James Message 13

Bringing back those who have wandered.

James 5:19–20 NKJV

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Intro: During the invitation, people come forward for salvation ealb

Some will come forward to rededicate their life to Jesus. Elab

Sometimes the same person will come over and over. They may need to get saved.

James has had a lot to say to the Christians he is writing to. He encourages them to stand strong in their faith. To have a faith that works.

He starts with and “if” anyone wanders from the truth. He knew some would. And what we should do to bring them back. And a warning if they don’t

Be careful of wandering. VS 19a

Brethren: He is talking to Christians. There some who are in church, but are not true Christians.

James 2:14 NKJV

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

James 2:18 NKJV

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James 2:19 NKJV

19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

First you have to know that you are saved. Some in the church James was writing to were not, same today.

“If any among you wanders from the truth”

“Wander” KJV err

“to wander,” and suggests a gradual moving away from the will of God.

The Old Testament term for this is “backsliding.”

Proverbs 14:14 NKJV

14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above.

Sad to say, we see this tragedy occurring in our churches regularly.

For someone to move away from the will of God happens without any effort. “Drifting”

Story Aunt Louise

Drifting from God that no effort. It happens when.

Stop coming to church.

2. Weak of prayer life.

3. Not studying the Bible.

4. Stop having fellowship with other Christians.

5. Hanging with the wrong people.

This Christian is serious business. Why do we take it so lightly?

What do you drift from?

“The truth”

Jesus is the truth.

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus is the truth and the truth is the “word of God” So James is speaking of a follower of Jesus who is no longer following Jesus and His word.

When you drift (Wander) from the truth, you fall out of fellowship with God. (God will never turn His back on you) But He is waiting for you to come back to Him.

Luke 15:4 NKJV

4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

We should never give up on anyone who has wandered from the truth, no matter far away they have gone. We not to go away them.

Next part of vs 19

Going after those who have wandered. 19b - 20

“and someone turns him back”

It is our responsibility to go after those who have wandered from the truth.

It is important that we seek to win the lost, but it is also important to win the saved. Not to see them

re-saved, but restored.

I’ve thinking this week about people I know that have stopped going to Church. (Elab sinful life style) (Some just stopped going to church)

You may know of someone, who ever it may be, pray for them, call them, go see them.

If you go to someone who has wandered. It’s important to know that when someone wanders, stray, drift from God, they are in sin. (may not be a sinful life style) but still sin.

So if you are going to go to someone the has strayed, you have to do so with an attitude of love.

1 Peter 4:8 NKJV

8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Both James and Peter learned this principle from Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:12 NKJV

12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

This does not mean that love “sweeps the dirt under the carpet.” Where there is love, there must also be truth (“speaking the truth in love,” said Paul in Eph. 4:15), and where there is truth, there is honest confession of sin and cleansing from God.

Love not only helps the offender to face his sins and deal with them, but love also assures the offender that those sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more.

There are so many people that have wandered from the truth. It’s an easy thing to do, but we have to go after them, seek them with love.

It may be a Pine Grove member, family member, friend, neighbor.

Here is our attitude:

1. Just don’t care.

2. We say, well they didn’t come to church much anyway.

3. Maybe they’ll come back one day.

4. It wouldn’t do any good to go see them, they want come back.

5. If someone is in sin, its a thing to do to tell them.

It has to be in love.

James 5:20 NKJV

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

When the person who has wandered, comes back, because a fellow Christian had shown them, they have “saved a soul from death”

This death is not talking about spiritual death, no one who has been truly saved will lose their salvation.

“everlasting life”

John 10:28 NKJV

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Can you can get to a point in sinful life where God will take you.

I Corin 11:27-30

1 Corinthians 11:27–30 NKJV

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

1 John 5:16–17 NKJV

16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

1 John 1:9 NKJV

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Are we wandering ?

Are you willing to go after someone who is?

Like the song we sang today, we need to be recusing the Pershing.