Operation Search and Rescuse.
Faith in Action: The Book of James • Sermon • Submitted
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INTRODUCTION:
Believers are responsible for helping restore straying sinners to the truth.
Believers are responsible for helping restore straying sinners to the truth.
James 5:19-20 “19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
we need see it is the church’s responsibility to restoring each other to gospel truth.
Notice first James’ use of “anyone.”+
James 5:19“19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,
We are all vulnerable to straying.
We are all vulnerable to straying.
Anyone is vulnerable to wandering from gospel truth.
Nobody in here is immune to wandering away from the truth.
And if you think that you are immune, you’re in a very dangerous place.
Take heed, lest you fall. we’re all vulnerable to wandering away from the truth of the gospel.
This is why Paul’s counsel in Galatians 6:1 is so important for us to remember when we’re in a situation of restoring someone caught in sin:
Galatians 6:1 “1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
We’re all vulnerable to stray,
and that should not only keep us humbly crying out to the Lord;
that should also shape how much you see your need for each other to keep you on the right path.
Each one of us is called to restore the straying.
Each one of us is called to restore the straying.
Secondly notice that anyone can act to bring the wanderer back:
James 5:19“19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone [or “anyone,” same word] brings him back,“
In other words, restoring the wayward person is not restricted to the elders, or to the ministry leaders I Timothy 5:19-20 “19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”
Restoring a wayward person doesn’t begin with you coming to tell the elders what’s going on,
it begins with you going to the wayward person.
Of course we’ll gladly walk alongside you and pray for you, if you need counsel and assistance.
But restoring the wayward person is for all the church’s members, not just a select few.
f you’re not the wayward person, I hope you’re the one chasing after the wayward person.
Anyone who loves Jesus and who loves the gospel truth entrusted to the church can and should act if they see a brother or sister wandering from gospel truth.
Gospel truth corrects only insofar as we speak it to each other.
The Devil's goal is to redirect you away from the Truth
The Church's job is to redirect you back to the Truth
That task is often about as pleasant as trying to help a wounded dog—you’re probably going to get bit no matter how gently you try to help.
When you’re successful, it’s a moment of great joy,
as when a search and rescue team announces,
“We have found him and he is alive and well.” Yes!
But even the hope of success doesn’t make the task any easier.
So what does it mean to restore a wayward believer.
James 5:19 “19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,”
Recognize spiritual strays
Recognize spiritual strays
This warning is rather pointed, so let's make sure we understand it properly.
They are fellow believers.
They are fellow believers.
First and foremost, we must recognize that James is writing to believers.
He calls his readers ''my brothers'' (adelphos).
This endearing term is used nineteen times in James.
In case there is any question as to the meaning of this word, in three of his usages,
Clearly, James is speaking to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is also confirmed by the phrase ''any among you.''
The spiritual stray under consideration, identified as ''among you,'' is among the ''brethren'' to whom James has just referred in 5:13-14.
In these verses, no one questions the identity of the one who is suffering, cheerful, or healed. It is a believer. This is also the case in 5:19a.
They have wandered from God.
The word ''strays'' (planao) means, ''to wander away'' and is often used of straying sheep.
Jesus uses this term in Matt 18:12 of a sheep that has wandered off and must be recovered by the shepherd.
Like sheep, believers are prone to wander.
Even though we have a sinless Shepherd who loves us, protects us, and has sacrificed Himself for us (John 10:1-30),
we still wander away from the abundant life He promises (John 10:11).
The verb planao was also used of planets.
As the ancients watched and mapped the night sky, they saw that certain ''stars'' did not follow a regular orbit.
They called them ''the wanderers.''
We know these today as our solar system's planets.
Here, a believer who was in proper orbit around the Son of God strays out of his appointed place in the heavens.
Such a one was reflecting the light of the Son, but a black hole of trial or temptation sucked him out of orbit.
The great hymn, ''Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,'' states it well: '
'Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.''
This sobering reality is true for all of us.
Illustration: The Sun always shines
The Sun is a light 24 hours a day, seven days a week... all year long. All decade long... all century long. In fact, since God created the sun, it has always been a bright light.
But even though the sun consistently shines, here on the earth it still gets dark. The reason is because the earth turns. The earth experiences darkness because it spins on its axis. Therefore the side that faces the sun gets light and the side that is facing away doesn't.
If there's darkness in your life, it's not because God, (the Father of Lights) is turning... it's because you are turning. You will experience darkness if you turn your back on God! He is the Father of Lights and in Him there is no shadow. There is no darkness. He's faithful and consistent. Just like the sun, He is always shining... that's why we must face him and pursue him and never turn our backs on him.
