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- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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We will start by reading from James chapter 3, James chapter 3 verse 1 to 6. 1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

May God add his blessings to the reading of this word.

As we have been looking into the epistle of James, there have been so many topics that have come already in this study in the first two chapters itself. So, it a very good epistle as we see covering many practical topics and very much important for a Christian life. have seen about trials, we have seen about temptations, we have seen about how we ought to look at the Word of God, we have seen how we ought to be with one another, we have seen also that characteristic, that which really justifies, that which really verifies or vindicates true faith, works of obedience. And now we are going to look into another aspect of teaching or of how one ought to come. with teaching and especially in that regard, James will look at the use of the tongue and how the tongue is such an important litmus test of one's spiritual health. In all of this, James has also been continually talking about faith.

None of these topics are divorced from the very essential theme of this whole letter which is faith and is again again centered with the Lord Jesus Christ, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, on how we know Him, what we think of Him, how zealous are we to hold on to the promises that He has given to us while enduring trials, how zealous are we to know Him and hold on to Him while going through temptations and how we see one another. In all these things, we can see these two things again again clubbed together. Today, we are going to look at Chapter 3, as we read the portion from verse 1 to 6. It starts with the familiar addressing, my brethren, we have seen that in Chapter 1, verse 2, we have seen that in Chapter 2, verse 1 and now we seeing it in Chapter 3, verse 1, clearly indicating something new, another topic is going to be addressed here. In one way it is a new topic but in another way it is a continuation of what we discussed last time, where we were looking at works of obedience, springing out of genuine faith that the works... ordained of God are being walked by those who are true faith.

And one of the characteristics of genuine faith will also be new life, new birth, will also be a transformation in the one who truly professes, truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. And nothing else shows the transformation like the transformation in the use of the tongue. and that's what we will be seeing largely in this particular portion. But James brings that before us in a very different context. He's not just primarily talking about the use of the tongue. It will be there and that will also be covered as we look into the study. But look at how he's bringing this up. His topic is something else actually and that is what we also see in Chapter 4 as we look into it. We see about wars, see about fighting, we see about conflicts within the assembly and all that is then traced back to this particular verse and the situation in the assembly at that time where James has to address this part. James says very strangely enough, be not many masters or be not many teachers.

Be not many teachers. It's a strange thing to say if we are to think of ourselves. Wouldn't we like that there are more teachers? Isn't it a good thing? Isn't it a profitable thing for the saints that there are more teachers, that more people can teach well? But James wants us to understand how grave a matter it is to teach from the Word of God. How solemn, how sobering a thought it ought to be that one is standing to teach from the Word of God. And to balance things out, will today firstly look at what scripture tells about this particular ministry. What are we doing here in terms of teaching? And for that firstly, we must turn to John chapter 16 to answer who is the teacher here? Who is really the teacher? John chapter 16 verse 7 to 15, we read the portion, but particularly verse 13, For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come.

He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." The Gospel of John, the Lord is telling us very clearly about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, about His coming and what He is going to be involved in doing here. Beginning from chapter 14 and verse 26 especially, where it is given to the Apostles, that the Spirit of Truth will come in such a manner so as to bring to their remembrance the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there we have the foundation of the Gospels, the Book of Acts, that this is how the writings were given. It was the Spirit of Truth, a Holy Spirit giving those words to the inspired writers. Not only that, we read here, He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak. and He will show you things to come. So, two other things are also mentioned here. Things concerning Christ, things concerning the Church, things concerning the saints, all these things from Christ, from the Son is taken by the Holy Spirit and given to us through these writings which were given primarily to the Apostles, to the inspired writers.

That is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring out these truths into the open for the saints. Not only the epistles and all the way up till the book of Revelation that he would show things from the Sun and bring it out before the saints but also things to come. So you look at the book of Revelation, we look at other parts of the Gospels be it or be it the epistles where things to come are mentioned, are given in clarity. Again we have the Holy Spirit is the one who has brought these things to the Apostles. It is through Him receiving from the Sun and giving it to us with the primary objective. to glorify Him, to glorify not the Holy Spirit but the Son of God. That is the primary objective of the Holy Spirit today in every ministry, especially in any teaching ministry. So, if we are to answer the question, who is the teacher here? It must be the Holy Spirit. In 1 John 2, verse 27, 1 John 2, verse 27, but the anointing, this is referring to every believer, It abiding presence of the Holy Spirit within every single believer in the family of God.

He is the teacher. It is only through the Holy Spirit that every believer comes to know of the truth, grows in the truth, is guided into all truth and note the usage in the John's Gospel, it is all truth, there is nothing left to be told from the son to the saints. All truth that the Lord wanted to tell on that day which the disciples could not handle, could not grasp at that day has been conveyed, has been brought to us through the inspired writings of the New Testament and the one who is the author is also the one who is the real teacher here. We also have very familiar verse in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verse 13. Here we have Paul the human instrument who is involved in the teaching. But how is he teaching as he says, verse 13 of chapter 2, 1st Corinthians, It is the Holy Spirit speaking, though the agents, though the people involved in conveying those words, in bringing out those words, may be the men.

fundamentally where we want to start with this topic, when James is addressing that, we not many teachers, we have to first of all understand, the real teacher here always has to be the Holy Spirit, whether it is us ministering from the pulpit, whether it be a believer sitting with the Word of God, trying to learn something, it always must be the Spirit of God, apart from Him, nothing can be taught from the Holy Word. then we must look at the question also, is there then a need for a teacher? And the answer is quite clear, there is. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 2, it's a very clear command given to Timothy at that time, and the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses, the same, commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. This is the way the testimony is going to continue. This is the way, this truth once for all, the faith once for all handed down delivered to the saints. How is it going to be faithfully propagated over the generations? This is the way.

This is the biblical way. The same, commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Identify those faithful men, teach those faithful men and those faithful men are responsible then to teach. others also. There is a great need undoubtedly for teachers. Ephesians chapter 4, where we look at teachers as the very gifts given by the Lord to the church. We read of that in verse 11 chapter 4 and He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Here again we are very clearly the instruction or the knowledge of the fact that yes indeed teachers are there, teachers are given in fact by the Lord Himself as gifts to the church for what purpose? Verse 12 says, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

This is the key which James wants to address. The true ministry of teaching of these teachers who are given as gifts by the Lord to the church is this. This ought to be the whole objective, the whole purpose of such ministry, perfecting of the saints. for the work of the ministry. So indeed, we ought to see that kind of effect happening or that desire with which the teaching is being done. That the saints are being further equipped, the saints are being built up, the saints are growing, the saints are becoming steadfast and strong for the work of the ministry. It is for their benefit that is the whole objective here. Not glorying in oneself. It is not for the objective of showing how well one knows the word of God. It is not the objective to show how well one can orate some things from the word of God.

It is not to say in other words to gain glory for oneself. And that is what is being addressed in James chapter 2. What is the context that James is addressing when he is saying, be not many teachers, be careful before putting yourself up towards this. Be not so eager to stand in the place of a teacher dispensing out things from the word of God. What is the context that James is then talking about? You must remember this is a very, very early letter, just branching out from the Jewish religion and we have to then consider the setup there. We have to consider the scribes that the Pharisees there and all the Jewish leaders that exercised much monopoly, much authority in teaching or through teaching. In John's Gospel chapter 11, we see how when the people continued to still follow the Lord Jesus despite many times they are going away but after the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, when again people would start going towards Him, the main concern of the Jews at that time is, all our plots, all our things are going in vain, don't you see that they are again going after Him? Now the Romans will come, they will take away our authority and our nation.

The Romans will come, they will take away what is ours, which is primarily the authority that they had over all the people. Such is the context that James is really addressing here. And so, we must turn to some characteristics of these people. We look to Matthew chapter 23. We have a very detailed discourse there, how the Lord was utterly displeased. by such display of authority, such misuse, abuse of this ministry of teaching. The Lord says in verse 2 onwards, saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in the Moses seat. Here the firstly thing we must notice, they are themselves sitting in the Moses seat. So in every synagogue there would be a particular place or a seat, a particular seat where the teacher would sit to read out and to explain things from the Lord. The Lord's focus here is to say, it is not God appointed.

They themselves are appointing themselves to take up this ministry, to take up this teaching ministry. And they are taking that place of Moses' seat. They are self-appointed, they are not God appointed. That's their first characteristic. The worst characteristic, verse 3, All therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but do not eat after their works, for they say and do not. So, they are saying from the Law of Moses. So, listen carefully to what they say because it's coming from the Law of Moses. Listen to that and do that, but don't you do their works, don't you follow them, don't you follow their life, don't you be like them. What a verdict! is given to those who would desire to exercise much authority over people and would want to claim that we are the teachers of God. The sayings are good, what they are saying out is very nice, but if you look at their lives, stay far away from it.

Don't let any of that come into your lives. Don't let any of that be any of you. Such a shameful verdict is what comes to these people who really prided in their knowledge of the Word of God. They are hypocrites to say. Verse 4, another characteristic. They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. They are not really looking to help, they are not really looking to build up, they are not really looking to edify, but only to oppress, only to subdue, only to keep people under. them that is their another characteristic. 6, Love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets and to be called of men, Rabi, Rabi. They love honor.

They love to receive honor for themselves. These are the very characteristics which the Lord absolutely hated and which He clearly called out and which James is well aware of. James is well aware that such things can easily happen in the nature of man, that man starts desiring to teach because it brings with it all of these things. It brings with it that kind of honor. It brings with it that kind of authority that people have to follow what you are saying. It brings with it that kind of ease with how one can go about in their lives. And this is sad part, if you look at the life of a scribe and a Pharisee, it's not an easy life. If you see how a scribe was declared to be a scribe at that time, it really put efforts from his 5-6 years old onwards. He is really dedicated to this purpose. He is fully involved from his childhood to memorize the Old Testament. to really be able to reiterate everything that the word of God says, to be under some people who are already qualified rabbi's and after much training, much proving, these people are declared to be scribes and Pharisees.

But this is the final verdict that the Lord had to give such people. So this is the context that James is coming from. Jew of a Jew, if you could say it that way. He knows very well how this system works and he has seen the death of that system. He has seen how corrupted it can get when what that which was given from God is corrupted by man. And James wants the church to be absolutely free from it, to be wary of this danger that can so easily come in. And in the New Testament as well, we have many such references. by Paul, by Peter, we will look into that also later, how false teachers can also so easily creep in, creep in unawares and how they can divide, how they can bring false teaching, heretical teachings, dividing teachings and how they can easily start dividing the people of God. This is the context with which James is bringing this.

If you look at Chapter 4, verse 1, just to give you that picture of why all of this is related. Chapter 4 verse 1, This was the prevailing situation that James wants to address, that there are men simply driven, simply moved not by the wisdom of God that comes from above, but rather they are moved by their own lust in receiving honor, in dividing, in being those whose God is their belly. They going after their own things. This is very clearly the context which James is trying to put before us. So then what should be the mindset? How should a genuine teacher, a true teacher of the word, how should they approach this ministry? James is not trying to scare people away. He is not forbidding teaching. He is not forbidding the desire or for an assembly to have teachers. but rather he is regulating this.

He is trying to give us an impression of how serious this ministry is. One reason he says, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. He says, we, he including himself in it. He is including himself in it and he is saying, we shall receive greater judgment. And the point is clear. Those who study the Word of God more, those who are made more aware of what truth is, when they fail to keep it, they are of course liable to more judgment. When you have been given more, you are also going to be accountable for more. When one has not known the truth, they less accountable compared to one who has known the truth more, is also then obliged to keep it as in that same way. Teaching comes with that kind of a grave responsibility that we actually bring upon ourselves more scrutiny, we actually bring upon ourselves the possibility to be under greater judgment and James puts himself in that very same situation along with all who are genuinely teachers.

There is the example of a man named John Knox. He is a Scottish reformed theologian from the 16th century, very influential man in those times in the reformation movement. The first time that he was ordained when he was declared that he should be the minister of this church and he said that hereafter you are the one who is to minister from the word of God. The man was so overcome by the thought of it, he just wept. He just wept and wept, wept and wept and he went to his room, he went to his house. He could not speak anything that day because he was gripped by the gravity of this situation. that here is this man who is now going to be responsible for teaching, for ministering from the Word of God to the flock of God. Such was the zeal or such was the desire towards God that such men had in the past.

That's how teaching was considered that this is a very grave thing, this is a very responsible thing that one has to be very careful in. very reverently approaching because we are handling something very precious. We are handling the truth as we saw from John's Gospel. This is what was never given before. This is what the Lord wanted to give to His disciples but they could not handle it at that time. But it is the Spirit of Truth who gave everything to us in this writing. The truth, all truth, everything needed is here. And so every time a teacher stands before the people of God, it's absolutely necessary that it is the truth being told. It cannot be the opinions of men, it cannot be the wisdom of men, it cannot be one's preferences, but it must be the Word of God.

It is with that realization that one has to stand before the people of God in ministering. And as we saw earlier, it has to be with understanding one's own weakness, one's own limitations. and relying greatly upon the Spirit of God because only He can actually teach anything to anyone. James gives us a litmus test. For those who would be too eager to step up and to take this place of teaching, James wants them to see very clearly a litmus test. He has already done this in verse 26 of chapter 1. For those who wanted to think that they are religious, that they have no need for reformation, they have no need for correction, they have no need for growth in the will of the Lord. He already said, this is your litmus test, check your tongue. Normally when you go to a doctor, a general physician, that's also one thing that they keep doing, they check your tongue, because that is physically also already a very good indicator of how you are doing physically.

the colour of the tongue, what's happening there, it only gives them enough indications what are you physically. James says spiritually that's also very much the case. Check your tongue, check the use of it and you will come to see where you are standing. So the one who is thinking he is very high religious man, check your tongue, don't deceive yourself, you will come to the ground. The same here in verse 3, James wants us to understand it is to be taken with much seriousness that teaching as a ministry should be in that dependence on the Holy Spirit, understanding the weakness of the flesh, best demonstrated in where we stand with the tongue. He says in verse 2, in many things we offend all, we stumble or we all stumble. Notice again, He saying we here, He is not excluding Himself.

So this is not a topic on or He is not telling about... sinlessness, he is not saying sinless perfection. He along with John, in 1st John as well, they use the words we. If we sin, then we have an advocate. If we confess our sins, it's always we. They are including themselves in these situations. And we know that these are apostles, but they are not Christ. No man is like Christ, sinless and perfect. They are all though far advanced in the spiritual matters, in the spiritual journey, they are yet men. They are also yet susceptible to sin. And that's what James is putting here, that everyone should realize this part, that in many things, we all stumble, in many things, we offend all. And the greatest of that demonstrations is from the tongue that he says.

If any man stumbled not, offend not in word, the same is a perfect man and able also to brittle the whole body. James says that if one is able to actually control perfectly the use of their tongue, they have more or less figured out their whole life. They have more or less figured out how to overcome every other sin because this is the most difficult thing to do. If one is able to actually control their tongue to speak when you ought to speak, speak the right things. to keep quiet when you ought to keep quiet, to have all the wisdom needed in all of these things, to speak the right word in season, always seasoned with salt, all these things together at all times, if one has figured out to do that, then indeed you are a perfect man. And James wants to bring us the influence of this tongue, how powerful an influence it is.

And again remember this is primarily about the teaching, about how powerfully can good teaching, sound teaching be taken and how destructively can also false teaching, that teaching which is not from God have its effect. So, it takes us through three illustrations. First, about horses. We hold, we put bits in the horse's mouth that they may obey us and we turn about their whole body. We all know horses, we have seen at least in videos how horses are. Wild horses are very dangerous. They are really difficult to do anything with. are for all practical purposes to humans, not of any use. They are unprofitable. But they have such massive strength.

They are so brave. We see that they would be used in wars primarily because they are really brave. They can just go forward to face any danger, any threat, never afraid of things. They have such courage. They have such strength within them, internally, from within. But how do they control it? By a very small object, a metal object. So this bit here is not food, it is about a metal object harnessed to the horse's mouth which tied to a rope is what gives control, gives regulation to this horse's movement. So that small bridle, that small metal object, James says is able to control something so powerful and make it useful. That's the point here.

That something so small when used rightly can put something like a horse's strength to good use. Then he talks about ships in verse 4, behold also the ships which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm withers over the governor listed. So you have such massive ships even in that time, massive ships which can easily be taken to and fro by the winds, by the waves, but you can control that ship by a very small wheel, by very small helm. A big object when controlled rightly by that small controller can again be put to good use. It is not adversely impacted by the external influences, by the by the waves but it is going according to the desire of the man in control. That's what James is saying here that if we can control the tongue then it can be put to much profitable use.

Controlling the tongue, this very small object in our body just like you control a horse with that small brittle metal object, if you can control our tongue it is going to be of much great use. Same goes with the illustration of the ship that then we are not affected by the external things but rather just like the helm, a small helm controls and goes according to the desire of the governor. Same way if one can control the tongue, it can also be put to the right course. It can go where this man actually wants it to go, its life to go. And these are the good ways, good examples of how the tongue can be used. In the next one he says, verse 5 onwards, about fire, about how a destructive power is also seen in the same tongue. It takes a very understandable illustration for all of us.

We have heard, we have read, we have seen also recently last year especially, they were in the news so much about fires that can just easily consume cities. Forest fires which are started accidentally by someone not switching off some plug by sometimes somebody camping in a forest not putting out their coal fire properly or someone accidentally just using a matchstick incorrectly and the dry forest forest floor quickly, exponentially multiplies this fire to consume a whole forest, to consume cities, houses, everything is entirely destroyed in its path. So you see, much power that a little start, a little spark can have. That's also what the tongue can do. So again, coming back to teaching, in how or what is being taught, if there is sound teaching, if there is teaching according to the Word of God, then the effect would be that it is indeed moving according to the course that God wants us to move in.

If it is indeed sound teaching, then we see that it is equipped more and more for the work of God. But in case it is the other way, where it is false teaching, where it is teaching that can divide, then it can also bring great damage. Great damage can be done by those who are irreverently handling the Word of God, who are handling the Word of God carelessly and putting themselves into a place which they were not called. by God to do. And we have to look at that portion also. Many places we see about the false teaching. In Acts 20, Paul warns the Ephesian elders how after his departure, there would be savage wolves, some even coming from within and who will distort truth. Truth has been given, they will distort truth.

Let's turn to Romans chapter 16 verse 17. Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. Mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine. So one of the ways divisions happen amongst the people of God is indeed through teaching something that differs. That is what heresy is in its root. heresy is to teach something that is different, diverse, that is not the truth, that departs from the truth. And then there are people who will go after that diversion, who will go after that distortion. And then there is groupism. And then you see the people of God getting divided based on such teaching, such differing, diverse, distorted truth being preached from the pulpit.

can result in actual realized divisions in the assemblies as well. We have seen a lot of dangers, we seen how carefully this must be handled. So how does one handle it then? We already mentioned, it must be realizing one's own weakness. Again, again, we stress, James is not trying to scare teachers away, he is not saying, don't ever think of teaching, don't ever think that you are able to teach, that's not the point here at all. But James is again and again giving us the gravity of the situation. And how may we approach it then? Firstly, knowing the weakness of our flesh, knowing that we are, like James puts it, it is so easy for us to be stumbling, it is so easy for us to offend others, especially through the use of our tongue.

And we ought to work on, indeed, living a life that... is consistent with the truth that is being preached. We saw the examples of the scribes or the Pharisees. That is the one thing that clearly shows them to be false teachers. They can say a lot of things, but there is no practicing of what they saying. Firstly, that is what needs to be always observed. In the case of Ezra, that's what we see. He set his heart to do three things. He wanted to know the Word of God, he wanted to obey it, and it is only then, the third thing that we see, He wanted to teach it to Israel. He wanted to know it, he wanted to obey it and then he wanted to teach it.

This obedient step, when skipped, then there are dangers in the ministry itself and for the health of the assembly. But how may we obey? And there comes the point of it is only by the Holy Spirit. We have a verse here in verse 7 that the tongue James says, how it is untameable for every kind of bees, of birds, of serpents, of things in the sea is tamed and had been tamed of mankind by man's power, by man's influence, man's genius, man's cleverness and strength and everything man has tamed everything every dangerous being but the tongue can no man tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison no man can tame. It's a very clear indication of what James is saying there. It is not going to be tamed manly by man's power, by the flesh, by the determination of the flesh, by the strength of the flesh, by the excellence of our flesh, be it our knowledge, be it our discipline, be it our anything.

The tongue is not going to be tamed by man. But it can be tamed by God. It must be tamed by the Holy Spirit of God. who resides within us. This alone is the way that we may see this so naturally prone to destruction object that is placed in our bodies, in our members. If it has to be reversed, if it has to be transformed for the work of God, it entirely has to be by the Spirit of God. We may read one verse also in that connection. Colossians 3 verse 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The use of the tongue is so reversed in the life of a believer. In the life of a natural man, it is not possible. They will not be able to tame their tongue. A believer also in his flesh, if he tries in his flesh to tame the tongue, he will fail. But there is a way that God has given to us, it is His Holy Spirit. He is the one who will transform, who is willing to transform and who can transform the use of our tongue to that which is fitting to Him and for His service. When one's life is in control of the Spirit of God in that way, then James' point also being, it is fitting for the ministry. as well. is fitting because there has been the very realization of the obedience of that power of God in one's life. It is also fitting that they are teaching, they are bringing out the truth of God through these tongues that have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. May His name be glory.

- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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We will turn our Bibles to James chapter 2. James chapter 2. Shall we read from verse 14 onwards? to the end of the chapter. James chapter 2 verse 14 onwards.

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

We thank God for this opportunity to continue the study of the book of James and we continue to pray to the Lord that He will bless the reading of His Word as well as the ministry of it. Last week, if you all remember, we were covering this very portion from verse 14 to 26 and we looked into detail about a faith that is dead. We tried to highlight why that is important to realize that there can be a kind of faith that is dead and how dangerous it is to be in that kind of a situation. And James is writing this with an elder heart, with a heart that wants to ensure that all who are under his care are indeed saved. He wants to ensure that they know very clearly about their situation, that they should not be amongst those who are surprised at the end. To have realized that they were never of the Lord, that they were never to begin with even of the Lord. And that's the concern with which James is addressing these topics. And here it is about faith and works. And we saw the problems with that kind of faith.

Firstly, that it was a delusional faith. Why do I say delusional? Because the person thinks that they truly believe, but in reality, they have a no real living or saving faith. We read about such kind of faith in Matthew chapter 7 verse 21, where there are many who will come to the Lord in the last days saying, Lord, Lord. So you see a set of people who are taking His name on their lips, who are professing Him to be their Lord, they are calling Him Lord, Lord. But as the Lord would look at them, He would say, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness, workers of iniquity, I never knew you. It's not that he stopped knowing them at some point or somehow they fell away, but rather I never knew you, clearly indicating that they were never his to begin with, because he knows all that are his, he knows his sheep by name and that's what it means and that they never really followed him, they never really believed in him. And so we are once again here in this topic, in this portion, where we today want to, in the grace of God, see more about that living faith. What does that living faith look like? And especially as it is shown to us in the examples before us.

Last week we had to more or less hurry through those examples, but today we want to particularly look deeper into the examples of Abraham and the example of Rahab and see what is that living faith. What is faith? According to James and before we look at that portion we can already see in the beginning of chapter 2 The way he presents that he says my brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Lord of Glory with respect of persons. A faith in the way James is bringing before us is not, clearly is not just intellectual affirmation or intellectual agreement to certain things but it is a thing that transforms one. It is causing a man, a person to change their way of living. It is something that influences their very direction, it guides them, it directs them, it restrains them, it causes them to be submissive to certain things. And that's why James is putting this together, that you cannot have the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ if we have truly come to see the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord. Not only as our saviour but as the one who is our Lord, if we have truly come to see Him as the Lord of glory, have seen His glory, have come to understand His glory, then that and having partiality, having respect of persons hand in hand cannot go together.

Why is that brought together? Because that's how James is looking at faith. It's not only intellectual affirmation of things, but it has to be something that changes one. It is something that has to transform one. That's also how other writers in the New Testament look at it as well when we look at John for example. That's exactly how John would also portray this new relationship, this new fellowship, this new communion that we have with the Lord. It's not just intellectual affirmation. It has to be something more than that. It has to be something that changes us, transforms us. So firstly, that's something that we want to remember as we read this portion of verse 14. It's not merely intellectual faith, intellectual understanding that James is referring to when he is referring to what faith according to him is. And we see that there is clearly a distinction as we noted last time that there can be a way to be delusional about one's own condition, about one's own faith. Not only that, we see that it is the kind of faith that demons have about God.

So we saw how even demons have a very orthodox doctrines. They have a very orthodox view of the Bible or the times to come or God or the Lord Jesus Christ, they know all these things very well. They are able to also reiterate that, tell it out in a very clear manner. But they are not saved. But they rather shudder, they tremble, they fear knowing the terror that God brings into their lives. That is also a kind of understanding, faith. So as we highlighted last time, one could be in such a position that they can tell out a creed very well that they know very clear facts about who God is, about what salvation looks like, about what the end times look like, about every such doctrine. But it could be at the end the same state as demons who know much but it has done nothing to transform them. Their only reaction response is fear, terror, shuddering, trembling at the sound of the Son of God and at the presence of God. It has not caused in them any kind of change. And lastly, we saw that that kind of faith is dead.

There is no life in that faith, which is not at all the way faith is presented before us throughout scripture. It is living, it moves, it works, it does something. It is not meant to be dead. And the wrong kind of faith, these are the characteristics of it. It is delusional. is the kind of faith demons have. It is also a dead faith. Now today we want to especially look at the portions where we are seeing about justification by works. It's something that has always continued to be a challenge to explain what does James mean when he's bringing before us the fact that there is justification by works. Abraham was justified by works and even so was Rahab justified by works. Let's first of all clarify certain things about justification itself. What is justification? It is to be declared righteous. It is to be made right with God. What does scripture tell us very clearly about justification? will have a quick review from Romans chapter 3. We talk to Romans chapter 3, verse 24. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Being justified freely by His grace. That's the first thing we note about justification. It is freely by His grace. The source, the one who has initiated it, the one who is giving it out is God. How is He doing it? Freely by grace. And grace simply means unmerited favor in this context that it cannot be of works, it cannot be that we labor in any way. towards achieving our justification, then it is simply not grace as it is given for us in the religious. That it cannot be grace if it is going to be any bit works involved in it. If there is any bit works involved, then God is a debtor to that person to reward him according to that works. It cannot be then of grace. That's very clear. The source is from God. It is by grace. It is given very freely. We turn to Romans chapter 5 verse 1, where we read, By faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We've seen justification is by grace. We're seeing now justified by faith.

So how does a man be justified? This is how God gives justification. It is by grace. What is man's part here? It is by faith. That is the only response from man to accept it with open hands, to accept it with entire trusting on who God is and what he gives witness. about His Son and about our own condition. So it is entirely by faith. In the same chapter we see verse 9, 5 verse 9, much more than being now justified by His blood. We shall be saved from wrath to Him, justified by grace, justified by faith, now justified by His blood. And this is for God to be just and the justifier of those who put their faith in Him. This justification, the means of it, the basis of it, the entire foundation is not even our faith, it is the blood of Jesus Christ who has died for our sins, upon whom our sins were slain, where God has paid the price entirely, so that sinners who believe in Him, their forgiveness can be achieved and by having faith in God, God imputes, God reckons, God counts.

God credits righteousness unto their account. This is how justification is seen in the scriptures. is by grace freely from God. It is by faith the part of man to put their entire trust on this witness of God. And thirdly, its basis, foundation is nothing of man but entirely by the blood of Jesus Christ. So why then are we talking about justification by works? One beautiful scripture, last time also we took that, which clearly puts all of this together is from Ephesians chapter 2. We read in verse 8, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. It cannot be of works. so that there is no provision, no place for anyone to boast that God gave me justification, God gave me salvation because of my works, it's not of works. But here comes the second part of it or the consequence of this kind of justification, of this kind of salvation.

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. You see the whole chain coming together. If one is truly saved by grace, through faith, if one is truly saved, what is going to follow? Good works. Why? Because such a person is created as a workmanship in Christ Jesus unto good works which God beforehand ordained that he or she should walk in them. It's entirely coming from God. So the works very clearly is not the reason for our justification. It's not the cause for our justification, but rather it is the consequence of our justification. If one is saved, if one is justified, what will happen? They are seen to be evidently the workmanship of God. They seem to be the workmanship in Christ Jesus. You see that they are coming or they are those who are unto good works, creator unto good works which God beforehand ordained that they should walk in there.

