James 5--IF, Confess and a Difficult Passage.

What to do IF:
If you are suffering ==> pray
If you are cheerful ==> sing
If you are sick ==> call for elders to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord.

I love to sing. Sometimes I just catch myself subconsciously singing a praise chorus or hymn. But when I'm suffering or sick, I sometimes forget to pray. Fortunately, I don't get sick very often. Nor have I had to endure much suffering. I do have a question about what it means to anoint with oil.

Confess your sins to one another that you may be healed.
The main point here is the need to confess to one another. We have tried to develop this as a habit of our family. Some of us still have a ways to go. But we continue to press on...



v. 19-20 were hard for me.
Here are the verses in the NKJV.
Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

I had to do a bit of study, but here's what I've come to.
If a brother in the Lord (true believer) is sinning, someone should turn him back (tell him the truth that he is sinning). The one who helps him to see the error of his ways will save his soul (life) from (physical) death and cover many sins (of the one erring).

I lean reformed. I was confused at first as the reading seemed to suggest that a believer could lose his salvation. But I know other passages where it talks about a true believer should be assured of his salvation--also known as perseverance of the saints (the P in TULIP). So it makes sense to me that the word "soul" (psyche in Greek) can be translated as life.

Here's a definition from Strong's (5590)
Psyche--
1) breath

• the breath of life
• the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing
• life
  that in which there is life
  a living being, a living soul

James 5--Rich, Grumbling, and Plain Speech

Oppressive Rich people:
~cheat workers/employees of wages
~live in pleasure and luxury
~have fattened hearts
~condemned
~murder the just


Be patient under this oppression. Be patient.
Establish your hearts on the Lord. Be committed to the Lord.


Do not grumble against one another, lest you be condemned and forfeit your full reward

(2 John 8)
Don't look at your circumstances and grumble, BUT remember the Lord is compassionate and merciful. He has a plan for good and not for evil. All things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Not that all things are good in the sense of fun or pleasurable. They may even be difficult and painful, but God can turn even our hard times to something for our ultimate good. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Later, he was falsely accused and put in jail. But God used all of that to teach and train Joseph and prepare him for the task of being 2nd in command of all of Egypt and to preserve his family. In his words, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."


Don't swear. Let your yes be yes and no, no.

Speak honestly and plainly. Don't beat around the bush. I tend to be a say-it-like-it-is kinda person, which many times gets me into trouble. But, I'd rather people know the truth than to sugar-coat and lead them to believe that I think something differently. Of course, discretion is in order and we should always speak the truth in love.

James 4--Salvation, Slander and Sin

This next section sounded alot like teaching that I have received through Way of the Master Ministries.


God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

According to John McArthur there are 10 commands in v 7-10. But I could only find 9.


How to receive God's gift of salvation
1. Submit= line up under. Willing submission to God's authority. Obey commands. Follow His leadership.
2. Resist=Take a stand against the devil and he will flee
3. Draw Near=pursue God. A true convert will long for communion with God.
4. Cleanse your hands=recognize and confess sin
5. Purify your hearts-inner thoughts, motives and desires of the heart
6. Lament--afflicted wretched and miserable
7. Mourn--inner response of brokeness
8. Weep--outward manifestation of what going on inside (Laughter turned to mourning and joy to gloom) Amazing how the truly humble stop laughing and joking when confronted with the sin in their life and by their countenance show their brokeness.
9 Humble yourself--make oneself low



Is it possible that those who shortchange these steps may be shortstepping their conversion? I'm not sure. But I do think one must examine their life in light of the great sin they have committed before a holy God to understand why HIS grace is so amazing!


Receiving this precious gift entails more than just saying a prayer. It requires a change in your life. Repentance is turning from your own ways to God's. I wonder how much of the church in America today is truly repentant, and therefore truly saved. It's hard to say, but when the divorce rate among churchgoer's is higher than that of the general public, something is wrong.


Do not slander/speak evil of brother.
The issue is slanderous condemnation, not confronting sin. We are told in other places to confront sin so that we can be healed, restored, and even saved from death. (Matt 18, I John 5).


To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
All I can say is help me to do good even when I'm too tired, too busy, and too focused on other tasks. If there is an opportunity to help someone or to do good and You bring it to my mind. Help me, dear Lord, to obediently respond to your command.

James 4--Conflict and a solution?

Where do quarrels and fights come from?
I've heard these verses presented before from Peacemaker Ministries in regards to Christians and conflict resolution. I have learned much about conflict resolution from their ministry. I tend to be a peace-faker, stuffing in my emotions and pretending all is well. But since learning about Biblical conflict resolution, I've come a long way in that regard. To provide a brief summary, there are 3 ways to solve conflict. You can be a peace-faker, a peace-breaker, or a peace-maker. Peace-faking and peace-breaking are unbiblical and do not leave to resolution.

