Wanderer/Restorer

As we are in the midst of the holidays many of us will find ourselves travelling to see family or going on a vacation, and most of us have gotten used to the convenience of having Google Maps or Apple Maps or Waze, or whatever we use. Before all of these app we had GPS’s that we plugged into our cars. Before that was physical maps that we meticulously looked at, searching for the best route with the least amount of traffic. Before that was a compass. But before all these fancy new technologies all that was used was the sun, moon, and stars. They were the directions that led people to their destination. Leading up to the birth of Jesus, a group of Wise Men set out after a star. It was not unusual for them, as they interpreted the stars and speculated as to the significance and meaning behind them. But these Wise Men, who often wandered, were soon to find an end to their wandering. Because as they came to Herod, the King in the land of Israel at the time, they ask “where is who has been born king of the Jews?”

Today is the end of our James series, and as James gives his finishing remarks he wants to encourage his readers that they do not have to wonder anymore. He encourages them to faithfulness, to follow the truth of God’s Word, and reminds them of the grace of God. The main point he wants them to remember is that God’s love can restore us when we’ve fallen short. James brings together everything he has told them about being doers of the Word, about the dangers of sins whether it be lying, bitterness and anger, greed, or favoritism. He warns them to follow the truth so that they do not wander and to lead and restore others to the truth as well as themselves.

Sin is deceptive

The word for "strays" is used to mean "transgression of the revealed will of God...idolatry." This verb is a passive form of "deceiving" or "misleading". They themselves are deceived and misled.

It reminds me of the hymn “Come thou Fount” where it says “Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love”. I love this line because it is a reminder of just how easy it is to wander, in fact our default is to wander. Like a child who, no matter how much they try, is unable to keep focused for more than a few seconds before something else catches their eye. Sin very easily catches our attention, and it uses deception to do it. Sin deceives us and tells us lies about who God is and what He desires for us. James warns these believers of what happens when a brother or sister in Christ is deceived and turns away from the truth, it will lead to death and destruction.

So in what ways do James point to that sin deceives us?

Sin tells us we are right

James says that some had strayed away from the truth. The truth he speaks of is God’s Word. As James has made clear, you cannot just have a correct view of God and His Word, but you must follow that with correct action. You can’t just have knowledge of the truth and then deny it in your actions and words. You cannot proclaim to be faithful but not showing it with action. But sin can’t made us convinced that we are right, even when all the evidence says otherwise.

I don’t watch it anymore, but I used to watch American Idol as I’m sure many of you did, or at least watched a little bit of. Now it was enjoyable when you got down to the final few contestants and you would have your favorites that you wanted to win. But I think we all know that the best part was the first few episodes where they showed all the contestants because that’s where you would get the worse singers you have ever heard. The saddest ones were the people who were totally convinced that they were born to be a star, that they had the voice of an angel. And they would get up in front of the judges, including Simon Cowell, and sing their hearts out. Only to be told, “I’m sorry, but this is not for you”. The worse was when even in front of these professional, multi-million dollar talent evaluators, some people would choose to believe that they were a good singer. Even when all the evidence pointed to that being false. What they were doing was denying the truth, denying good wisdom for the wisdom of their friends or family who told them they could sing.

James in chapter 3 about the difference between human wisdom and godly wisdom, and to live by human wisdom is to deny the truth. And if we deny the truth it is because we have been led into temptation, then temptation leads to sin, and sin gives birth to death.

1 John 1:6 he makes clear how the truth is the way to life.

1 John 1:6 CSB

If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.

John sees walking in the truth as fellowship with God.

This is not simply about our thoughts but of life-style. "This truth is something that is to be done as well as believed" Our lives must be practiced in the truth. Because if we stray from the truth we can find ourselves being deceived in other ways. Paul makes this clear in Galatians 5:7-10

Galatians 5:7–10 CSB

You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth? This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.

We often can start with small concessions in the truth. “Well I will trust the Lord, except for this one part of my life” and we think that we can compromise in one area without compromising the others. But Paul says that a little leaven will permeate the whole batch, it will corrupt everything. But the Lord will not call us away from the truth in any situation. What this compromise does is convince us that our way is better, that we know better than God knows.