Returning back to James and today we are particularly looking at the examples that James brings before us, Abraham and Rahab. This is the question that James has to us, was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Now when Abraham is called as a father. It's a very good way of calling Abraham and bringing him before us as an example of faith. Because not only to the Jews in a physical way that he is their father, in Galatians chapter 3, we read how Abraham is a father to all who would have like faith, faith like him. They are all spiritually in that way his children. Abraham becomes a kind of model, a kind of type, a kind of case or a specimen of God to show this is how faith looks like, this is how faith in me looks like, this is the kind of life that comes out when one has faith in Him. And so all who believe in God in like manner are called to be the children of Abraham.

The Jews took great pride in being identified as the children of Abraham, but we know when we look at the Gospel of John, how the Lord would equate Being a child of someone, necessarily imparts some kind of characteristics, some kind of behaviour that is consistent with the father. So those who took great pride in their physical descent from Abraham, the Lord was very particular in telling them, examine your works. You not working or you are not behaving, you are not responding as Abraham did to me. Abraham saw my day, he rejoiced, he was glad, but you rather you are... rejecting me, my word has no place in you and they were bound or they were very eager to reject him entirely and in that they were showing that they were murderers, were liars and they were rather showing the characteristics of the devil from the beginning is a murderer and a liar. So in that context children are to have the characteristics of the father. So if one is the child of Abraham, we will see that there are those characteristics, those spiritual characteristics also of how they are to be.

So when James is calling here Abraham our father, it's in that context as well. It is largely addressed to Jewish audience, but also very clearly from Galatians we can support that. For all who will believe in God in like manner as Abraham did, he is unto us in that way a father of faith, a model of faith to follow. Now, when did Abraham begin believing in the Lord? When did we have to look at the journey to understand what is James talking about here? We see beginning from chapter 12 verse 1, where God or in the words of Stephen, in Acts how he would say the God of glory appeared unto Abraham and he spoke this word to Abraham that he had to... come away from his kindred, come away from his country and he had to leave everything that he knew about and come to a place which was not named, come to a place which he had no contact with, nothing he knows. Faith began there. Abraham in chapter 12 verse 1 believed in what God said and he simply obeyed. He went ahead and he took his journey towards Canaan.

Now we come to chapter 15 of Genesis. which is the most critical part in all of this discussion. Genesis 15 verse 5, And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And note verse 6, He believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. This is the moment when we see in scripture recorded that Abraham believed and that belief was counted, credited, reckoned, accounted for as righteousness. His faith was given back or was created as righteousness unto Abraham. This is the moment when Abraham believed what God said. In the book of Romans, we see what this belief was about. Abraham saw the deadness of his body. He saw the deadness of Sarah's womb, but believed in the one who promised that he was able to do what he had promised. That was the faith of Abraham that, yes, God will indeed provide me such a promise.

He believed and for that it was reckoned to him as righteousness. So that is the moment in scripture, clear, that that is where it starts with. Abraham, we know, had to go through multiple rounds of trials, testings as he went on his journey in faith. And finally, we would read of the great testing that he had and that was... in chapter 22, which is what James is referring to. So we come to chapter 22 of Genesis. Here is the test of faith that Abraham had to undergo. So we are clear. When was Abraham justified? Long back in chapter 15. Here comes a test. said, Take now thy son, thy only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of. Here was Isaac, the only visible representation of any of the promises that the Lord gave to Abraham.

Everything depends on this one boy who he got after so much waiting. Abraham has not seen multitudes, Abraham has not seen many children, Abraham has not seen anything in terms of the fulfillment of the promise, but just this one boy and everything rests on this one boy and the Lord is telling him now that Him, your son, your only son, the one whom you love, take him and offer him unto me in Mount Moriah. Why was the Lord doing that? Why was the Lord testing Abraham's faith? It's a question that we ought to consider. When we look in the book of Job again, what do we see there? It is the Lord giving testimony about His servant, that here is one who fears Me, who shuns evil. This is the testimony from God. was God doubting Job's faith there. Rather, God was bringing to light, God was commending the faith of Job. And such faith was then tested fiercely to show indeed that it was genuine living faith, true faith.

And something similar is happening here with Abraham also. Faith is there and it was now going to be tried, it was going to be tried very fiercely. And we see in this journey that Abraham takes a very clear faith from Abraham. Verse 5, we read, said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. Abraham already before going, he will tell, I will come again to you. It's not just I, but both of them are going to come again to you. Verse 8. Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamp for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together. Abraham goes with that faith that whatever is required for the offering, it is going to come from the Lord Himself. But now comes the ending, the conclusion of that test in verse 12. He said, lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him.

For now I know that thou fearst God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me. The word used there, please notice that. For now I know that thou fearst God. There is a difference in saying that one believes in God and one fears God. It is in stark contrast to the response of the demons. There is also fear there that James just... highlighted to us. They are trembling, they are shuddering, they are frightened, they are filled with terror. But this fear is different. This is reverential fear. This is fear which is in awe of the one that they are fearing. It is a fear which, as we were discussing, directs. It is a fear which causes one to be submissive gladly towards the one whom they fear. So here in all of this that happened, Abraham clearly showed, what did he show? That he feared God, that he was willing entirely to submit himself to the God in whom he believed.

And you see that's clearly the point that James wants us to understand as well. Faith results in works. What kind of works? Last week we saw what kind of works it cannot be. we looked at the portion from Galatians, it cannot be any kind of works that brings confidence to the flesh, to glory in oneself and that's any human ritual, that's anything that is a tradition, that's anything that we may look as of the flesh which includes church attendance, which includes taking part in the Lord's Supper, which includes baptism, which includes circumcision, which includes anything that we would like to put confidence in the flesh as this is the reason, these are the reasons why I think I am saved and James or Paul very clearly highlights that's not what we are after. is very particular in addressing that issue in Galatians. You have started with faith, now we are not going to continue our journey suddenly with works of the law. We have started with faith, it's not midway that we are now suddenly going to take confidence by being submissive or submitted to the law.

of the Old Testament and therefore bring upon ourselves another burden which nobody can bear. It's also as we saw not works which claim to have been done in His name like performing miracles, like casting out demons or in way where lot of miracles are being done in His name. But then what are those works? There are some works that James really wants us to understand which should follow fate. And our conclusion is very clear, it is works of obedience. is works of obedience. James has been stressing about that very thing from the beginning. When we look at chapter 1, he's been trying to tell us who God is. He's given us a clear impression of who God is. And what has God done to bring us forth as a new creation? It was to the Word of Truth. And he was putting so much significance, so much attention on... the Word of God in the life of a believer.

It has to be like an engrafted word. We cannot neglect it. We have to look into it deeper and not just look and forget what we read, but we have to also comply ourselves to it, adhere ourselves to it, submit ourselves to the Word of God and change ourselves by it. In Chapter 2 also, it is a clear continuation of that very topic that it is, how are we looking at the Word of God? Is our faith that we have in the Law of Jesus Christ, has that changed our way of looking at the Word of God, of treating its commands, of treating its desires that God has towards us? Chapter 2, starting about the partiality topic we saw. It is necessary that those who have faith in the Law of Jesus Christ, their behaviour is going to be adhering to it. Why? One of the reasons. Otherwise, you are a transgressor of the commandment. The Royal Law, the Law that tells, love your neighbour as yourself, that Law which ties up the entire Old Testament Law or the entire Law of God is broken, is shattered.

Why not? or by being partial, we are in effect being transgressors of the commandment. We are not keeping the word of God. And then we see here in the same continuation, faith must result, will result in works. What are those works? They are not works of the flesh. They are not works of the law, but rather they works of obedience. The illustration that James gave us about the brother coming in or sister coming in and having need, again... When one meets that need, what are they doing? They are obeying the commandment. They are being obedient to the word of the Royal Law to love one's neighbor as yourself. What has Abraham just now shown to us from chapter 15, chapter 12 onwards? What is characteristic of Abraham? It is obedience. His faith that he had really resulted in what? Obedience. Lord says to come out of that country, he obeys. Lord says to do...

To go to the next place, Abraham obeys. Lord tells to offer His son on the altar, Abraham again obeys. This is the work that follows faith, its works of obedience. We know what Abraham was thinking all along while he was going up the mountain. He really believed in God that God would even raise his son from the dead. That's how he logically concluded what's going to happen with Isaac. Even if I have to kill Isaac, offer him up, he was so confident God is going to actually raise him up. The first resurrection is going to happen there that God will raise Isaac up and give him back to Abraham. So this is what we see there that when James is Talking about works, it is works of obedience which necessarily are a compliment to faith. There is no conflict whatsoever between works and faith and we need not be worried about it. Rather it is entirely about a compliment that works should follow those true faith. Abraham is called here.

a friend of God. Before that in verse 23, what do we see here? Scripture was fulfilled which said the very same scripture we read in Genesis chapter 15, how Abraham believed and it was counted to him for righteousness. The word used here is it is fulfilled. That righteousness which God gave to Abraham, it is seen to be very perfect. It is seen to have been fulfilled when Abraham obeyed. It is a fulfillment of that word that God said concerning Abraham that we see when he offered up Isaac or was willing to offer up Isaac on the altar. Verse 22 we see faith works together with works. So they are in cooperation. They are in no way conflict. So one has faith it will work together with the works of obedience in order to work the works of God. Now as we look at Abraham we can of course learned so much from Abraham, but the question also arises, was Abraham a perfect man in any way?

We know how many times he fell, how many times he also sinned, how many times he would fall short of the glory of God. And that's also the point we must stress on here. By what James means in terms of works of obedience or faith is followed by works is not referring to sinlessness as also John in the first episode, in the first chapter, very clearly tells us. He writes all of it that he may sin not, but indeed if any do sin, then we have a advocate for us, Jesus Christ the righteous. It is his blood that becomes the propitiation for our sins. The path that we are to take, the life direction, the life pattern that should evidence one who has true faith is works of obedience. is an entirely different view towards the Word of God that he truly wants to obey. Abraham is also called here a friend of God. So let's also turn to John chapter 15. A friend of God, who do we call a friend?

We read from the Old Testament, he is not actually called a friend in the book of Genesis. All throughout his life we don't read in Genesis him being called a friend, but his life evidenced what a friend looks like to God. He had a communion with God. God did not want to hide the future things from Abraham and particularly we see obedience, a submission to all that God would reveal unto him. And in like manner, very like manner, Lord Jesus calls us, His disciples, friends. John chapter 15 verse 14. You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. Couldn't be more clearer than this. You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. This is how friends, according to the Lord Jesus Christ, are. Those who are His friends, firstly, they will do whatsoever He... command, just like Abraham towards the Lord, what so the Lord told, he obeyed. Not only that, they are also having a communion, they are having insight into the heart of the Lord, into the will of the Lord.

We read that in verse 15, Henceforth I call you not bondmen, not servants, for servant knoweth not what is Lord to it. But I have called you friends. Why? For all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you. There is communion, there is this clear revelation from the Lord Jesus to His disciples. They are coming to know the secret things of God. These two characteristics are what defines a friend in the scriptures in this manner. Abraham's life demonstrates that. And again, for us as an application, that's what is meant here. That just like Abraham is called a friend of God, if we are also to be called a friend of the Lord Jesus, this is what we characterize as. We will know His will. We will do what serverly commands us. Now we move to the next example of Rahab. Now it could not have been a more polar opposite example that James could take.

Abraham is a very likely candidate to show us about faith. But why Rahab? If you look at it, are so different from each other. Abraham a man, Rahab a woman. Abraham the one to whom all the promises were given. Rahab far away, far away from any covenant, any promises. nothing to do with any of these things. Abraham is the patriarch of Israel. Rahab, she is a prostitute. She was a prostitute. Abraham is the father of Israel and you have Rahab who is a canonite. She is a gentile, she is a heathen. Such different people and James wants both of them together and he wants to show us that the principle of faith works likewise, whether it is for Jew, whether it is for a Gentile, the principle of faith is going to work likewise. And we must again turn to what Rahab was doing. Joshua chapter 2 verse 9, few words that you want to note about Rahab's testimony.

Verse 9 of Joshua chapter 2, and she said unto the men, I know, I know that the Lord has given you the land. and that your terror is fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. Verse 10, for we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you and so forth. She will describe. There is one knowledge that she has got of the Lord and she tells how that knowledge was not only for her but to many in that land. The response from them like the demons, it was filled with terror. They were filled with terror that this is the Lord who is going to command. attackers, but a response that was not seen in anyone else is seen in Rahab. A response that was like of the demons is seen in the rest of the canonites, but in Rahab it began to cause a change in her. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and Rahab had heard what the Lord had done.

He had heard of His mighty works and that's what caused her to have faith in the Lord. And again we see what does Rahab do. It would have been very easy for her to simply say these bold statements and to give a very nice oration of what she thinks of the Lord, declare things about the Lord. But if she would not have acted according to that faith, it was not going to save her. If she had not hidden the men in her house, if she had not told the king also a different story concerning the men and if she had not sent the men away in another direction after a few days. She would not have received that privilege of being saved from the attack that was to come. And that's what is primarily what James is trying to say. Let's put it all together. One is justified by faith. A man, a woman, a person is justified by faith. And here we see faith being justified by works.

I hope that makes sense. So you have Abraham being justified by faith. How do know Abraham's faith is real faith? How do we know that anyone's faith that they say, yes, I believe, yes, I believe this about the Lord Jesus, yes, I believe this about God, I believe this about myself. How do we know that is true? It's really to be believed. It is justified, it is vindicated. That's also another meaning of the root Greek word there. not only to declare righteous but to be vindicated that that faith is justified by the works, it evidences. What does Hebrews tell us about faith? Faith is the evidence of things. It shows when there is real faith, it shows what we are actually believing in. It's not invisible. Faith rather in the New Testament is something that can be seen, should be seen through works. That's how James Cell concludes because just as a dead body cannot move, cannot show that there is no life.

Why? Because there is no life. It's just an outward thing, outward expression of something. But there is no life. Such is faith without works because in reality there is no faith. In reality there is no living, genuine faith which otherwise should certainly be seen in works. If faith is not followed by works, then there has never been real faith, there has never been real salvation. Such a person is still in their sins and they need to truly know who the Lord is, not just intellectually, but to commit oneself entirely unto such knowledge, to be filled with awe, reverential fear, such that it causes one to be submissive, to obey the word that the Lord gives. Such is the life that will characterize. And there we see But indeed, is entirely consistent with everything that we read in the New Testament writings. It's entirely consistent with all that we read. In conclusion, we also look at the great grace of God in all of this.

So, as we look at these two characters, Abraham and Rahab, they are mentioned in New Testament writings. Where do we see them? Together. We see them together in beautiful ways. So in Matthew's genealogy, we see Abraham, begins with Abraham, then comes to David, comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. Who's there in between? We see Rahab, Rahab the harlot. She's there in between. She's the one who gives birth to Boaz, who was to be the great-grandfather of King David. We look to Hebrews chapter 11. There you see Abraham, great man of faith. He so many great things. But they right there. You have who? Rahab. Why? By faith. That is the grace of God that he takes that kind of faith. He does not look at their background. He does not look at how qualified they are or they are not, their whole history.

Nothing. All of that is taken away and they are seen to be in the same standing in principle of faith how God uses such lives, every life, every person who puts their faith in this living God. And that's what we also can be encouraged by knowing that it is not about our faith, it's about our God. It's not about how well we are, how great we are, but rather it is entirely about how great are Goddess and how great are His purposes for those who are in Christ Jesus, who put their faith in Christ Jesus. What God achieved in Abraham, He also was able to achieve through Rahab. Like through them came Christ Jesus. That just as Abraham is part of the cloud of witnesses that encourages us to go, leave behind everything and go in the parts of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rahab is also a cloud of witness in encouraging us. to go forward out of the camp like our Saviour did. May we continue in these words, in the meditation of these words and in applying these truths into our lives. May his name alone be glorified.

- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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"What doth it profit my brethren, though a man say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, notwithstanding, give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yeah.

A man may say, thou hast faith and I have works, show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well, the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. You see then, how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way. For as a body without spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. May God bless us in the reading of this word.

We have been looking at the Epistle of James and we have been seeing as a short summary for everyone. We have been looking from the first chapter onwards in the first verse and we have been seeing firstly, right perspective on certain things and we saw about trials in the first chapter. Right perspective on trials was for our perfection. It was for patient's endurance as a character trait to become us, not something separate, but we ourselves becoming in that way, growing in that way in endurance, endurance becoming a part of us. That's the right perspective to see trials.

A right perspective on temptations, to see that why are we tempted? It's not God who tempts us, it's not even the devil who tempts us, but we, own lusts are the things that take us captive. It's our own sinful, lustful desires that take us captive towards the bait that is laid before us in the world or by the devil. That is the right perspective towards temptations. The right perspective also towards the Word of God in understanding how important it has been from the very beginning by God in giving us birth, this new birth, and how we are to therefore consider it for our perfection, that it has to be like an engrafted word.

It has in it the ability to grow and God desires that it will grow in us, bring forth fruit in us. And you also see it as the ones who should obey it, who should not be casual onlookers or it is not enough just to hear, just to listen, just to be present in a study, but indeed to look, to see and to correct oneself, just like one would correct one's appearance before a mirror. And then we saw the right perspective towards religion, that there is indeed a pure and undefiled form of religion. We often associate religion always as a negative thing, but no.

James here gives us in verse 27, there is a pure, there is an undefiled form of religion, and religion simply means the external observance of what you believe in, or the external observance of the worship that we want to offer. And so that is also clearly shown to us in the right perspective towards religion. Last week we looked at the right perspective towards people. We cannot, we are not to have partiality, we cannot have respect of persons, those who hold on to the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot hand in hand be partial towards people. And it's not given as a light thing.

But we saw how it breaks the entire commandment, how it calls us or convicts us as transgressors of the law, how it condemns us. And it's not a light thing. In that way we saw that it is going to bring upon judgment on anybody who would practice partiality. It's not a light thing. Today we go one more step further and we're going to look at the right perspective towards faith. We have read that portion from verse 14 to 26. It's a clear division or a new section of this epistle. What is the right perspective towards faith?

This is a portion which when Martin Luther especially read this portion saying that we have to be justified by works, thereafter classified the Epistle of James as not something that's reliable or not something that was so important as we hold on to the Pauline Epistles. But of course we know that this is the Word of God and therefore we have to interpret it also consistently with everything else that scripture shows to us. And firstly, we looking at verse 1, where James talks about, here is a person who is confessing something, he's saying something. He says he has faith.

That's a clear distinction here that we want to make. This person says he has faith. There is a saying involved, he has faith. The Bible is very often talking to us about a kind of faith that's not genuine. And that's one of the sad realities and a very serious thing for all who are associated with the church or all who are often found along with believers to carefully consider one's own situation and the situation also of those who are around us. What kind of faith is it really? Genuine faith, living faith or is it a saying faith? Is it a, in fact, dead faith?

In 2 Peter 1 verse 10, will be taking quite a few portions today as we cover this very important topic. In 2 Peter 1 verse 10, we read about Peter saying, Peter is exhorting the ones whom he is writing to, to make your election and calling sure, be certain of the salvation that you have received, that indeed you are saved, to put it in simple words. Turn with me to John chapter 8 verse 31. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, if you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

See, the Lord is addressing certain people who, after he had had this conversation with the Pharisees, after he had clearly kind of triumphed over their debates, their arguments, some people are again turning towards him or appearing to believe in Him, appearing to put some kind of trust in Jesus. And to such, the Lord is saying, if you will continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed, then you will know the truth indeed, then you will be free indeed. And we know how this passage will end in chapter 8. At the end, they are going to pick up stones to stone the Lord Jesus.

The same people who He began in verse 31, those whom He believed, those whom believed in Him, as He continued to reveal Himself, as He continued rather to reveal themselves to them, that they are slaves to sin, that there is this sin problem, this sin issue that has to be addressed, there is this giving up of oneself, there is the taking up of the cross, and there is the need for the Saviour to die for your sins. As all these things came up, they are ending up beginning to pick up stones to... the Lord Jesus. So the Bible is quite clear in that way.

It's not a James alone thinking, but it's very widespread. Paul also speaks in that same way, that those who are believers, those who come to some kind of knowledge, some kind of knowledge of who God is, of what sin is, of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, to see in their lives a clear change, a clear transformation, a clear evidence of the change that has happened inside. It is not enough just to be confessors, but those who truly confess, those who truly have faith, we will start seeing that playing out or working out in their lives.

Now then it comes to the very important question, what kind of works are we talking about here? Because James, in the first verse that we read, if a man say he hath faith and hath not works, what kind of works are we talking about here? Again, let's take up your portions. Galatians chapter 6 verse 12. So, way of classifying these works are simply works of the flesh which give opportunity to have confidence in the flesh. Okay, so one way to classify those works that are not what James is talking about is works of the flesh that in turn give confidence in the flesh.

James or Paul is talking at that time about circumcision, that there were people who wanted to get circumcised or wanted others to be circumcised so that they can have confidence in the flesh. Paul warns them that if you want to be circumcised, then be under the whole law and obey entirely every commandment of the law. But we see clearly that kind of work, it can be anything today. You could take anything for that matter in today's context. It could be baptism, it could be church attendance. It could be any activity.

Our confidence, what I mean to say, if our confidence is that we have been baptized, is that we have come to church gatherings, is that we are active in certain activities, that is not the works that James is talking about here. When he says that a man should have works, that faith will follow or faith will be followed by works, these kind of works which can give confidence in the flesh is not the... what James is trying to talk about here. There is also another kind of works which are not what James is trying to tell you that we see in Matthew chapter 7 verse 10, and this most clearly highlights the danger of those who are self-deceived.

We read from verse 7, chapter 7, verse 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works. Here are those who are in some way associated with the Lord. They call Him Lord, Lord. They even go ahead do works in His name. What all works? Prophesying, casting out demons, many wonderful works or mighty works or miracles, all works in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to them the Lord says, then we lie professed unto them, I never knew you.

Important note, I never knew you, they were never His to begin with. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. And there you have the clear definition of what work is being referred to here. These professors, these who say we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, what are their real works like? Works of iniquity, works of lawlessness, works that refuse to submit under the lordship of Christ. It is easy to call somebody master, lord, kurios, all these things, but if the life does not reflect that submission, if the life is not submissive to the very law of this master, to the will of this master, then that is what is said in Matthew, iniquity, lawlessness, transgressing, all of these things.

And that's the real issue here that James is addressing. If a man say he has faith and does not have works, does not have any work to suggest this change in disposition towards the one he calls Lord, the master, James says, what profit does such faith have? We never think nowadays about faith that way, that what does it profit? We are now used to a kind of preaching of the gospel since the last less than 100 years, where we talk less about repentance, where we talk less about the Lordship of Christ, where we talk less about the need to take up your cross and follow Him.

It's more about the invitations, it's more about believing, it's more about coming. And we know in scripture there is a balance. It's not that this way or that way is right and wrong, but there is always a clear balance shown in the scriptures. And the danger lies when we leave one part of the balance and go forward towards or wholly within one aspect of... And so, James' question, what does it profit? We hardly think in that way about faith, that should my faith even profit anything? Should my faith even be for some advantage?

We think of faith as, I have believed in the Lord Jesus, yes, I am saved and yes, eternity is secured for me. But do we think of our faith in terms of what advantage does my faith have? And then we'll look at to whom and in what regard? But firstly, just to introspect oneself and to think what advantage and the word profit there is from the root of heaping up, gathering, treasuring up. So our profession of faith, our saying of faith, one man's saying of faith, what does it eventually amount to? What is it all heaping up to? What is going to be the eventual outcome of it?

And in this portion that we are considering, we are going to see it how it should profit oneself, how it should profit others, how it should profit even God. You're going to see that as we look at each of these illustrations. Primarily, James puts in verse 14, can faith save him? It's essentially meant to save us. If that faith is to be profitable, it's meant indeed to save us. That's the first thing. That this kind of faith, genuine living faith, should profit us in that way that, yes, it leads to my salvation. It saves me.

And this is topic, or this is the portion, which most clearly speaks about dead faith. That there is a futility, there is a vanity associated with dead faith. And James is a very... the writing is very Old Testament-like in that way, where we see a lot of times, vanity is not simply just being in vain, just being empty, but it's almost equivalent to idolatry. It's almost towards idolatry how vanity is described. And therefore, profiting in that way must be seen in that same context. What is it leading us to? Is it leading us to vanity, utter destruction, emptiness like the vapor?

Or is it actually going to amount to something? And that's the question James puts. And why does James do that? And why should we do that? Why should this be a conversation, why should this be a topic that we must also continually remember, continually teach, continually exhort one another regarding because it's important that we make the salvation of people certain. Our focus should be in ensuring that each one is safe rather than being more focused on assuring that people are safe. You get the difference I hope. Assuring people that they are safe is to put our efforts as much as possible to convince them that they are saved, but rather it should be to ensure the salvation of each one that we know of.

And so we begin this portion in studying. This is the clear background in how James is going to approach this topic. We must also approach it in that way scripturally. He brings before us three examples, illustrations. First one is negative in how we should not be. That's about the brother who comes in and how somebody replies to them. Then there is an example of Abraham, a good example of what faith real faith, genuine faith looks like. And then we will also see the excellent example of Rahab, of how she demonstrates also genuine faith.

Firstly, the person who comes in verse 15, so notice who is coming here. It's a brother or a sister. It's not even someone from just the world. It's not even an unbeliever. It's a brother or a sister. It's someone in the church, someone in our gathering. Now as we look at that, once we define that part, then there are also other guidelines concerning how the church is responsible for the welfare of the poor or those who need help in the church. We know clearly that firstly it is our own responsibility, that is the provider in the house, that is their own responsibility to work and therefore thereafter eat.

Not only that, but also to provide for one's household. Not only that, but if there are... those who are in need of the family, then it is their responsibility to also ensure that such people are taken care of, so that the church can indeed help those who are really in need, those who have nobody near and dear to help. So that is very clearly from the other guidelines that we have from scripture. So let's take this as the genuine case, a person, a brother or sister who has no other person to help, who has no means of getting help.

And it's a genuine need. You see here, naked, destitute of daily food. These are the very basic essential needs. We are not talking about any form of luxury here. This is essential. This is survival. Naked and destitute of daily food. Now, how it would look like if someone would respond in this way? Depart in peace. Be warmed and filled. That is saying, that is saying, that is well wishing. And James is very wishful with all his examples and the topics he wants. We have seen about a wave, we have seen about the mirror, we have seen about the other person coming in, the poor and the rich man.

Now we have another example. This is happening. And one person says, wishing him well, be warmed, be filled. Question is, does that saying... does that saying amount to anything? Is it good for anything at all? Very clearly the answer is there. It does nothing. It profits absolutely nothing. Now take that same logic, same logic, and apply that to the person who says he has faith. And that's the main topic here. So sometimes we take it to mean that we are, this is a teaching about helping those who are in need. Of course, that is to be done.

But James' primary focus is here to show us the logic here. Here is a man who well wishes somebody, but does nothing about it. Does no work towards it? Will the valuation do any profit to that one who is in need? Clear answer, no. Take that logic here. Here is a man who says he has faith, he has no works to evidence that faith. Will that saying profit that man in any way? The answer is clear, no. It's not going to profit him to the saving of his soul.

And that's a dangerous place to be. And that's why James is putting it, that if people are self-deceived about their salvation, it's an urgent need. James is not going to, as an elder, let that be. He is going to address it and he wants to make sure that they understand truly where they stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 17 we read, even so, just like that, just like this example has been given to us, even so faith, if it had not works, is dead being alone. I think that example is quite clear.

It was one brother who in the past said like this, justification is by faith alone, certainly. But that faith is never alone. It's very well put that way. The justification is by faith alone, but that faith, that kind of faith is never alone. What he means is from this clear passage that such faith is evidenced by good works. Does other scriptures support this? Let's take Ephesians chapter 1. It is the most clear portion for us regarding salvation by grace through faith. We read in verse 8, chapter 2, verse 8, By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

Now look at verse 10, Yes, we are justified by faith. Yes, are saved by grace alone, through faith alone. Absolutely no works contribute to our salvation, to our standing before God to justify us. But when God saves a person in this manner, it's not us who made it, but God Himself has created such as His workmanship in Christ Jesus unto good works that He has before ordained that we should walk in them. These good works are simply very clearly, very scripturally, the evidence of genuine faith that should follow true salvation.

Verse 18 onwards we see something of the display, display of that faith. Now James imagines a situation where suppose as he is addressing this topic somebody feels very wrong about it, that how can we say like that faith or salvation is entirely by faith alone. This talk about works is not right, it's not scriptural. And James imagines that kind of situation and he brings before us that kind of a visual. Verse 18, yeah, a man may say, thou hast faith and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith by my works.

One person says, I have faith. James says, I have faith... let this man who says he has faith show his faith. And James says, I will show you my faith by my works. Now if I was to put it in this way, if I want to know does this room, this house, is there power supply to this house, if I ask that question, how do I find it out? I look up, I hear the mic is working, the fan is going on, lights are on, the power supply is there in this house. The same goes with many of these things which we cannot say, see.

