 12:9-19

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INTRODUCTION:

I imagine that most of us are familiar with the song, “The King Is Coming”. We know that the king spoken about in that song is Jesus Christ. When you think of Christ as King, what image or picture do you see in your mind? Do you see Christ seated on a great throne ruling the universe? Do you see Him on a white horse as He is described in the book of Revelation, leading the armies of heaven? Those are probably the most common mental images. In this passage of Scripture, John 12:9-19, we find a different description of Christ as King; one that is equally true and especially important for us today.

I. THE BACKGROUND AND SETTING (verses 9-12)

Lazarus was now a walking miracle ever since Jesus raised him from the dead, and this put Lazarus in a place of danger. Now the Jewish leaders wanted to kill both him and Jesus. They wanted to put Lazarus back into the tomb because he was leading people to faith in Christ. Since they weren’t willing to accept the evidence, they were going to try to get rid of the evidence.

The next day was Sunday, the Feast of Tabernacles, remembering the period of time when the people of Israel lived in tents as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land, and God dwelt with them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The time was ripe for Jesus to make a public appearance.

Picture this, if you will. The word is getting around that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and a large crowd of people is following Jesus and wanting to see Lazarus. Meanwhile, over two million Jews are arriving in Jerusalem to make preparations for celebrating the Passover.

II. THEIR RESPONSE (verse 13)

The response of the people was a greeting fit a king. It says that they “took palm branches” and went out to meet Jesus. Palm branches had nothing to do with the feast of Passover. It was on the feast of Tabernacles that the people were commanded to rejoice before the Lord for seven days with “branches of palm trees.” This command is found in Leviticus 23:40. However, history shows that over 150 years before the birth of Christ, palm trees and palm branches became the symbol of the Jewish nation. So the use of palm branches during Christ’s entry into Jerusalem symbolized the people’s hope that their nation would soon be set free by Jesus, and this is supported by the words which they used to greet Jesus. In verse 13 the people cry out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. They were quoting from Psalm 118:25-26. The crowd was expecting Jesus to lead them in triumph over the Romans. The word “hosanna” literally means “save us, we pray thee”.

III. JESUS’ RESPONSE (verses 14-15)

In the midst of all this celebration, Jesus finds a young donkey, sits on it, and has His disciples lead Him in a procession. A donkey is a symbol of humility and peace, and the kings and judges of Israel rode on donkeys when they were on a mission of peace. Jesus was a King on a mission of peace: peace with God through His shed blood on the cross just a few days later.

Jesus was also obeying God’s Word and fulfilling the prophecy written about Him in Zechariah 9:9, which says, “Fear not, Daughter of Zion: behold your King is coming seated on a donkey’s colt.” Jesus knew that prophesy and knew that it would need to be fulfilled. I think Jesus made arrangements for that colt to be ready for Him when He came into the city. He knew exactly what day this would be, for the book of Daniel gives us that information. Almost five hundred years earlier an angel had appeared to the prophet Daniel and told him that a certain amount of time has been marked out by God for the fulfillment of certain climactic events that concerned the people of Israel. And the time this was to begin was clearly given. It would be when the Persian king, Artaxerxes, issued an edict for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. You will find that edict recorded in chapter 2 of the book of Nehemiah. And when this heathen king issued the edict, he unknowingly set in motion God’s clock for the Jewish nation. Daniel was told that 490 years must pass before all of God’s events would be fulfilled, and the passage of 483 of those years would be marked off by the arrival in Jerusalem of Messiah the Prince.

Many years ago there was a brilliant lawyer who served for a long time as the director of England’s famed Scotland Yard. His name as Sir Robert Anderson. He was also an avid and devout Bible student. Sir Robert Anderson, with his precise mind and his training in logic, analyzed the book of Daniel and determined the exact date when that decree of Artaxerxes was issued: March 28, 445 B.C. Counting from that date and making the necessary corrections for calendar errors, he determined that on April 6, 32 A.D. Jesus rode into Jerusalem – exactly 483 years later.

