Series: James
Lesson #3
Title: His Word or Yours?
Scripture: James 1: 13-27
Date: January 17, 2010
Place: SGBC, NJ
James 1: 13: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
DRAWN AWAY OF OUR OWN LUSTS
Here, “lusts” means that which is natural, earthy. It is our own fleshly wisdom and understanding. It is when we attempt to have our own way. It is the opposite of what he said up to this point.
The flesh lusts to be God, not in righteousness, but in power: to be our own joy, to deliver ourselves without having to wait on another, to be our own wisdom, to be our own provider and have all we want rather than God providing what we need—that is lust of the flesh.
NOTICE THE PROGRESSION and NOTICE THAT THESE WORDS ARE DESCRIPTIVE OF BIRTH
Take note: From verse 13 until the end of the chapter James is giving the dire importance of receiving and heeding God’s word. In a moment, James will speak of how the sinner is born a second time of “God’s will by the word of truth which brings forth first-fruits.” Here James is using words descriptive of birth. But this conception and birth brings forth death.
James 1: 14: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
1. Enticed: What was the first word of enticement to sin: “Has God said?” The enticement begins with a word which questions God; questions God’s word.
James 1: 15: Then when lust hath conceived,
2. Conception: Conception happens out of sight in the womb. Lust is conceived out of sight in the heart. What was the first conception of lust? Genesis 3: 6: The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise
James 1: 15: Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
3. Brings forth sin unto death Genesis 3: 6:…she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and ADAM [the federal head, the representative of all mankind] did eat. 7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8: And they heard the voice of the LORD God…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
James 1: 13: : Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:
Blaming God is the fruit of this death. Listen to Adam’s answer to God. Genesis 3: 12: And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. It all began with an untrue word.
James 1: 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above
1 Corinthians 4:7:…what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Life, faith, repentance, love, hope, righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption---all the free gift of God in Christ. And every temporal thing you have is God’s. He can give you more or take away that you have.
Cometh down from the Father of lights--The Father of lights creates a new nature and gives an understanding--through the word of truth, not lies, the word of truth.
With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning
No change with God. We will turn and upbraid; God never upbraids his children.
Take note here: We are still talking about the word of truth. There is no variableness, not even a shadow of turning with God. The same way that God saves his children from the trial of sin and death in the first hour is the way God will save you in this present trial.
James 1: 18: Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Are you helpless to help yourself in this trial? You were when you were dead in trespasses and in sins. How did God save you from that trial of sin and death?
1. Enticement: of his own will.
2. Conception: Begot HE us with the word of truth—
· God chose in the Word, in Christ.
· Everlasting covenant by his will by his word
· Predestinated all things by his will by his word
· His will his Word created all things
· His will his Word gave the written word
· By his will the Word was made flesh
· By his will the Word purged his people of sin and made satisfaction to God at Calvary
· By his will the word of the gospel was preached to you
· By his will you were born of the Spirit of truth; with “the word of truth”
3. Brought forth life unto righteousness: we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Listen to Paul’s word to Timothy concerning this word of truth, the gospel of Christ:
2 Timothy 1: 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10: But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
Every believer is just as helpless to save ourselves from this present trial as we were from that trial of spiritual death. But by his own will, God proclaims in his word of truth, right here through James, that the same way he saves from that trial, is how he saves from this present trial: 1. Of his own will. 2. Begotten of him with the word of truth, the Spirit of truth, by Christ Jesus the Word 3. Making his people the choice fruit of his creation.
Numbers 23:19: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
James 1: 19: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
1. Swift to hear—swift to hear the word of truth, the gospel of Christ, the word of his grace.
Illustration: Melinda is sent to seminars, her employer knows it will better his business. Not a more needful word than God’s word.
2. Slow to speak—let it settle down into your heart. Think upon it. Ask God to give you an understanding. Look into God’s word. Mary hid these things in her heart
3. Slow to wrath—God is telling you and me that we are grass. He is telling us, Thy God reigneth. In his word, the triune God is exalted. Christ is exalted. You are made to be nothing. Salvation is of the Lord. So why are you angry at this word? Why are you not satisfied? Who are you really defending? Now consider this question, what are you accomplishing in your wrath?