Be it magnet fields, be it radio waves, be it wind, we cannot see these things. But you feel that it is there. When it is there, when it is moving, when it is working, its presence is clearly evidenced. And that's also somewhat what faith should look like. That when faith is there, when genuine living faith is there, it must be seen. If there is electricity in this house, we expect it is there, right? Things should work, things should start moving. And similarly, let's put it that way, that when there is faith, it should be seen, it cannot be hidden.

That genuine changing must be evidenced, there is a clear display of it. Verse 19. Now here comes a dangerous part of how James is not mincing words at all. I think we have already come to that place where we see the reality of this kind of distinction in faith which the Bible speaks about that many will be found in the last days when the Lord is returning to have thought I am a follower of Him. I have believed in Him. I have I have been saved but to their utter shock, utter dismay, they are going to find themselves as workers of iniquity.

That's a reality that scripture very clearly tells us about. James here is putting it to a entirely different level altogether. He tells about demons. Verse 19, Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well. The demons, devils also believe. So there now we see clearly what James is referring to. What kind of faith has James been talking about? What do you think it is? Let's look at the doctrines of what the demons believe in. Right? I collected a few verses. Let's look at Mark chapter 3 verse 11.

Let's see what the demons know about God. Mark chapter 3 verse 11. This is what they say about Jesus. Unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried saying, Thou art the Son of God. They have recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Good doctrine of Christ or Christology. Matthew chapter 8 verse 9... Now I've got that couple more. No, I can't find that verse. But the demons also have very clear eschatology. They know their appointed time of judgment. They know when they are supposed to be judged.

When the Lord Jesus Christ came in order to already deliver people from their position, they would cry out in that manner. Turn to also Acts chapter 19 verse 15. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, Paul I know, but who are ye? They know the Holy Spirit when he is in work. Jesus I know, Paul I know, Paul working by the Holy Spirit and while someone else was trying to call upon the name of Jesus without the Holy Spirit, the demons also recognized the power of the Holy Spirit. My point being here, what scripture tells us about demons, about what they know of God, is that they have good doctrine.

They know who God is. They know who Jesus is. They know who the Holy Spirit is. They know how things are going to end. And that's the danger. That's the danger that James is telling. We could be occupied in a life of intellectual study. We could take up courses. We could mug up things. We could be very accurate in our confessions concerning the Trinity, concerning the Lordship of Christ, concerning Christology and end up in the situation or the outcome or the end of demons because James says that is intellectual faith, that is knowledge that we have gathered up, that is knowledge that we have loaded up into our heads.

It has done nothing to change. No matter what revelation is given to a demon concerning God, they're not going to love righteousness. They're not going to love God for who He is. They're not going to surrender themselves to accomplish the will of God. They are continuously in rebellion, continuously trying to plot against the purposes of God. And that is clearly what James is talking about. True, genuine faith is not merely knowledge. It's not merely having accepted certain facts, but it transforms.

It makes us desire Him, desire the things that He desires. John puts it in other ways that because he loved us, we start loving him. Because he loves his children, we start loving his children. And that's what James is also talking here, that if indeed there is genuine faith, there will be evidence of it and there will be not just intellectual knowledge, affirmation of certain doctrines of God, but there will be a life surrendered to Him. And we will see that that is indeed what James is talking about. What kind of works? We did not actually answer that.

We said it is not what it is. We said it is not any work that... eventually leads to confidence in the flesh, take baptism, church attendance, take any activity. That is not the evidence. It's also certainly not prophesying in His name, miracles in His name, casting out demons in His name. So then what? What kind of works? Verse 20, He says, But wilt thou know, O vain man? Now here is where He's really calling it out. O vain man, this usage in scripture is not for a believer.

When a person is addressed as a vain man, as one who is pursuing vanity, one whose efforts, labours are all going into just vanity, that's the path of destruction. That's the path of the unbeliever. That's the one who is in opposition with God. We read about Psalm 127 in the past. Have studied that Psalm, where we saw that there is a vain labour. It's not only that that labor amounts to nothing, but that labor is in direct rebellion to what God is laboring. God is busy, God is working towards His Kingdom, whereas certain people are entirely laboring in rebellion to what He is doing for themselves, for their own Kingdom.

They are not laboring for what God is laboring in. And James is going to bring before us two important examples of how living faith looks like. Firstly, Abraham, verse 21, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Now this very same usage is what Paul takes up in Romans chapter 4 to tell us very clearly that was not Abraham our father justified by faith. And it is clear, I'm not going to stress on that point, we are all very clear on the fact that justification is by faith alone.

Faith is all that makes one right before God. But we see here what James is saying. It's not concerning when he was justified before God, when he was righteous before God, but how his faith was working together with his works to achieve the fulfillment, achieve what God wanted to achieve. We may read Genesis, our time is running short, but let's try Genesis chapter 22 and a few things I want us to notice from that incident, that every work, every step Abraham was making in that journey was a display of his faith.

Genesis 22, we look at verse 5 firstly. And Abraham said unto his young man, we know this story, the Lord is telling Abraham at the very end towards the end of his life or after having gone through lot of years of crime, how he has to offer up Isaac. Abraham says in verse 5, Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. Note that, come again to you. He said, I and the lad will go, we'll come again to you.

That's faith there. That's absolute faith there. Verse 8, Abraham said, My son God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Abraham is approaching this sacrifice knowing that every offering unto God it's not of himself. It is what God has given that he is offering back to God. God will provide the offering and we know how that is eventually fulfilled. But even more interestingly, we read in Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews chapter 11, verse 17, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac.

And he that received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Everything God promised him was resting on this one boy, the great multitude of nations that were to come, every promise that is to be fulfilled, everything is resting on this only begotten son. Verse 19, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. You see what Abraham was doing there? Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. Abraham's was not blind faith as we would put it. He was reasoning in his mind.

All the promises rest on Isaac being there. Isaac has to be alive. Isaac has to live on. If God's covenant with me has to be fulfilled, if God's promises, if God's faithfulness has to remain vindicated, Isaac has to remain alive. So even if God is asking me to offer up Isaac today, the only logical explanation is God is going to raise him up from the dead. It is with such faith that he went up the mountain. It is with such faith that he bound up Isaac.

It is with such faith, and you see the works. You see the works associated, partnering, co-energizing, synergizing with the works. That's what Abraham ended up doing, faith working together with works. We look to Hebrews chapter 11, we just now touch that part, and it is the hall of fame of the faithful, men and women of faith. What do we see? How do we know that they were faithful? By faith Abel, you see so many verbs, Abel offered. By faith Enoch was translated, why? Before this, he had this testimony.

By faith Noah, what did he do? Prepared an Ark. By faith Abraham, you already saw, was called out, he left. By faith Abraham offered up Isaac. By faith Isaac blessed. By faith Jacob also blessed. By faith Joseph, knowing the promised land, told the Israelites, take my bones from here when you leave. This is not the end. There is a time coming when God will fulfill His covenant. Take my bones from here then. And so on and on the Hebrew writer says, by faith...

People have accomplished so much. They have brought righteousness, have subdued lions, they have delivered so many things by faith. Their faith was most clearly visible. That is living faith. That is genuine faith. It cannot be anything else. Genuine biblical faith that saves is living. It cannot be dead. We look at the last example of Rahab. James chapter two. Likewise also, just like that, you have seen Abraham being justified by his works or Abraham's faith becoming evident to all that indeed he is justified, the fact that Abraham is justified being evident to all through the work that he did.

That very same way, it is going to be for Rahab also. By faith, likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works. Joshua 2 verse 8. We must turn to that foot also. Here again we have the stark difference between saying and actually doing something with it. Verse 9 onwards she says, know that the Lord had given you the land and that your terror has fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

Verse 11, as soon as we heard these things our hearts did melt neither did there remain any more courage in any man. See the statement that she makes, for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. She believed in the Lord, in the God of Israel and because she believed she did this work. She kept these spies and thereafter later also we see how she would be then delivered, saved. This is genuine faith, faith that not only said something about God but indeed because of that fear, because of that knowledge, she did something that threatened her life itself.

She did something that would threaten her life itself. That is the kind of faith that James is talking about. Now we fear to find out what is that work. What kind of works are we talking about? That James is talking about here. You see a consistent pattern here that there is something to do with sacrificing. There is something to do with giving up that which is ourselves or ours, our own. When we are talking about helping the one who is in need, it's very easy to wish well.

It's very easy to say, yeah, OK, we'll pray for you. We'll remember you in prayers. But it takes effort, takes sacrifice, it takes something of ourself to be there for that person, to thereafter do something for that person, it's going to take some kind of sacrificing. Abraham's very clearly we see, it took a lot of sacrificing. Rahab we see very clearly, she put her life in danger. Her life is in danger by the work that she did. And as we look at other parts of scripture, that is most consistent.

When the Lord is calling for disciples, if you not ready to take up your cross, what does the cross stand for? In that time, death. Cross stands for death and that to a painful, horrendous death. If you not ready to take up this cross and then follow me, you are not going to be able to follow me. This has been the consistent testimony or consistent witness of scripture, how people are to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. That they are to be dead to themselves.

They have to be dead to their lives. They have to be dead to their own ambitions. They have to be dead to all that they think is precious to me. And rather, surrender each one of these things before God and be ready for His service. Faith results in worship. And one way of worship is audibly that we are worshipping and ascribing glory, ascribing honor, declaring who God is. And the other way of worship is clearly service. We worship God by serving and faith is what is behind that kind of serving and the clear distinction between the demons or the devils.

Despite having an excellent knowledge of who God is, it is not a life surrendered or loving righteousness and therefore surrendering to God but a genuine believer, one who has genuine faith, this is the clear pattern that will be evidenced in one who has genuine faith, to different degrees. That there is certainly the sign, evidence of this life that God has put in, a new nature, a new birth, which has started causing this person to love things that God loves, to love righteousness, to begin to hate sin, begin to hate the things of the world and surrender each member of the flesh unto righteousness, just as in the past we were surrendering each member unto sin.

This is the work that James is expecting to see. This is the work that has consistently been from the Old Testament the pattern of all who were called to be of faith, all who have been saved in the Old Testament, all who have been saved in the New Testament. This has been their steady consistent pattern. And James concludes it with this, for as a body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. There is no life in a body if there is no spirit.

The only thing we can do with that body is to hide it away. It has to go under the ground. It cannot stay. It will only contaminate. It has to be buried. It is good for nothing. So faith without works is dead also. As close, as intimate a relationship is spirit to the body, so is works with faith. And works, as we have clarified very clearly, not works which give us confidence in the flesh, not works which we can tick box, tick marks to think that I am right with God, but works that have originated out of a changed view towards God, a renewed or a new birth, a new nature within ourselves and a faith that is ready to sacrifice all that we think is precious in our life, laying it on the altar for God to use our lives.

That's the life of a believer consistently portrayed in the scriptures. May God help us with these words.

- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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Sermon Transcript

We thank the Lord that He has given us yet another opportunity to be found here in this manner, to study from His Word. We have been looking in the past weeks from James chapter 1 and we have been trying to cover this epistle and see it verse by verse, see the points that James especially wants us to see. In the past we have seen James giving us a right perspective on trials. on why trials occur, what is God's purpose through allowing trials to come into our lives. We saw also the right perspective to temptation. That there's a very possible way how trials could become a temptation. But importantly, we are shown how we ought to see temptations, the right perspective on temptations. We also saw a right perspective on the Word of God. that it is so integral, so important in all these things, in our trials, in our temptations, in our Christian work to have a very right perspective of the Word of God.

And finally, we looked at the last two verses of this chapter, James chapter 1, we saw the right perspective on religion itself. And we saw that there is a form of religion which is external and in its essence that's what the word means, the external evidence of anything that we believe in. and James points us out that there is indeed a right external evidence of the faith within, is ideally or there is indeed a pure religion, a pure form of outwardly serving God and that also we covered in the last time. Today, in the grace of God, we will look from chapter 2, verse 1 to 13 and we will be looking at it as the right perspective on people, a right perspective on people. Firstly, let's Chapter 2 verse 1 to 30 here in a good place and say to the poor, stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool. Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Harken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, not commit adultery, and also do not said also, not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." As you can clearly see, The main topic here that James now wants to address and it's a clear new section. We may see chapter 2 verse 1 begins with, brethren, he has covered a clear topic, a flow of thought that was with trials and temptations and the Word of God and how we are to remain in this world being the witnesses of God. That has been covered in chapter 1. Now he's moving to a new topic that he must address. Similarly, we will see the same news in chapter 3 verse 1 where a new topic is to be taken up. So here is the faith.

Here begins in Chapter 2 something of how our faith should look like. And again for our ease of remembrance, we will divide it into certain points. Firstly, we see in this passage the confrontation. James is not shy to confront the people, the believers, the gathering about this problem of partiality. Next we see a case, an example of what partiality would look like. And then James explains to us what the great contradiction this is. It's a contradiction that we are having this kind of partiality amongst ourselves. And then James would take us to show how the commandment itself is entirely against, opposed to partiality and he concludes with a condemnation on all who would practice partiality. Now if I ask you this question, is partiality wrong?

undoubtedly we will all say it is wrong. Even if I ask this question to the world outside, they also will say the same thing that of course partiality is wrong. But now what we consider as partiality is something that we need to try to understand. And James initially will label to bring to our hearts what are the forms, what kind of thing, what kind of action, what kind of behavior by the believers looks like partiality. and he will endeavor to explain to us that this is no casual thing. This is not just any light thing that we may think, okay, it's just partiality, it's not like as if it's murder, it's not like such a big deal here. But James will endeavor to show to us, this is no small thing in the sight of God.

This is going to be taken very, very seriously and that's what James will be laboring to show to us in these 13 verses. But he begins with this. with a confrontation of the fact that partiality can indeed, may have been seen at that time in the church and may indeed appear its form in even today's churches. So, first verse we see, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. What is partiality, if you are to think of it? Any definition of partiality, what would you say? favoring someone. It's essentially what it I will read out a very nice definition I found. The fault of one who then who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merit.

So a judgment is being made on a person based on something outward and not on their intrinsic merits. Outwardly like... as one who is rich, high-born, powerful or any of such qualities which can be seen visually outside. Something externally that is seen which causes the person to make a judgment in favor of that person, to prefer a person over another for these kind of criteria, these kind of things. That's what respect of persons, that's what partiality in essence means. James puts it this way, do not have, do not hold, do not possess the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, along with this respect of persons, along with this partiality. And here is a pattern for us to also follow, which we see many other places in scripture as well, especially in the book of Revelation.

When there is a problem... with the church when there is an issue to be addressed in the believer's life, the Spirit always endeavours to show Christ to us meeting that need. So, He will glorify Christ in a way, in an attribute, in His glory, in such a way that it very clearly meets that particular need. We may see the letters that are sent to the churches and we will see exactly that, that how Christ is represented to each church very clearly meets the need. meets their lack if they are willing to acknowledge it. And even in the epistles, that's exactly what we see that it begins with addressing a situation, addressing a problem in the church, but how is it brought to light? How is the solution? How is the way out found? It is in Christ.

It is showing to us something about Christ more fully, more clearly. And James also here, when the problem of partiality is to be addressed, is to be resolved or is to be prevented to happen in the church, he will begin with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will say that if you have understood, if you have the right practicing of the faith of what you know of the Lord Jesus Christ, then one cannot... take that and the respect of persons and the partiality together hand in hand. He says that if we have understood the Lord Jesus Christ, it's a very significant title. James already used that in chapter 1 verse 1, to equate Christ with God, to show them to be equal, to show them to be one.

And it is the same title he saying here, that if one has fully or understood, come to an understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is and therefore, has committed himself unto such a one and therefore is wanting to live his life according to one who is submitted to such a one. That's the point here. Such a person cannot take partiality along with himself. He cannot keep partiality as a way of living while he continues to profess that, I have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, I know this Lord Jesus Christ. John would... also use something similar when we read the first episode of We see how John presents these two tests in the way that he would say, who is God? God is light. In him is no darkness.

And therefore, anyone who claims to have fellowship with God cannot be found walking in darkness. It's a clear contradiction. It's an impossibility. If you know who God is, if you have come to see the God is light, then it is not possible. It is not possible that one would habitually continue to walk in darkness having known, having come to be in fellowship. with God who is entirely light, in whom is at all no darkness. The same he would say about love. He would say that God is love. He would say that no man has seen God. And he would say also that if we cannot love the brother whom we can see, then how can such a person claim to say... that they love God whom they cannot see.

It's not possible. In John's writings, in John's thought, that's a very clear contradiction, it's a very clear opposite. One who knows God cannot be living in the opposite of what God is. And that's exactly also the way James is presenting it here. If we have the faith, if we hold the faith, if we have known to begin with who the Lord Jesus Christ is, then that naturally has to remove this attitude or this feeling, this practice of partiality from a person. And I stress on it this way because it's the most natural thing that you will find in people to have partiality, to prefer people for some reason or the other. It is the most very clear fleshly thing that exists in man.

And James is laboring to tell us if we have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ? He is the One who is in the very form of God, who took upon Himself the form of a servant, was found in the fashion of a man, was obedient even to death, even death on a cross. He who was rich became poor so that we could be rich in Him. This is the one whom we claim to believe in. This is the one who has shown Himself to us in His earthly life. So those who have known Him in this way, cannot continue in partiality. Do not hold this faith and partiality together. It's not only the Lord Jesus Christ, James gives another title, the Lord of Glory.

And partiality is essentially a wrong way of attributing glory to someone. It's about preferring or it's about... Esteeming someone for the wrong reasons. It's about giving glory to someone else because we have not really seen the one who is glorious. The one who is all glorious. If we have a clearer vision, a clearer picture, a clearer understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, then we would not think too highly of another one. based on their outward circumstances. When John saw the vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, he felt as if he was dead. When Isaiah saw in Isaiah chapter 6 the vision of Christ there, there again he was greatly convicted of how unworthy he is.

One who has come to see any bit of the Lord Jesus Christ, they come to see truly that which is glorious. And then... anything that the world would call as glorious, anything that the world would regard, be it riches, be it being high born, be it being powerful, be it any worthy manner of anything, everything suddenly falls far, far short, far short of this one who is truly glorious because we have come to see that everything falls apart in front of Him. And that's James' first point that partiality cannot go hand in hand with those who profess to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we seeing this case of partiality or an example of partiality. What does that look like?

He says here an instance of two people who have walked in. One, he says man, he is not calling that man rich, but he is calling a man who outwardly dresses very clearly to indicate that he is a... one who is rich, he has enough money, is enough powerful or he is in such a good position to dress up like that. And there another man who very visibly, evidently is poor. He is wearing wild rain men, there is nothing outwardly that would attract others to him. He is very visibly, clearly, evidently poor. And now here comes the behavior of the brethren, of those who are in the gathering. How are they going to treat that? And James as we know such a practical letter, he is visualizing this for us or making it very visual for us.

Example that we may all encounter, we may all see happening. How will we respond to it? And James says in this way that if we are going to prefer that person, so the word there verse 3 says, and he have respect to him. It's a different word from the word partiality. It simply means to pay one more attention, to look more closely, to give more attention, care to that thing or that person. If you have respect to the person who is in that way in a rich clothing, then you have indeed sinned. If you are letting that person be more preferred, be given more preferential treatment simply because of the outward appearance of such a person, then we are sinning.

And if we are going to ignore the poor man, then we are found sinners. We are found as those who would make a wrong judgment. If you have to look at this aspect of respect of persons itself, shall we look at some verses firstly? In Romans chapter 2 verse 11, Why is God so particular about partiality? Why is God so particular that people should not be partial? Romans 2 verse 11. We read about our salvation. For there is no respect of persons with God. It's regarding our salvation. God wants salvation for everyone. He's not going to look at how rich one is, which country one belongs to, whether he was part of the covenant earlier, whether he was part of the promise of Abraham earlier.

He wants salvation to be for all. Here is an instruction to the Masters. And ye Masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your Master also is in heaven. Neither is there respect of persons with Him. So the way the Master is going to treat the servant, he has to be very particular. Don't think of himself as if, worldly, I am better than him, I am in a higher position than him, so I can do whatever with him. In the eyes of God, it has no difference at all. You are all, every one of us is just human, whether you be Master, whether you be servant. In the eyes of God, you are all just men.

So the Master has to be always mindful of that fact that in the eyes of God, there is no respect of persons. God is not going to prefer me because I am in providence of God found to be a Master of someone. Same goes in Colossians chapter 3 verse 25. which He had done and there is no respect of persons. There it is about the servants. That the servants have to be mindful in how they are working, that God has no respect of persons. If we do that which is right, if we are found laboring for Him in His name, doing all as if we doing unto the Lord, then indeed, He will not have any respect of persons.

He will not be looking whether He is a servant, whether He is a master, whether the servant is from that place or this place. He is going to reward each one accordingly. In the Old Testament law, we see how God was very, very particular that those who would be appointed as judges, they are to have no respect of persons. It's a very important thing that when there is a judgment to be made between the people of God, that there is no bribe taken, there is no preferential treatment given to anyone because they are standing in the place of God to give judgment for the people of God and they cannot at all prefer one over So, God is very clearly against this kind of preferential treatment, this kind of partiality.

What does it do? James says, Are you not then partial in yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts? The translation again is not fully conveying the meaning that is put there. So, in verse 4, we reading the word partial, but it's a different word again from what is earlier used in verse 1. There that word essentially means to divide, to judge in a way, to discern in a way, as well as to divide. And what James is saying is, by so making a judgment, by preferring the rich man over the poor, are you not dividing among yourselves? Are you not making the judgment in such a way that these are us, those are they?

Are you not making dividing amongst yourselves in this manner? And he then exposes the other part, that such judgment... comes from where? It comes from evil thoughts. It is not according to scripture, it is not according to the will of God, it is really showing a underlying root of problems of sin, which is evil thoughts. It is coming through evil intentions that such kind of judgment comes in. Now, this is one case that James is bringing before us and that's only one case. We have to think of also how else could this be seen today? if we are living now in this world in today's time, how else can partiality be seen?

Clearly the rich and the poor can be distinguished. We can also be preferential to people who speak the same language. People who belong to the same place that we are from. People who are from the same families that we are from. we could start dividing or we could start thinking of so many ways we can prefer one over another and take it in that same way that James says, if somebody is to walk in, if two people distinct in that way are to walk in, how are we to respond? How will we respond? Now it's important to see here that James is not saying that we should seat everyone in the high place, but rather what he pointing out is that the rich man got a incorrect treatment.

He was given more attention than that was needed. The safe way as we know is that each one is given equal standing and the problem here what is happening was that the rich man was given more attention than that was needed. What we are to do is to give each one equal attention whether he be poor, whether he be rich, whether he be speaking this language or from that family or from that place, whether he looks this way, whether he looks that way, we are not to show a partiality in that way, a preferential treatment thereafter in how we communicate with that person, in how we approach so-and-so person, in how we are welcoming them into the fellowship, into the fellowship of the saints.

There must not be a distinction between these external, outward appearing things. And it is very serious and it is something that can, as we know in the natural man, happen so easily. If you take the outside world, the world is trying its best to liberate people from all these things because that is something that remains. It is something that is so easily found in all men. And James is saying that this is not the world here. This is God's place. This is the Church of God. And here, those who profess to have the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, who have come to see themselves in the light of the great glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, amongst them, there cannot be such preferential treatment.

Firstly, why? It's going to divide you. It's not just a thought, it's not just a feeling, it's not just a light matter. We are dividing ourselves in those criteria's. We are bringing people together according to those criteria's. And secondly, it exposes what we really are, what is our interior, that it is indeed. Judgment has been made by us with evil thoughts. Now we proceed to the contradiction part. James wants to reason with those who are practicing this way or are in danger of practicing this way and he does it with love. He says, Harkin, listen, my beloved brethren, this is not just a cold rebuke but it is really coming out of much affection, much concern that they should not fall into this way.

My beloved brethren, see the contradiction that is evidenced when a believer has partiality. Why? Because he taking the case of the rich and the poor. Had God not chosen the poor of this world rich in faith? What does God think of the poor? And then compare that with what the believer or the person who may be in danger of showing partiality, how they look at the poor. God looks at the poor and He is saying, they are chosen as the rich in faith. They are chosen to be the heirs of the kingdom. They are those that will declare or will shine to show that they love God.

These three things are shown about the poor. Firstly, we see they are rich in faith. Their poverty is not changed because they come into faith. A person who is poor before he came into faith does not suddenly become rich and prosperous because he accepts the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very striking blow to the prosperity gospel. which would like people to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, so that they may be prosperous. This verse very kilter tells us also, He has chosen the poor in the world not to be rich in the world, but rather to be rich in faith. And we see in evidence of history, throughout scripture also, that being very very true.

It is always the poor in the world who are found to be more rich in faith. It has a direct relation with the... need of a man. It has a direct relationship with how self-sufficient a man is and how one recognizes easily that they are so dependent on God, that they need God for every day, they need God for everything. We may ourselves also think of it when other times that we draw certainly to God. It's in times of need. When there is crisis, when there is need in our lives, we will not shy away from drawing near to God. We will want to put all our faith, everything we know about God, we want to excise that.

But in times of peace, in times of prosperity, we may not be so active, eager to come and draw near to God, to really excise our faith in God. And that's the point here, that those who are poor in the world are providentially found in such a way that they need God or they experientially continue to have that need of drawing near to God. They are rich in faith indeed. And the Lord says and James says here that they are heirs of the Kingdom. God has prepared that Kingdom to come for such and simply because they are saved, simply because they are found in the faith, they are going to be reigning, they are going to be in the Kingdom.

Not only that, but they are going to evidence this fact that they indeed love God. In 1st John we read that He first loved us and so that is why our love proceeds from recognizing that love, recognizing that God has loved us in His Son. And these here are going to evidence in the Kingdom that indeed God has loved us and God is going to use them as His display to show that they have loved me. It is a promise that God gives to such people, that word promise same as we read for Abraham. It's the same promise of the seed. It's the same things throughout scripture where God is the one promising.

God is the one when He promises, He will entirely fulfill it. He that has promised is faithful. He is promising such things to the poor. And James is looking at the contradiction. Now see, this is what God is preparing for the poor. But then how is it that we are treating the poor in the exact same way? Again, if we know God, if we have come to know God, if we have come to understand who God is, this cannot be the way we treat the poor. It's a very clear contradiction. Not only that, he will go to part of the rich men. So, there are three things shown here.

Don't they draw you, bring you, drag you near to the judgment seats and are they not blaspheming that worthy name by which you are called? Three things given concerning the rich men. They at that time especially are seen to be the ones who were oppressing the believers. In John chapter 16, if you could quickly turn there, John chapter 16 verse 2. We read of another set of people who would be found persecuting the believers. John chapter 16 verse 2, Here at this time already the Lord is prophesying how the believers are going to be treated, not only the disciples of that time but later on because we take the place of Christ here in this world.

It is the religious lot because as they attempt to kill believers, they are doing it with what motivation? That as if we doing service to God. They are the religious lot and it is evidenced very much in history. Beginning from the Jewish people who were persecuting the Christians in the first centuries, to the Roman Empire who considered Caesar to be their God, to the nominal church which began a time of great persecution known as the Dark Ages, extending all the way to 1800s, where every faithful witness had to be martyred. It is often, often the way that it is a religious lot who continue in their persecution of the believers and even today we will find that is the exact thing that happens.

It is the religious people who thinking that they are offering or doing a service to God are very zealous to persecute believers. Here James brings to us another set of people, the rich men. They are also then at that time at least found as the ones who were trying to persecute the believers, oppressing them and bringing them before the judgment seats. Not only that, why were they being brought before the judgment seats? Why were they being oppressed? In the verse 7 we read that because of how they saw their faith. They were blaspheming the worthy name by which they were called. What was the worthy name? was Christian.

It was a name firstly given in Antioch to those who believe in Christ, who were beginning to show very evidently that they are like Christ, that Christ was being wholly formed in them and people who were around them could see that they belong entirely to Christ. They are Christians. They are all about this Christ. And so a name of mocking, a name of despise is how they started calling Christians. But today we greatly pride, greatly rejoice in receiving that title from others that we are Christians. We belong to Christ. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name. And this is exactly the situation when James is writing.

And that's how we have to see that the rich men were at that time oppressing the believers, they were persecuting the believers for their faith and they were... holding in derision, holding in despise that worthy name of Christ. And the question is this, whose side are you on? That's how plainly and that's how seriously James is putting it before the people. This is how God looks at the poor in the world. This is what the rich men are doing to those who are of God, those who belong to God. Now on whose side are you? Are you in the side of the people of God or are you in the side of those who oppose?