Now, if a man in the 19th century could take these Scriptures and figure out the very date on which this event took place, surely the Son of God also knew it very well, and He made arrangements to enter the city and come riding down the slopes of the Mount of Olives on a donkey, on a colt on which no one had ever sat, in the fulfillment of the predictions of Zechariah and Daniel. And it was as they were about to enter the city of Jerusalem and the people were cheering, that Luke 19:41-44 says that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because of what was going to happen to it because the rejected their Messiah.

IV. THE RESULT (verses 15-19)

After the procession, there was a lack of understanding of what Jesus came into this world to do. His disciples were confused. The Jewish leaders were angry and said, “look, the world has gone after Him.” The crowds had a wrong understanding of Jesus. They didn’t realize that before Jesus Christ could enter into His power and glory, He had to suffer and die for the sins of the world. It may well have been that many of those who were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”, later changed their cry to “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

APPLICATION:

Let’s ask ourselves this question: “Why do you and I follow Jesus? Do we have expectations we want Him to meet? Do we think He’ll deliver us from life’s hardships? Are we just following the crowd? Or have we accepted Jesus Christ as King and Lord of our lives and serve Him out of gratitude and worship? As we think about this day in Jesus’ life, and His death and resurrection that will happen just a few days later, let’s remind ourselves of these words of the apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5:15 and put them into practice in our lives: “And He (Jesus) died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.”

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! For a Thanksgiving message, please go to the sermon entitled “THANKSGIVING” that I posted on this blog site on November 26, 2012. We have much to be thankful for!

THE POWER OF THE TONGUE – James 3:1-12

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I’m going to describe a particular part of our bodies in the first person, as if I’m that part of our bodies. Here goes:

I may be the strongest muscle in your body. I am considered to be the strongest muscle for my size. I have been known to lift over 80 times my weight, but don’t put me to the test! I am busy during the day and all through the night, and I never get tired. I may be kind of rough on the surface, but I’m smooth underneath. I’m about 4 inches long and I am the only muscle in your body that is only connected to your body at one end. I can heal myself faster than any other part of your body. Thanks to your nose and my buds, I’m learning to develop a taste for things. I used to come out of my den more often for people to see me, but now I only come out when you need help eating an ice cream cone, or when the doctor says, “open your mouth, stick out your ‘tongue’ and say ahhhh”! As you’ve probably guessed, I’m the muscle that would be speaking this message aloud to you right now.

As strong as our tongues are physically, they boast of even greater power for good and for evil both emotionally, socially, and spiritually. I think it’s significant that, right after the apostle James writes about evidences of genuine, saving faith, he talks about the tongue.

James has already explained two characteristics of the true, maturing Christian. First, in chapter 1, James says that the true Christian is patient in times of trouble. Secondly, in chapter two, James says that the true Christian practices the truth. Here in chapter 3, James says that the third characteristic of a true believer is that he has power over his tongue.

James now goes for the jugular vein of the Christian life – the problem of the tongue. No other section of the Bible speaks with greater authority and impact on this subject than does James.

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ put this problem of the tongue into perspective. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, 18-19: “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man. . . . the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man”. We need to realize that the heart and the tongue are directly associated with each other. Through its every word, the tongue broadcasts the condition of the heart.

In order to impress on us the importance of controlled speech, and the great consequences of our words, James gives us six pictures of the tongue: the bit, the rudder, fire, a dangerous animal, a fountain and a fig tree. You can put these six pictures into three categories that reveal the three powers of the tongue.