Our pastor used these verses in his sermon last Sunday. I found his take on the verses profound. Have you ever noticed how many "you"s and "your"s are in these verses? It would seem to imply that the problem of conflict is directly related to how much of "YOU" is involved. When we are thinking of ourselves and not others, then conflict is more prevalent.

I realize that most of my conflict comes from my evil desires (my daily agenda, placing my own desires above those of others, immediate gratification, etc.) Fortunately, my hope rests on the "more grace" He gives to believers in v. 6. For His Glory, he has chosen to save a wretch like me! May I remember to place His desires and others before my own selfish and evil desires. One thing that helps me though is to train myself to serve others. If I am serving others, then I am less apt to pursue my own selfish desires.

James 3--Works of Wisdom

Works should be done in meekness (gentleness) of wisdom.

I know there are times that I have not done my works in gentleness of wisdom. I have been pride-full. And wanting to gain a good reputation or acclaim from man. One of my favorite hymns is "Be Thou My Vision". And I love this verse

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise.

Thou mine inheritance, now and always.

Thou and thou only, first in my heart.

High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

It is the cry of my heart to seek only the Lord and for Him to be first in my heart. And that the things that I do would bring glory to Him alone. That I would be invisible. My dear husband is the epitome of this--a humble man who seeks first the Lord. I learn much from him. But I have much farther to go!

Bitter, envy, self-seeking hearts that are boastful and lying are not from above. They are earthly sensual and demonic. And bring confusion and evil. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy.

May I seek wisdom that is from above. It seems almost impossible to live that way 100% of the time. But I know there is nothing that is impossible for You. I have seen growth though in this area of my life. To consider what I was like before knowing the Lord (i.e #1 above) and to see how far I've come gives me hope that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it! Soli Deo Gloria!

James 3-Teachers and Tongues

Teachers will be judged by stricter standards. Therefore, they must be careful about what they are teaching.

As a former professional teacher and a homeschool teacher, boy do I understand why. It's more difficult to re-teach than to teach it right the first time. And how many aberrant and heretical teachings are there in the church today. They keep growing and gaining more followers, because people continue to teach these false doctrines. Lord, help me to study your Word, so that I will know You and Your ways and not fall into these false doctrines.

The Tongue

The tongue is evil. James compares it to a bit in a horse's mouth and the rudder of a ship. It is a small piece of the body. But it is powerful. What comes out of the mouth defiles the whole body!Proverbs says, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." What's in our hearts comes out of our mouths. And Jesus talked of the cup being clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside. We may look neat and clean on the outside, but our hearts are full of wickedness and deceit. It is the Lord only who can clean the inside and make us new. Yet even as Christians, our tongues are unruly evil full of deadly poison. Lord, help me and "set a guard over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips." The mouth blesses God and curses man. God says it shouldn't be that way. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Psalm19:14

James 2-Con't

Mercy triumphs over judgment

There have been many times that I have heard this verse misquoted to say that we should not judge the sins of others, but instead show mercy by overlooking sin. In reality, this verse is about God's mercy overcoming the judgment we deserve. Think about it! We deserve hell. We are lawbreakers! There is no one-not one who has lived a holy life free from sin. All we like sheep have gone astray. God, as the great Judge, has every right to throw us into the lake of fire.


Some may say, "Oh that's not a loving God. My sins are not THAT bad. I don't deserve hell." But think about it. How many times have you transgressed just today? Or even this week? Then multiply that by 52 weeks in a year and then by 75 years. It adds up! The list of grievances that God has against us is long. He is a righteous Judge and cannot just overlook our offenses. We would not expect an earthly judge to let a criminal go free. If an earthly judge let a murderer go free, we would be offended and cry, "Foul!" How much more so does the Righteous and Holy Judge deserve to pronounce judgement upon us for our numerous violations of His Laws.

But...


He is also merciful! He provided a way for our fine to be paid. Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of those who repent and trust in Him, and He satisfied the wrath of God. He was our propitiation. He took all of our unrighteousness when He suffered and died on the cross. And credited His righteousness to our account. So when God looks at believers, He sees Christ's righteousness. The penalty for our sins has been paid by Christ and we are no longer under judgment! But He goes even furthur than mercy by giving us grace! And, guess what? He receives all the glory for it!


The mercy that we show towards others is based on the mercy we have received from him. If one does not show mercy, then he must not know how much mercy has been shown towards him.

I'm thinking of the parable of the wicked servant. This wicked servant begged for mercy for a HUGE debt that he owed the king. The king forgave his debt. But then the wicked servant turned around and called the loan on a person who owed him mere pennies. His fellow servants told the king. The king was mad and threw the wicked servant into prison to pay every last cent of his debt. He was deserving of judgement. Oh, the mercy that has been shown towards me, let it pour out to those who have offended me so little!