This wandering away always starts small. It can be wandering away from gathering together for worship, it can be deciding that reading God’s Word isn’t that necessary for your walk with the Lord, it can be that you just don’t see why getting drunk is that big of a deal, or so what if I watch some porn every now and then, or so what if I gamble every so often. What the deception of sin tells us is that we are right and that God is wrong. That we know better than Him. To know the truth, to hear God’s Word and to decide that we are going to neglect some part of it for our own gain.

What James says is that this leads to death. He connects a life directed towards sin with death. That those who neglect the poor, defraud, speaking gossip, have hatred towards their neighbor are walking themselves into darkness and death.

But those who are deceived do not just deny the truth, they deny a fear of the Lord and the consequences of sin. What it does, gets us to the second deception.

Sin turns us into functional atheists

So what does is mean to be a functional atheist? It is to “profess fear of the Lord and live as if you have none.” It means that you make excuses for yourself and use human wisdom rather than divine wisdom while still doing a lot of religious activity. You reject the revealed will of God and you act contrary to His Word.

Psalm 36 gives a good picture of this. Psalm 36:1-2

Psalm 36:1–2 ESV

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

What this Psalm shows us is an apathy towards God and His commands. In having no fear of God what we say is that we do not believe the consequences of sin to be true.

It not only tells us that we are right, but when we even recognize that we have sinned we act as if it is no big deal. It is an apathetic attitude towards our sin. And apathy comes from a lack of fear of God, despite that you claim to believe in God. You hear what His Word says but act as if it has no power. When you act contrary to His Word and have no true repentance and no true remorse. If you believed that God is who he says He is than you would take His Word seriously. You would be intentional with the time of the Lord, you would be serious about caring for the poor and needy, you would stop lying, you would stop hatred, and theft and every other sin. How often do you live as a functional atheist? It can be your parenting when you say that you are going to prioritize Jesus in the season of Christmas but then you just fall into the busyness and the shopping while not emphasizing the gift of Jesus that we celebrate. When in your marriage you forget to put your spouse first as God has called you to and to sacrifice but you’d rather do your own thing. Your job when you fall into the lifestyles and lingo of your coworkers even when you know that they aren’t acting in godly ways. To be a functional atheist means that you trust your own inability to lead in these areas and trust yourself more than God’s Word with your family and with your job and with your life.

Romans tells us of this situation in our hearts.

Romans 1:21-22

Romans 1:21–22 CSB

For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools

See, the issue that is expressed here is that we can find ourselves to be wise, we can believe that have the key to success and we don’t need God to tell us what we need. And when we don’t give God the glory for our success or give God glory for the ways that God has cared and protected us, then we have darkened hearts, hearts that don’t actually believe in God.

So we find ourselves recognizing “yes, I have been a wanderer, I have turned away from God, and I have trusted myself more than I have trusted the Lord.” But James reminds us of the good news, that love covers a multitude of sins.

Love is stronger

James talks about how as brothers and sister in Christ we are to help restore others who have wandered away from God. It reminds us of the story of the Prodigal son. In this story there are two sons. There is the son who runs away and lives in sin and without fear of God but comes back seeking for forgiveness. Then there is the son who has stayed with the father, who has performed his tasks, but holds a grudge against his father saying "why are you throwing a party for him when he has not been an obedient son?" We can often be like the second son, who is just as sinful as the first son, and rather than forgive we allow our hatred and anger to fester. What Jesus points us to in this parable is that we all have wandered like the first son, but because we have wandered we should not be like the second son. So instead of be like the second son we should allow love to lead us to forgiveness and restoration

Love leads us to forgiveness and restoration

James says that they are to “turn back” their brother or sister. “Turning back", as James describes it, is a means to bring back a Christian brother or sister who has erred and restores their soul to salvation and away from spiritual death.

James doesn't tell them to neglect these people, to say "good riddance", but rather they should seek to turn them back. They are to seek correction and confession, to restore their brother and sister who has wandered. Because we know that this can happen to each of us, James 1:14 says that "each of us is enticed and drawn away by evil desire" and in 4:11-12 he says that we should not judge our brother or sister because there is only one lawgiver and we ourselves will be judges but we are called to show mercy to believers. So if we know that we ourselves have gone astray then we should seek to restored one another. Because by preventing someone from wandering we save someone from spiritual death. That there is serious consequences to wandering and serious consequence to not seeking restoration of a brother or sister.