God, who oppose the people of God, who oppose his purposes and that's the question that James wants us to put that by exercising, showing partiality, we are putting ourselves in opposition to God. We are in the other side of where God is. Next we are looking at the commandment. There is a clear commandment against partiality. Partiality cannot continue because it is against the very commandment. James says, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

There is a royal law according to the scripture and that law, James says, is thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. The Lord Jesus also, when he was asked what are the most important commandments, he took the same. In Galatians, Paul would also explain, if you have kept this one commandment, you fulfill the whole law. Why is that commandment so precious? Why is that commandment called the royal law as if it governs everything, as if it holds the entire authority over the whole law? And this is how it is pictured. That if we are to look at any other commandment, it's really an extension of this one commandment, to love your neighbor.

It essentially holds everything together. The whole law is to then be seen as a vessel or as a glass that in breaking one part of it, we break the whole. In breaking one part of the vessel, we break the whole vessel. In breaking, cracking one part of the glass, the glass is ruined. That's how love permeates everything that the law shows to us. In not murdering, in not giving false witness, in not committing adultery, in every other commandment given in detail in the Old Testament, it all is governed by this authoritative law to love your neighbour. So, in effect, when we don't keep any one of those commandments, we have broken the very fundamental royal law which is to love your neighbour.

So, by breaking that one commandment and that's the point here. that James wants to make or to convince us about in breaking a single commandment, it's not just a commandment, it's just a light commandment, no, not at all. The Pharisees were doing this much. If you look at Matthew chapter 5 verse 19, Matthew chapter 5 verse 19, Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. The Pharisees of the time, they were beginning to treat the laws according to certain categories. So these are the very serious sins. These are okay okay sins.

These are okay negligible sins. The Lord wants to tell us that that's not why the law was given. The law was so strict, so detailed, so clear, so as to show our helplessness, so as to show that we are sinners. So, every small little commandment has in itself the same authority, same value that comes with this royal law to love your neighbour as yourself. And that's how the Pharisees were trying to show themselves to be righteous by doing those commandments that are very important in their eyes, while it is fine to neglect a few things. While the law was designed to break us, they were trying to show themselves as righteous.

And here James is looking at the whole law in that same way and looking at partiality in that light. It may be considered as something very trivial in the world to have a preference over another. But James wants us to understand this is breaking the law. This is equivalent to murder. This is equivalent to adultery. The two commandments which are resulting in death, the punishment for both those commandments is to have death and James certainly uses both those together in that way to show to us how serious this breaking of the law is to love your neighbor as yourself. So in practicing partiality, it is a clear breaking of the commandment.

We are found as those who are sinners falling short of the glory of God. We are found as those who are transgressors who have overstepped, went ahead of the law. And finally, He would tell us about the condemnation that awaits such who will continue in this path of partiality. So, what have we seen till now? We have looked at from verse 1, we have seen the confrontation of How it is not possible? Those who have known the Lord Jesus Christ, who have the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot practice partiality. We have seen that in practicing partiality, the effects of it, we are dividing ourselves amongst these criterias.

We are evidencing what is within that there is evil thoughts by which we making those judgments. We are seeing then that we are in contradiction to where God is, to what God wants to achieve in this world. We are found directly in opposition to God's purposes by exercising partiality. And now, in the commandment part, we are seen to be transgressors of the commandments, equivalent to those who are murderers, those who are adulterers. We are found to have broken the one law that ties up the whole law together. We have not kept the law which says to love your neighbour as yourself. and to even more stress on this point, James brings before us the point of condemnation.

That such will have to undergo or experience condemnation if they continue in this way in partiality. If you notice, we saw in verse 4 that there was a judgment being made. The people were making a judgment on those who came in based on their external appearances and that was with evil thoughts. Now here comes... James warning, speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. So our words speak ye and so do our words, our works, these will be judged. And these are best evidenced here in the case that James expressed. Speaking to that person, sit thou here and our action in how we treat that particular person, James says, you will be judged.

for how you speak, you will be judged for how you behave towards this particular commandment. They shall be judged by the law of liberty. In making the judgment, we were not making the judgment according to scripture but according to evil thoughts. But that very scripture is what will judge us, will determine our condemnation. It is a law of liberty, that's how James calls it. We have seen other descriptions of the Word of God. We saw it as the word of truth, we saw it as the un-grafted word which should remain in us and has the capability to grow in us. We saw it as the perfect law of liberty.

We saw it now as a royal law, that law which commands or governs every other law. And now we seeing it again as the law of liberty. And that's how the law, this law particularly is designed to do, is to give liberty, is to free the poor, is to humble the rich, is to bring everyone in the right place by being submissive to the law. In Romans and Galatians, we see very clear explanations of how true freedom looks like. If you want to be free from sin, if you want to true freedom, we have to submit ourselves to another and that is the yoke of Christ, that is the law of Christ. True freedom is in truly being submitted to the one who is worthy and that is Christ.

And that's how the law of liberty is pictured. is yet still a law. It is restraining, it guides, it's light, it shows us what to do and it's intended for liberty, for freedom. By submitting ourselves to that law, by letting our instincts not take over but rather submitting ourselves in obedience, we are actually being freed. And it's also designed as the law was in the Old Testament for the people who were in need to free them. to not continue them in oppression, to not continue persecuting them. But we see so many commands in the law which were really designed to bring up or to deliver those who were poor, who were the marginalised section of the society.

Such things cannot continue in the church. There must be the practising, obeying of the law of liberty. The condemnation James says is this, make no mistake about it that every word, every deed is going to be judged. It is not as if we don't give an account for what God has given to us and James is very clear here that even for this sin of partiality, this respect of persons that we have, it is not a trivial matter if we in any form, any way consider a person more better. than the other because of external things as we saw that definition, not because of anything intrinsic, but because of how they are externally appearing before us.

If we practice that, then indeed this is the ending that those who have judgment without mercy, they will also be shown no mercy. in that time and James says mercy which I said over judgment meaning mercy triumphs over judgment and That's what believers are looking forward like in the Bay of Judgment seat We are looking for God's mercy knowing that God has already shown to us mercy in saving us It is by his grace by his mercy alone that any good work proceeds through us it is in this work set we are walking and even on judgment that is the heart with which we come before Him, that we will be found in a mercy, not boasting in our works even at that moment, knowing that we've also been living a life of showing mercy, knowing that this is how we want to be before God, certainly we also ought to exercise the very same things, showing mercy to those who need mercy. May the Lord continue to bless us with these thoughts.

- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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Beginning from verse thirteen, James chapter one, verse seventeen. Onward. Thirteen onwards. 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: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. 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. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

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: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 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. 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. 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. May God bless the reading of his Holy Word. In the past sessions we have been looking into the Epistle of James. In verses two onwards, two to twelve. We were looking at trials. We were looking at having a, a different or a right perspective of trials, a right perspective of trials. In the last session, we looked at verse thirteen to seventeen and we saw a right perspective of temptations. So trials, we distinguish trials from temptations, though the Greek word is the very same word, and it can only be rightly seen according to the context.

And we saw how from verse thirteen onwards that every trial can also present with it an opportunity for us to fall into temptation, and the blame does not go to God as we saw. Clearly it is coming out of our own lust. The only person to be blamed is definitely not God, is not people around us, it's not even the devil. But we saw there's only one person to be blamed for our sin and for temptation: it's our own lust. And we were looking at having a right perspective of temptation itself. Now, today, especially looking at the verses from seventeen onwards till twenty five, what do you think would be the main theme that James wants us to find here? If you look at that portion, which is a word that is repeated more than once? What do you see the word that is again, again coming up? Word, word. Right. So verse eighteen, we see word of truth and then we see about receiving with meekness the engrafted word. We read about being doers of the word. Then James also gives this very important title or important definition of the word as the perfect law of liberty.

So this is very undoubtedly the theme running here in these verses is about the Word of God. So we saw good perspective, right perspective of trials, right perspective of temptations. Now today we are, God willing, attempting to have a right perspective of the Word of God. And we'll start off with looking at verse seventeen and verse eighteen, where we saw who God is. We saw God being the father of lights. We said that that is a clear reference to the creation, going back to the creation, when he is the one who created the lights. And we see the physical world, the physical lights, which do have a sense of shadows, a sense of being there today in the morning, not there in the night, in that kind of way. But the father of lights, he is without variation. He's without variableness. He's without any shadow of turning. But note here now the important part that it is through the word of truth that he has begotten us. He has begotten us by the word of truth.

And last session we looked at how lust conceives sin. And when sin is fully matured, it brings forth, or when it is finished, it leads to death. And I want to do a small comparison here between those two verses to start off with. So in verse fifteen we see that then when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin. But here in verse eighteen we see of his own will he begat us with the word of truth. So on one side, you see sin being brought forth, on the other side you see us being brought forth. How that is coming is clear: it is by the word of truth, and therefore also to see how sin is brought forth. It is largely when the word of truth is not understood, or the word of truth is distorted, or when the word of truth is given as a deception, or it is presented as a deception for us to turn away from the word of truth. And I want us to go, first of all to Genesis chapter three, where we see—and hopefully that brings us to having the right perspective about the Word of God, why it is so important, why it is so important for us living in this world, living in this generation. Why is the Word of God so important?

In chapter three, verse one, the tempter comes to the serpent—the tempter comes to Eve, saying, "Yea, hath God said, 'Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" So you see here a distortion of the word of God. God has not said anything like this. God did not say that you cannot eat from every tree of the garden; he said, particularly the two trees, that the tree of knowledge of good and evil you cannot be eating from. He presents with a distortion of the Word of God, and had Eve purely remembered the word of truth, it would have been different how she would respond. Even because we read in verse three, she says, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Quite clearly she is not very certain of what God has actually said. God did not say about touching; God did say about not eating. But by the time she responds, there is a small addition to it. Satan has succeeded in distorting the word of God before Eve, which has led to her having a seed of dissatisfaction.

So if you look at temptation, if you look at sin, it has its roots in this: what does this lust offer? This lust comes from us, yes, but it is after a bait like we saw last week. It is after a bait that our lust is hooked on to. It offers great pleasure, it offers some kind of success, it promises a lot of things, but in reality it is a lie compared to what the father has done for us. It is a lie which promises a lot of things but leads eventually to a death. So Satan has put this seed of doubt, seed of not only doubt, but dissatisfaction by distorting who God is through the Word of God. It does not stop there because then Satan, as we know next, would very blatantly deceive Eve. He says that, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." In the earlier verse he would say that "Ye shall not surely die" in verse four. "Ye shall not surely die."

It is a lie when compared to the truth that God said; Satan presents us with a lie. And that deception very clearly led to disobedience from Eve. That is the nature, a very clear pattern that we see always when people fall into temptations, when our lust takes us into being held prey, and fall into temptation. It is when we don't see the word of truth for what it is. It is when we are not understanding what the word says truly about God or about a particular situation. We start distorting the Word of God, we start believing a lie, we start believing the promises that that lie offers, and we get hooked on to it and we go after it. And that is why here James presents very importantly, our origins. So as we want to look into this portion from verse seventeen onwards, we will look at three main points here as we look at the right perspective about the Word of God. Firstly, we are going to look at the regeneration—regeneration that is accomplished, or regeneration through the Word of God.

Secondly, we see also the reception—we saw that "receive with meekness". So second point would be the reception of the Word of God. And the last point will be the response. So we are regenerated, there is a reception that we have to have towards the Word of God, and lastly it's really our response to which it all boils down to. Having said so much, let's look into in detail these verses. Verse eighteen: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." The complementary portion that we must also see is from First Peter, First Peter chapter one, verse twenty three, we read, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Here Peter emphasizes about how we were born again. It is referring to the reality of regeneration that is needed here as we look into this passage, that it is about people who have been regenerated.

It's about people who have been born again and the means that God has used in order to accomplish this miracle, in order to accomplish this regeneration, is the Word of God. In First Peter, we see it as the incorruptible, whereas everything else around creation, in creation, we find being corruptible, being something that will decay, something that will not last. Here we are seeing that we are brought forth by the incorruptible word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. And here James would focus, saying it is the word of truth. And the outcome also what James says is that we are brought forth by the word of truth to be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. And there is a relation we have to understand here: what has God done, who is God as he reveals us in this way, and therefore also, what is the purpose to which he is calling us? It is the word of truth, we read here very clearly, emphasizing what we have understood about God, very clearly emphasizing as we read in the later portions about God's righteousness—it is through the Word of God.

It is through the gospel that this particular aspect of God's righteousness is revealed to us in His Word. We see God as righteous. We also see where we stand then before God; we see what is the value of our righteousness. We see also thereafter how we may get the righteousness of God by faith, and slowly that will translate to us being righteous or showing forth his righteousness here in this world. Because I say that as the outcome is presented to us as being a kind of firstfruits of his creation, it is taking us ahead into what will come. The Lord has been promising about the kingdom to come. Looking at James, especially looking at the Old Testament, looking at the Jewish believers who had a firm foundation in the Old Testament prophecies and promises, are they well aware of what is to come, of the Kingdom to come? And that is the kingdom that is very well characterized by righteousness. It is in Malachi that the Lord is referred to as the Sun of righteousness, who will arise with healing in his wings.

It is offered to that hope, that peace, that comfort is offered to those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness in a day of much corruption. There he is referred to as the one who will come as the Sun of righteousness. It is showing how he, when he comes into his kingdom, he will be the center of it, and he will also be the one to dispel all unrighteousness from his kingdom. Only righteousness will prevail. And as that righteousness prevails, we will see the outcome being peace; we will see the outcome being much joy on this earth. In the Gospels, we get the spiritual applications of it that spiritually, when we are made righteous, we have peace with God, which is also always followed with joy. It is a very same thing that we will witness in the physical kingdom as well. When righteousness truly prevails, there will be peace which will be followed by joy. So when the Lord comes as well, we see in Matthew's gospel, righteousness is the key.

Righteousness is what he continues to talk about in the sermon. He will not remove the righteousness of the law, but rather he establishes the righteousness of the law. He clearly gives or elevates the righteousness of the law unto a different pedestal altogether in how we are then to show forth the righteousness before the people, as the citizens of that kingdom, as members of that kingdom. How are we then to be, because the King of this kingdom is the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is the Sun of righteousness? So it is very clearly taking us way ahead into the future, into the creation that he is going to bring about. And we are told here that we are the firstfruits. And last session we covered part of it, and I want this much for all of us to at least remember: always when we look at the term firstfruits, we saw that firstfruits—it is fruit, which means it is evidence of the tree. So a tree is known by its fruit, which also means when you see the fruit, you know what is the tree, you know what is the origin of it, so you know what is the source of that particular fruit.

When you hear firstfruit, it also means it's a sample, so when you taste it, when you have seen this firstfruit, you know also what is the kind that is going to come after this. What is the rest of it going to look like can easily be understood when you taste and see the firstfruit. And thirdly, it is a guarantee, that it is an assurance that there are many more to follow, there is much more fruit that is going to come because this is the firstfruit. And this is how the Lord would present us with the regeneration that he has given us, this regeneration. He has done it through the word of truth, that we should be firstfruits of this new creation. Which means, very simply put, that as we live here today, when as of yet his new creation is not yet fully revealed, it's not yet fully made manifested unto this creation, we are here as that sample. We are here on this wicked and perverse generation to appear and to show forth what is going to come.

And this is firmly based on what we have understood of who God is. We cannot show forth anything about God unless we know something about God. And that's why I try to look at that portion from Genesis, where Satan misrepresents who God is, while those who are regenerated, they have their origin itself from the word of truth, which reveals clearly who God is. What James is trying to do in all of this is to instill that emphasis, that importance of the Word of God. Understand how you have been born again. In John three, we see that it is through the Spirit, that our flesh can profit absolutely nothing. We can try our level best to—let's go to that portion also, John chapter three, verse three. We read here about the same kingdom, what is required here: "Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"

This is the absolute necessity that the Lord says: there is many maturity, many outward external things that a man can do, but it all comes down to just flesh. Everything that the flesh can produce, whether it be by producing more flesh, whether it be by any works that the flesh does, it all just boils down to saying that it is still of flesh, and it is absolutely necessary that if one is to enter into the kingdom of God, if one has to even see it, if one has to have any portion at all with the kingdom of God, they have to be born again. And here the clear creation is seen to be by the power of the Holy Spirit, while in James and in First Peter we have seen the agent used. How does the Spirit give us that new birth? It is through the Word of God. We are clearly to show here in this world, in this current generation, who is our Father, who is the one who has begotten us, who is the one whom we claim to be our Father, who is the one that we claim to know.

And we are to stand here in this generation as a sample, as also an evidence that who is it that we come from, and also as the guarantee that things are going to change, things are not going to stay the same as you see it today. There is indeed much suffering, there is indeed much unrighteousness, there is an absolute lack of peace in countries, in people's hearts, in every way that you see. But we are going to be here in this generation, showing forth who the Father is and also showing forth what the Father is about to bring. And that is the whole purpose of us still being here, as James puts it here. And it is firmly based on, again, again I'm stressing, on the word of truth. The regeneration has happened only because of the word of truth. Many have said how James is a kind of commentary or an exposition on the Sermon on the Mount, so many of the principles that James puts here is straight taken from what the Lord would say in the Sermon on the Mount.

So the Lord also says the very same thing: be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect; that we are to be as light, to shine in this world. We are not to hide what the Lord has called us to be, we are not to be hidden somewhere, but rather, there is a clear purpose of us standing here in this generation, even today. We are clearly a foretaste, a taste of what is to come from the Lord. So that would be the regeneration that we get, or that is from the Word of God. Second point that James here stresses is about how are we going to receive it? How are we going to receive it? We read from verse nineteen: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." We should continue as we are here still, even in the regeneration point itself, we see here that the end outcome is to have the righteousness of God being displayed here.

So because knowing our origin that this is from the word of truth, James tells us, what are we to do? We are to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath. We may question or think or should think: why are these three terms put there? Swift to hear clearly indicates about the Word of God—we are to be eager to listen to the Word of God, whereas we are to be slow to speak, we are to be slow also to wrath. Imagine ourselves in a situation of persecution, a situation of trials, situation of when things are not going as we want it to go. These are the most difficult things for the natural man to do. The natural man, the one who is not generated, not regenerated, the one who is still an unbeliever, these are the opposite things that will come from that man. Being swift to hear will be very difficult to do. Similarly, being slow to speak, very difficult to do; being slow to show wrath, very difficult to do.

Even in the believer, we know that there is this continuous conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, that these are the very characteristics of the flesh in us, that we want to retaliate. We want to show how strong we are, what we can do and how we can get our due, or what we think to be our due. And James is here instructing that, remember who you are representing. Remember where you are coming from and why are you here. You are not here to show your wrath, but you are here to show the righteousness of God. And the problem with being eager to speak, being eager to show your wrath, is that it will not work out to the righteousness of God, as James puts it here. The problem is that our anger is seldom or never against sin; our anger is always aroused because of our pride. It's always when something hurts our ego, it's always when something causes us to be put down, that's when our anger is always instigated.

But the anger of the Lord is different: his is a righteous anger because it is always against sin. And so when we try to put ourselves in that position of trying to be angry and trying to extract exact vengeance, it will be simply just plain fleshly wrath of man, which never will work out unto the righteousness of God. Remember the context once more why James is writing this letter itself. We have tried to highlight that it is during a time of much trials, during a time of much persecutions, during a time of much things that they have lost; they have gone through a much difficult time. And this is the response then that James wants us to have: things are not favorable, things are not according to our plan, things are in fact very adverse and very difficult. Natural man will retaliate, natural man will stand up, will fight, will rebel, will do everything possible to ensure that their justice is given, that justice prevails for them.

But this is the consistent pattern we will see not only in James, but all the other New Testament epistles where we are told to submit. We are told to submit to every authority that God Himself has appointed over us, however displeasing it might appear, however damaging its effects might be on our physical bodies. This will be always the instruction that we see. And James is one of the first letters, as was highlighted. These are the same principles we see following up in all the other epistles as well. From the very beginning, this has been the character of the believers, this has been the character of the church: that as being born again, as being those who trust in the justice to come, in righteousness to come, what will they do? They will be swift to hear—hear from the Word of God, hear the instructions, the wisdom that the Lord gives—and be very slow to speak, be very slow to try and get justice for themselves.

"Slow to wrath" clearly indicates that part. And that concludes then the point about the regeneration from the Word of God, because James is putting very clearly it is for the righteousness of God that you are here; you are here to display that righteousness of God. Now let's move on to the second point, which is the reception of the engrafted word. Now, how is it going to be possible for us? So we have seen origin, we have seen the ideal, what should happen, what we should be doing. How is this going to be possible? Can a believer, having been born again, ignore the Word of God, ignore the sound teaching from the Word of God and expect himself that because I am born again, because I have the new nature, because I have been brought forth by the word of truth, that I will automatically, naturally respond in this manner? James then gives us the answer: no, there is, besides knowing your regeneration, a reception of the engrafted word that is expected from you.

It is put as our responsibility; it is put as our expected natural reception, how we are going to take in the Word of God. So firstly, begin with an eagerness to hear the Word of God, begin with an eagerness to take in the Word of God. But here we are going to see how to take in, how should we receive the Word of God? Often, what happens in practice: there are so many things that are with us, there is so much uncleanness, there is so much filthiness, there is so much wickedness continuing in our lives. I'm not talking just about our flesh nature, but I'm talking even about our thoughts, even about our practices, even about what we let our eyes see, what we let our ears hear, what we engage in. And yet with that, we want to go hand in hand with the Word of God, we want to go hand in hand with listening to the Word of God, we want to go hand in hand with reading the Word of God and speaking from it.

But while these are the very things that still are clinging to us, clinging to our self, so James puts here very clearly there are two parts—two parts to how we are going to receive the Word of God. It is firstly laying apart: there is a putting off of certain things that are needed. It is a prerequisite, it is an accompanied requisite for us to receive the word as it ought to be received. Lay apart—and strong words is what James used there—filthiness and superfluity, overabundance, it's overflowing, overflowing of wickedness. That "naughtiness" is the old word for wickedness. These are the things that characterize our flesh; this is what is the old man, this is the one that is from Adam, this is the nature that we have inherited physically. We must know that; we must not take it lightly, thinking that this is a light matter, that "I am born again and that I am quite secure." No, that's not the response that we are to have.

Rather put it off. The same principles are later elaborated in Colossians, in Ephesians, where we think about the putting off—that is the old man that has to be put off. First Peter also characterized same things. Let's come here: First Peter chapter two, chapter two, verse one: "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Peter also puts it in the very same way that James is putting it here, that firstly, put all these other things aside. Take it off, put it off, and then comes the second part of receiving. Peter puts it very visually represented for us as a newborn who desires the milk. We know that's because of its nature: the newborn does not have to be taught to desire for milk, it's in its nature to want milk, it keeps on crying for milk.

It's not taught; nobody can teach the child, the newborn, that you must now start desiring to have milk, but having tasted it, he or the child desires for it. Going back to James, that's exactly the thing: that this desire for the Word of God will not come in one who is not regenerated. It is essentially a characteristic of those who are regenerated, who have been born again by the Word of truth; knowing their source, they want further of it. Knowing who is the one shown in this world, they want more of it. They in themselves, because of the new nature, desire the sincere milk. And here again, the first point is to take away—take away all those things. So it's a call for examination: how do we conduct our daily affairs, how do we spend our time in proportion to the Word of God and to other things that we are engaged in?

There would be that desire to come and listen to the Word of God, there would be the desire to open our Bibles and read from the Word of God, but is it accompanied with all the other things that James puts here as filthiness, as all malice, as all envying, all lies? Is it with that accompanying us, and then we are reading the Word of God? James says, that's not the way. Put all aside and receive with meekness the implanted or engrafted word. So firstly, word of truth, now engrafted word. Again, a visual image here: the engrafted word, as we know, when we engraft something into something, it is because we want that to grow, right? When that is being engrafted into a plant, the idea is that this engrafted object, this part will grow, it has to grow. That is the way we are to receive the implanted word: when we are listening, when we are reading, when we are letting our minds be open, hearts be open to the Word of God, we want to clear all the other junk that is there.

We want to fully plow that ground, remove it from all the stones, remove it from all the thorns, and receive the implanted word such that with a desire it should occupy us more. This word should grow in us; this is Christ in us, this is Christ growing in us. We want to receive him in a way that it does not stop with it, but this word is what has to permeate more and more of us. The word should become more and more of how we govern, how we do things, how we think things. Everything has to become more and more word-centered. Paul says the same thing in Romans: how we are to renew our mind, we are to be transformed, our minds have to be renewed in this manner. And that is what is happening if we let the implanted word, which has in it that characteristic—we don't have to make it appear like that; the very characteristic of this word is that it can grow if we allow it to grow, if we receive it in that manner.

It is able to save your souls. We have already received salvation, but this is referring to the daily overcoming of the sins, daily overcoming of the power of sin. As we know very clearly, we have been saved from the penalty of sin, and we are today to be saved or delivered from the power of sin, and at the end even from the whole presence of sin. So here it is referring to having that overcoming life, that we can lay apart these filthy things and we can actually be those who are overcomers, demonstrating that salvation which we have received. Now we come to the last point, which is, as we see, how are we going to respond to it? So we have known this is how we are born again, we have seen this is how we are to receive the word, taking away all filthy things with a desire for this word to grow in us. That is not enough; there is a third critical, most important step of how we are to see the Word of God, how we are to have a right perspective to the Word of God: it is that we should respond, it is that we should respond to it.

If we take a review, if we are to look back to our lives, the number of messages that we have heard in today's time, it is even more superfluous, it is so much more abundantly, easily twenty-four by seven available on online platforms everywhere. We can continue, continue hearing, listening the Word of God. James says there is one third step, very, very important, else we are one of these two people. So James says, you have received the Word of God, now how we are going to respond will determine which kind of person are you. Are you a forgetful hearer or are you a doer of the work? And every time we listen to the Word of God, every time we open the Word of God, we read it, we are to ensure we are to, in the grace of God, see to it that we respond as the doer of the work. The principle is very clear, I don't have to explain that much: James simply wants us to be obedient, respond in obedience to what we are hearing from the Word of God, respond in obedience to what we are reading from the Word of God.

But James makes it very visual again for us, as he has been doing with the different illustrations here. He gives a very beautiful image: he shows us two people, two people who are having the same kind of mirror. So what they are looking at is the same thing, so they are having a mirror. We must understand also this is referring to an olden time; it's not the nice clear glass mirrors that we have today, but at that time it would be metals. So it can be gold, it can be silver, it can be some fine metals which are flattened, polished well, and it is a reflection on that that is referred to as the mirror. So it's not the nice clear mirrors that we see today, which means already that anyone who is coming to see on that mirror, it requires some effort. And that's the word he uses also for the first one, for the forgetful hearer: James says he is like unto a man beholding. Verse twenty three: "He is like unto a man beholding his natural face." That word is contemplating.

It's not just a casual glance, even that also is putting some effort to look okay, putting some effort to actually look into that mirror, because like I say, it's not a glass mirror, it's still like looking at a spoon reflection of yourself. You have to put in some effort: it's contemplating, it's looking, it is pondering on "what do I see?" But what does he do with it? He does nothing with it. Instead, what he does, he goes on his way, so he knows what way he was in before, he's shown what he looks like, and he does nothing about changing it. He just goes back to what he was. So the principle or the application is very clear: like physically we would see our face, if you see something wrong in it, if you see our hair is messed up, if you see we appear shabby, naturally, the first thing, the immediate response—isn't it the immediate response we would do? We would not contemplate about whether I should comb my hair, whether I should appear presentable; when you see it, what would you do?

You would correct it. You don't wait for a different hour, a different appointment to come back and correct it when you hear it. When the Word of God speaks to you concerning certain things of our life, the immediate natural response: correct it. Be prepared in the heart to immediately accept "this is the Word of God, this is the correction I need in my life," and accept it in our hearts with the willingness to immediately obey it. That is the clear principle of the forgetful hearer: he is seeing all this, but right after that he goes back to his way, and then what happens? He forgets; he's forgotten whatever he saw of himself. That is the same picture of anyone who is listening continually, but immediately goes away back to what he was. So what happens? He forgets everything he heard. We will not remember what we have heard unless we are following it through with obedience.

The second person, he is the doer of the work. We must note that that is the doer; it's given as a personality, it's given as a noun that this is what characterizes this person—he is not only someone who is doing things, but he is a doer. You know, it's a characteristic trait that is given, like we say about endurance becoming a characteristic here: he is a doer of the work, that's what defines this person. When you hear something, when you read something from the Word of God, it is his natural thing to simply go ahead and correct it, to obey it. The word used here for that person—and that's from verse twenty five: "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty." The word "looketh" there, it's more deeper than contemplating. Contemplating itself was, as I said, not a casual glance, but "looketh" is to really stoop down, to look further in—that is the word "looketh" there.