I. THE POWER TO DIRECT: THE BIT AND THE RUDDER (3:1-4)

James begins chapter 3 by saying, “Let not many of you become teachers.” The Greek word “didaskaloi” is used in the New Testament epistles to refer to teachers of God’s Word, rather than the alternate meaning of “masters” or “rulers” when referring to the Jewish rabbi’s. James is not discouraging Christians from using their gifts and abilities to benefit the local congregations. He is warning against the misuse of that privilege to gain power and prestige. Those motives and desires are not the marks of a true teacher of God’s Word. A teacher’s words are not to be used to exalt himself but to accurately explain the Word of God and exalt the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In verses 3-5 James uses the examples of the bit and rudder because each of them, like the tongue, is small yet powerful. The bit is a very small item that goes into the horse’s mouth in order to overcome the power and the wild nature of the horse. However, it is not the bit that controls the entire horse. It is the experienced rider, using the bit and bridle in the proper ways, that controls the horse. In the same way, the rudder on a ship is a very small item in comparison to the ship, and it has to overcome the forces of the wind and the waves and currents. However, it is not the rudder that controls the entire ship. It is the experienced pilot or helmsman, who operates the rudder in the correct ways, that controls the ship.

Unless the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior and Lord of our lives, we are not going to be able to keep our tongues from evil, nor will we always be able to say the right thing at the right time. There are evil forces inside us and in the world around us that are fighting for control of our hearts and our speech. King David had a temper, as we all do, and he prays in Psalm 141, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to do any evil thing.”

II. THE POWER TO DESTROY: THE FIRE AND THE DANGEROUS ANIMAL (3:5-8)

In verses 5-8, James compares the tongue to a fire and to a dangerous animal. A fire spreads very quickly and is very destructive, causing damage that can’t be easily repaired, if it can be repaired at all. In one town where I pastored, a neighbor came to the door yelling, “Help, my kitchen is on fire!” I grabbed the portable fire extinguisher out of my car and ran to her house, where I saw smoke coming out of the back door. As I entered, I had to duck down because of the smoke. I could see the fire on the wall above the stove and sprayed it with fire-retardent powder until the extinguisher was empty. When I went outside to get some fresh air I could hear the fire truck coming. The firemen went inside, sprayed the wall area and checked the ceiling and attic. Afterward, they asked us to come inside to see the damage. The wooden spice rack above the stove had caught on fire and the fire chief pointed to a couple of places where the flames had burned through the drywall and had charred the wood. He said that if I hadn’t been there and put the fire out when I did, it would have gone up the two-by-fours and into the attic and roof by the time they arrived just moments later. It would have become a house fire rather than just a kitchen fire, and the house would probably have been damaged beyond repair. That was a scary lesson about the swiftness and destructiveness of fire!

James tells us that the tongue can have a similar effect when we use it to gossip about or slander others. Evangelist Billy Graham used the following illustration to point out the destructive and lasting effect that our words can have: There is a story of a woman in England who came to her vicar with a troubled conscience. The vicar knew her to be an habitual gossip – she had maligned nearly everyone in the village. “How can I make amends?” she pleaded. The vicar said “If you want to make peace with your conscience, take a bag of goose feathers and drop one on the porch of each one you have slandered.” When she had done so, she came back to the vicar and said, “Is that all?” “No,” said the wise old minister, “you must go now and gather up every feather and bring them all back to me.” After a long time, the woman returned without a single feather. “The wind has blown them all away,” she said. “My good woman,” said the vicar, “so it is with gossip. Unkind words are easily dropped, but we can never take them back again.” (Day-By-Day with Billy Graham, Sept. 17)

Fire spreads, and the more fuel you add to that fire, the faster it will spread and the farther it will spread. Time does not erase or correct the effects of the sins of the tongue. God wants us to confess these sins and let Him take control of our speech, but the fires we have already kindled and fueled will continue to spread, just like the goose feathers being blown away by the wind. Realize also that those fires we kindle will also burn us. People who have been hurt by us will no longer trust us, and the word gets around, and our credibility is gone. There are many lonely people today who are suffering the consequences of their false and malicious words, and yet refuse to change or admit their guilt.