The subject is still the Word of God, the Word of Truth, the Word of Christ, verses the word of man, the word of lies, the word that comes from the first Adam.
James 1: 20: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21: Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, 21: and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Excess--excessive words, the evil of simply planting a question, “Has God said” entices away from Christ.
Colossians 2: 3: In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4: And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
Ephesians 5:6: Let no man deceive you with vain words:
Colossians 2:8: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
James 1: 21:…and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
RECEIVE WITH MEEKNESS--Pride in your wisdom will keep you from true wisdom. Hard ground will not receive seed. The ground must be broken. Are you broken? Or are you hardened in your wisdom? This word does both. The word of God makes wise the simple. But it hardens the wise. That is one sense in which it never returns void. You have no education, no honors, awards; no home, no cars, no jewelry, no clothes, no color of skin, no gender, no country or state of origin, no denomination or creed or station in the church; BEFORE GOD YOU HAVE NOTHING OF THIS KIND OR ANY OTHER THING THAT YOU MIGHT USE TO ELEVATE YOURSELF ABOVE MEN, BY WHICH TO SEPARATE YOU FROM ANY OTHER PERSON ON THIS EARTH. You have no reason to be any other thing but meek before God, before this word. Therefore receive with meekness…
THE ENGRAFTED WORD (IMPLANTED)--This is another gardening term, a term of husbandry like the one we just saw: firstfruits of his creation. Every child of God is not born of man, nor of blood, or the will of the flesh…if you a fruit of God’s creation it because you are
I Corinthians 3: 9: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building
WHICH IS ABLE TO SAVE YOUR SOULS--How does this life begin? Of his own will begot he us with the word of truth—the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
I Peter 1: 23: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24: For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 2: 1: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
James 1: 22: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23: For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
The word is like those magnifying mirrors ladies use to put on make-up. You looked into this word this morning like you looked into the mirror this morning. This word shows you what you are, like the mirror showed you what you are this morning in yourself—no good word in you by nature, only excess, lies, overflowing defiling filth.
But as the believer looks into this word of liberty:
2 Corinthians 3: 18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
He that takes off the veil from the heart, that we may, behold the glory of Christ Jesus in this word. And he says as he is so are we. He recreates us after his image. By the word of Truth, he grows us in grace in the inner man: he grows us in joy, patience, in faith, settles us; he exalts the man of low degree and brings low the rich man; by the Word he will quicken our mortal bodies from the grave—Lazarus come forth.
But the man who is not a doer of the word—forgets what he saw--his own word is vanity and the Word of God is the incorruptible word
James 1: 24: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25: But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Back to the beginning for a moment—let no man say when he drawn away that this is of God. The words that are man are evil. James picks up with that same warning again right here.
James 1: 26: If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
He professes salvation is in Christ Jesus alone, he professes he is under grace, no longer putting confidence in your flesh—then a trial comes.
It comes in the form of a splinter you detect in a poor sinner, a brother or sister. He unbridles his tongue either, on them or to another brother, speaking critically of them, sweetly exalting himself by pointing out the error of another.
All his accusations may be true, but unbridling his tongue, reveals he is untrue--in reality, the hidden evil is he trusts his own wisdom, his own word, has great confidence in his flesh.
Don’t forget what you see here in this word? You can’t fix anybody—NOT EVEN YOURSELF. Only the will of God through the Word of truth—the gospel of his dear Son.
James 1: 27: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Now the subject has not changed. With what does pure religion and undefiled visit?
Visit them with every good and every perfect gift, the word of light, from the Father of lights, with mercy…Listen to Peter again:
I Peter 2: 1: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
This is how the Master did it? He said to the Father…
John 17:8: I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me;
Do you want the doctrine, the theology of his words?
John 6:63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Pure Religion Himself, put away our defiling filthiness and excess which came about by that first excess of words in the garden by laying down his life for us. He visited you, orphan and you widow, in mercy with the words of eternal life.
Mercy is visiting the comfortless with the word of Comfort--Christ Jesus the Word, who was made flesh and dwelt among us—his word bridles and makes pure and undefiled.
His are the only words worth hearing.
John 6:68: Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69: And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Amen!