That's the kind of way this person is looking into the Word of God, with a very clear, genuine interest to change his life according to or change his appearance, according to the illustration, according to what he sees. And this is what James wants us to also do when we have understood how we have been born again, what is it that has caused us to receive this new birth, what is it, why are we here on this earth, what is the purpose with which we are? We should firstly be very willing to receive—receive this implanted word, that it should grow in us. But it's not enough, it's absolutely not enough that we just listen, we are swift to hear, we are receiving it also, if we don't follow through with it. James says that the one who is a doer of the work, what does he do? He continueth therein. He is continuing in it, which means whatever he gets, he does; whatever he sees, he corrects. That is his path now.

He is not going back to his own way, but his way is: see, correct; see, correct—it just goes on like this. And there James describes the Word of God as the perfect law of liberty. It is perfect in the sense you do not need to add anything else to it; this is mature, this is finished, this is full in itself to provide everything you need. We need to be mature, to be perfect. It is yet a law: it is a clear definition of what is right, of what is wrong, of what is God's way, of what is my way. It is yet a law, it is yet a force which should restrain us, which should guide us, which should give us light in the distance that we make. And it is of liberty: the Lord says that if you know my word, you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free. It is liberty, it is becoming born to something else so that we can truly be free.

We are by nature slaves of sin, we are by nature the law of sin that works in our flesh, that is there. We don't have to do anything about it, it is just there. If we want to escape from it, if you want to have that what James says, the salvation of our souls, that overcoming, that deliverance from the power of sin daily, firstly we have to be born again. Secondly, we have to receive the implanted word. Thirdly, we have to obey, we have to respond in obedience. It is a very simple thing that if we follow, it will greatly revive our character, it will greatly revive how we see things, it will greatly revive how God can truly witness through us. And this is God's intention, this is our Lord's intention, that even as he would say in the Sermon on the Mount, he wants us to shine, he wants us to respond in ways to different situations which show forth the glory of the Father.

And again, we come back to that whole topic, that whole context: this all is happening in the context of trials. This is how we are to respond, that though our own flesh may want us to do a lot of things, we are to restrain ourselves, we are to be submissive, to be meek, to exercise restraint. Though we may think we have much power, we are to exercise restraint and let the Word of God work in us. Let God do his righteousness, let him work out his righteousness in the world. May God bless us with these words.

- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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It's very important to know why we are like this. Why am I doing this particular thing? Otherwise, we are trying to fix things at the wrong places. If you think it is because God allowed this situation to happen in my life, or it's because of this scenario that I am in that has come to me, we are never going to actually address the real issue. We are never going to address the root that causes us to sin. And James is going to give us some very important principles. It not only applies to trials, but also everywhere in everyone’s life? He said we have to remember and apply, because James says in verse 14, what is the real source of the temptation? He says each man is tempted. So it happens that each man, everyone—there are no exceptions at all here—every man who is a man, every human being here is included in that statement, is what? Is tempted. So there is no exception at all. We are all in that nature; we are all in that human fallen nature of being tempted.

How? When he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. So the usage there is really like bait language. If you are familiar with fishing, you know how fishing works—that there is a bait. Not the net, like how we fish in nets, but if you are standing there and sitting at a place and holding a bait. That is the picture here. There is indeed somebody who is sitting there with a bait. But why is the fish going to be caught in that bait? It's entirely the fish's nature. That's what the fish is like: it sees the bait, and it cannot resist itself. It is coming from within. The problem here is not the bait, nor the person who is holding the bait, but the fish itself—the one who goes and gets caught in that bait. The two words are being drawn away and also being enticed. "Enticed" is that word which I just now explained, which is really like having us holding a bait and the fish coming and catching on, holding on to that bait.

"Drawn away" is like to give a picture—you have seen on National Geographic and other channels how animals are attacked. In a herd, you may see one of them just drawing away or just going away slightly. And you see the predators just waiting or looking out for that one which would just be drawn away. Why does he get drawn away? Again, of himself. He is the one choosing to just be away from the protection of the herd, which then comes to put himself in a situation where the predators attack. The source here, James wants to tell us, is his own lust. The lust is that strong desire, and it's coming from where? From my own, his own lust. Often we, if not God, would blame the devil, would blame the world, would blame so-and-so person. We would blame so many other things, but this passage actually tells us it's nobody else to blame.

It's not even Satan to be blamed; it's not even the world system to be blamed. They are all, as I said, just the bait being held before you. We don't have to go get caught on it. The real issue is us. The real issue, James says, is our own lust. It's each one's lust—each one's specific lust—that causes them to go hold on to that bait. So we see here, James is laying it out very clearly. It's not at all coming from God. God has absolutely nothing to do with it, just like you would say in Him is no darkness. So we can say God cannot be tempted with evil, nor does He tempt anyone with evil. But rather, temptation happens because of us. It is our fallen nature; it's that law which is in our flesh which causes us to go and be enticed by it.

And James chooses to give a very vivid image of how this whole process works. He says, when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. There is an object for the lust to hold on to. And it's our lust which goes after, which conceives, which goes after that particular object which is spelled out before us, and it gives birth to what is called sin. So there are certainly—if you look around in the world—you will always find the world presenting before us many such objects to desire. And the same usage is seen in John's writings, where John would conclude everything in the world as part of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It does not, John says, come from the Father, it is of the world. Everything that the world has to offer, none of it, nothing of it, is of the Father.

It can all be categorized into these three groups: the lust of the flesh, what our flesh desires to have; the lust of the eyes, what our eyes desire to have; and the pride of life, which also is a kind of lust to have a desire towards oneself—it is selfish ambition. It is ambition and desire for one's own self. The whole thing is put into this phrase of having lust. And that is exactly what the world system today does. It does offer every believer a chance to be hooked onto, to be grabbing that, to be headed onto that particular object that it offers. And what does it do? It will have a result, it will have a bringing forth, a giving birth, and that would be sin. The object itself is not a sin. The object itself is not a temptation. Rather, it is us, our lust, which goes and holds on to that object, which becomes his work to sin.

And James says let's not stop there, but as that sin matures, as that sin grows into perfection, it brings forth death. In the first chapter, we were looking at how when our faith is tried, let patience have a perfect work. There is a working of patience resulting in something for us. Here is what will happen when we let our lust work out: when we let our lust loose, it will bring forth sin. It will ultimately lead to death. What does that sin result in? It results in death. You may think of how it applies to us—not only in the time of testing and trial, but even generally, it's very clearly a principle that James puts here about human nature. It's also about God that he tells us. And we have to wonder how careful we are when it comes to not allowing, not giving a position for our flesh.

Paul was very particular to say, "There is no good thing that dwells in my flesh." And that is why, when we look—I want to read a few verses—in the New Testament, there is so much focus on this aspect of where do we set our minds. Because it is an already clearly understood fact that in the world, there are a hundred million objects for our lust, and therefore it is necessary that we have different desires. Lust is in itself a desire towards that wrong thing. Instead, we are to have developed good desires, godly desires. And that cannot start without us being born again—that's also very clear, you know. It cannot be for the natural man; it is for the one who is born again that a new desire must come. But it does not stop there. We must not think that because we are born again, because we are believers, we are immune to any harm from the world.

Rather, we are more in the target because we are believers. We have to be very careful about how we allow ourselves to be influenced by what is there in the world. And so there is so much focus as we look at the New Testament. As I looked at that particular word itself, I'm just going to read out the verses that are there. Look at Romans 8 verse 5: "For those who live according to the things of the flesh set their mind on the things of the flesh." It's a battle for the mind; it's a battle for our thoughts. It's a battle for what we allow into our life, because that is really what will change our lust or our desires—it will continue to foster it, or it will help us to overcome those evil desires. There are those who will set their minds on the things of the flesh, but there are also those who live according to the Spirit who will set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Philippians 2 verse 5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." In chapter 3 verse 19, Paul says about the other side: "Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things." It is really a setting—setting of our mind on what we choose to put our attention toward, what we choose to allow into our life. Colossians 3 verse 2: "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." So, things of the Spirit, the mind of Christ, things above—this is what we have to set our minds on. What will happen if we don't? Yes, with the warfare going on, if we think that what we consume does not affect us, we are most deceived. If we think that what we watch on our mobiles does not affect us, we are really deceived.

If we think that what conversations and things we lend our ears to will not affect us, we are really deceived, because that is exactly what shapes who we are. It shapes what we think, and it shapes also the devotions or the desires of our heart. What we allow in our mind is also what will foster the desire in our heart. And Paul in Romans very clearly portrays that battle between good and evil. There is a law of the flesh which is continuing to be with us. This does not go away because we are a believer. There is also very clearly the Spirit of God now in us, who is also giving us the godly desire, the desires that are according to God's Spirit. And it is now up to us. It is now up to us how we will set our minds. Will we set it on earthly things?

Will we be careless enough to let the world have an open entrance into our mind, or will we be particular about how we allow our mind to be influenced? Because as the Scripture says, our mind and heart have a very intrinsic relationship. What we think of is what our heart grows to desire. And we have to really be careful about what we are consuming, because that's exactly what we start desiring, and the other will quickly become overpowered. So if we give to the flesh, if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. But if we sow to the Spirit, we will reap eternal life. That's the principle there that the Scriptures very clearly show to us. So James says here very clearly, giving us an important warning: when we go through trials, be aware that it can quickly transition not just as a time for our faith to be approved, but it can very quickly become an occasion for our temptation.

It can very quickly translate into the time when we are tempted because of our own lust to do something against the will of God. Testing and temptation in that way—in the way James is continuing with that doctrine—seems to be very clear on that part. There is, of course, the other kind of temptation which we have already now seen how we ought to protect ourselves from having that. Now, this always can result in some questions when we look at this verse. And I think that's clearer when you look at the fact that the Greek word is the same for testing and temptation, because people can ask about Abraham's testing. So God is the one who indeed tested Abraham, but that's not temptation. God did not tempt Abraham to go commit a sin, but rather his faith was being tested.

God does do that. God does let us endure trials in order to show us approved, in order to show us exactly what He thought or what He knows of us. That's the case in point for Job. So God knows who Job is; God knows how faithful Job is. The purpose of the trial is to show that this is exactly who Job is. And that's what is the outcome of every trial for a true believer. His inward reality is to be made visible, to be made approved for everyone. We have the case, of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, He is the One who was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested. So in some translations, it is "tempted by the tempter" or "of the devil." But there again, it is emphasizing the testing that He had to endure from the devil.

And these two combined actually give us a very solid foundation for what we consider as the impeccability of the Lord Jesus Christ—the impeccability of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word "impeccability" might not be very familiar because it has its origin in Latin. In simple English, it means sinlessness. That the Lord had not only what was written about Him in that He should know no sin—that is the external aspect; not only that He knew no sin, but to go further, in Him was no sin. So as He would say Himself in John chapter 14 verse 30, "The prince of the world comes, but he will find nothing—he has nothing in Me." There is absolutely nothing in Me that will cause Him to stumble, cause Him to sin. So there are two important statements here that James made, though he is not stressing on the impeccability of Christ.

It raises a very important foundation, apart from the other things that we have in Scripture. Firstly, that God cannot be tempted. Our Lord is God; God cannot be tempted. That itself is one important aspect. Secondly, how is temptation happening? It is one's own lust. It's one's own desire that leads one to sin, that leads one to be tempted. And we know clearly of the Lord that in Him was no sin. There is no other will in Him but to do what our Father desires. He will say that He is the right one to execute judgment because He seeks not His own will, but the will of Him who sent Him. That's the only will that He has. There is no other will in Him, and therefore there is no other lust in Him, no other desire apart from the will of the Father.

And so from this other principle also, which is very applicable for everyone—each one of us who has been born into the world—we see that cannot be true for our Lord because in Him there was no other lust, there was no other desire. And that clearly proves the sinlessness of Christ, not only in external actions and thoughts, but in the very fact that He could not sin. He would not be able to sin for this very reason. We may then ask another question: What about Him being our High Priest? Let's read that portion also—Hebrews 4:18: For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He's able to succor them that are tempted. You have to know what this "tempted" is here. It's again not the temptation to sin. It's not about this lust which results in one sinning, but rather it is about the testing. He has been tested to the extreme most possible limits that Satan could offer Him. We have seen that in forty days He was in the wilderness; He was in a place uninhabited, in a place of wild beasts, fasting and without water and food. And we see that at the end of it all—so that forty days itself is a great ordeal of trial—but at the end of it all, He was again tried by the tempter or the adversary on those three aspects, if we can clearly see it, about lust itself. It is to desire something else than what God has appointed for Him, whether it be the type of deliverance, the way of deliverance, or how He is to manifest Himself as the Messiah, as the Savior—to have a different desire than what is from God Himself.

Hebrews 4:15: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." And that clearly shows us in these passages in which way He is our High Priest, in which way He is able to know our infirmities and is able to help us today. Let's come back to the portion here in James. So we have seen what is not true of God. Now James is going to give us a very important understanding of who God really is. How are we to look at God during the time of trial? James says, "Do not be deceived, do not be mistaken about this very important thing, my beloved brethren. Temptation is not from God; it is you, this heart." Be careful about that temptation. Know the root so that you can avoid it.

"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." This is how we have to look at God in the midst of trials. It's very easily said, but to practice it is the whole challenge, isn't it? Look at Job. When he is going through all the suffering, we see him struggling in his mind to reconcile this truth. He knows this is who God is; this is what God tells of Himself. And then he has to look at himself. He has to look at all the suffering he's going through, and he has to reconcile this still. He has to still cling everything he has onto this fact of who God is. Now James is saying here, with every good gift, the giving—the act of giving—the way God gives is good, and the thing He gives is perfect.

There's nothing lacking in it; that's how we have to see everything that we receive from God. One of the things is the wisdom that He can give us—that the way He will give us, as you have seen here the last time, the way He gives wisdom itself is good. We noted He gives liberally. We noted He does not reproach; He does not keep an account of how often we keep coming to Him to ask for wisdom. It is good gift-giving, and the gift that He gives is perfect. There is nothing that we lack if we get the gift from Him. And He is defining here as the: "Father of lights," which simply means the Creator, the One who created all the lights, the One through whom all the lights are positioned. He is the Father of lights.

And James is drawing this comparison to impress on our hearts that lights change. The sun is in the day, not visible during the night. the moon is in the night, not in the day. Even when the moon is there, there are these reflections, there are these effects, there are these variableness, there are these shadows. It's not constant; it's not steady. We have known that physically; we have seen it. But contrast that with who the Father is, with who He is. He is unchanging. He’s never changing, whether it be your time of prosperity or your time of persecution. He is unchanging. The whole creation may change, may fade away, but He will remain the same. How difficult it is, but we have to believe this and we have to hold on to this very truth: that our circumstances don't change who He is, and our circumstances also don't change His relationship with us.

We read in verse 12 that the crown is promised to them that love Him, because He Himself loves those who are suffering like this. Again case in point is Job when he is suffering: the world looks at him, his friends look at him and say, "You must have committed some sin. This is the Lord's displeasure on you that is causing you this." But this is what we have to hold on to, because that is not at all the case. Instead, it is precisely His love that has caused that kind of a situation in Job's life. That's persecution he should lead because of his faith, his clinging on, his fear of who God is. And we must not forget that James says, in times of trials, in times of difficulties, God has never changed. God will never change. Even the creation lights will change; even creation itself will change. But here is one Creator who will remain unchanging.

It's not only about His character, but if you just look at a few points about what He has done for us: in the first section that we were looking at, we have seen a general testimony about who God is, about God's character. Like John would say, God is light. So we are seeing a general testimony about who God is. But now, in verses 17 onwards, James is particularly telling what He has done for you, what He has done for us. He has been a Father of lights for us. He has not only been that; He has of His own will begotten us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. So He has not remained far away in that way; He has not remained unattached to us. But rather, He has begotten us; He has given birth to us through His word, which is called here the word of truth.

He has already done something for us toward all believers. That is our beginning. Our birth is from the word of truth because of His own will. You may contrast this with the previous verse that we saw—lust bringing forth sin, and that result is caused due to a wrong notion of who God is. It is not a word of truth, but it is deception, it is distortion, it is all kinds of deception that we see here which results in sin. On the other hand, here is the Father who, through the word of truth, is begetting us, has begotten us, and brought us forth through His word. That's what He has given us in the past, and He has done that with an objective. In our case, we see it turns out that we should be called the firstfruits of His creatures.

There is a clear objective that God desires, a purpose that He has already determined for every believer. Everyone who is begotten of Him, everyone who is born of God—here in James, we already see what is the purpose, the end that He wants us to have. In different portions of Scripture, we see it said differently. It is to be conformed to the image of His Son; it is to be as He is, where we shall see Him as He is. Here we see we have to be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. What do we understand from the word "firstfruits"? It is the first fruit, which means it is evidence or it points to the source, to the tree. A vine tree cannot bring forth grapes; a fig tree will not bring forth olives. It is the tree which will show forth its fruit. So the firstfruit of His creation—we have been called fruits—is showing the source, showing that this creature, this creation, is from God, is from the Father, is born of God. Firstly, that is what we can see here.

Secondly, look at the word "firstfruits," which means it is something that will still follow. It's not the only fruit, but it is the firstfruit, which means there are others, other things that are going to follow after this. And it is then also, thirdly, a sample of what is to come. If you look at the firstfruit, if you examine the firstfruit, you are going to see what everything else that is to follow is going to look like. If you have the firstfruit of a particular harvest, you can already see how the rest is going to come. So fruit shows the source, firstfruits show that there is still more to come, and firstfruits also show what everything else that is to come is going to look like. If you have the firstfruit of a harvest, you can see how the rest will come. So that is God's great objective for everyone that He begets, everyone who is born of God: when the world looks at us, they are to see what is to come.

And what better occasion than a trial? What better display of who we are, of what our source is, than when these people go through a trial and they see how this fits together with what James is telling? The whole world will readily forsake such a God. Those who are not of God, those who are not born of God, those who have not believed or not understood the love of God—basically, they would deny such a God. They want a God who will benefit them, who will give them prosperity here today, who will prosper them in their own selfish ambitions and desires. But here, when we have understood who God is, as I've been trying to focus on that point—that in the trial, the whole point is of our faith, of what we know of God, which really results in us loving Him. And that is what is going to be tried here, and I strive there.

That as we go through this trial, yet these believers, yet these people are enduring it. They're still not denying their Savior. They're still continuing to do good, overcoming evil with good, turning the other cheek where they are beaten on the side. And this has been amazingly the testimony of the Church. We are not talking only about today, but go back to the time the Church was formed on this earth, was started here on this earth. Since then, it has never really stopped. Apart from a few years of peace that we enjoyed as the Church, the history of the Church continuously has been that of being persecuted—whether it be during the Dark Ages, whether it be during the initial ages of the Roman Empire persecuting, or whether it be now that we see it continues to be persecuted by that which is of the world.

The darkness will hate this light, and the darkness will continue to persecute. But yet, it is never able to overcome this light. Yet, it is never able to fully destroy those who cling to this God, who have known this God, who have known this love displayed to them on the cross in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and they continue yet to take up any cross. I've been reading this book about the martyrs who were martyred for their faith—how tremendous was their faith in just going to be burnt, to be burnt upon sticks, to be thrown unto the wild animals, to be eaten in that way, to be made a sport in front of an audience, to endure such great persecution for their belief in the word of God and their belief in who God is according to this word of God.

Such is our heritage. And such is what the Scripture comes to define us as: these are the first fruits of a creation to come, showing the glory of God, showing who God is to me. And it is a hope that will be fulfilled at the coming of the Lord, thereafter when He continues in His purposes for the earth, how He will fully renew everything. It's not only our souls that have been redeemed; our bodies are going to be redeemed. Nor will it stop with our bodies—the whole creation is at a time to be redeemed. Before that, a millennial reign will be there which will bring about a tide of absolute peace because it is planted on righteousness. We are a firstfruit of His creation, and that is the great privilege that God gives us even when we are in trials, that we may show forth this of our God, of who He is and how He has loved us. May God help us with these words.

- Br. Rexlin Thomas
(Borivali Assembly)
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In the previous session, we have looked into the introduction of the Epistle of James. We looked at who has written this epistle. We found it was James. We also concluded it is James, the Lord's brother. And we have seen how James progressed in his journey of faith from being an unbeliever to one who became a believer to one who remained humble in the gatherings and how slowly the Lord himself would exalt him. exalt him to a position of great leadership, a great uh responsibility to guide the early stages of the church when the church was going through the transition of being fully Jewish to slowly becoming largely Gentile. James was a very critical figure who had to take decisions, who had to take decisions which would either break or keep the unity. When we see great wisdom, that James was able to excise in all those times.

We see also how he continued in that way, being able to preside over the council that was held at Jerusalem, being able to uh also help out in many ways that he would be identified as the leader, as the one who is to be contacted. We also saw but how he identified himself. He did not look at himself as the brother of the Lord or as we have looked at last time. none of these high exalted titles, but he would call himself a slave, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that he would show to us his understanding now from being the Lord's brother or looking at the Lord as his brother from that to putting him, placing him in the same pedestal, in the same word, in the same way with God as a Jewish man. This is clearly James attesting to the deity of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

He would otherwise never put the name of God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ together in this manner. And he takes the place of a slave, one who has no rights of his own, but entirely belongs at the service of the master. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw also who he has sent this letter to. It is to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad. A few more notes on that uh aspect on who he has sent the letter to. The word used there is the diaspora, the scattered abroad. And that word also has been used in the Gospel of John to describe the Jews who had been scattered even from before, not just at the time of the persecution of resulting after Stephen, but even from before to address the Jews who were outside, not in Jerusalem, not in Judea, but outside Israel.

They were referred to as the diaspora. And James is using that familiar term, but here looking at Christians, looking at Jewish believers. addressing them as again taking the place of those who are scattered in that way. But this is not writing to Jewish unbelievers. But very clearly, as we look at the entire epistle, it is assuming that the people is writing to have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, have known him as their savior, as their Lord. And it is in that way that he writes this particular letter. We'll now look at the remaining part of this epistle as we go through it verse by verse. We are now looking today at the verse 2 to verse 12. And this epistle can be very neatly divided also as we look at this phrase, my brethren. We see it here.

We see it in chapter 2. We see it in verse 1 of chapter 3. We'll see it also again in chapter 4 and 5. And that is a very nice way of dividing the points or the Messages that James was addressing to the people as we said last time James is addressing his His people the people that he knows of from Jerusalem and also otherwise who would be scattered He's addressing them with the heart of an elder. He knows them that they are in great trouble. They are in great persecution They are poor they have been displaced from all that they were living with they are going through a time of great Trouble and they need guidance. They need to know be instructed from the word about who about how they are to conduct themselves in this time.

And James is writing to address these issues, to address these challenges that they are facing. And this title, My Brethren is therefore always put as he uses the next or he comes to the next topic that is to be addressed. And here, as we can see very clearly, the first topic, the first aspect that he wants to address uh to his readers is this aspect of trials. James is going to give us a very important doctrine or truth or understanding of sufferings of trials. Why trials happen in the life of a believer? And James is going to give us, uh verse by verse, he's going to make us or he's going to persuade us, endeavor us to see trials in a whole different viewpoint.

It is not to be seen in the way the world would look at it. It is not even to be seen in the way the Old Testament Jewish person would look at it. It has to be looked at it in a very different light. So let us see as we proceed forward what James is trying to show to us here. We'll go verse by verse and also even word by word because there are so many uh words that James uses which are not found elsewhere in the Bible as well. It's very rich in looking at every word that he's almost using here. So let's begin. In verse 2, says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptation. The first word there count, count it all joy, says.

The word count there. Again, it's something used in the Bible itself to indicate leaders. So it would be used of how we count, how we esteem, how we regard some people because of their uh moral attributes because of their qualification, because of their abilities, we would put them higher, we would put them in the front. That's how we would regard such men. So they are called leaders, they are called governors in so many other ways, they are called in the New Testament scriptures. This very Greek word is also translated in that same way. It gives the idea that the object, the person, the thing we are referring to is to be treated, is to be regarded with a kind of higher regard to it.

And that's where James is going to start. He's going to say, count in that way, count with a higher esteem, count with a higher regard, what he's about to say. It's not the same word as we would see in the epistle of Romans, where we are to calculate, where we have to add up and see. But this is about really looking at this particular topic, looking at this particular uh suffering that he's going to talk about and see it as already begin there as a higher uh thing that God is giving to us. He's going to describe to us also why, why he would address it that way. He says, count it all joy. And as we know, every word in the scripture is inspired.

It's Holy Spirit breathed. And he does not just say, count it a matter of joy, count it some kind of joy, count it a little joy. He purposefully is using the word all to clearly remove every other possibility. There is no other possibility that we should look at it as, but joy. count it all joy. Does this mean that we are going to just uh ignore our emotions? Does it mean that we will not, we will stop feeling, we will stop feeling sorrow? Does it mean that it is unbiblical to weep, unbiblical to feel sorrow, to cry? Of course, we know that is not true. We know the example of our own savior, Lord Jesus Christ.

We know the example of so many other Christians and of so many other apostles and so many other testimonies. It's of course not wrong to cry, not wrong to feel sorrow, not wrong to feel the hurt, feel the pain. But this is also not talking about just putting up a face. It's not just referring to that because this verse is there, force yourself to put a smile on your face and just go about your day. That's also not the case here. It is fully acknowledging the sorrows that do happen in the time of trials. But we are to look at it. We are to see it in a way that it is all. joy.

Again, as I say, James is going to give us very good reasons why he says that. But to begin with, this is his premise. This is his instruction to those believers then who were going through trials. Regard it, see it, esteem it in high honor as all joy. And see how he's going to describe the different kind of trials, how they're going to happen. He says, when he fall into diverse temptations. Again, every word is important. We read there when not if you fall when you fall and as scripture other portions also very clearly note that part. It's about just a matter of time. It's going to happen. It will certainly happen to our lives.

It is when it's not if there's not a possibility that will not happen, but rather it will happen. And when it happens, it's only a matter of time that it should happen to each one of the believers. It will happen when it happens. When he fall a second word that you see there it is falling. It is in the sense of uh not something that you can really be prepared for. The same word is used in the scriptures to uh describe how the man who was attacked by when he was on the way from Jericho, how he was attacked, how the Lord would use that man in the good Samaritan parable that this man was suddenly attacked. He did not prepare.

He was not expecting that people should come and just attack him in that way. That is the very same word. This fall here is the very same word used to describe how thieves, how robbers, how murderers would suddenly come and attack you. No, you don't prepare for that. You don't wake up in that kind of preparation mode that today I'm going to prepare myself to be not robbed. Today I'm going to prepare myself to be not killed. We don't do that. And that's precisely the point. It is going to hit you. It is going to come to your life when you're not prepared, when you can't really much prepare about it.

It's a fall into diverse temptations. And there comes the word diverse. It is used to describe the different colored garments set to indicate that there is really no uniformity in that sense. We cannot look at this person and study trials that this is the kind of pattern of trials that will happen to me. We cannot look at this or that person and see their trials and think that this is how we can handle trials. It is really personal. is really vivid, different, varied, manifold, like manifold grace. The same word is also here. It is very diverse. It is simply too much for us to try to comprehend or try to get prepared for.

And that is the point here that these kinds of trials, they are not easy. They are certainly going to happen. They are going to happen suddenly. We cannot really be prepared much for it. And they're going to be very varied. We cannot really understand the agony, the sorrow of another person who is going through the Nobody else also can really fully understand what's going through us when we are going through trial. And this is the initial phrase, initial premise that James wants us to understand that these are the nature. This is the very nature of the trial that a believer is receiving and be not surprised with it.

So he's addressing those who have yet understand the context is addressing those who have been really displaced from their home in Jerusalem. They are forced to go to some other place. They are suddenly become poor. Maybe they are suddenly having to deal with persecution, physical persecution for their faith. So many things are going wrong. They are closed ones. Let the ones are being killed are being persecuted. How do you reconcile all this with your faith? especially for a Jewish person at that time, this would have been very difficult to comprehend. The God of the Old Testament, He will bless, especially for a Jew, as you obey, as you be pleasing to the Lord.

The Lord ensures that you are going to be blessed on this earth. Then what is happening here? Suddenly I have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Suddenly I believed in the true one. And yet suddenly all of this is happening because precisely because of my faith. How do you reconcile that? And it's so important that James would address this very issue. that your trial is not, it's not a surprise. It is exactly according to the pattern of scriptures and James is going to give them how and why we should see a trials as he tells us why we should count it all joy uses the word knowing this that the trying of your faith work with patients.

So it's going to have a outcome. It's going to have a objective in mind. It's not a random sequence of events that is just being played on you. But there is a reasonable, glorious outcome to this whole uh process. What is the process? What is being tried here? Why are you going through the trial? James says that the trying of your faith, what is the one aspect that is going to be tested that is going to be really burnt or tested in the fire? like a metal is tested, a precious object is tested, what is it that is going to be proved? What is it that is going to be tried? It is the faith, faith of the person.