A dangerous animal also has the power to destroy. Some are dangerous because of their strong, swift and powerful bodies, many of them equipped with claws and sharp teeth or tusks. If you’ve ever been to Lion Country or to a Wildlife Safari, you know what I am saying. Yet James states that man has been able to tame some of these animals from every species. But, he adds in verse 8: “No one can tame the tongue”. Sounds discouraging, doesn’t it? Don’t lose hope! I believe that what the Lord Jesus said about riches and salvation in Matthew 19:26 is also true about the tongue: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Other animals are dangerous because they are poisonous. My first overseas duty in the Air Force was at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in northern Thailand. A group of us new arrivals were in an orientation briefing. One of the warnings we were given was to beware of a particular snake called the krait snake. The bite of a krait snake has little or no pain, and can cause a false reassurance to the victim. It feels like the bite of an ant or a mosquito. The person may not even realize that he’s been bitten. There is very minimum evidence of local swelling. Symptoms include a tightening of the facial muscles within one to two hours, inability of the person to see or talk, and death from respiratory failure (or suffocation) within 4-5 hours. The krait was called the “two-step snake” because its venom was so powerful and acted so quickly.

Our tongues can also have a poisoning effect on others, and on ourselves as well. Have you ever injected a malicious remark or comment into a conversation in the hope that it might spread to the person you wanted to hurt? Have you ever yelled at someone in a moment of anger, or shouted profanity? Maybe you were on the receiving end of those kinds of outbursts, How did it make you feel? A.T. Robinson, in his book, “Studies in the Epistle of James”, makes this observation about the defiling effect of our words: “It is now known that angry words cause the glands of the body to discharge a dangerous poison that affects the stomach, the heart, the brain.” King David, in Psalm 140:3, had these words to say about evil and wicked men: “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; poison of a viper is under their lips.”

III. THE POWER TO DELIGHT: THE FOUNTAIN AND THE FIG TREE (James 3:9-12)

In verse 9 James recognizes that the tongue is good at times. It is not altogether evil. But it is inconsistent. He uses the illustrations of the fountain, the fig tree, and salt water to get his point across.

Have you ever had your mouth washed out with soap? It isn’t a pleasant experience! An older kid in our neighborhood was accustomed to using filthy language, and whenever my younger brother and I were around him we tried to imitate him. One day my mother overheard our conversation. Since I was the older son, and should have been a good example to my brother, I received the cleansing treatment first. I could hear my younger brother snickering as I was going through the ordeal. Then it was his turn! He didn’t think it was funny anymore! The soap she used had a pleasant smell to it but it did not taste good! As you probably aready know, it wasn’t my mouth and tongue that were the real source of the problem. It was my heart. But having my mouth washed out with soap gave me a change of heart!

My mother got the point across and the lesson was learned. As I think of my mother, I cannot remember her ever cursing, swearing or using filthy language. I’m thankful to God and to her that the use of such language has never become a habit for me. However, there are other kinds of language that we all have been guilty of and struggle with. Evangelist Billy Graham says, “You can use your tongue to slander, to gripe, to scold, to nag, and to quarrel, or you can bring it under the control of God’s Spirit and make it an instrument of blessing and praise.”

In verses 10-12, James uses three illustrations: the fountain, the fig and olive trees, and salt water, to show the nature of things. Water is not sweet and bitter at the same time from the same fountain, is it? A fig tree cannot produce olives, can it? Nor can an olive tree produce figs. And salt water cannot, of itself, produce fresh water, can it? Nature is consistent because God made it that way.

Man was also created to reflect the image of God (Genesis 1:27). James says earlier in his letter: “No one can tame the tongue”; no one, that is, except God. You may remember in Exodus 15:23-26 that the people of Israel came to Marah on their journey to the Promised Land. The word “Marah” means “bitter”, and the waters there were bitter. They couldn’t drink the waters, and they couldn’t change the condition of the waters, but God did. When God told them to cast a particular tree into the water, the waters became sweet and drinkable.