True Christians serve and have righteous behavior (obey God's word).


Mere mental assent to God's salvation is not enough. I'm reminded of a debate our family attended on the Ordo Salutus (the order of salvation). One debater's postition was that a Christian can live a life of sin after praying to receive Christ and still make it to heaven. Wow! I do not see that in the scriptures and think this is a very dangerous teaching! But what was amazing was after the debate, we took the boys for a treat at McDonald's and several of the audience members that were partial to this debater were discussing what a great job he did. I came away with the exact opposite thought. There are so many within the church walls who have said a prayer and yet lead a life of hypocrisy. I am not saying that one cannot stumble. But if a person is willfully sinning, he ought to do as scripture exhorts--Examine himself to see if he is in the faith. II Cor. 13:5 A good test is to look at one's reaction to sin. Do you excuse it by comparing it to other sheep? Do you justify? Ignore? Or even become defiant and willingly sin? Or do you humble yourself and recognize your shortcomings and bring them to the God who loves you so much that He died for you?


Saving faith is not merely intellectual it requires obedience.

We were made in the image of God. All of creation is looking to us to see what God is like. And when we lie, we are telling them that God is a liar. When we steal, we are telling them that God is a thief. When we have unrighteous anger, we are showing the world that God is angry and hateful. That is why He hates sin! It defames His holy nature and character. When we walk in obedience to God's ways, we show the true nature of God to all of creation! And we are being true image bearers! Wow! Help me Lord to bear your image today!


A true Christian's fruit will be evident in his works.

It takes more than a sinner's prayer to get you to heaven. There are many in the church that would say that they've said a prayer and now they can live like they want to because all of their sins have been forgiven. Not so! Our lives should reflect the change of our hearts. Good fruit will follow those who truly believe. Faith without works is dead. Faith comes first, and out of that faith, God works in us and through us to do good works. It is a result of our faith! We want to do good things for the glory of God! How can one be compassionate without doing acts of compassion? It's the same as faith without works. It's phony!

James 2-Part 1

Be careful of showing partiality. Do not look at outward appearance and make judgments.
Showing partiality is a sin. When we show partiality we are not loving our neighbor. Think of the Good Samaritan. The important people who ought to have stopped and helped this dying man were too busy or too self-consumed to lift one finger to help him. And yet the least assuming one, the man who had been hated by Jews his entire life, was the one to help this man. He even went out of his way and above and beyond the call of duty to take this man to an inn and to pay his bills.


But let me preach to myself a bit...

I am guilty of looking on the outside. I am guilty of wanting to be with the clean and neat. And not just with myself, but also with my children. I don't want my children to be around bratty kids. Help me Lord to look past the outward appearance to the heart. Oh how filthy and vile I was before I knew you. But you sent someone to reach out to me. Use me, dear Lord to reach out to the lovely and unlovely alike. To the hurting--no matter what their outward appearance. Help me to set aside those things and to see the hurting heart. Ignite my love for the lost.

And help me Lord to see those who are hurting and dying right around me. Let me not be too busy or self-consumed to even stop to lend a hand. May your agenda be higher than mine.

If you stumble in one point of the Law, you are guilty of breaking all. Most of us cannot even name 5 of the commandments much less all 10. So a refresher is in order.


Have you ever lied (9th commandment)? Have you stolen (8th commandment)? Have you murdered (6th)? Jesus said that if you have hatred in your heart for a brother it is the same as murder. Have you committed adultery (7th)? Jesus said that if you have looked at another with lust then you are guilty of adultery. How about loving the Lord with all of your heart (1st)? Does every thought and deed begin and end with Him? Are you doing everything to the glory and honor of God? How about making an idol (2nd)? Upon reading the Bible, have you ever thought, "Oh God wouldn't do that?" Have you created in your mind god who suits you better? Have you ever taken the name of the Lord who created you in vain (3rd)? That's is called blasphemy and the Lord will not hold him blameless who takes His name in vain. Or just as bad, are you living a life of hypocrisy-saying that you love the Lord, but your life is not showing it? Have you always honored your father and mother (5th)? Done everything they've asked you to do with a good attitude? Have you always remembered to keep the Sabbath (4th)? To set aside one day for worshipping God and gathering with other saints? And finally, have you ever wanted something that belongs to someone else (10th)? Who in American can say that they have not coveted something? Advertisers get rich by promoting their products to entice us to want more.


If you're honest, you, along with me, know that we've broken these Laws numerous times. But even if we've only broken one. Then we are guilty before a holy God. He is holy, holy, holy and sin offends Him--so much so that He WILL punish sin because He is a righteous Judge. And according to the Bible, we've all offended Him. We are lawbreakers by nature. BUT..