But when a brother or sister finds themselves in darkness... it's our job as the body of Christ...
it's our job as the Church to pray for them and be proactive in retrieving them.
They are morally compromised
They are morally compromised
Here, straying from ''the truth'' (cf. 3:14) concerns moral compromise, not doctrinal defection.
This is evident from the content of the entire letter.
James repeatedly exhorts his readers to live godly lives, and at times even rebukes them for practicing evil (e.g.,
sinful speech, disobedience, unconcern for others, quarrelling, favoritism, unspiritual wisdom, boasting, oppression of the poor, inappropriate swearing, prayer without faith, etc.).
Yet, he nowhere expresses concern for their theological orthodoxy.
It is also likely that many of James' readers were attempting to evade the suffering and persecution that accompanied following Christ (1:2-4; 2:6-7; 5:4-6, 7-11).
James says, ''Your beliefs are not necessarily your problem; but your behavior is what you must watch out for.'' Indeed, we are all capable of straying.
So what should be done with a straying saint?
They need turned around.
James expects his readers to confront those who wander from the truth and attempt to restore them to fellowship.
The verb ''turns him back'' (epistrepho) means to turn about, turn towards.
The idea is to return to a point or area where one has been before. Some Bible students insist that James is entertaining the thought of a church member who is not a true Christian.
However, this view raises more questions than it answers.
How can such a person ''stray from the truth'' that he has never believed and embraced? How also is he to be ''turned back'' to something he never had in the first place?
This is illogical. Unless a person has been in China, how can he wander away from it?
Likewise, can a person be turned back to China, if he has never set foot in China? A person can neither wander away from nor turn back to China, if he has never been to China.
James' first exhortation is to recognize spiritual strays. Now he encourages us to . . .
James 5:20 “20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
Rescue spiritual strays
Rescue spiritual strays
James here explains the value in turning back spiritual strays.
He concludes his letter by stating that turning a brother back from his error is a matter of life and death: ''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.''
The phrase rendered ''let him know'' (ginoskete) is a present active imperative which means that James is issuing a command that believers must understand and appreciate on an ongoing basis.
The work of restoring a wandering Christian is of tremendous importance and well worth the toil and agony that are often involved.
We may forget how important it is to take the initiative to bring a wanderer back because we get involved in our own life, family, and circle of friends.
So James commands us to ''remember [this]'' (NIV) how important it is to turn a backslidden believer back to fellowship with God and the church.
Interestingly, James calls the backslider a ''sinner''
because he or she has strayed from the truth (cf. 3:14).
The street-smart apostle holds nothing back when he confronts sin.
Although this is surprisingly harsh language, there is precedence for this in 4:8.
There, James solemnly commands his readers, '
'Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.''
James makes it clear that while every Christian is a saint, even a saint can behave like a sinner. \
This is why Martin Luther said that the Christian is ''simultaneously a saint and sinner.''
We must always recognize our propensity to stray.
In verse 20, we get a two-fold result of bringing the sinner back from his wandering and into step with gospel truth.
First, turning a straying saint back will
The sinner is saved from death and further discipline.
The sinner is saved from death and further discipline.
James 5:20 “20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
The verb ''save'' (sozo) and the noun ''salvation'' (soteria) refer to two types of deliverance:
temporal (e.g., deliverance from enemies, disease, death, ruin, etc.)
and eternal (i.e., deliverance from eternal condemnation).
A concordance study of the Old Testament reveals
that 95% of the uses of the Hebrew words for salvation
refer to temporal salvation of some type.
In the New Testament the usages equal out so that
50% of the time temporal salvation is in view and
50% of the time eternal salvation.
So we must ask: How does James use the verb ''save'' in his epistle?
James has previously used ''save'' (sozo) four times in his letter (1:21; 2:14; 4:12; 5:15).
James 1:21 “21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
James 5:15 “15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
int he above two verses James addresses ''brethren'' and is referring to something other than going to heaven.
For example, the word translated ''will save'' (sosei) in 5:20 is the same word translated ''will restore'' in 5:15. In 5:15 a brother is physically and/or spiritually delivered.
Eternal salvation is not being referred to in this context.
Thus, one can be confident that James is using the verb ''save'' here in 5:20 the same way he has used it throughout his letter.
The word ''soul'' (psuche) has within its fields of meaning both life and person.