If your speech is not reflecting the character of God, and other areas of your life are contrary to God’s will, you may want to make sure that your relationship to God is genuine, and that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly the Lord of your life. The theme of the book of James is: “genuine faith produces genuine works”. If there is any question in your mind, God wants to enter your life if you will turn from your sinful ways and let Him come in and take control of your mind, emotions and will. Then your words will become words of praise and thanksgiving to God and to others; words that heal, comfort and encourage; words that are beautiful to hear; words that give glory to God.

THE RIGHT KIND OF FAITH – James 2:14-26

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INTRODUCTION:

Someone has said that faith is not “believing in spite of the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences”. When we read Hebrews 11, we meet men and women who acted upon God’s Word, no matter what the price they had to pay. Faith is not some kind of feeling that we work up, but a confidence that God’s Word is true, and that obeying it will bring God’s blessing. What kind of faith really saves a person? Is it necessary to perform good works in order to be saved? How can a person tell whether or not he is exercising true saving faith? James answers these questions by explaining to us that there are three kinds of faith, and only one of them is true saving faith.

I. DEAD FAITH (verses 14-17)

In verses 14-17, James talks about dead faith. People with dead faith substitute words for actions. They know all the right words to say during times of prayer and testimony, and can even quote the right verses from the Bible, but their actions do not measure up to their talk.

James gives a simple illustration: a poor believer came into a fellowship without proper clothing and in need of food. The person with dead faith noticed the visitor and saw his needs, but he did not do anything to meet those needs. All he did was say a few pious words: “Go in peace, be warm and be filled.” But the visitor went out just as hungry and unclothed as he came in!

In verse 14, James is saying, “Can that kind of faith save him?” What kind? The kind of faith that is never seen in practical works. The answer is “No”! Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. What kind of faith is dead faith? In verse 17, James says “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” True saving faith can never be by itself. It always brings life, and life produces good works.

In a Decision Magazine article, missionary Patrick Harris tells of his son David, who was brain-damaged. When David was very young and his family was home on furlough, many people told them, “We are praying for David.” Patrick and his wife were grateful. But one woman said, “I have Wednesday off. Give me the privilege of taking David out that day to relieve you.” Harris said, “That was what was needed – not only prayer but practical help!” An important part of praying is a willingness to be part of the answer.

II. DEMONIC FAITH (verses 18-19)

Only God can see “faith” in the heart of a person. People see our faith only by our works. Faith is like a seed planted in the ground. It is hidden from view, but if it is a living seed it will soon manifest itself by pushing its stalk up through the soil for all to see. Out of the war comes a story of faith in action. A godly chaplain in the army found a dying soldier on the battlefield, and being anxious about his salvation, he took out his Bible and said, “Shall I read a portion of Scripture for you?” But the soldier replied, “No sir, I am thirsty and need a drink of water.” At the risk of his own life, amid bursting shells, the chaplain went in search of water, and having found some, gave it to the wounded man. Then he asked again, “Shall I read some Scripture to you?” But the man replied, “No thank you, I am so cold. I am almost freezing,” The chaplain removed his own coat and wrapped it around about him, and once more asked with shivering and chattering teeth, “Now may I read to you?” Again the reply was, “No sir, I am too uncomfortable on this rough ground.” The chaplain gently lifted him up and placed him across his knees with his head in his arms and once more asked the same question. “Yes sir”, he replied, “for if what you are going to read can make a man willing to risk his own life like this to ease a dying stranger, I want to hear about it!” And there on the battlefield, he was told about Jesus who died that he might live. This is the gospel in action! This is what the world is looking for today!

Then James says in verse 19, “the demons also believe and shudder.” It comes as a shock to many people that demons have faith! What do they believe? For one thing, they believe in the existence of God. They are not atheists. They also believe in the deity of Christ. Whenever they met Christ when He was on this earth, they bore witness that He was the Son of God. They also believe in the existence of a place of punishment. They live there! Not only that, but they also recognize Jesus Christ as the Judge, and they submit to the power of His Word. Yet, knowing all that, they still rebelled against God and were condemned to hell.

