Sermon Tone Analysis

James 1:16-21

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Introduction

On one vacation we took when our children were younger, we planned for a long drive one day and we told the children, “If you don’t fight, don’t ask, ‘are we there yet,’ and quietly watch the scenery or read a book, we will stop for a treat in the middle of the afternoon.”

It worked pretty well.

The strategy was to tell them that if they were good they would get a reward.

How different the motivation for being good in another situation I observed a few years ago.

She had been caring for her aging parents.

She went to see them regularly and when her mother got sick and was moved into a personal care home, she continued to care for her regularly.

Over time, I watched her provide care as her mother passed away and as her father’s health deteriorated.

She continued to care until he also passed away.

Somewhere in the middle of this, I asked her why she spent so much time with her parents.

I was concerned that she would burn out from spending so much time caring for them.

She responded by telling me about all the things her parents had done for her over the years, about how much they loved her and that she loved them.

She assured me that she willingly did all she could for them.

The motivation for doing good in this case is almost opposite.

Instead of “be good and you will get a reward” it was “I have received so much good that I am gladly willing to do good.”

How is it in regards to our relationship with God? Are we good because we will receive a reward or are we good because God is good?

Today I want to challenge all of us to “be good for God is good.”

The text which will help us think about these things is James 1:16-21.

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I.                   God Is Good

!! A.                 Don’t Be Deceived

Satan is a liar.

He has always been a liar, in fact, Jesus said in John 8:44b, "…When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Satan lies to us and sometimes we believe those lies.

Some of the lies that Satan tells us is that God is a spoil sport who likes to make things hard for us.

He lies when he says that God brings hard times and through those hard times causes us to be tempted.

It is also a lie when he persuades us to believe that God brings temptation and tests us in order to make us stumble.

The upshot of these lies is one more lie and that is that God is not trustworthy.

The sad thing is that we believe these lies.

In the verses preceding our text these lies are exposed when James says in James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” and verse 13, "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”

When facing trials, or temptations we are enticed to wonder, “Is God good?”

            James encourages his dearly loved brothers and sisters that they should not be deceived by these lies.

!! B.                 God Gives Good Gifts

Whenever we face such temptations to believe the lies of Satan, we need to remember the words of Jesus in John 8:32 that, "…the truth will set you free.”

What is the truth?

James 1:17 declares the truth that God is good.

The text expresses it this way, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

What this verse tells us is that what we can expect from God is good.

When the text says “every” it means that all that is a blessing, all that is good has its source in God.

When the text talks about a gift, it means that all we experience comes as a present from God.

He gives gifts to all people.

God is the source of the sunshine and the rain and the plants and the beauty of the earth.

God is the source of life and family and every joyful blessing we experience on this earth.

He gives gifts to His people – wisdom, spiritual gifts and so much more.

When the gift is described as good and perfect, it means that whatever God sends is sent as a positive thing, not a negative thing.

So the truth is that what comes from God is a good thing which does not destroy.

The reason we can count on the goodness of God and the blessing of His gifts is because He is the “Father of lights.”

To describe God as the “Father of the heavenly lights” is to refer to the nature of God.

Genesis 1 says that God is the creator of light.

He made light and then He made the sun and the moon.

God is the source of light.

Jesus is described as the light that came into the world in John 1 and Revelation 21 declares that the heavenly city does not need the sun because God is the light in it.

If God is light that means that there is no darkness in Him.

In a metaphorical sense it means that God is the source of all moral and spiritual light.

In consequence Ross asks, “How can the Father of lights ever lead His creatures into darkness?”

!! C.

He Doesn’t Change

I came into the living room one day and the sun was shining brightly onto the carpet and in the middle of that patch of sun our cat was sprawled out enjoying the warmth.

A while later I came into the room again.

The cat was lying in the same spot fast asleep, but the sun had moved.

Where is the sun?

To answer that question depends on what time of day it is and what time of year it is.

The sun is the brightest light we have, but it is constantly moving and every day it disappears completely for a few hours.

The text uses this kind of language to describe that God is not like that.

God does not change like the sun.

He is not present in the morning, but gone at night.

He is not present in summer, but absent in winter.

With God there is no changing or “shifting shadows.”

This means that God is not whimsical or capricious.

His goodness does not come to us only when he feels like it.

His goodness isn’t present one day but evil the next day.

There is a steadiness about His character that implies that we can count on Him.

The book of Hebrews assures us.

Speaking about God Hebrews 1:12 says, "…you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Speaking about Jesus Hebrews 13:8 assures us that He, "…is the same yesterday and today and forever."

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II.

God’s Best Gift

The ultimate proof of the consistent goodness of God is revealed in the greatest gift He has given.

!! A.                 Willingly

Whether you read NIV which says, “He chose us” or Good News which says “By His own will” or go with the Greek, which simply says, “willingly” the message of these opening words of verse 18 are not to be missed.

It is the first volley of a clear message which indicates the goodness of God when it tells us that there was nothing which compelled God to give us this gift.

The greatest gift that God has ever given us was given not to please someone or to get someone to do something for Him or even as a reward for goodness.

It was His will, motivated by His love which moved God to demonstrate His goodness by giving us this amazing gift.

!! B.                 He Gave Us Birth

            The gift which God has given us is the gift of birth by which is meant the gift of the beginning of life.

Every family which has its first baby understands the amazing feeling.

I remember it well.

We were living in Steinbach.

I had finished seminary and we were anticipating a move to our first church.

Carla was very pregnant already, but life went on almost as normal.

For three years we had been married and life had been about us.

But on June 9, 1977 our son was born and suddenly our whole world changed.

Someone who had not existed before suddenly came into existence.

Our whole world changed because there was another person on earth and we were responsible for him.

What God’s gift implies is that we did not have life before the gift was given.

We were lost, we were condemned to death, but with the gift of birth, we came to life and by faith in the Word of God which promised that Jesus had died for our sins and given us eternal life, we suddenly came into spiritual existence.

The imagery of birth with its implication of moving from non-existence to existence tells us powerfully of the goodness of God who has chosen to give us this gift of life.

!! C.                 To Be His Firstfruits

The language which the writer uses is interesting in that it speaks of birth, which is reproductive imagery.

He then goes on to speak of firstfruits, which is also reproductive imagery.