People Need The Lord

JUNE 3, 2020 STUDY NOTES JAMES 5:19 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES PEOPLE NEED THE LORD Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; As Christians we have a responsibility toward one another We should be spiritually concerned about one another Cain had a question for the Lord, Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? The answer is “Yes,” as Christians we are our brother’s keeper If someone fails, falls spiritually, or backslides, we are to minister to them We are to influence them and bring them back into fellowship with Christ The concern and ministry unto others is not limited to church leadership It is the responsibility of all members of the Church Family From the beginning of the letter, James has been concerned with temptations and sins He has warned against sin, shown us how to deal with sin, how to be victorious over sin James covered favoritism; the uncontrolled tongue; judging one another; worldliness He closes out the letter instructing the church to deal with sin in the life of a believer Sin in the life of a believer is a call to action for the church if any of you do err from the truth, Any among you is the concern, it is a possibility, it is an individual danger One who is a member of the church, one who is among the Christian fellowship It is possible for anyone of us to wander from the truth or to go astray Paul gave a warning to the Corinthians, 1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. James says it is possible for the Christian to “err from the truth” He does not have in mind committing habitual sin but one who has wandered from the truth They are wandering about and not walking in the way of Christ Something that needs to be immediately dealt with, they need to be restored to the faith Their error may be because of a personal desire to follow some lust of the flesh Deliberately going astray by following one’s own sinful will Or it may be because of the influence of someone else leading them astray Being deceived and led astray by others Sin can be by the “Influence of the world,” Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: Love for “our Father” will keep us from loving the world, 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Sin can be the influence of “Sinful flesh, the old Adamic nature, 1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: Christians can control the sinful desires of the body, 1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. It can be done through prayer, Bible study, leadership of the Spirit, and Christian fellowship Sin can be by the influence of “The devil,” 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: This message of James is also found in, Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. We must guard against a sinful and unbelieving heart, a heart that is not faithful to God Then we find exactly what James is telling us to do, Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Christians are to be concerned about others we must have a true concern for one another The emphasis is strong, now is your chance, right now, do it today Because James says there are those turning--from the truth, “Truth” is an important subject in God’s Word and an important part of our life “Truth” is not easily found in our daily path of life we have-to be careful in what we believe Truth is not always heard on the news or read on face-book, or heard in daily conversation The true source of “The Truth” is the revelation from God written in the Scriptures That is what James is calling “The truth,” the Divine Message, the “whole of the gospel” The whole body of God’s Word, Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. James referred to the “truth” of God’s Word in, Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. The “word of truth” is the Gospel message, the Good News of the person and work of Jesus, Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, “Truth” is our hope, Col 1:5 For the hope, which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; “Truth” is the message of the Man who is “Truth,” the message is of a Man named Jesus “Truth” is the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. “Truth” is what Christ lived and taught, Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. The Holy Spirit is “Truth,” Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: “Truth” is the way of the Christian life, Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Speaking the truth is more than a verbal conversation, it is more than what we are saying It is when our daily life tells the truth of being a Christian and having Christ in our life Living a life of truth is the exact opposite of the life that is tossed and turned by Satan’s lies Satan is continually tempting the Christian, attempting to lead them astray, to err from the truth Regardless of why one turns from the way of truth, James says our ministry is to “convert him” and one convert him; James does not mean “to convert to Christianity,” which is the salvation of a lost soul The meaning here is not the converting of a lost sinner to salvation The first part of the verse is referring to a Christian who has wandered from the truth A Christian who has turned and gone in the wrong direction spiritually “Convert” means to turn them around, referring to when they turn back to the truth It means being restored to the life of truth, daily living the true Christian life James reveals to us a very-important ministry of the Church But it can be a very-difficult ministry for the Church Many church members who have gone astray are not ready to come back Therefore, the easiest thing for the church to do is put them on the inactive list And just wait for them to die and then remove their name from the church roll It is interesting that James indicates that they are already facing death (verse 20) So, who is responsible for ministering to the ones who have gone astray? The responsibility is not limited to church leadership It is the responsibility of every Christian we are to be concerned about one another, 1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. So how do we minister to those who have gone astray? Paul presents to us the same ministry in, Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Watch-care is a family obligation of those who are spiritually related There will be those among the Church Family who are overtaken in a fault The church needs those who are spiritual to restore them In Galatians 5, Paul spoke of those who “walk in the Spirit” (vs. 16) Those who are “led of the Spirit” (vs. 18) Those who “live in the Spirit” (vs. 25) Those who live according to the character of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit (vs.22-23) Christians are commanded to be “Filled with the Spirit,” Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Spiritual Christians are to “restore” those who are overtaken in a fault “Restore” means “to put in proper working order,” in-order to serve its purpose Relationships that have been broken must be repaired Damaged lives need to be repaired and brought back into a proper working condition Paul said that it must be done “in the Spirit of meekness,” meekness is gentleness The same loving kindness of God’s Grace that ministered to you That is why Paul said, “considering thyself,” pay close attention to yourself Be sure of your motive and your attitude as you attempt to minister to others Be sure of your personal relationship with God, are you standing strong spiritually? If not, you could also “be tempted,” 1Th 3:5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. That is exactly what James is telling us to do as Christians We need to go to them with a mind of humility, with a heart of meekness We must go to them with a hand of gentleness, with a spirit of forgiveness We must have love for one another and be patient with one another Always be in prayer for one another, be the one who cares, the one who is concerned Be sure that you are strong enough spiritually to be an influence upon others The last verse of the book of James is a most interesting verse, Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. There are many questions to be answered concerning this verse Who is “the sinner? What is “the error of his way?” Who is the one who “converteth the sinner?” What is the meaning of “convert?” How is it that a soul is saved “from death?” What death does James speak of? Is it, spiritual death, second death, eternal death? Or is it, physical death? How can sins be hidden? Especially a “multitude of sins?” One thing for sure James is telling us that “People need the Lord” Listen to the song