In verse 19, the word “shudder” or “tremble” meant to be “rough on the surface”, “to bristle”. It has the idea of making your hair stand on end and goosebumps to appear. That’s the way the demons respond to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ!

III. GENUINE FAITH (verses 20-26)

Dead faith touches only the mind; demonic faith involves both the mind and the emotions, but genuine faith also involves the will. The whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The mind understands the truth, the emotions desire the truth, and the will acts upon the truth. Faith and works go together.

Pastor John MacArthur says it very clearly in his sermon entitled “Living Faith”. Preaching about James 2:21-26, Pastor MacArthur says: “There is a faith in God, there is a faith in Christ, there is a belief of Scripture, there is a belief of the gospel that does not save from hell. . . . It is possible to believe in God, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to even believe that what Christ did He actually did, to affirm the cross and the resurrection and never be delivered from sin and never be given eternal life. This is what James would call ‘dead faith’.” That’s what he called it in verse 17, and now he says it again in verse 20 and again in verse 26.

In verse 20, James responds to the unwillingness of his readers to recognize the connection between faith and works. He says: “You foolish fellow”. The Greek word can be translated “empty” in the sense that they are “without spiritual life”. James goes on to say, “Can’t you see that faith without works is useless”? The Greek word “arge” means “barren”, “unproductive”. Faith that fails to produce genuine works motivated by willing obedience from the heart is a dead faith. It demonstrates that it has never been alive because there has been no external evidence sufficient to remove any doubt. Righteous behavior is an inevitable result of genuine faith.

In verses 21-25 James proves his point by giving two examples of true living faith from the Old Testament: Abraham and Rahab, described as “our father” and “the harlot”. The evidence for Abraham’s genuine faith was his willing obedience to God’s command to offer up his own son, Isaac, on the altar. Because of his obedience, Galatians, chapter 3, teaches that Abraham is the spiritual father of all true believers..

James 2:22 reads, “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.” The Berkeley version says it this way: “You see how his faith cooperated with his works and how faith reached its supreme expression through his works.” Abraham’s works made his faith complete. In verse 23 Abraham is called “the friend of God”

On the opposite end of the social and moral spectrum, James now chooses Rahab as an example of true living faith. Even though Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute, James says “Likewise also”, telling us that the illustration of Rahab teaches the same lesson about faith as the illustration of Abraham: “God saves, not because of one’s righteousness, but because of one’s faith.” Remember: only God can actually see our faith. We see genuine saving faith only by works. Rahab demonstrated her saving faith by her words to the spies in Joshua 2 saying, “… the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below”, and by her willingness to hide the spies at the risk of her own life and the lives of her family members. Joshua 6:25 and Matthew 1:5 tell us how God blessed Rahab. She was grafted into the nation of Israel, became the wife of Salmon, and was an ancestor in the line of David and the Lord Jesus Christ. She is also mentioned in Hebrews 11 as a woman of faith.

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION:

In verse 25, the apostle James states his conclusion one more time: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” Do you have living faith? Do you have saving faith? Is it evident to those around you? Is it evident to you? You may have been baptized, you may have made a public or private profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may be attending a church at the present time. You may be in the choir or teaching a Sunday School Class. You may be on the deacon or elder board. You could even be a pastor and not have a saving faith that manifests itself in a deepening walk with Jesus Christ and increasing joy in serving Him and obeying his Word. I’m not saying this to point the finger at anyone or embarrass anyone. I just want you to be sure if there might be any doubt. Good works are the proof that Jesus Christ is living and reigning in your life. As Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “And why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

May our faith be genuine and evident to the world around us, and may we enjoy the privilege of being children of God through faith evidenced by works (Ephesians 2:8-10).