And we know James has much to talk about, faith that will be seen in works, faith that will not regard the person, have respect to persons, but treat everyone equally. He starts here with how this faith will help us to endure trials, because that is the precise objective or what is being targeted. What is being tried in this trial proved in this trial is our faith. Our faith is being tried. He says by so doing what will happen? It is working out a patience. Very, very interesting uh word that is used there. It is endurance. The more stronger, more richer, more accurate transition would be endurance.

It is not just that we are waiting. It's not just that we are letting time go by in this time of trial. But it's a matter of character. It's a matter of becoming stronger. It's a matter of becoming one who is now able to bear more burdens. It is a matter of character. It is not just a fleeting passing thing, but rather as your faith is being tried. James says what's happening. You are becoming more Christlike. You are becoming more and more stronger in order to bear even more burdens. And the point is here, it is not something that flees away. That is just a fleeting thing.

But this is being added to you. This is becoming you. This is becoming your character. And then there are two words that we see here. One is this worketh endurance. And we see the same thing in verse 12. Also blessed is the man that endureth temptation. There it is the verb that to endure. That is the verb there, but the same Greek word root. It is to endure. Whereas here it is the very noun itself. is indicating that this thing becomes you. You are becoming more and more or this endurance is becoming more and more of your character.

We may read in Romans how Paul also describes the same very same process, how even we can glory in tribulations for this very reason that this will work. What in us? Perseverance in us. And what will perseverance do? Character is going to build character is going to build us and that will give us hope. And hope does not put us to shame because the love of God is shared abroad in our hearts. And this is what James is referring to that by the trying of our faith, this is what we are firstly going to get. are going to become more and more stronger, but let patients have her perfect work that he may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.

This is a keyword here that, but let. It's like, let it let it be right. It's indicating don't interfere when this trial is coming. The biggest temptation, biggest uh downfall that can happen to the believer is that he will interfere. But James says, let this patience, this whole process, let this attain to its perfect work. And the word perfect here is always about maturity, it's about completion. If a glass has to be full. Then let that glass be fully complete. Let it be to the brim. Let it reach to its perfect state. And so let this patients also complete her work and don't interfere.

Don't come in between that. And we may look to the examples of the old Testament as we look to Abraham, for example, we know Abraham's life is a very clear lesson in terms of being tried over and over again. So he receives the first command. that you have to leave your house, you have to leave everything you know, and go to a strange land. It's a trial in itself. How are you supposed to just leave, uproot everything and go to a land you've never seen, you've never known, you have nothing there. It's the first trial there, but Abraham goes and shortly thereafter, what happens?

We see a famine coming shortly thereafter. A famine will come in the land and therein is a trial again. What will Abraham do? Will he persist? Will he remain? Will he let patients have a perfect work? We see that he chose to go to Egypt and that was not the best or the wisest decision. He interfered. He came in between the process. He went to Egypt and also uh lied or gave a half truth about his wife and how that led to the consequences. are aware, but we see that how Abraham would step in and that would become a trouble, a trouble for himself, a trouble also for his nephew lot who never really uh left the image of Egypt who still whose heart continued to be in Egypt though Abraham was able to come away.

Lord's heart always remained in Egypt as we see how he would choose Sodom later. We see also how thereafter as he had to wait continually for so many years to receive the promise of the seed again there is interfering. We would have Sarah suggesting that he should have a son through Hagar and the troubles that that have led not only to their family but to the world. We know how much of things have happened just because of that uh decision. Again, an interfering that we may see in that way. So many things that we should note here that by coming to in the way or coming in the way of God's work, of God's process has its troubles with it.

And James advises that as they go through these times of persecution, go through these times of trials, James says, uh let patients have that is the thing that we can do. We can let patients have a perfect work. So that what will happen? You may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. So again, there is an outcome here. So first outcome of the trying was that your faith is being tried. You are growing in character. You are becoming more endurance. You're becoming more stronger. Secondly, James equates this to being more perfect and entire two words are used there.

Perfect like I just said, it's about the maturity, it's about whatever phase of our spiritual life we may be in. It's about reaching to the best standard of that stage. A newborn into the faith will not be expected to be tried as one who is far ahead in faith. Just like Abraham's trials also different varied much from the initial days to the time when he had to be willing to offer up his own son. It did not occur to him on the first day when the Lord revealed himself to Abraham. He did not ask him to offer something up like that. But as he grew in faith, as he became more and more mature, the trial also increased.

And so that is the word here, perfect, that in the stage that we are in the face that we are to reach to the perfection of it and entire, entire is to mean whole. It is to mean healthy. It's a word used to describe the sacrifices that were offered to the Lord in the temple, which means there is nothing lacking. It's blemishless, it's spotless, its bones are not broken. It's fully healthy. Whatever is there is fully healthy and it has reached to its perfection. So this is here then the second important outcome that uh James wants from us that through this trial, what will happen?

We will be made perfect and entire. What James is in another way suggesting or what the other scriptures are suggesting is that through this trial, we are being conformed to the image of the son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the real objective here. As we put one and two together, that's what is happening. What we are gaining is a characteristic or something that it belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. What is going to happen as we grow, we are becoming more and more like our savior, Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what James would like each one of us and them who were enduring that trial to see.

If I look at this particular word itself, this word endurance and uh endure, we may think, why is it even important? Why is it so important to gain endurance? Why is it so valuable in the face of the trial that I am going through? My trial is far more difficult, is far more tiresome. When I look at just this word endurance, how does it add up? How is this endurance sufficient to help me go through the weight of the trial that I am right now going through? And if we just look through concordance and seeing where are these words used? I quickly took a list. I'm just going to read out a few.

not asking us to take those verses. There are many in the revolutions one nine. I John both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience or endurance of Jesus Christ. In verse two of chapter two, revelation again, I know your works, your labor, your endurance and that you cannot bear those who are evil. Was three of chapter two again. and you have persevered and have endurance and have laboured for my name's sake and have not become weary. Chapter 3 verse 10, because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world.

Chapter 14 verse 12, here is the patience, here is the endurance of the saints, here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. In this very same book we turn to chapter 5 and we will see Job. Job regarded as the one who is counted uh happy. Verse 11 of chapter 5, behold, we count them happy, which endure. You have heard of the patients of Job, which endure. There it is the verb endure used. And that again gives us a whole rich example. Please turn with me to chapter 12 of Hebrews. 12. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3. For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest be varied and faint in your minds. So dear brethren, as we see here, those who are going through trials or when we are going through trials, we are found in very, very good, very blessed company. This is the experience of the Lord Jesus when he was here on this earth. And this has been the experience of the faithful throughout the history.

We may also look at uh chapter of verse 12 itself. We read here as a continuation of that same topic. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to them that love him. Here is a conclusion of the whole matter. When we look at a man, a person who is going through trial, this is the way the Lord looks at it. He says blessed is the man. that endure it that is going through that is going to stay strong that is going to trust continue trusting continue being patient continue waiting upon the deliverance that comes from the Lord because we see here very clearly the usage is in a way that we are waiting for the deliverance that comes from the Lord.

are not waiting for nothing. We waiting for a deliverance that should come from the Lord and that has been the testimony of the Old Testament. as well as the New Testament that we wait not for nothing, but indeed for God to deliver. And blessed is the man that waits unto that point that endures to that point who endures this trial that who endures this proving experience who lasts it through who comes the other way other end blessed is that man. James gives another reason we have looked at two very important reasons building up of character becoming uh perfect wanting nothing. becoming more like the Lord Jesus.

Thirdly, the point here is because when he's tried, what will he get? He shall the word tried there actually is when he's approved. The when he's tried there, it should be when he's approved. He is firstly receiving an approval from God himself. He has been tested for what he is and what he is, is becoming very clear unto the glory of the one who saved him. He is approved now. And secondly, we see He shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. He shall receive the crown of life. That's the second thing that we see that then.

What is a crown used for? We may think, especially in the context of when this epistle is written in that time, it's referring to this uh garland type crown, which was given to the athletes who want things, who proved themselves to be the deserving ones of such honor. They were to be like a showcase. They were to be the ones to be looked up to. They were the ones who were the pride of uh the nation, who were the pride of the people whom they were representing. And that is what is really the meaning there, that we are looking at such people who are having what?

They're going to receive the crown of life. In their life, they have shown this aspect in their lives that they have faith. Their faith is in the true and living God. And James tells us one more thing that they love the Lord. The Lord has promised to them that love him. This crown comes to those who are loving the Lord. This loving comes only when we know him. As we know God, we will love God. And this is the proof. This is the proof that God wants not to put us down, but rather to encourage us that as you are going through this trial, this is God's objective.

It's not for nothing. It's in the present. It's building you up. It's making us into more and more like Christ. It is making us more and more stronger to whatever next may come in our life. And in the end, it's for display. It's for displaying God's great glory that these are the ones who have endured this trial, that these are the ones who were faithful. So today, even when we I've heard multiple times that sometimes people wonder and they and as we speak, say Why is this happening to such a great man or such a person who was of so great faith?

That why is his end like this? Why is he having to suffer so much? I don't think God wants us to look at these people like that at all. That is not the way God wants us to look. That's exactly how Job's friends would look at Job. That's not the way God wants us to look. But rather this is the way we should look. Verse 12, blessed is the man. Blessed is such men who are going through those trials who are enduring it and it is for the glory of God. And as we see them enduring it, it's actually God preparing this crown, which is going to last forever.

And God is preparing for them that place of display. This is what James wants us to see that as we go through trials, as we may encounter, it's very clear that that will happen. It is a matter of when, when we face trials. This is how we are to approach it, knowing It's not for nothing. It is unto the glory of our Savior. Now let us look at the other portions, verse 5 to verse 11. There are other important helps that James is offering us when we go through trials. He says that there is something that we may lack when we are going through this trial.

And it's important to recognize what is it that we really need during a trial? What is it that we really need? Will riches help? Will influence help? Will people help? Will health help? Will anything help? James puts focus to the right thing that is if any of you lack wisdom what we really need during a trial to endure it is wisdom. What is wisdom? Wisdom is not just uh doctrines in our head. Wisdom is even more than discernment. It's discerning more than discerning between right and wrong. It is really about being able to apply being having the presence of mind having the Spirit of God rather to know how to approach this situation.

based upon the knowledge that comes from the word of God. It is really practical. is the outworking of all that God wants us to understand from his word. This is quite difficult to possess. And James does not say that you don't possess it, but if any of you lack wisdom, so there is a possibility that we may possess it. But let's if we are more humbler, we can readily come to the Lord and ask for this particular aspect of wisdom. What we need when we go through trials is wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.

And he's going to describe to us God's wonderful character. Who is the one you're asking to? You're asking to him who gives to all men liberally. That's the first thing that God does. How does he give? gives liberally. Liberally is freely. He's not going to take uh or keep account of, this cost you this much or this nothing liberally freely just as grace comes he will give you that wisdom secondly abraded not very interesting word it essentially means that he does not keep account of it now to illustrate this suppose we have somebody who or if our children come to us you know asking us for one thing and we give them that one thing they misuse it next time they come again We may give it to them.

We probably will not. But suppose we give it to them. We are keeping account. We keeping track. I gave you once, you have misused it. I gave you twice. Certainly you misused it. Third time, not happening again. Abriddh means the opposite. Abriddh means, abriddh not means he does not keep account. He's not going to come asking you that this last time I gave you wisdom, you did not put it to use. I did not see that working out. Second time you come. And still we are not putting it to use or we are not using it as we ought to.

He's not keeping account of that. He is not keeping a bad track of how we have misused or how we have lived, but rather he is really wanting to give that wisdom. He gives liberally and he does not keep record of the of how we have not efficiently used that wisdom. Such is the one that we are approaching when we want to ask for wisdom. And James says, uh It shall be given to him. Certainly you come to him. He will give you the wisdom You're not left alone in this trial. God is with you in this trial. You come and ask for wisdom He will give you but there are conditions Let him ask in faith What faith we may ask and that has to be concerning the character of God concerning what who God is and what God has said We looked at already verse 12 where we read the phrase the Lord has promised It's his word.

Abraham believed in the word that God gave. Abraham believed in the promise. He counted him more powerful than his own deadness, his own weakness, but he counted the one who could give him this life. He counted him more powerful. And that's the same here that we are also not uh relying on imaginations, but we are relying on who God is. And that's why I said in verse 12, that they who love him are those who know him. We cannot love him without knowing him. And it is really in knowing him that we are getting the strength to withstand this trial, that he will not go against the character of who he reveals himself to be in the Word of God.

This was Job's also great strength throughout the trial and also a great conflict to be able to reconcile the character of God with his experiences. But we are now living in an age far past having far more testimonies, having fuller revelation of the Word of God, we can certainly vouch for it, we can certainly stand for it. That this God who has revealed to us in the person of his son, he does not change. He's exactly what he says to be. And it is in that confidence that we are to come. Let him ask in faith. Nothing wavering, nothing shifting, nothing moving from this side to that side.

For he that wavereth, James is going to give us a uh visual description of how such a person would be if he's not coming in faith, if he's going to be one who's wavering. What does it look like? I hope you've all seen waves and we have seen how the wind blows the wave. You can't keep a track on that wave, right? The wave is just here one moment, second moment, another wave. It's just being driven by what is external. The wind is what is driving it. It has no control, no holding on where it can be, how it should be. It's fully at the sway, at the influence.

at the mercy of that which is external. And this is the point of our trial, that we are not to be fully at the mercy and at this way of what happens to us externally, of the circumstances that come to us. Let us not be moved, be wavering based on the winds that come in our life, based on the circumstances that come in our life. Let us not be like a wave which is here today, which is there tomorrow. That's not what James wants from us. for he that we have read is like a wave of the sea driven with wind and tossed again two words are there.

One indicates the origin that this waves movements originate from not within not from any other confidence but fully influenced by the wind that drives it and being tossed is to indicate this to and fro motion. Basically its end is so uncertain. uh This wave does not know where it is going to and it is fully at the mercy and it's fully uh being influenced by what's happening externally. And that's what we should be careful of. What are we? How are our directions being led? What is the source of this next step that I am going to take in the trial?

Is it coming from confidence in God or is it based upon this wind that has come into my life, this wave of persecution and circumstances that have come into my life, which are going to put me in a place whose end also I am not really certain. It may be there, it may be here, I am becoming like the wave which is tossed to and fro. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. James puts things very clearly for us that such a man is called a double-souled man.

He has two governing principles in him. He's not led by the one. soul principle. He's not led by one. He has two conflicting persons within him, two soul men he is and he will be unstable in all his ways. He will not be able to walk steadily. These are very clear instructions, very clear words that James uses and the purpose as his heart is not to be strong, is not to be stern and without mercy, but rather as his term, my brethren, continually implies it is with great care this with great concern. It is for the betterment and for the benefit of those who are reading it that he would put it in these very words.

Now quickly we look at also the last point here. We looked at what helps in trials. What does what helps? is wisdom. What is the thing that we need during trial? More than anything else, wisdom. What is the thing that we don't need? It is anything other any other influences. So James now looks at the poor and the rich. Sometimes, or at least the world will certainly think sometimes we can also think that if I was more rich, then there would be less troubles in my life. If I was not this poor, I could have been more comfortably or I could have bypassed this particular trial.

James is going to give us very clear revelation or clear instruction regarding that. That's not all the case. Being poor, being rich, have nothing to do with how we are going to endure this trial. Being poor or being rich have nothing to do with it. What matters is what we have been made in Christ. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. It's a new standing that this lowly brother has received in Christ. He's no longer to look at himself in how the world looks at him. He's yet poor. He's not changed his status.

He's not suddenly become rich. He's still poor in the world, but he is now highly exalted in the eyes of the Lord. Whereas what should the rich man do? But the rich in that he is made low, he is becoming, he is brought into humiliation. He has to also see very clearly what is my position now. I am not above the poor person. I am not above this or that particular believer. But rather he also has to rejoice in the fact that God has revealed to him what is his true state. His riches count for nothing, but rather What God has done for him in Christ is what counts entirely.

And lest we should have any confidence in riches, James will explain in these verses how futile it is to look at riches as something that can help us to go out of our indoor trials. He says the glory, there is a certain glory associated with riches when someone is very wealthy. There is a certain glory associated with it. And James compares that to how you may appreciate the flower of a grass. That is the stability that riches offer you in the time of trials. This is how strong a foundation riches are. It is like the flower that comes out of a grass.

We all understand that that is really a very bad foundation to have during any troubled times. What happens to the grass? The sun comes out. The flower is the glory. The flower is a beautiful appearance. What with us first? The grass withers first and then this particular flower which is so beautiful, it has lost all its source. It has no grass, it has no source to get energy from to bloom to be glorious. That's exactly the glory of the rich man. The rich man is like the grass. He will wither away. His glory is like the flower.

It's for a very, very short time when compared to what God is preparing for those who believe in Him in comparison to what God is preparing for those who... love Him. The glory that He is calling us unto, it is incomprehensible, it is unwaverable, it is so difficult for us to even begin to understand. But God wants us to understand that so that we may see this trial, this suffering in the light of that. If we think that the rich have a glory, if we think that in this world when we see the rich being very uh great and showing their glory, if we think that is impressive, then we really have to look at this verse and evaluate the glory that God is preparing for us.

Their glory is like glory of a flower, which is based on the strength of a grass. As the sun comes, it's going to come today, it's going to come the next day, they will pass away. And that's lesson that James wants us to understand regarding the foundation in a trial, regarding the glory associated with the rich men. He has an interesting way of describing how they are fading away. So also shall the rich man in his ways fade away. That's the literal translation that in what he is being occupied, he thinks that he is amassing wealth. He thinks that he is making a kingdom for himself.

He thinks that he is uh achieving something that's very great. But in that very process, he's actually fading away in his ways, in his pursuit for this wealth, for this riches, for this kingdom on this earth, in that very action, this man, you can see, he's fading away. His glory is fading away. He's fading away. And that's how James wants us to look at it. And in comparison to that, we have seen already what is the end of those who will withstand, who will endure this trial. A crown, a beautiful, everlasting, eternal crown displayed to the glory of the one whom they served.

And as I said, when we look at trials, James wants us to understand there are clear benefits, there are clear outcomes that God is doing right now with the person who is going through trial. He's building him up. He's making him more and more like Christ. He's in the end showing him this person to be approved of God, that this one, this one is faithful. This one, this one loves me and is preparing for such a person. a crown of life that is going to last and that is going to be under the display of His glory. May God help us with these words.

- Br. Shine Assi
(Borivali Assembly, 14th April, 2025)
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Now when we come to chapter 10, Solomon is describing about a fool. How does a fool looks like? And he is describing, he is portraying folly. He is describing foolishness. So someone said like this, life is tough. But if you are foolish, it's even more tougher. So Bible doesn't give us a space to be foolish. And Bible also suggests that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We all may think that wisdom comes or the knowledge comes when we read more books, we connect wisdom and knowledge with our literacy or our academic qualification. But Bible, that's all good. That gives us the information. But Bible, when we come to the Bible, Bible says that fear of the Lord comes with the, sorry, wisdom comes with the fear of the Lord. It is the point from where the wisdom begins.

So Solomon is also taking us to that start and he is telling us in this futile life, we cannot take a chance to be foolish. And when we come to chapter 10, he is describing who the fool is. And he tells when we read the first verse, he tells dead flies make a perfumers oil, ferment and sting. So a little folly overweights wisdom and honor. He's using an example here. He's using an example of a beautiful, fragrant oil. It is beautiful. Its aroma is amazing. But one small fly can destroy the entire aroma of that oil. The entire value of that oil will be spoiled. And Solomon says in the same way, one little folly will destroy your entire life. One little folly will destroy your entire life. We cannot play with sin. We cannot be foolish.

Often we don't talk about sin in our churches. Mostly we talk about sin and temptation. Where do we talk about it? Youth meetings, right? As if only young people commit sins. Old people doesn't do that. Right? Often in youth meetings, we talk about sin, we talk about temptation. But in churches, I have hardly heard preaching. Only few times only I have heard preachings about sin and temptation in the churches. Why do we don't do that? Probably there is a reason. Probably we don't want to point any fingers upon us. Probably we are walking ahead with the principle that you scratch my back, I will scratch your back. Right? Because if you will talk about my sin, I have hundreds more about you to say. So we are quiet. We are conveniently adjusting it. But Solomon is out loud. And he is saying that it is foolishness to commit sin. One dead fly, one small mistake can ruin your entire life. Therefore, you should be careful enough. You should be wise enough to handle your life.

I often give when I speak from this passage, I often give an example of Hitler. You know, know who is Hitler, who Hitler was. Was Hitler? Have you heard of Hitler? No, you don't want to speak? Who was Hitler? ruler of Germany, okay? What else you know about Hitler? What did he do? Huh? He tried to destroy the Jews? Or anything else? He invented chemotherapy in the concentration camp, the aim is chemotherapy. Oh, I did not know that. Okay, okay. Okay, what else? He was a vegetarian. He was a vegetarian, okay. Okay, okay, okay. What else is known for? Genocides. Torture, murders, ruthless dictator. He used to suppress all the people who used to stand against him.

He was a great orator, but hardly people know about it. He was a great painter. Have you ever heard about that? Hitler was a great painter. He was an artist. Hitler was a great orator. He was one good author. He has written a book called Mein Kampf. And that was like one among the best sold books in the highly sold books in the world. But we don't think all these things when we talk about Hitler. We always think about the dark side of the Hitler. We always think about the genocides, the killings, the trouble that he has created, the way he tortured people, the way he murdered and persecuted people. And Solomon says, that's why one small fly can destroy your life.

More than we talk about David's goodness, we think about David and Bathsheba. One small fly can destroy your life. One small fly can destroy your life. The dead fly. One small dead fly can destroy the perfume of the oil. What is the purpose of that fragrant oil? What do you think? What should be the purpose of that fragrant oil? To provide good aroma. And in those days, people used to buy a fragrant oil and keep it with them as fixed deposits so that when the fragrant oil is new, they buy it and keep it. As it gets older, the aroma will be more refined and later when they are in need they can sell it in a higher price. So it loses its purpose. Our entire, the purpose of our life we lose if we don't deal with our problems, with our sin rightly. Handling our sin is very very much important and Solomon says that one dead fly can ruin.

Now one dead fly can ruin that fragrant oil just the similar a little folly overweights wisdom and honor He says don't be foolish. Be wise and later when he when we read this verse down he says in verse 2 a wise man heart goes to the right but the fool's heart goes to the left. What is this right and left? What confusion? Yeah. So in the Jewish tradition, right is always talks about good and left always talks about evil. Something that is bad. So he's saying that a fool's man heart, he's always inclined towards evil, but a wise man's heart is always inclined towards what is good. And therefore it's not the problem of your action, but it is the problem of your heart. You were evil, your sins, your mistakes, our mistakes, my mistakes. It's not the problem of our work. But it's the problem of our heart. The heart of the matter is that it is the matter of the heart. It is the matter of our heart. Therefore in our folly in our foolishness, we turn towards evil in all our choices in all our actions in all our deeds in all our thoughts. One small fly. Have you ever thought about it? One small mistake, one small talk.

I would have spoken, I would have preached thousands and thousands of messages. But tomorrow, if you listen something about me, something bad about me, you will forget all those thousand messages. Right? And you will remember only one thing. I know a big, I know a big, a great man of God, a great man of God. don't want to, many of you may know him. I don't want to take his name. He has done tremendous work for the Lord. Tremendous work. I used to, I used to call, he's not no more in this world. I used to call him Appachan like. He was a grandfather figure for me. Tremendous work for the Lord in his young age, in those age. I'm talking about seventy five, sixty seven, seventy five, eighties in those days in Kerala.

One uncle has told me like this in Kerala, the magazines used to call him Black Billy Graham. Black because wherever he stands and preach there will be at least few who will take decision to follow Jesus Christ and come forward. great work for the Lord. What I have seen through his life that apart from gospel, he did not know anything else. Wherever he stands, he will preach the gospel. You call him for marriage, you call him for birthday parties, you call him for school functions, you call him anywhere. Apart from gospel, he will not say anything. but the ministry but when today I talk to people about him, people has nothing good to say about him. People say that he has gone astray. He has diverted from his vision. All these things, all these things, one small folly will ruin the entire life. Probably it will ruin the entire ministry. Probably it will ruin the church. It will ruin the family.

What happened when sin came in this world? What happened when sin came in this world? First, it destroyed the family. You ask me how the sin destroyed the family all these years? Adam was singing, you are born of my born flesh of my flesh. Oh, he was so happy about the gift that God he has received from God. He was singing, he was he was joyed, he was enjoying the company. But as soon as the sin came in their life. What did Adam said to God? God asked Adam, did you eat the fruit? What did he say? I did not do that. The woman which you have given to me. What did God say? The day you will eat it, you will surely die. So now when God is asking Adam was supposed to die but what Adam is saying don't kill me kill this lady. She is the reason for all the trouble. One small mistake ruined the family. ruined the family.

When we come to first Kings, we know how the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two and Jeroboam, the King of Northern Province was scared that if people will go to Jerusalem, they will hate me. They will hate my people and their heart will be for Judah. Their heart will be for the children of David. Therefore, what should I do? Let me make my own temple. He made one temple in Bethel and he made one temple in Samaria. And he said, listen, everyone, listen, everyone. This is the God. He made an idol there. This is the God. This is the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. No need to go to Jerusalem. No need to go to the temple. See, we have conveniently made something for you here. This is it. Come here and worship the God who has brought you out of Israel. and he forced the entire nation to commit idolatry.

Now there is an interesting site to it. There is an interesting site to it. I would like to take your attention to the book of Hosea quickly. Book of Hosea quickly and I would like to take your attention to chapter 10 of the Book of Hosea. Before that, we will come to chapter four of Hosea and we'll read verse 15. We will read verse 15. And here in verse 15 of chapter four of the book of Hosea, it's written Israel, if you act promiscuously, don't let Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrim to Beth-Ewen. Have you read that word Beth Ewen? What is that? What is that? Historians say that there was no pilgrimage in Beth Ewen. No pilgrimage. Beth Ewen was just a barren land. There was nothing. There was nothing. It's just a barren land. There was no pilgrimage in Beth-Evan. That's what the historian says. But then how come people of Israel are going for pilgrimage in Beth-Evan? When we come to chapter 10 of the Book of Hosea and when we read verse five, when we read verse five, we read here the residents of Samaria will have anxiety over the cough of Beth-Evan. Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it. People will mourn over it, over its glory.

Now there is no temple of Baal in Beth-Evan. then what is talking about the calf of Beth-Evan? There is nothing in Bethheaven, it's just a barren piece of land. But many Bible scholars believe that Hosea is using this term to substitute Bethel because there was a pilgrimage, an idol worshipping temple in Bethel. which was close to Bethhaven. Bethhaven is a place just outside Bethel, probably 8 to 10 kilometers from Bethel. Now many historians and many Bible scholars believe that Hosea is substituting Beth-Evan with Bethel to tell the people of Israel that they have committed sin. Now, what do you mean by Beth-Evan? Beth-Evan means the house of wickedness. Now, when it is substituted with Bethel, what does Bethel means? What does Bethel means? House of God. And now after years that place has become Beth-Ewen. Bethel has become Beth-Ewen, house of wickedness. Do you think it just happened overnight? It's happened like Uttar Pradesh changing the name of the place. Today onwards we'll not call it Bethel, we'll call it Beth-e-ven. Just like that. It's written with a purpose to tell the people of Israel that you have not taken care of the small flies in your life. And the entire nation, and the entire nation, the leadership of the entire nation has pushed the nation of Israel into sin and idolatry. Bethel has become Beth-heaven.

Solomon is saying not to be fooled if you will not kill your dead flies, your family, your church, your spiritual life will be ruined. The life will become toilsome. The life will become painful. The life will become restless. if we don't handle our dead flies carefully. Where is our heart going? You know, when we talk about sin, we should understand one thing that it is real. The problem of the sin is real. It is with you and it is with me. Many a times, many of us don't want to agree or don't want to speak about it or don't want to preach about it. Probably because we are living in some kind of guilty conscience or probably we don't want to deal with it. Probably we are scared. What will people say? But this is the truth. I go wrong. You also go wrong. Everyone goes wrong. How will we manage this? We can't be foolish. We can't be foolish. Solomon says that you should take care of the dead flies. A small fly.

One small action of Jeroboam for the convenience of people turned Bethel into Beth-heaven. One step at a time. Probably we'll not get aware of it. We may think it's just a small fly. What great damage it can bring. But Solomon says that it can destroy your life. And further he is portraying who the fool is. And in verse eight and nine, he says that one who digs fall into it and one who breaks the wall will be bitten by the snakes. Solomon is saying that foolish fool is a person who will say it out loud that I am a fool. He will show it through it through his actions. Through his actions he will declare that he is foolish when we come to verse 12 and 13 and 14 he says The words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a fool consumes him It's not just about work. It's not just about action through his words. He will show others that he is a fool.