This restoration is seen in view of God's mercy, where mercy triumphs over judgment (2:13) to those who humble themselves. It seems like James had listened to Peters words in 1 Peter 4:7-11

1 Peter 4:7–11 CSB

The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Peter calls them to speak in love because "love covers a multitude of sins”, to be hospitable without complaining, that those who have received blessings should use them to serve others, and to glorify God in everything we do. What saves this person is their repentance as they have become aware of their sins. In revealing to them the state of their soul and the judgment that will come upon them they turn and seek forgiveness.

But what does it mean that “love covers a multitude of sins”

First, it reveals the priority that love should have in the body of Christ. Peter calls them not just to love but to "constant love" and love that has not limit even when in the midst of trials and when you are at your wits end. It means caring for those who have needs, and it means having affection for all brothers and sisters in Christ and not just those who you have a strong bond with. To not show favoritism in your love. It doesn't matter if you think someone is smelly, or if they talk to much, or you don't think they are practicing their faith correctly, or if they have issues with other members, or if they seem to be angry, or if they are prideful, if they have a different political view then you, if they have different interests or values, you show a constant love. You are willing to care for them and their needs, you are willing to show interest in them and love them as Christ has loved you because love covers a multitude of sins. For love to cover a multitude of sins means we look past the things other people do that irk us, we don't "keep a record of wrongs" of the offenses against us as Paul says, we publicly and formally forgive others when we feel wronged.

This type of love covers a multitude of sins because how you treat someone may be the reason that a person stays or leaves a church. Our reflection of God's love reveals to people God's forgiveness and the joy found in the Gospel. Because oftentimes when someone has wronged us or has sinned, we come with judgment and desiring to prove they are wrong rather than to come with the intention of restoring a brother or sister with grace and mercy.

But in James wording in v. 20 seems leave ambiguous who exactly is the one whose sins are covered. The one who was restored or the one restoring. And it seems to be on purpose. Because God's Word also sees one who proclaims God's message as saving themselves as well Ezekiel 3:21 says “if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have rescued yourself.” In reminding someone else of the truth, we also remind ourselves of the truth and we help to correctly understand God's will in our life. Therefore those who correct a brother or sister are saving themselves by reminding another of the truth. Because the truth saves them from eternal death and leads them towards God’s love. Because as James tells them that love covers a multitude of sins He is reminding them that...

Jesus shows us that God’s love conquers all sins

1 John 4:9-14

1 John 4:9–14 CSB

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior.

We have this great truth, that love covers a multitude of sins, and if our love for others is able to help others to know the truth and be saved, than how much more can the love of Christ cover our sins.

That shows the beauty of God’s love, that even in our wandering, which hurts the heart of God, that he still goes after us. Sometimes when I come home I will open the door and I will see Zeke in the living room, and he will see me, smile, and run towards me. And right as he comes close to me he will take a turn and go towards mom instead of me. And you know, it hurts a little bit when he does that. Because I love him it hurts to see him run away from me. In the same way it hurts the heart of God when we run away from him. But you know what I do when Zeke runs away? I chase after him, and I grab him up, and I tickle him, and I let him know that he is loved.

See, God found us in our wandering, He found us as we were lost and He gave us a light, THE light. And this light was a produce of God’s love for the world, His desire to restore all people back to Himself.

And as the band comes up I want to remind you of the story of the prodigal son. See, in the story of the prodigal son, the story is not about the first son, or the second son, it is about the Father. The Father that shows forgiveness to both sons, who waits for His children to come to Him with open arms, and who desires to celebrate with them. He desires to restore, He does not hold a grudge for past offenses. God willing to give His one and only Son, and for Him to come as a baby, all because He loves us. He wants us to be restored, He wants to bring us back to the truth. And sometimes we will wander away from the truth, and sometimes we will hold grudges, but God will chase after us, He wants to wrap us in His arms and tell us that He loves us. So if you are here today and you feel like you have wandered, you feel like you have too much sin, you feel like God doesn’t want you anymore. I have news for you, God is waiting for you, He has open arms and He wants you to come. We know this because He sent us His Son as the light of the world for all who are wandering so that we may find Him in the darkness.