He has made a way for us to be made right. Jesus came to pay the penalty for the sins we've committed. He took the punishment that we deserve. He suffered, bled and died to take away the sins of those who will repent and trust in Him. Turn away from your sin. Cry out to God and ask Him to forgive you by the blood of Jesus. Confess your sin before Him and ask Him to cleanse you. There is no sin that He can't or won't forgive. Nothing too big that can't be forgiven. Lay your heart before Him. He already knows it all anyway. And then trust that by the blood of Jesus you are forgiven.

Then read your Bible and do what it says. Live to glorify God. That's what you were created to do.

James 1-Con't

God's perfect gift is regeneration. We should lay aside sin and receive the Word which is able to save souls. Unregenerate man does not have the capacity to do good. His sole desire is for how he can benefit. When God gives us His perfect gift of salvation, we are changed. Our heart of stone is turned into a heart of flesh. He gives us the capacity to do good. To work for His glory and not our own. But it will be even more awesome when upon death or resurrection we are sanctified fully and made to sin no more!

As far as laying aside sin and receiving the Word which is able to save souls, I picture putting down the trash to pick up the treasure. And the more trash that I let go of, the more treasure I'll be able to hold!

We need to bridle our tongues. We should not just say everything that comes to mind. I need to have more self-control in this area OR my religion is useless. Unfortunately, I have the personality that has a hard time letting things go and really desire to have the last word. Lord, help me to have discretion and to speak only when it glorifies you. Plato once said, "A wise man speaks when he has something to say. A fool speaks to say something." Oh help me to be wise!

Pure and spotless religion is selfless and sacrificial and forsaking sin. This is so important. We can't just go on living in sin, we must forsake it. And our service to the Lord should be selfless and sacrificial. Serving others without the thought of what we will get from them--love, admiration, kudos, kind words, reputation, etc. In fact, perhaps it is even better to serve those who we know are not capable of reciprocating.

James 1-Part 1

Here are my notes from James 1

Trials produce endurance which produces maturity which makes us complete. So we should rejoice in trials because they bring us to maturity. Trials are a test of our faith and are allowed to strengthen us. Oh how I can attest to this. It seems that I grow more when I am experiencing trials. Through the pressures of the fires in life, I have learned to trust my Lord more and more. And I long to trust Him with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. To never question His commands. To serve Him even when I don't feel like it.

Wisdom is knowing God's will to live a godly life. To daily seek Him for direction for each day. To learn to glorify Him in all I think, say, do and feel. Sadly, many times I've believed the notion that wisdom is something that is required for big decisions and on special occasions, but not according to these verses. Wisdom is needed daily just to make it through my day.

Trials show our inadequacy and should drive us to our knees to ask for wisdom. Help me, dear Lord, to come to you daily, even as I wake, to ask you for the wisdom that I need for that day. Show me my inadequacies.

When we do not believe, it shows our distrust of God. Lord, help my unbelief! I need to trust you more!

Blessed are we when we endure trials for we will receive a crown of life, namely eternal life in Christ. When we become a Christian, we are not set free from trials. In fact, these verses seem to promise that we will have trials--and many of them. But when we persevere til the end, we will receive a crown of life.

God is not the author of evil. He allows trials in the life of a believer in order to strengthen him.
Many people stumble over this question of the origin of evil. Did God create evil? Absolutely not! He allowed sin because He had a better plan. I love what RC Sproul says in his book, Chosen by God: "Because God is sovereign, we must conclude that God foreordained sin. We must conclude that God's decision to allow sin to enter teh world was a good decision. This is not to say that our sin is really a good thing, but merely that God's allowing us to do sin, which is evil, is a good thing. God's allowing evil is good, bu the evil He allows is still evil. We must assume that God knew in advance that man would fall. We also must assume that He could have intervened to stop it. Or He could have chosen not fo create us at all. Bottom line, we know that He knew we would fall and that He went ahead and created us anyway. He also knew in advance that He was going to implement a plan for redemption for His fallen creation that woudl include a perfect manifestation of His justice and a perfect expression of His love and mercy." The purpose of the trials and temptations that we face is to strengthen us! For we we fall, He is there to pick us up and set us back on the proverbial horse. And when we overcome, we can rejoice in the work that He has done in us! Soli Deo Gloria!

We sin because of our evil desires. In thinking on my own sin, I would have to agree. I choose my comfort over that of others. I choose my rights over those of my brothers and sisters. I choose my plan over that of my Lord. Oh, wicked wretch that I am!

When that evil desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin leads to death. And what death is that? Death of a dream, death of hope, frustration to those we love, and even possibly our own physical death.