Then when we come to verse number 16 and 17. Solomon says, O to you land when your king is a household servant and your princess feast in the morning. Solomon is saying that through the surroundings a fool will declare that he is fool. The fool will the presence of folly will affect your surrounding here in verse 16 and 17. He's talking about a princess of the kingdom who are not at all serious about the work. They are feasting in the morning. They are supposed to work and tackle the needs of the kingdom. It is the time for them to training, but they are they are least bothered about their life. They least bothered about their kingdom. and they are feasting in the morning. Through their talks, through their actions, through their surrounding, they prove their foolishness. One dead fly can ruin your life. One dead fly can ruin your life. Don't be foolish in your life. We cannot play with it. We cannot easily handle it.

We need the fear of the Lord and obedience to His commandment. Often we depend on ourself, isn't it? To handle our sins. We trust ourselves. We think that with our strength, we will tackle our sins. Who are we? Who are we? How do we tackle our life? We are the people who keep alarm in our phone thinking that we'll get up at 5.30 and we get up in the morning, we turns off that alarm and sleep for another one hour. That's our planning is. And we are depending on ourselves to deal with the sin, to deal with the flies. Now Paul says that it is a spiritual warfare. We are not fighting with blood and flesh. It's a spiritual warfare and your opponent is very, very, very tactful. Therefore, put on the armor. If it is your spiritual warfare, you should fight it with the right armor. You cannot win a war with wrong arm. We often lose because we try to fight it with wrong armors. We use wrong tools. We use wrong weapons to counter the sin and the problems in our life.

The author of Hebrews encourages us to look to Jesus Christ, run the race of faith when he says that. And then he talks about the sin that entangles us. Hebrews chapter 12, verse one and two. Sin that entangles us. And the only way that author of Hebrews finds to fight with that entangling sin is to look to Jesus. look unto Jesus. That surprised me a lot. In chapter 11 of Hebrews, he's talking about great warriors of faith, but when he comes to chapter 12, he's not saying that you see look at Abraham or look at Abel or look at Noah or look at Jacob or David or Isaac. He does not taking their names. If you look at me, you will fail because I have also failed. Because I also go wrong. Look unto Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith. Who is one true example. We cannot, it will be foolish if we will not be able to handle our folly.

Solomon is suggesting the life in this world is futile. The life under the sun is tough, it is futile, it is meaningless. Therefore he says, enjoy your life. Therefore he says, work in your life. So make use of the time. Invest in your life. Therefore, he says that you should not be on the extreme side. Fear God in your life. Don't be self-righteous. Neither be overly wicked. And Solomon says, this life is futile, meaningless. Handle your flies carefully. I don't know about your problems. Probably you don't know about my problems. What can we do? I am scared to share about my sins to others. Are you? Are you? Of course I think you are. Why? because we don't trust one another. Isn't it? We don't trust one another. Probably I will not share about my sin to Ebi. Because I will have this fear that Ebi will go and tell it to someone else. And everyone will be knowing this. And I will be ashamed. I will be ashamed.

Brothers and sisters, let me tell you one thing. When we all go wrong, we need one another to help each other. help each other. We live in a world of trolling. You understand what trolling is, right? As soon as we come to know something bad about someone, we are ready to spew poison out against the person. We are ready to go to the Facebook and WhatsApp and tell that this is not right, this is this and this is that. We come up with hundreds and hundreds of arguments to troll that person. But let me tell you. I cannot fight this war alone. I need you. I need you my dear brothers and sisters. I need you to sit down and pray for me. I need you to pray for each and every family here, each and every youngsters here.

Lord, you help them even though when you know and when you don't know about it, rather than gossiping about the sins which I have committed. rather than talking bad about rather than trying to seek seek arguments and and and and suggestions for it rather than passing the news with extra masala. May we ever take time to sit down. Lord, I heard something about that brother or that sister. Help them to kill the dead flies of their life. one folly, one small fly will outnumber all the good things that you have done in earth. we can't take chances. Therefore, Solomon is suggesting be wise. Be wise in your actions. Be wise in your talks. Be wise in your behavior.

There is one poem which I have read somewhere and that poem says, I'll read it for you. That poem says, for want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For the want of the horse, the battle was lost. For the want of the battle, for the failure of the battle, kingdom was lost. All for the want of a horse shoe nail. Have you ever heard this? For the want of a nail, the horse was lost. You know what kind of nail it's talking about? horse they put a shoe on the hoof of the horse to protect its hoof from scratching it in the ground and they just stick it with the nail. So only one small nail was lost. One small nail. Unnoticeable thing. It doesn't worry anyone. One small nail was lost. Doesn't care. Doesn't matter. Just a matter of small nail. But then the poem says, For the want of a nail, shoe was lost.

And when the shoe was lost, for the want of the shoe, the horse was lost. And when the horse was lost, for the want of the horse, the rider was lost. For the want of the rider. The battle was lost. For the failure of the battle, the kingdom was lost. And why did all this thing happened? Just because of one shoe nail. Kill it. Don't be foolish. Bible is not suggesting us to play with our sins, to have friendship with our sins, to compromise with our sins, whether it is in the church or in your personal life. We have to have, we have to get strict. Now someone said like this once that Christians can murder only in one instance. It is right to kill. Bible is commanding you to kill only in one instance. And that's in Colossians chapter 3. Paul is very serious about the sin there. And he is telling kill your flushly desires. Kill it. Don't be playful with it. Don't give an opportunity to creep into your life. Use the right weapons. Trust in the Lord. These are some of the suggestion that Solomon is giving to us.

Now, when we come to the end of this book, Solomon is portraying a beautiful poetry there. He's portraying a poem, he's portraying a life, he's portraying a decaying body indeed. And it is very beautifully he has written. And when we read to chapter 12 and when we start reading it, He is saying that remember your creator in the days of youth. And then when we come to verse number seven, he says the dust and the dust returns to the earth as it once was. And the spirit will spirit returns to God who gave it. And between that, so he's talking about your youthfulness and then he's talking about your death and he is portraying a decaying body in between. in between that this time will not be same as it is now. as it is now. And very beautifully he's saying before the days of adversity come and the years approach when you will say I have no delight in them.

Then he says before the sun before the sun and the light are darkened. He's talking about dimmed eyesight. And then the further he says that in verse three on the day when the guardians of the house Trumble and then he says the the strong man stoop. What does that mean? He's talking about. When your body will bend forward, your entire strength is decaying. This time will not stay like this. And then we read the woman who grind sees because they are few. He's talking about your teeth. It will all fall once. Then when we move forward, he says that the doors and the streets are shut while the sound of the mill fades. He's talking about impaired hearing. It will all go. It will all go. And then he says in verse five, also they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road and almond tree blossoms. They're talking about your hair, which will turn gray and it will fall. He's portraying a decaying picture. The strength with which you are thinking that you can stand. The strength with which you are thinking that you can live your life by yourself, you can attain meaning in your life. Probably this was the youthfulness of Solomon. in his young age with all the wisdom he had, with all the riches he had, he thought that he can make his own life, he can master his own life, he can control everything.

But as he progresses in his life, he understood that the sun's light has gone away. His knees are trembling. The guardians of the house are trembling. The back is stooping. The strong men are stooping forward. He cannot listen the voice of the grinding. All the grinders, women have gone away. All this beauty is fading away. Solomon is staying. Thus time is fleeting. You cannot hold the time. All these years you were trying to hold the smoke. You were trying to get hold of the Hevel, the vanity. But at the end, you thought that you have got hold on something very precious, something very meaningful. But as soon as you open your fist, there is nothing. There is nothing. What a poetic manner he is explaining this. And in verse 8, is saying, absolute futility says the teacher. Everything is futile. He is going back from where he has started. Futility. Everything is futile. That's what the teacher says. He's assembling people and he's suggesting them to remember the Creator in the days of your youth. We are living in a body which is fleeting, which is decaying. We cannot trust this body. We cannot trust this strength. We cannot trust the beauty of it. We cannot trust the strength it has because everything, everything is fleeting.

Now, when he comes to the end, he says, this is the conclusion of everything. This is the conclusion of everything. Here is what Solomon is bringing everything to the end. All his arguments to the answer for all the futility of life, the answer for all the problems and troubles of his life, the answers for all the burdens of his life, the answers for all the verisome toil in his life. And he says, everything was heard. The conclusion of the matter is this. He says, fear God and keep his commandment. Do you know Bible? Which is the... We say that we should love God and all these things, but more than loving God, Bible talks about fearing God. Bible talks about fearing God. It's giving reverence to Him. It's all about giving importance to God in our life, in our actions, in our thoughts, in all the areas of our life. It is important to revere God in all the aspects of our life, whether it is your work, whether it is your family, whether it is your church life, whether it's a casual talk, whether it is a casual walk outside. fear God and keep his commandment. Solomon concludes with an idea that we cannot live without God. he says, because for all he says in verse 14 for God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil, whether it is good or evil. God is going to bring everything in judgment.

But why Solomon is saying all these things to young people? Why Solomon wants to assemble people to talk about his life? Why Solomon is talking about futility and vanity of the life? Why Solomon is telling others to work? Why Solomon is telling people to enjoy? Why Solomon is telling not to be foolish? Why Solomon is asking us to kill our dead flies? Why Solomon is asking us to not to go extreme in your life, not to be self righteous or excessively wicked? Why he is writing all these things? In verse 11, we read the sayings of the wise man is like a God and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nail. The saying are given by one shepherd. He is focusing all your attention to God. And He saying all these things which are written here is like a God. You know what the God is? G-O-A-D. God is a... Have you seen shepherds? I grew up in Rajasthan. So, I have seen lots and lots of shepherds.

You can... Openly you can see shepherds in the fields in Rajasthan. So, they will have one long stick which is sharp on one side. They use that stick for two reasons. One to make sound on the ground and when they tap it on the ground, the sheep knows and wherever it is, it will come near to the shepherd. And on the other side, they use the sharp thing to poke the sheep. Whenever it goes astray, it pokes the sheep. So Solomon is saying, All these things are written with one purpose so that you should not go astray. It is like a God to poke you and bring you back. I was discussing these things with uncle yesterday. He was telling about some of his studies regarding this. It's like a God. It pokes you and brings you back on the track. Probably we were living life in futility. Probably we were not giving importance to our life. Probably we were not enjoying our life. Probably we were lazy enough to invest in our life. Probably we were self-righteous or excessively wicked. Solomon is writing this like a God to poke you and bring you back on track.

Then there is one more example. He's saying the master's collection is like a firmly embedded nail. Why do you use nail? Why do you use nail? To hang something. So what I learned was this, that it was to hang all your tensions or probably your problems on it. There is one more reason with which which has encouraged me a lot. There is one more thing for which we use nail. What is for that? Why do we use nail? To fix things. You have all the nails here. Why? So that this will not fall apart. This will not fall apart. to fix things up or to make this thing stand. Otherwise it will fall apart and be like, will lose its existence. or it will be divided into several parts. Several parts when we read Matthew chapter seven, our Lord Jesus Christ is telling us not to be worried what you will eat, what you will drink. Don't worry. And you know, in the original language, when we learned the word worry, it talks about a divided heart. A heart which is divided in its approach. You understand what's divided heart because your heart should be united in one thing. But now because of worry, because of trouble, because of tension, it is divided in so many things. You are thinking so many things and keeping it on your head. And Christ is suggesting that let your hearts not worry. Let it not be divided. Rather seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteousness. This book can keep your heart steady and keep it united to fear God and keep his commandments.

Even when Paul writes to Timothy, I'll close, Paul writes to Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 4, when he comes to the last part of that epistle, Paul knows that he is going to die and Paul is saying that let be careful or be alert in some translation it is like that. The Greek word which is used there is nepho. That means have a clear head. Have a clear head. Have a clear head about things, have a clarity about things. That means you cannot be divided among so many things of this world. That means you cannot, your heart cannot be divided in the futility of this world. Fix it like a nail. Fix it in fearing God and keep it in commandment. Fix it on God. When Paul writes to Timothy in the previous chapters, he is writing that there are all kinds of people. Chapter three, he says at the end times there will be people who will be greedy, who will not take care of their parents, who will be rivals. They will fight. They will do all kinds of nuisances. In chapter four, Paul tells to Timothy that Timothy, there will be people who will not give importance to the sound doctrine. They will make their own doctrines.

The sound doctrines will be itching to their ears. But you, Timothy, what should you do? keep a clear head. Keep a clear head. Let your hearts, let your head doesn't get entangled in the things of this world. And Solomon is saying that this is the purpose. This book should work like a God. This book should work like a nail to hang your all the problems, to fix your mind in one place. Therefore, Solomon says Solomon probably is thinking about his life. All these years I have spent this life in vanity. But I have assembled people and said all the realities of life. What all you are thinking. I have already been in those ways. I have already done all those things. I have already done all what my heart has desired. Flying from one place to another. getting involved in so many things. It's all futility. Now this is the time when you fix your heart on God. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Fix your heart on. Let us pray together. Let us strive together. Let us help one another as we study this book, as we understand this book, as we spend time to learn the scriptures. There is only one purpose, the conclusion of everything. Fear God and keep His commandments. May the good God bless each one of us.

- Br. Shine Assi
(Borivali Assembly, 14th April, 2025)
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Sermon Transcript

Praise the Lord! So we'll come back to our subject. We have been meditating and learning from the book of Ecclesiastes, and we have come across few things which Solomon talks about. When he talks about his life as well as life in common, we have seen how Solomon brings up an argument that why everything is futile. Even though he had so much of riches, even though he had so much of fame, he had achieved a lot in his life. But ultimately when he looks back to his life, when he introspects his life, when he tried to examine his life and what he has done, Solomon says that it's all futile. And he's assembling people, he's assembling the young generation, he's assembling the people around him to speak about his life and to tell that there is no meaning, there is no purpose in the things of this world. Rather, you have to look beyond the sun. Under the sun you will not find meaning, you will not find purpose. But if you really want to have meaning in your life, you should look beyond the sun. And Solomon has particular arguments why he says that things are futile.

The first argument which Solomon proposes in front of us is that everything will be forgotten. We all will be forgotten once. And the second argument that Solomon brings, and that is the most prominent argument in the book of Ecclesiastes, is that one day we all will die, whether we are rich or poor, whether we are wise or fool, whether we are strong or weak, whoever we are, what all fame we had, no matter how great we were, but one day we are going to die and everything will be over, everything will be over. That's why when Solomon concludes his book, he says that one day God will judge everything. So the entire reasoning of this book, the entire argument of this book, the entire suggestion of this book, and indeed this book in its entirety, it is focusing, it is helping us and it is insisting us to focus on God. Look beyond the sun because under the sun everything is futile.

And when Solomon says everything is futile, what should we do? As I told you yesterday that people take two extremes. Some said we should not do anything; simply said nothing to do, everything is futile. We have seen even church leaders. I don't know whether you're familiar with this person; there was a person in church history, he was called as Simon, and this Simon thought that everything is futile, everything is sinful, and he should abstain himself from the world. You know, what did he do? He climbed upon the tree. He made a house for him on the tree and he lived there on the tree, thinking that this world is futile and everything is full, everything is sinful in this world, and he wanted to keep himself away from this world. That's why he did that. Keeping yourselves away from the world. But that's what not Solomon's suggestion. Some people will say everything is futile. There is no God. Therefore, let's leave everything and enjoy, and they indulge themselves in wickedness. That's their reaction to the futility. They go to extreme. They pleasure them in a they extremely pleasure them. But Solomon is not suggesting that as well. Solomon is talking about a balanced life.

And then when he gives some suggestion, "If life is futile, what should you and I do?" The first suggestion which he gave yesterday, which we heard yesterday, was to enjoy your life. God has given this life to enjoy. Savor your life which God has given, value your life which God has given unto you, value the family which God has given unto you, value the people that God has given unto you. But at the end again He says you should fear God and keep His commandments. So our enjoyment should not go out the boundaries of which God has, God has kept around us. The framework of the law, the framework of the commandment is kept around us because we are weak, we are fragile, we are vulnerable, and God out of his goodwill, he has covered us. He has covered us in his commandments so that commandments may bring blessing in our life. It may bring peace in our life. It may bring good relationship with God. It may bring a good aspect to life.

But when we look out to the modern generation, especially not just modern generation, everyone. No, when we were in college there was a big phrase, I don't know people use it today or not. All of the youngsters in our age, still I am young, not so old, but when I was in college, these boys used to tell everyone that rules are made to be broken. That's the attitude. No rules. We don't want rules and regulations. You know, somebody gifted a t-shirt to our son and on that t-shirt here it was written, "no rules only fun". That is the attitude. We don't want to bound ourselves in some kinds of rules and regulations. And you know, whenever we break some rules, there is a joy in it, isn't it? Isn't it? There is some kind of pleasure in it. More than enjoying like while following the rules, if we break the rules, there is a pleasure in it, just like sin, every sin has its own pleasure, every sin is attractive, every sin is there to give you enjoyment, to give you some kind of temporary pleasure. But Solomon says, this is the conclusion of everything.

Can we imagine a life without all the commandments and all the rules and regulations? Can we imagine a football game without rules and regulations? How would that be? You can do anything. You can kick a person, you can poke a person, you can put him down, you can punch them on the face and that's how the football game is going on. How that football game will go forward? Can we play peacefully? Can we have a good game? Can we have an unbiased result in that game? No! We need to have some commandments, some rules and regulation in order to regulate the life of man, in order to bring good, in order to bring peace in our life. And God knew it. And that's why we saw from the book of Genesis, man was naked. Humanity, the humans were naked. They were vulnerable. But God has protected their vulnerability by giving them clear instruction. But they did not listen to it and they went out from that and destroyed their life.

Imagine a life without God. Imagine anything without God. There is a famous book written by Ravi Zacharias and the title of that book is

Can Man Live Without God? You imagine anything out of the framework of God. You imagine family life out of the framework of God. Today, people are taking it out. You imagine a marriage out of the framework of God. It's a mess today. You imagine your work outside the framework of God. It is hard labor, toil as Solomon says, it is worrisome. You imagine your social life outside the framework of God. You imagine your society outside the framework of God. There is no love. There is hate between people. The life is very some, the life is futile. It is because it is going outside the framework of God. Now therefore Solomon says, enjoy your life. You're going to die, value the blessings that God has given to you. Praise God for the blessings that God has given to you. When you eat good food, let it helps you to glorify God. You know, one of our professors used to say in our classroom that "theology must lead to doxology". Have you ever heard of that phrase? Theology must lead you to doxology. That means your theology should always lead you to praise God. The outcome of our learning, the outcome of our theology, the outcome of our doctrine, the outcome of our life, the outcome of our relationship with God should end up in praising God. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. That is the purpose of our life. Otherwise, life is futile. Therefore, enjoy your life.

Now second suggestion that Solomon would like to bring in front of us is I would like to take your attention to chapter number seven of book of Ecclesiastes. When life is futile, what should you do? Sorry, chapter number 9. Chapter number 9 of Book of Ecclesiastes. Verse number 10. Solomon says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength because there is no work, planning, knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going". Solomon is saying that this life is futile. And when this life is futile, when everything in it's futile, so you should enjoy your life. And the second suggestion that Solomon is giving to us is to work. Work hard in your life. Invest in your life. Make use of the time that God has given to you. Do the work. You know when God has created this world, it is God's idea was to give work to mankind because God worked. Bible says God worked for six days. And then on the seventh day he took rest. Work was a commandment which was given by God before the fall, before man committed sin. Adam and Eve were created and then God kept them in the Garden of Eden and said to them, "You should tend, you should take care of it".

Have you ever thought about the theology of work? But when you take it outside the framework of God, we think that there is meaning only in working. We see so many workaholic people, always working, working, working, working, working. The one God who has created the work, He has created the rest also. And that is very much necessary in the life of man. God has given few time for rest. When we read the law of Moses, there were rest on the seventh day, there was rest on the seventh year, there was rest on the 49th and 50th year as well. And it was a time when people should take rest and focus upon the Lord. People that showed their trust, how much they believe on God. God told them to work for six days. God told them to work for six years and the entire seventh year you should take rest. Then people will ask, you and I may ask, "From where will I get food if I don't work for one year?" You know, this was the assurance that God has given to the people that "I will provide you for the sixth, for the seventh year as well". "In the sixth year, I will provide you for the seventh year". But people of Israel did not obey the commandment. They were greedy in their approach. They did not hear the commandments of God. And that's why when we come to the captivity, we see that the land was in rest for 70 years. The land was in rest for 70 years.

So when life is futile, Solomon is saying, make use of the time that you're having. Make use of the opportunity that God has given. You are going to die soon. Get, do the work. What is, what, what you get in your hand and do it with all the might and that's what he says when we come to chapter 11 as well. When we come to chapter 11, Solomon is using a Hebrew idiom there and he says, "send your bread on the surface of the water". Verse one of chapter 11 and "after many days you may find it". What does this mean? Throwing your bread on the water, and you will find it after many years, what does this mean? What does this mean? It's a Hebrew idiom. Now in those days, the farmers used to throw seeds when they used to sow the crop, probably the wheat or barley. And especially the farmers who used to sow their seeds near the river, they used to throw some of the seeds in the river as well when there is water in the river. But after many days when there is hot summer, this water will eventually dry and there is nothing on the ground. But when this water is dried up in the river and when there is nothing on the ground, you will see some seeds bringing fruit even in the time of summer. Even in under the hot sun, you will see, and from where this fruit has come, it was those seed which fell in the water. And it has brought bread. It has brought value when under the sun, when under this heat, when under this dry, hot sun, when rest of the land is lying barren. Here is something that is bringing fruit. Can you imagine that? Here also he says the same thing.

We don't know what is coming ahead of us. In Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is arguing that God did not tell us the future. You know which is the greatest business in this world? It is to know the future. No matter which religion, no matter what people see, all of us want to know what's going to come to us in the future. People use all kinds of different means. Now there are apps, mobile apps and they claim that they will tell you when you will get married, how you will get married, whom you will get married, from where you will get married, everything, and people are putting lakhs and lakhs of rupees in it just to know the future. But Solomon says, God did not tell us. God did not tell us what is coming ahead. Therefore, invest today in your life. Invest today in your life. What is the purpose of writing the book of Revelation? Uncle is sitting here. He is a good teacher of the book of Revelation. You know what is the purpose of... You know one purpose of writing the book of Revelation? To scare us. Some people believe that. No, when I read Revelation, no, I get scared. To scare us... I believe one purpose of writing the book of Revelation was to encourage you and me. To tell us that your future is secured. To tell us that because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know that he holds my future. That was the strength that apostles used to give to the believers. That was the strength that the author of Hebrews is giving to a persecuted Hebrew churches. That was the strength that Paul, Peter is giving to the churches who are in dispersion: "One day all your sorrows will be over". "All these problems will be over. This is there for very short time. Work hard today. Work. Invest your life".

If you don't work, you will not be able to have good future in your life. Solomon says we don't know what kind of trouble is coming, what kind of problems are coming. Invest your life, where should we invest? Share market? Have you ever thought of investing in your children? Have you ever thought of investing your life in evangelism? Have you ever thought of investing your life in serving others? Have you ever thought of investing your life in encouraging others? When I speak about children, many of us, many of us today, we feel that, oh, it's not the time, especially when you come to Bengal. I see so many parents who are not even bothered about their children. They're small, they're little. "Once they grow up, we will tell everything." We don't know whether they'll listen it or not. Invest in their life today.

One good example I find in the book of Haggai, when God tells them to build the temple, when he's talking through Haggai, when there is Zerubbabel to work, people are saying, "No, no, no, no, no, no, this is not the right time". "Let us build our houses. Let us build our mansions". And they bought all the resources from the Persian kingdoms , and they have used all the resources to build their own houses, their own mansions. And Haggai is lamenting saying that the house of God is lying in ruin because they're thinking that it is not the right time. Now here also Solomon is giving us an example of the farmer, and look at what he says in verse 4, "The one who watches the wind will not sow, the one who looks for the clouds will not reap". Many of us don't want to do anything because we will think that we will do it tomorrow. We will postpone our task: Bible study tomorrow, studying the word of God tomorrow, meditation tomorrow, church activities tomorrow, serving others tomorrow, prayer tomorrow, training and teaching and helping our children tomorrow, visiting others tomorrow. You don't know what's there tomorrow. God did not tell you that. Here Solomon says, invest your life, throw your bread on water. Because when this water will subside and when there will be wet ground on the river bed due to hot summer and when the entire land will dried up, when entire land will be affected due to the heat of the sun, here, the unknown seeds, which seeds no one have seen, nobody have ever knew where did it fell. But when there is drought everywhere else, this will flourish and bring fruits. Have you ever thought about it?

Investing our life in our children. I have seen families who entrust that responsibility to church Sunday school. No. It is my responsibility to teach the word to my children. It is my responsibility to teach the discipline to my children. It is my responsibility to tell him right when he is young. It is my responsibility to serve the Lord when I have strength. It is my responsibility to serve one another when I am strong, when I can do it. Now, if you wait, you cannot drive, you cannot wait in the car, saying that "only if I get green signals, I'll drive". "Everywhere I need green signals." You cannot do that. You will have to start driving. You will have to start investing. You will have to make use of your time with all your heart. Do it, whatever you get in your, invest in your life. That is the second suggestion that Solomon is trying to give it to us.

There is one more suggestion and that's very interesting when we come to chapter 7. When we come to chapter 7 and when we read from verse 15. Look at what Solomon is saying here. "In my futile life, I have seen everything. There is a man, a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness. There is a wicked man who lives in spite of his evil". Verse number 16. It was very hard for me to understand this. Verse number 16. "Don't be excessively righteous and don't be overly wise". "You should, you should, you, why should you destroy yourself? Don't be excessively wicked. Don't be foolish". What is this man saying? Solomon, Mr. Solomon, what do you want to tell us? "Don't be excessively righteous." So you don't want us to be righteous? "Don't be excessively wicked." What does this mean? Solomon says this life, this world is full of futility. This life is full of folly. And then is he saying that you should not be righteous? You should not serve the Lord? You should not read the Bible or you should not pray? Or you should not obey the commandments of God? What is he saying? And see again, when we come to verse number 20, he is contradicting himself. And in verse number 20, he is saying that "there is certainly no righteous man on earth". On one hand he saying don't be overly righteous and on the other hand he is saying don't be overly wicked. What does that mean? Shouldn't we try for righteousness? Solomon is saying, this life is full of futility. Therefore, don't go to the extremes. He is not telling us not to be righteous. He is not telling us to be wicked. Rather, that is the thought with which this world is moving ahead.

We always think, we always live with the idea of retribution. You know what is retribution? If you do good, good should come to you. If you do bad, bad should come to you. But Solomon says, "See the idea of life. See what I see around. I see righteous man suffering. I see evil man prospering". This was the Solomon had this dilemma. He had seen everything. That's what he claims. And in his claim he sees righteous man is suffering even because of his righteousness. And this evil man is prospering. This was not just the problem which Solomon had. So many other Bible authors had this issue. Jeremiah had this issue. Habakkuk is talking about this. Asaph is talking about this. "Why is righteous man suffering and why is evil man prospering?" Solomon is not giving a spot on answer to that. Rather he wants us to know, when he says that "don't be overly righteous," he's talking about a self-righteous attitude with which people live. When he says that "you should not be overly wicked," he's talking about a life when you totally deny God and live life according to your standard. Avoid the extremes. Don't be foolish. That's what Solomon is suggesting. Let's look into that. He is saying that don't be excessively righteous and don't be excessively evil.

Our Lord has given us a good example to understand this. Lord Jesus Christ was a good teacher. He knew how to speak and He knew where, how should he speak? In front of people. So when we come to Luke chapter 15, we see one beautiful parable which Christ is telling, and you have read that parable probably hundreds of times, and I would like to use that parable to understand this passage. It is a parable of a father and his two sons. One son, he came to his father. Bible tells that he was the youngest. One son, he came to his father and he says, "Father, whatever is mine, give it to me". And father gave it to him. He took everything and went away. He lavishly spent all that he has bought from his house. My English translation, my Bible, it tells that he has spent everything in foolish living. He has lived lavishly, extravagantly. He was not bothered about the future. His life was foolish. And he lived everything. He spoiled everything what he has brought from his father , all the riches that he has received. Then there was a famine in the land and there was nothing in his hand. Probably no friends to roam around him. Probably no friends to take care of him. Probably he might have spent a lot in his friendship. But now he's alone and there is famine in the land. There is no food to eat, no house to live. He was pushed to live with pigs. He was forced to eat the food which was, which was thrown in front of the pigs. What a pathetic life he had, away from his father, spoiled all the blessings that his father has given. Now living with pig in Jewish context is like worst thing that a man can get in his life. A Jewish man can never accept that. A man living with pigs, the ruined life, the ruined life.