Psuche is used 105 times in the New Testament
and only five or six of these refer to the immaterial part of man that goes to heaven or hell.
Thus, we should understand the ''soul'' to represent the whole person here as well as elsewhere in James' letter (cf. 1:21).
But how does James use the word ''death'' or ''dead''?
Throughout his letter, James uses the words ''death'' (thanatos, 1:15) and ''dead'' (nekros, 2:17, 26) to speak of temporal death and not eternal death.
So, in 5:20, the phrase ''save his soul from death'' is equivalent to ''saving a life from physical death.''
James had a similar concern earlier in his letter when he wrote: ''when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death'' (1:15). ''Death'' ultimately refers to physical death, the final consequence of prolonged sin.
James' point has been commonly observed by humankind throughout the ages and has been confirmed by modern medical science.
Many of our ailments have psychosomatic origins.
Emotional stress brought on by a life of guilt and bitterness is perhaps the major cause of physical death in the Western world.
It is probable that James also includes all that is involved in the path to death: misery, spiritual impoverishment, and severe divine discipline.
All of these consequences build up to physical death and can be described as death as well (cf. Rom 6:15-23). Regardless, the phrase ''save his soul from death'' refers to the saving of a believer under severe divine discipline.
The intent is to intercept his downward path before the Lord brings the discipline of physical death or spiritual ruin.
You Stray You Pay
On June 16, 1993, USA Today carried an article concerning the National Park Service and its rising costs to rescue people who get into trouble in the various national parks across America. The National Park Service spent $1.4 million on 5,000 rescues, not counting the $1.7 million donated by the military in providing search planes and helicopters. The overall concern is that Adventure Tourism--such as climbing, caving, kayaking--is getting out of hand. The thought is that if people who get themselves into trouble have to pay for the rescue service, rather than being provided it, they might be more careful. Therefore, if you are hiking and get lost, you would have to pay the financial bill to rescue you, which could go into the thousands of dollars. The title of the article is grabbing: ''You Stray, You Pay!'' There is an incredible spiritual application to this article. If you stray from God and His will, you will pay for it. It does not matter who you are or what you do: you pay for straying from God.
The second blessing that is accomplished when a straying saint is turned from the error of his way is
The sinner is restored.
The sinner is restored.
James 5:20 “20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
The verb here translates the Greek kalupsei, which literally means to cover over so that no trace can be seen,
James is not not imply hiding or keeping sins secret.
Rather, the sense is the same as the Old Testament concept of being forgiven and cleansed (Ps. 32:1; 85:2).
There are two main aspects of forgiveness mentioned in the Bible.
One is the forgiveness that a person receives as part of his once-for-all,
unrepeatable experience of justification in Christ
when in terms of his judicial standing with God all of his sins, past, present and future, are put out of the reckoning for ever.
The second is the continuing need for the Christian to seek God’s forgiveness
of those sins which he commits in the course of his daily life,
and it seems clear that this is what James has in mind here.
The first talks about our standing before God, which can never be lost.
The second talks about our fellowship with God,
While we can never lose our standing before God as Sons, .
we can be rebellious and hinder or relationship with Him.
When a sinner turns to the Lord,
God forgives all of his sins and restores fellowship with Him.
If a professing believer persists in sin, he should not be assured that he is eternally secure.
The Bible never gives that comfort to an unrepentant person.
The warning passages in Hebrews are designed to make such persons examine whether their profession of faith is genuine or not.
James also implies that when you help restore a sinner to God,
you must be careful not to reveal his sins any farther than is necessary for restoration.
Your aim is to restore the sinner before God and man.
The goal is not only restore fellowship with God but fellowship with other Church members.
You are God’s Restoration Specialist.
You are God’s Restoration Specialist.
Who should go?
Love takes risks. Go after the straying saint who leaves his or her first love and wanders away from the church.
Even though its difficult and time consuming, we need to turn back straying saints.
Please note what James doesn't say.
He doesn't say, ''Take heed from it.''
He doesn't say, ''Weep over it.''
He doesn't say, ''The pastor should bring him back,'' or ''The elders should bring him back.''
He doesn't even say, ''God should bring him back.''
He says, ''Someone should bring him back.''
Some person should bring him back.
That person could be you.
Think of a lifeguard and when they try to save a person:. When a person is drowning he or she hysterically fights off the lifeguard. At times the lifeguard becomes concerned for his or her own survival. But a wise lifeguard doesn't give up. He finds a way to eventually put a life jacket on the victim and drag him to shore. We must have this same lifeguard mentality in order to save a spiritual life.
