The Book of James   Message Four

C.  Readiness to face temptation.  1:19-27  Continued –

Last week, we learned from James through the –

1. Counsel for victory over temptation.  1:19-21

James 1:19-21  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

His counsel to be –

• Careful in complete obedience. 

James 1:22-25  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

And tonight, we are counseled to be –

    3.  Consistent in service.    James defines the difference between

         Selfishness and selflessness.   We begin tonight with –

      a.  Selfishness.  The individual desiring to be the focus of attention.

James 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.  

If anyone ‘seem’ to be religious – presenting a spiritual appearance without having a faithful heart.

Just attending church, but for the wrong reasons. We learn how to go along to get along.  We simply exchange our actions, but keep our unbelief.

 I traded my shorts for a suit, my tank top for a tie, my sandals for shoes.  I traded my patterns of speech – I started saying fellowship instead of party, I learned to smile at and acknowledge those that said “praise the Lord” instead of “Peace, brother”,  and I found my old Bible that a relative had given me when I was ten years old.    I had received it has a present for Christmas, posted from another state, and was sorely disappointed that it was not a toy.  I had kept it though and had it to carry to church.

I was good at ‘seeming’ to be religious, but still had the same dark heart and the same vile tongue –

Matthew 12:34-35  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

           “…bridleth not his tongue…”

I was okay, a nice guy when compared with the world at large, but when standing in the searchlight of God’s Word, I was –

        1).  Conceited.

3 John 9-10  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

        2).  Conniving –

Proverbs 17:9  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; (Forgiven and buried) but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. (repeated often)

People often make others look bad so that they will seem ‘better’.

“Spiritual Gossip” such as “Did you hear what she did”?  The proper answer is “No, let’s call her and ask her what she did”. That will end a lot of this loose talk.  They will wish that they had bridled their tongue!

        3).  Contradicting the Word of God.

Matthew 23:14  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Isaiah 1:15-18  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

        4).  Condemning their own selves.  They were self deceived –

John 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

There are those who are just like them today.  The pretenders need to repent of their sins and turn unto the Lord which will result in –

      b.  Selflessness.  

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.  

           The believer needs to be an example to the world –

1 Timothy 4:11-15  These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

        1).  Caring for others for their good. 

James 1:27a  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction…

          a).  The connotation of the word “…to visit…”

                 To visit with a result in mind, a purpose to be achieved.

                 Note these examples –

Matthew 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Luke 1:68  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

Acts 15:14  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

Not just to go, but to go and make a difference in their lives!

          b).  The character of the visitor –

Notice the qualifications of those men in the church who will be dealing with members of the church and especially those in need, such as orphans and widows –

Acts 6:1-3  And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

        2).  Caring for our testimony for God’s glory. 

James 1:27b  … and to keep himself unspotted from the world.  

John 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Understanding the purpose of temptation, we are reminded by Peter that submitting to God and seeking His glory, we bring praise to His name and provoke others to follow God and His purpose for their lives –

1 Peter 1:6-7  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Are we consistent in our love for God and in our service unto Him?  James is encouraging us to have faith in God and look after others – God will look after us!