But then we read that in our Bible it says, "he came to himself". In Hindi they say, "wo jab apne aapme aaya," which means when he thought about the distressful life, when he acknowledged his weakness, when he understood the wretchedness that he had, he took a decision that "I will go back to my father". He comes back to his father. His father sees him from afar away and his father runs towards him. He hugs him and he changes his clothes and he, because of the joy of this return, he wants to enjoy this time with his neighbors. He calls everyone, hosts a big party, a big meal has been served. Everyone is happy that his son has come back. Father is happy that my son has come back, except one person who is not happy. And Bible tells that he is the eldest son. He comes in the evening. He hears the sound of the joy, sound of celebration, and he asks someone, "What is going on here?" And he gets this news, "Your brother who left, who spoiled everything, has come back and your father is rejoicing in his return". He gets upset, angry towards his father. For what? Why this man is angry? He's telling to his dad that, "Dad, I was here all the time with you, but you have not given me one small goat to go and enjoy with my friends". Why this man is angry? Have you ever thought about it? Father had possessions and half of the possession was taken by the, by the, by the younger fellow and spoiled. What was left belonged to, belonged to the elder one. Now he is upset, "You are giving my position to this fellow who has spoiled everything in wretchedness. I'm not happy, Dad. I'm not happy".

We see two approaches to God there. How people approach God, two ways in which people approach God. One extreme is that you go away from God and spoil everything. And there is another approach that is even more dangerous. I call it Judas approach. Have you heard of Judas approach? You do all, you're involved in all kinds of spiritual activities. He is right there with the father every time, he is there in the house. But still his heart is away from the father. There is no love. There is no love. He is just like his younger brother. They both of these brothers, they don't love father. They know they love only the possession that father had. They love only the riches that father is having. But one went to the father, had a different approach to take it. Another sought the same thing from the father, but with a different approach. Christ is differentiating between the Gentiles and the Pharisees there. That's what the context tells us. There were Gentiles, were prostitutes, were harlots, tax collectors were coming to listen to him. That's how Luke chapter 15 begins. All the sinners were coming and these Pharisees they were not happy. "How can they come and listen and believe? Doesn't we have a copyright on God?" That's the same thing Christ tells when he narrates the parable of the vineyard workers. Those who came last and those who came first got the same wages and those who came first were complaining to Lord saying, "How can you make them equal to us?" Christ is talking about self-righteousness, and Solomon is saying that is the greatest folly of humanity.

Often we think that we can please God by doing so many things, just like Pharisees, acting Christianity, involved in so many activities, and we can force God to be obligated towards us, to bless us. Solomon says, "I have seen everything and it is futile". But what is the wisdom? When we come to verse number 18 at the last part, Solomon says, "for the one who fears God will end up with both of these things". The fear of the God will make you stand. How is our life? On which side are we standing? Pharisees were not able to rejoice in the sinners of coming. Who is the prodigal son there? Younger one or older one? In the way which Jesus Christ is narrating that story, I believe the older one was the prodigal because he was right there with the father but still he was away from the father. Don't be overly righteous, neither be overly wicked. Fear God, love God with all your heart. With all your heart, you love God. Don't be self-righteous like the Pharisee and tax collector who went there to pray in the temple. This tax collector was standing outside, he was beating his chest, crying to God. But what about the Pharisee? He went inside and he, you should read that once when you go home. This Pharisee is standing inside the temple, and the author of the gospels writes it very brilliantly. He says, "he said to himself." He is there to pray, but he's talking to himself. Why he's talking to himself? Because he thinks that he himself is his God. And what is he saying? "I am not like that man. I fast, I give offerings, I do this, I do that." Solomon is saying that is folly. That is folly. Don't be excessively wicked. Don't be self-righteous. Just fear God. Just fear God.

Now that was my life before I came to know the Lord. I was an acting Christian. Have you heard of that term? Acting Christian? Because I grew up in... I believe that most of us, those who born in Christian family, have faced this. Have faced this. I was born in a Christian family, and the problem with Christian family is that there's one challenge that I have faced in my young life is that from your very childhood, since you were born in the family, you are involved in the spiritual activities, right? You sing songs every day, there is prayer in your house every day, there's a reading of the scripture every day. Right. You do know, you are involved in Sunday school, you are memorizing the Bible verses. All things deserve good. And after you reach a certain age, somebody from the church will ask, "Hey, don't you need to be baptized?" And in our young age, we think, yes, why can't I? Oh, to take baptism, do you believe in Lord Jesus Christ? And we think, yes, I have believed in Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because from my very childhood, I am listening that Jesus Christ is our God. "Are you believe that Jesus Christ has died for your sin?" Yes. "Why not? Because from my very childhood, I am listening this". "Oh, do you believe that he came for you? He died for you on the cross of Calvary and he's going to come and receive you again." Yes. Yes, I know because from my very childhood I am been listening all these things. Okay, then you're ready for baptism.

I have met many youngsters who have fooled themselves in their Christian life , thinking that they are saved. There was no real realization of the sin. There was no true realization of wretchedness. There was no genuine confession. That was my life either. That was my life as well. I used to think because I can gain something good from God if I'll be active in the church, and I was active. You tell about any church program, you'll see Shine there. But back in my heart, back in my heart, it was darkness. You could have seen true Shine when he was with his friends. A life of double standards. In front of everyone, holy, pious, jai masi ki, praise the Lord, hallelujah, stotram, everything. I used to fake Christianity. I used to fake. I had a fake Christian love. That is even more dangerous than living a wicked life. Than living a wicked life. In that day, there will be many who will say, "Have called the name upon the Lord, we have prophesied in your name, we have preached in your name," but I will tell them that "I don't know you". Does this scare you? It scares me a lot. Think about a life where you are living in your entire life you are living thinking that you are a true Christian and doing so many things and you are at the verge of reaching heaven and God says, "Fellow, I don't know you, get lost". Oh, how painful that would be. In the entire life, we were thinking that I am preaching the word of God. In the entire life, we were thinking that we are serving God. In our entire life, we think that we are having fellowship in the name of the Lord, but paying, giving offerings, helping others. But at the verge of our eternal life, He is saying, "I don't know you." That's scary.

Solomon is saying, "It is wise to fear God, not to be self-righteous and neither be wicked". When we read the parable of Prodigal Son, God neither likes the self-righteous person nor He likes the wicked person, but He always admires a repenting heart. That is the right way to approach God. That is the right way to approach God. That, that repenting heart, you know, that repenting heart of that younger son, it forced his father to get up from his chair and run towards him. Why did father run towards this boy who has lost his, who has, who has spoiled the entire possession that he was given? That repenting heart that forced the father to get up from the chair and run towards the son. That's our God. He's gracious enough to get hold of us.

If we read the same chapter, chapter 7 downwards when we read from verse number 23. Solomon is telling us that our we are surrounded by follies. We are surrounded by foolishness in this world and he is characterizing folly as a woman. As a woman. Not to not to demean you sisters, not to say that women are bad. Husbands don't fight with your wife saying that see Bible says woman is foolish. When you read the down, the downwards, I'm, I'm, I don't have time to read the entire portion, you can read from verse 23 to 29. In verse 26, he said, "and I find more bitter than death the woman who trapped, who is a trap, her heart a net, her hand a chain". Which woman? Some people say that Solomon is talking about adultery, but I don't think that will fit into the context. When we read the book of Proverbs, especially Proverbs chapter 3, Solomon is describing the folly, foolishness of this world in the form of a woman, especially in the form of a prostitute. One who seduces, one who entices a man and attracts it towards her and traps her down. He's talking about the folly and a great number of folly that is revolving around, that is present around us. That is present around us. And that's what he says in verse number 29. "Only see this I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes".

This world has been stuck in foolishness. What kind of foolishness? Our children are surrounded with this foolishness. Right there in their science book. I was talking to uncle yesterday. He was telling me his intention to choose Zoology and to study it. In the science book of our children, it denies, it says that "we have come from monkeys". "We have evolved, we are not created". It is denying the almighty, all-strength, all-powerful, the strength of our Creator. It is denying the creation. We are surrounded by folly in marriages where this world is saying that homosexuality is right. Where this world is saying lesbianism is right. Where this world is saying that polygamy is right. That's the folly we are surrounded with. It is there in the streets. It is there in our workplace. It is there all around us. Solomon is saying, "don't be foolish. Fear God". "Don't be excessively wicked, neither excessively righteous". We cannot deny God and run away from him. We cannot, we cannot do some things and then force God to bless us. We will be entrapped by this woman who seduces and probably demolishes us. His hands, its hands, her hands are like chains. She's like a net. She's like a trap.

Now, when we think about these follies around us, and what is this world trying to make it? It's trying to make it look good. Trying to make it look good and telling us in many ways that this is fashion. Even today, many churches are following this folly and they are saying that this is the way God has created them. They are denying their gender identity. They are denying their marriage. They are denying their personal identity. They are denying God's strength, God's sovereignty with the foolishness that is available right around us. Telling us and convincing us by saying that this is convenient, this is good, this is right. Solomon says, "be wise. Don't be excessively wicked, neither be excessively righteous. But fear God". Let's have a heart of repentance. Every day, let us remind this true gospel that has changed our life. When you face problem, when you are angry with someone and you don't find any reason to forgive them, remind gospel. Because you are forgiven, go ahead and forgive. When you are not able to love someone, when you are not able to respect someone, remind this gospel. Remind how is this heart of repentance every time that we were not good but by the grace of God he has lifted us up. What a great God we have and what a great work that he has done in our life.

If your theology is not leading to doxology then it is making you a man full of pride. Did you understand? If your theology is not leading to doxology, then it is making you a man full of pride. You are being a man full of pride, thinking that you are right every time. But it was repentance that forced the father to stand up from his chair and run towards the son. Why don't we introspect our life and ask God to do necessary corrections in our life? And say that, "Lord, I am sorry. All these years I have been living a life of a self-righteous or a life of a wicked like a hypocrite, but Lord, this is the time I submit myself in your hands. Use me, change me, Lord, and make me a blessing, help me to come out of this foolishness and be useful for you." May the good God bless each one of us as we have meditated this word. May Lord's name be glorified.

- Br. Shine Assi
(Borivali Assembly, 13th April, 2025)
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Sermon Transcript

Let's turn our Bibles to the book of Ecclesiastes again. We have come across so many different kinds of inventions in our life, in our lifetime. Those who have studied science in school, we all remember how our teachers used to take us to the laboratory and show us how things work in science. How do you do experiments? You mix two different things and something else comes out of it. Now we are studying from the book of Ecclesiastes, and Solomon is trying to tell us that everything is futile, and he has his own reasons to confirm why he has come to this conclusion that everything is futile. Now in Chapter one, he says that everything circles around or everything comes back to where it has started. There is no meaning in it, and you will be forgotten one day. Therefore, everything is futile.

Now in chapter two, and throughout the book, Solomon is giving us a second reason to understand why everything is futile. Here, Solomon is testing his life. He is doing a life invention or experiment on his life. He is after significance. He is after meaning to find out meaning in his life. Therefore, in chapter two, verse one, he says, "I said to myself, 'Go ahead and I will test pleasure in my life.' I want some meaning in my life, therefore I want to give pleasure to my life to find significance in my life." Now, from his observation, Solomon is turning to his own life and what he has done with his life. We all know what kind of person Solomon was. We all know what his stature was. He was a rich man; he was the most brilliant man. And he is telling what he has done in his life. And he says, "I am going to pleasure myself and enjoy what is good." But then he says, it turns out that everything is futile, even the pleasures of life. He has a second reason to prove why all these pleasures are futile.

Now let's see what Solomon has done. When we read from verse number 4 downwards, look at what Solomon says: "increased my achievements, I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. He made gardens and planted fruit trees. He had made water reservoirs to plant and irrigate his cultivation." Verse number 7, he says, "I had acquired males and female servants." What a comfortable life. Probably there were many people around Solomon to help him in every way. Male and female servants to do everything. Probably there were people to cook for him, people to clean his vessels and clear his clothes, probably people were there to do makeup for him, to prepare him for the palace. "I have acquired male and female servants for me." Then he is saying that "I owned many herds and flocks"—that was the richest in those times. What kind of man he was. Then he says, "I have amassed gold and silver." Not just that, he had singers in his court. Can you imagine whenever Solomon is feeling bored, there are people to entertain him with music. Then when we read down, he says that there were concubines to delight his life. He is going to extremes to enjoy the sexual pleasures in his life in order to find meaning in his life.

Then when we come to verse number nine, he says that "I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. I did all what my eye desired." Oh, what kind of life he had. So many people around him. So much riches. He has constructed huge buildings and built palaces. He has gardens and he has wine all around him. There are people to entertain him with music. There are clowns to do funny actions to make him laugh. This is what the life that people desire. Probably many of us. At least I can say about myself, I would love to have such a life. What kind of life! He had all the luxuries that you can think in those days, in the world. But when we come to verse number 12, he says, "it's madness." Oh, it doesn't. I don't find any meaning in all these things. I don't find meaning to have so many concubines around me. I don't find meaning to have so many servants around me. I don't find meaning in building great buildings and to invest so much in my life under the sun.

Often we have forgotten so many things in our life and try to accumulate great riches in our life. I have seen many people who have no time for families, no time for church, no time for any spiritual activities. They are all after accumulating many things in their life to gain significance in life. Many people spoil their life in drugs and other intoxicating things just to hallucinate themselves and feel good about their life. You know what is the most dangerous drug in this world? I have read it in an article, where it was written that in US people go to jungles and catch a particular type of frog, and to intoxicate themselves, they try to lick that poisonous frog, and the poison which is on the skin of that frog, it goes into their body through their tongue, and they feel hallucinated in their life and they have some different kind of experience after doing this. Can you imagine how far man can go when man has gone away from God? How far he can go to pleasure himself, to give pleasure to his life, to find significance in his life?

Often, like when I was young, I ended up in so much trouble to add significance to my life, to show it to the people that how great I am, doing things which make myself great in front of my friends. I may have some name. Let me test this. Try this. Try that. Try so many things in life. Solomon tried everything that his eye desired. Whatever he liked, he did it. Whether it was wine or women, whether it was building houses and planting vineyards, whether it was hiring bondservants or musicians to entertain his life. But then at the end, he says all these things are vanity. Why? Why this is vanity? You ask Mr. Solomon, "Why, Solomon, all these things are vanity?" Aren't we running after all these things in our life? Isn't this world running after all these things in their life? It's all about significance. Whether it is in the church or whether it is in our workplace, we forget our limits and go beyond just to prove that we are significant.

Was that not the life of Jacob? Have you ever studied the life of Jacob? His entire life was circling around to gain significance in his life. Right from the time when he was in his mother's belly. Oh, Rebekah was feeling something very bad when these children were there in his belly. Rebekah asked the Lord, "Lord, what is this?" And the Lord replied, "There are two nations in your belly. Two nations fighting for significance in your womb." Jacob was not ready to give up. When these kids came out of their mother's womb, one came out first. Another came out by holding the feet of the first one. It is all about me. I want to go first. Probably that was the message. Oh, but he came by holding the leg of his brother. And he was named Yaqub, the one who pulls the leg down. Oh, one who was pulling the leg down. One who was fighting for significance. One who was fighting for the blessing, for the pleasure in his life. He is not caring about the promise that God has already given. By hook or crook, I would like to gain significance in my life.

He's ready to cheat his brother. He's ready to backstab his father. He's ready to cheat his father. Just to gain significance in our life. Just to have meaning in his life. Just to prove himself in front of people, he cheated his father when his father was old and when he had very less sight, when his eyes turned dark. Now Jacob told his elder son, "Go and hunt for me and bring some food for me." Mama heard this, and dear Jacob was Mama's dear son. Now usually older people think that moms love the younger ones more. I am the youngest in my house, and my sisters still feel that: "This Mama's boy." Mama knew the taste of the daddy. She cooked a good meal for the father and told her, told him to take this to your dad. Isaac is alone in the tent. Jacob approaches his father. "Here is the meal, Daddy." "Who are you, my son?" "I am your son, Esau." He covered himself with hairs. The father touched him and felt the hairy body. Blunt lie in front of his father. "I am your eldest son, Esau." Testing, trying to gain significance, trying to add meaning to his life. But then, life was difficult for Jacob. After Jacob has cheated his father, after he got all the blessing, he had to run away for his life from his brother. His mother loved him so much. He loved his mother so much. But it was the last time that Jacob saw his mother. After that, Jacob has never seen his dear mother. He had to leave his family. He had to leave his dear mother.

Where did he run? To his uncle's house. There, Jacob fell in love with a girl. Jacob wanted to marry her. He told her, "Uncle, I want to marry your daughter." He wanted to marry Rachel. So his uncle was a tricky person. Uncle said, "You work for me." Out of the love that he had for Rachel. Oh, he worked hard for years. And it was the time for marriage. It was the time for marriage. High time for Jacob. This was the desire of his heart. But uncle was tricky. And it was night. Uncle changed the person, changed the bride. In the room, it was not Rachel but Leah. Morning when Jacob got up, he came to know that he was cheated. When he cheated his father, his father could not see. When Jacob was cheated, Jacob could not see. Oh, what a great tragedy. This uncle, when you read that chapter, when we come to Genesis, when we read chapter 29, from verse 10 onwards, it says that "Uncle Laban's daughter Rachel." Then again, in the same verse, it says "Uncle Laban's sheep." Again and again, the author is repeating that he is his Uncle Laban. So that we may stop there and think about this person. Jacob learned how to cheat from his mother. But this Laban, his uncle, was the principal of the school from where his mother has learned how to cheat. He cheated Jacob all because of significance. He forgot the promises that God has given. He forgot what God has given for him. He forgot the commandment that God had given for him.

Now, then he's now after so many years, he's trying to go back to his house. He's scared for his life because the last word that he has heard from his brother was this: that he's going to kill him. Now he's at the river. On the other side, his brother is waiting with his men. Now he moves forward his family. Jacob is alone. His family has already crossed it. He fights with the Lord. Fights with the Lord. He wrestles with the Lord. And then he tells the Lord, "Unless you bless me, I'm not going to leave." It was this time when Jacob realized that my blessing, my significance, lies in my Lord. I cannot attain meaning in my life without God. Not my tricks, not my backstabbing, not my, uh, not my ways by which I get meaning in my life. Lord asks him, "What's your name?" "Yaakov, the heel grabber." "Now onwards you will be called Israel, Prince of God. I am going to fight for you." Oh, that's what it means. I am going to fight for you. No need to backstab. No need to cheat. Me who is going to fight for you.

Now look at the life of Solomon. He is running after significance in his life. When we read from verse 4 to verse 11, 12 times he mentioned "I, I built, I made, I planted, I constructed, I had, I acquired, I amassed." It was all about him. Solomon says, "My life was all about myself, but it's all vanity." Why is it vanity? He gives the second reason here. When we read from verse number 14, "yet also knew that one faith comes to them both." Now when we read from verse number 12 to verse number 17, he tells the reason why everything is futile. And that's one reason why Solomon feels that everything is futile. You know what is the reason? He's scared of death in his life. He's scared of death in his life. I have all this thing, I have amassed so much silver and gold in my life. I have done so many things in my life, but look at what happens. Oh, whether it is wise or fool, whether it is rich or poor, man dies. That is the reality of humanity. You will not just be forgotten one day. You will have to leave all that after which you are running in this life. You are going to die.

Throughout the book, Solomon gives us the idea that life is futile because death is certain. Now often older people say, "Now there is nothing left for us. All our life is gone. We have worked so hard for our children. What all we are leaving behind is for our children. All we have forgotten everything. We have forgotten family life. We have forgotten the comfort. We have forgotten this and that and everything. What all we were doing? All this thing for our children." If you have that argument, come with me to verse number 18 and 19. Solomon says, "I must leave it to the man who comes after me." Then he says, "and who knows whether he will be wise or fool." You say that you are doing all this thing, are chasing to be significant in your life, and you have done all this thing for your children who is coming after you. Solomon is telling, "We don't know whether the person coming after me is fool or wise." That's the life experience of Solomon probably. Because the one who came after Solomon, he destroyed everything on the first day of his office. All what Solomon had made, all the riches that Solomon had, all his son Rehoboam, he foolishly acted in his life. He did not listen to what his elders had recommended. Instead, he heard what the young friends had recommended to him. On the first day of the office, he divided the kingdom. It's all gone. All what Solomon has created, all for what he has run after in this life, all the significant things, all the fame that he acquired, everything was destroyed. Solomon is scared and he thinks these all things are futile because there is death waiting for us. We cannot avoid death. It is inevitable.

When we read chapter 3, he again says that all animals and men, they are like dust; they will be vanished from the earth. When we come to chapter number 6 again he says that in spite of everything, we all will die. When we come to chapter number 9 he says we all are going to leave this earth whether it is righteous or whether it is wicked. We are going to die. Why are we running after the significant? Everything will be gone. Solomon says, "You are running after these things. Don't run. I have already ran this race. And at the end, there is nothing." Now this happened in my life. Once we were traveling from Jamtara to Asansol. Myself, my wife and my son was there in the car. We were rushing from Jamtara to attend a meeting in Asansol. The roads were very bad in those days. So I took a shortcut and I told my wife, "I know the road very well," and I went through that road. And after 45 minutes of driving, we had come back to the same way from where we had diverted. And all this time while I was driving for 45 minutes, my son and my wife they were telling me, my son was telling, "Dadda, are we lost? Dadda, are we lost?" I said, "I know the way. I know where we are going." My wife told that, "Oh, we are lost, I think." I said, "Don't worry, I know where we are going." That's why people say, "Listen to your wife. She is like the Holy Spirit in life, right? One who counsels us every time." After 45 minutes, we came back to the same place from where we have started.

That's the same example Solomon is giving us. "You are chasing money. Listen to me. I have already gone after it. There is nothing on that road. You are chasing for fame. Listen to me. I have already gone after it, and there is nothing. You're going after achievements. I have already gone after it, and there is nothing. It's all empty. It's all meaningless. Because one day we are going to die." But what is the way out? What is the way out of this vanity? Solomon has one recommendation. Many recommendations, but for now I'll give only one. When we come to chapter 2 verse 25 Solomon says, "Enjoy your life." What kind of man is this? All this time he was saying everything is vanity, now he's saying enjoy your life. When we go after our own achievements and pleasure, we forget to enjoy what God has given to us. Often when we think about enjoyment, we see its negative side in our life. Enjoyment becomes negative only when you forget God. Only when you forget God.

Solomon is saying you should enjoy your life, not just here. Apart from this, five other times in this book, Solomon is recommending us, "Because you are going to die, enjoy your life." When we come to chapter five, at the end, he says, "Enjoy the life, enjoy the riches that God has given, rejoice in it." When we come to chapter nine, he says, "Enjoy, eat, drink and have a cheerful heart. Enjoy the life with your wife, because days are fleeting. Enjoy your life. Enjoy the goodness that God has given to you." Often rather than enjoying the enjoyment, we start worshipping it. That's where we go wrong. We should confine our enjoyment in the limits that God has given unto us. When you take your enjoyment beyond the limits of God, you end up in a mess. Here is a man who has done all what his heart has desired, by forgetting God. Enjoy because you're going to die. Eat good food, wear good clothes, have good friends, go out and enjoy the nature. Probably these things are considered as sin in our surroundings. Probably many people have, many people say that if you want to live a true Christian life, you should stay away from all these things. But Bible encourages you. Enjoy your life. If you want to know the true meaning, it is telling you to savor your life. Like you eat a good food and enjoy it. Just imagine about the favorite food that you enjoy. And how joyfully you eat it.

Solomon is saying you have only less time. God has given you a family. Enjoy the time with your family. Enjoy the time with your children. If God has given you a good house, enjoy that house that God has given. If God has given you the strength, enjoy the strength for the glory of God. If God has given you riches, enjoy the richness in the boundaries that God has given unto you. God has given you a car. Enjoy it. God doesn't want us to live a life away from this world. When God has created this earth, when God has placed Adam and Eve in the garden, He has filled that garden with trees. He has filled that garden with colors. He has filled the garden with different kinds of fruit. There was not just trees and fruits around the Garden of Eden. There were great minerals like onyx and gold in Garden of Eden. Why did God keep that? Have you ever thought about it? Why precious stones? Why the rivers in Garden of Eden? Why trees with different colors? Why fruits with different taste? Our God is an artist. And He wants us to enjoy what He has given. "Keep it and tend it." That was the command that God has given to Adam and Eve. You have to take care of it. You have to savor it.

I often tell one example. Everywhere, wherever I pray, I tell about savoring life. I have worked in World Vision for two years, and we were doing charity, and our focus was children in the community. Our project was one of the largest projects in India. We had 4,000 sponsored children under one project. Children from the poorest of poor in the community. So we used to organize picnics for them. But when we organized the picnic, and we gathered 200 children, and we took them to Delhi. It was the first time when some of these children were going out of their village. They have never even seen their district headquarters. And they are going to Delhi. So one day we took them and we roamed around Delhi, and while we were coming back, we stopped in a place. We bought ice cream for these children. There were many children who were seeing ice cream for the first time. They have never seen an ice cream. I was surprised to see that there are children who have never seen ice creams. They have seen it in the pictures, but they have never seen, they have never held an ice cream, a cone ice cream in their hand. You should have seen the faces of those children, how they were relishing over that ice cream. I saw that there were many children who used their fingers to wipe out all the ice cream from the cone and they licked it. And then they threw the cone because they did not know that they can eat the cone as well. That's what enjoyment means: enjoy the blessings that God has given to you with the boundaries that God has set.

Why God has given the commandments to Adam and Eve? Why, when they were vulnerable, God is securing them with his word for their good? God knew that they were vulnerable in their life. Therefore, for their good, for their benefit, for their goodness, God has covered them with the commandment. But when we let these commandments go away, we make a mess in our life. Therefore Solomon says at the end of this book, "Now this is the conclusion of everything: Chapter 12, verse 13, fear God and keep His commandments. Because that's all for humanity." God has not given commandments to you to burden you with some rules and regulations. Have you ever read the book of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy? You read how God is commanding them, how God is giving them rules and regulations there. At a very personal approach, God is giving them these laws.

What to eat and what not to eat. How to marry and how not to marry. Whom to marry and whom not to marry. How to worship and how not to worship. How to appoint people for the work and how not to do that. He is talking about holidays in the work. He is talking about how to make your places of worship. Not just that, he's giving rules for sanitizing as well. How to use toilets. Can you imagine God is talking to the people of Israel how to use toilet, that every person in the camp should have a tool, he should go out and dig the ground and excrete and cover it and come back. Can you imagine how personal God is going to give his command? If God doesn't give—one of my friends told like this—if God would not have given the laws for sanitization to the people of Israel, what would have happened to the camp of Israel? One of my friends says it would have looked like Howrah railway station. Have you ever been to Howrah railway station? It would have looked like Howrah railway station. God is interfering in your personal life to bring good out of you. God is telling you to enjoy your life to bring good out of you. Not to burden with some rule, not to burden you with some rules and regulations. He has given all these laws out of his goodwill. So that it may have, it may bring blessings, divine blessings in the life of people. And Solomon says, "this is all for humanity. Fear God and keep His commandment."

Life is futile because one day you will be forgotten. Life is futile. After all the achievements you're going to die, you're going to the grave. Your body will be, will stink after a few days. Look beyond the sun. Don't entangle yourself with the things of this world, with the achievements under the sun. Think beyond the sun. The people that God has given around you, have you ever valued them? The believers, the brothers and sisters who are around you in the church, have you ever valued them? As we have heard this morning, have you ever thanked God for the brother who is sitting next to you or the sister who is sitting next to you in the church? Have you ever said, "Lord, thank you for the brother who is sitting next to me?" Have you ever enjoyed the fellowship with the people? Have you ever enjoyed the blessings that God has given to you? We have only one life and time is fleeting. Your strong, efficient life is moving toward ruination, or it's dying day by day. It is the time when we get rid of our selfishness. It is the time when we get rid of our pride. And it is the time when we get rid of our "I" feeling like Solomon. More than 12 times, "I, I did it, I, it was my, I did it, I." It's never about God. He says we are going to die. Therefore, life is futile. Before you die, enjoy your life. Enjoy your life. Fear God and keep His command.

Enjoy the fellowship that you have with your Lord. Enjoy the fellowship with the people around you. Enjoy the family that God has given to you. Most, I have seen many people, they are not happy about their families. I have seen so many unhappy spouses in this world. People are, even our believers. They are ready to get rid of each other as spouses. It happens when life is all about me. Solomon says, "I tested my life. At the end, there is nothing. It's all futile." God has given us one life. Enjoy. Enjoy what God has given unto you. May the good God bless each one of us. Have a good idea about your life. There is nothing under the sun, but there is something beyond the sun. C.S. Lewis, a great scholar, once he said like this, "If the things of this world cannot please you, he said, if the things of this world cannot please you, you remember, that you are not made for this world, but you are made for something which is outside this world. Look beyond the sun and see the God who is the creator of this world. Without Him, we don't have meaning in our life. Without Him, without His commandments, we cannot enjoy this life." May the good God bless each one of us. May His name be glorified.