If you have knowledge of the sin and you have a relationship with the person, you’re it! Truth is most often received through loving relationships.
Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as wee apply this passage to our lives.
Watch out for yourself and your own behavior.
Watch out for yourself and your own behavior.
The most loving thing you can do for others is to walk with the Lord yourself.
Recognize the propensity of Christians to stray . . . even some of God's finest. We are all vulnerable!
Some of the greatest biblical ''heroes'' fell.
To make matters worse, most of the people who failed in Scriptures failed in the second half of their lives.
So you can never coast in your Christian life (cf. 1 Cor 9:24-27).
With that in mind, beware of your besetting sin.
Take up any and every precaution. Additionally, in keeping with James' argument, don't give in to the temptation to quit when you face trials.
Instead allow God to use them to shape you into who He wants you to be. Watch your life closely.
A famous violinist was asked how long he practiced every day.
He replied that he spent ten to twelve hours a day with his instrument.
''What would happen if you slacked off?'' he was asked.
The violinist responded,
'After one day I would know it.
After two days, the conductor would know it.
After three days, the orchestra would know it.
After that, everybody would know it.''
Learn from this violinist and live your life by practicing the faith.
James 1:22 “22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Check your own motives.
Check your own motives.
There is no room for being judgmental.
1 Cor. 10:12 “12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
Your motive should be to restore the straying one,
not to put him in his place or to prove that you’re right and he’s wrong.
Make sure that you are under the control of the Holy Spirit and displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 22–23; 6:1).
Gal. 6:1 “1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
The word “restore” was used of mending torn nets and of setting broken bones so that they would heal.
Think of how gently you would want a doctor to do that with you,
and be that gentle in dealing with a person caught in some sin.
Pray fervently.
Pray fervently.
Because the exhortation of 5:19 comes at the end of a passage devoted to prayer (5:13-18), it would seem that a chief means of bringing back a straying saint is earnest prayer.
We must, therefore, pray for our pursuit of these straying saints to be positively received.
We need the Holy Spirit to go before us and soften hearts.
We must recognize that not everyone who wanders from the church can be brought back with a few encouraging words from a fellow church member.
Experts say the hardest people for a church to reach are those who have fallen away.
According to studies in churches, it usually takes at least eight contacts before they will consider returning.
Operation Restoration is a divine endeavor. So, apart from prayer and divine enablement we will not succeed.
Go directly to the person.
Go directly to the person.
Do not go behind his back and try to campaign for your point of view or to try to convince others to do what God is calling you to do.
Go alone at first. If he listens, you’ve won your brother.
If he refuses to listen,
take two or three others.
Eventually, it may need to be told to the church
Matt. 18:15–17 “15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
Be patient
Be patient
Although James doesn’t fudge on his claim that real faith produces genuine patience, sometimes we must step forward and accompany our prayers for straying saints with deliberate words and actions.
In other words,
patience is not an excuse for passivity;
faith is not an excuse for inaction.
If James has taught us anything,
He has made it clear that real faith produces genuine works.
If you are considering whether to get involved in the life of a straying believer through a word of encouragement, relief, or correction,
first check your motives.
Make certain you are acting out of genuine love for that person.
Be sure you’ve immersed yourself in prayer.
And be ready to apply patience as you endure a long process.
Most wayward saints don’t suddenly turn around with a tap on the shoulder.
It can take a long, long time.
CONCLUSION:
It’s fitting that James ends his letter with this exhortation to look out for wayward saints.
His entire book has been a plea to make sure outward actions accompany inward convictions,
that our words match our deeds,
that real faith produces genuine works of
stability (1:1–27), love (2:1–3:12),
humility (3:13–5:6), and patience (5:7–20).
He has involved himself in the most intimate areas of his readers’ lives, and he has done so with a spirit of conviction and care.
James’s entire letter exemplifies his own call to restore wayward saints to the path of life.
His finale addressed to the original readers could just as easily be addressed to you:
“I’ve come to your rescue in this letter and have invested my time in giving my thoughts to you in these specific areas where you were going astray.
Now go and do likewise?????.
As we conclude our study through the epistle of James,
I want to challenge you to come home to the Savior.
God specializes in Operation Restoration, and He wants you to maintain a consistent faith so that you can finish well.
Let Him have His way in you today.
Perhaps your heart is heavy for a straying saint.
Will you lift him or her up to the Lord?
Ask the Lord to give you a burden for this person.
Plead with Him right now to bring this believer back to Christ and His church.