Sermon Tone Analysis

James 5:19-20

 

For twenty-nine weeks we’ve been advancing through the General Epistle of James.

Actually, it’s been longer than twenty-nine weeks because we took some breaks from the series along the way.

But today marks the final installment in our study of James… at least for a while.

We’ve grown from what God teaches His people in this letter.

But let’s not imagine that we’ve mastered this material or completed our need for this study.

The teaching of James for the church goes on and its lessons stand as constant reminders of God’s truth for His people.

We’ve needed /and continue to need/ every verse of it.

But James hasn’t been easy for any of us.

To paraphrase the late Vance Havner, James is a letter that “comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.”

It rebukes our haughtiness and it uplifts us when we’re weak.

This little epistle has covered some very heavy material and has (I hope) offered some needed correction and clarification where error and confusion may have abounded for too long.

In the last two verses of James, we find the most touching and comforting counsel in the whole book.

It’s the perfect conclusion to all the teaching of James.

Here we find a word of encourage-ment to those who realize that there’s a mission field on the pews of the church.

The encourage-ment is directed to you who are actively involved in the mission and outreach of your church.

It’s for those who don’t merely watch from the sidelines, but who suit-up and actually run the plays on the field of action.

It’s potentially for every member of the church.

James has good news for those who see a redeeming need and strive to meet it for the glory of God in the church.

One of the greatest ongoing needs in any church is for spiritual intervention for those who are wandering from the truth of God’s Word.

It happens all the time… and yet rarely do we feel prepared to step in and restore a wanderer within our fellowship before it’s too late.

But we must.

In these final two verses, James gives us the encouragement and preparation to do just that.

James 5:19-20.

In honor of God and His Word, let’s stand.

19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.

[NASB]

 

[Prayer] The ministry of restoration and recovery is open to every Christian in the church.

It requires the attention of every member of the team.

Regardless of your current role in the church, all of us are called to watch over the souls of those in our fellowship who may be wandering from the truth of God’s Word.

But why do people wander from the truth in the first place?

Some wander because of their spiritual weakness due to sin and suffering in their lives; we considered this group in the previous section of verses.

But some wander from God’s truth because they haven’t really submitted to Jesus Christ from the beginning.

They may have joined the church and made a healthy confession and even held positions of leadership, but a genuine relationship with Christ could be entirely absent.

This is the group James has in mind in these last two verses of his letter.

Here’s where you come in… look at the first point:

 

*I.

Wandering sinners in the church require your godly intervention as a believer* (19).

Verse 19 doesn’t tell us up front whether the wanderer is a true believer or not; it’s inconclusive.

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back…” This verse tells us just enough to know that the wanderer is /among/ other believers – that is, he or she is associated with the visible community of Christ in some way.

This person has somehow wandered from the truth in terms of a lifestyle conforming to the Word of God.

Verse 20 will clarify that the person who has wandered is not a believer at all, even though they’re involved in the church.

But for now all we know is that this is someone among the Christian community who has strayed.

The opening phrase “my brethren” refers to genuine believers in the local church.

It was broad enough to include the converted Jewish members as well as the Gentiles who came into the church.

In this reference we should notice how fellowship in Christ removes all racial barriers as obstacles to Christian fellowship.

“In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female (regarding access to the Savior); for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

This verse doesn’t mean that those distinctions don’t exist are even that they’re illegitimate; it simply means that those distinctions are not obstacles to the grace of God or of fellowship with other Christians.

They are called brethren.

But there are those among them who are not brethren.

The phrase “if any among you” introduces the third category of people addressed by James.

The first group were suffering Christians who needed to pray (5:13); the second group were weak and defeated Christians who required the prayer of the elders (5:14); but here it describes professed believers who need to be called to true salvation by the other members of the church.

Such people are in every church.

JESUS said this would be the case.

So when we have clear reasons to believe that someone among our fellowship doesn’t know Christ savingly, we need to intervene.

The way the phrase “if any among you strays from the truth” indicates that it’s a real possibility that will happen in the church.

Jesus told His disciples that tares would be numbered among the wheat.

He also taught that the Word of God was like seed that falls on different types of soil.

The most productive soil represents the people who hear the Bible, understand what it means, and then bear fruit as a result of obedience.

When a member of the church strays or wanders from the truth, it means they are resisting the teaching of God’s Word in their life.

This person wants the association of Christian fellowship, but inwardly chafes at the application of God’s Word for them and the church.

He or she rejects the Bible where it doesn’t conform to their feelings or private views.

James says (when that happens) this person is wandering from the truth.

To stray or wander is from the verb /planao/.

We get our word planet from this old word.

The planets were so named because they were the “nearer lights” in the sky; and as such, they appeared to wander from point to point, unlike the distant stars which held a fixed position in the sky.

James uses this word to describe one who strays from God’s Word.

It means they apostatize.

The NT uses this word to describe the spiritual condition of the unsaved.

Jesus used it to describe the Pharisees in Matthew 22:29 – “You are /planao/ [mistaken], not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Paul wrote to Titus using this word to describe the unsaved saying, “For we also were once foolish ourselves, disobedient, /planao/ [deceived], and enslaved to various lusts and pleasures…” (Titus 3:3).

This is a word used to describe those who don’t follow Jesus.

.

Since this describes the unsaved within the visible church, God is calling all Christians through James to intervene by seeking to “turn them back” to the truth.

To turn them back doesn’t mean they were saved and then lost their salvation.

It means they /professed/ to follow the truth, but they never really loved the truth because Jesus was never regarded as Lord of their life.

In fact, unbelievers are continually wandering from the truth (in the sense of Romans 14:23, “whatever is not from faith is sin” and Hebrews 11:6, “without faith it is impossible to please God”).

So to turn them back doesn’t mean anything more than turning them back from their disobedient way of life.

The word for “turn” is common in the NT.

It speaks of a sinner’s conversion to Christ.

They turn /from/ sin and /to/ Jesus.

If a person has been resisting a certain biblical doctrine or otherwise rejecting the plain teaching of Scripture on matters of Christian doctrine or church government, they need /to be turned/ to embrace what God’s Word clearly teaches.

James uses this word to describe the process of turning people from false belief and corrupt behavior to genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ.

This is what we as Christians are all called to practice as a church and it comes with the hearty approval of God.

Notice the second point…

 

*II.

The one who intervenes by calling sinners to repentance is doing the work of God* *and should be commended by God’s people* (20a).

Listen to this first phrase in verse 20, “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way…” Now pause there for a moment.

Some translations (NIV) say “Remember this:”, but “let him know” is much better.

When James says to the congregation, “Let him know”, to whom is James referring?

Let /who/ know?

He’s talking about the one who intervenes to turn wandering sinners from the error of their way.

Why does God want us to let him know when he engages in this restoring activity?

Don’t miss this: God wants His people to affirm and encourage every act that glorifies Him in the church.

In doing this, we’re not exalting people.

We’re praising God for the work He does /through/ people as we watch Him work through us.

Turning religious sinners from a life of pious unbelief should be commended by the church!

God is telling us through James: Don’t ignore the activity of faith and redemption among your church.

When you see a Christian actively involved in building relationships and restoring lost sinners, let them know that they’re doing a very good thing!

Put your arm around that person and express your appreciation and support.

Write them a note.

Offer to help them, if they need it.