Book of James - Ch. 3, Vs. 1-Ch. 4, Vs. 7 (09/09/2001)

James on Teachers, Condemnation, and Self-Justifying Speech

James 3 verse 1. My brethren, be not many masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. He's talking to the Christians. He says, my brethren. Now what I want to know is, what is this greater condemnation, Dennis?

Well, we're all teachers all right, but he's talking here about the teacher, about my position, David's position, others that teach. Now, there will be greater condemnation on the teachers than there is on the others, on you as you sit there.

Condemnation means judgment. We're judged according to how we treat you. Self-justifiers is the opposite. Now, if there's a teacher or a preacher that is teaching or preaching for the wrong reason, then he is self-justifying.

Self-justifiers are usually self-deceivers. If a preacher or a teacher uses poor grammar, does not study, or try to improve himself, he just talks and talks about his past life. He's trying to justify himself and is but a self-deceiver.

God is not mocked. So, there may be many teachers, but a lot of them are wrong. We are all going to receive a greater condemnation. Now, why would that be? Bill, why would it be, as James 3, why would it be that the teachers are going to be judged more harshly than the others?

David, you have anything to add to that? For in many things we offend all. If any man offend, not in a word, but the same as perfect, a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body. Now, for in many things we offend all.

There is no teacher or preacher that can Sunday after Sunday, lesson after lesson, teach and have everybody agree with him. If we all agreed all of the time, it'd get rather boring, and we wouldn't learn anything.

The teacher does not know at all. He has been anointed by God to teach, but he cannot get ahead of himself. He's got to teach what he knows. Bill teaches what he knows in the school, and he knows it. How do you express faith in everyday life?

Greg, all right. Dennis, what did he say? All right. Bill, you have anything you can add? How do we express faith in everyday life? All right. I would put this answer to it. By doing everything with a positive belief.

Everything we do, we know is what we teach. By doing nothing from a base of doubt, by doing only what you know to be right. If you don't know it's right, then chances are you'll entangle yourself in it, and you will not teach.

But do everything from a positive standpoint. Everything. When you know it's right. Now that doesn't mean that because I know how to do it, I rush in and tell Dennis how to do it. What would that lead to?

That's right. Romans 14 23, and he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Anytime you respond to a situation, or you're the originator of it, if it's not a positive statement, it's sin.

Anybody disagree with that? Does everybody agree with it? Well, let me clarify, clarify, clarify, whatever. I sit here in front of you, and this is the only reference I have, and what I teach you is truth based upon the Bible, and what God has showed me.

Now if I deviate from that, then it's not true. What he's talking about here is our faith must apply each and every day. We have no control over our faith. It's given to us by Christ. We need to express it in a way of life that he knows what he's doing.

Now if it would come to the question of Einstein's theory, and I sit here and cover you up with a lot of words and everything, that's not faith. That's not belief. That's not coming from a basis of belief.

So everything must be done in a positive order. If it is not, it's sin. If you say, well, maybe that's right, go ahead. That's not right. If you do not know the outcome, or you don't think you have to give a response to every question, if there is a situation and you don't know, don't try to answer it.

Don't say, well, it could be this or it could be that. Just don't give an answer and tell them why. It's because I'm not knowledgeable on that subject. Remember the three things that are needed to make a decision.

What's the first one? All right, the decision. What else? All right, circumstances. What's the third one? Peace from God. Now if you will commit those three to memory and practice them, you'll never go wrong.

Never. Now this does not mean that you will enjoy each and everything. You don't decide something to enjoy it. You know the truth and you relate it. Truth might hurt you. Behold, we put bits in the horse's mouths that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body.

Behold, also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they are turned about by a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Now a small helm, what's helm, Bill?

And it's very small compared to the ship. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.

So is the tongue among your members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature. And it is set on fire of hell. Our tongue, very important. If you cut a man's tongue out, he'd die.

He has to have it to remain active. Now if, well, a forest fire can be started with what? Just a spark, and it gets into a raging inferno. This is a piece of about, this is a place outside of the city.

He's talking about Gehenna. Is that what he, set on fire of hell. The word hell here is Gehenna. It means a garbage dump, and it burns all of the time. It's outside the city, and paupers, people that die without anything, are thrown on that, and burned.

For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. So how in the going to not let it control us?

Jesse, that's absolutely right. I think a lot of us, I know I do myself, speak without thinking. Therewith, bless we God, we use it to bless God. Now, the blessing is spiritual. The blessing here is audible, or use of the tongue, and it comes from the mind.

Therefore, bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Can you bless somebody, or bless God to somebody, express your feelings of him, then go to church and praise him with the same tongue?

Is that possible? It's not very profitable, though, is it? Out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and cursing, my brother, and these things ought not so to be. They should not continue cursing, or using the tongue for something other than the praise of God.

Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Greg, does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter water? What if it was both? It's utterly impossible to bless God and curse him at the same time.

It's impossible. Your tongue can only pronounce what your mind tells it to, and your mind can only be on God or the devil. So the answer to that question is no. Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, olive berries, either a vine, figs?

So can no fountain, both yield salt water and fresh water. Figs. Figs come from what, all right? Can you pick cherries off of the fig tree? It's impossible, isn't it? No matter how much I tell you these are hybrid cherries, they won't be.

Who is a wise man and endures the knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness and wisdom. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? In other words, there are among you certain men that have the gift and they speak from knowledge.

Let him show a good conduct of his life, his works, with meekness and wisdom. A wise man is one that is slow to speak. Let him show of a good conversation his works and meekness of wisdom. How do you show your works, David?

Greg, how do you show your fruit? You are showing the fruit of yourself all of the time, whether asleep or awake. You show your fruit. Now, what he wants us to get to is that that becomes a way of life.

It's just natural. Only it's not natural, I have to work at it. He's a wise man that can do that. The pride of knowledge has always been the besetting sin of professional teachers and preachers. The pride of knowledge.

Years and years ago, the preachers were the only ones that understood the Bible. There were not many Bibles, so the preacher would expound upon what he knew. He was able to read. Most of the congregation couldn't, so they relied on the preacher.

It's still that way, but we can study for ourselves now. I trust each and every one of you do. The works of your mouth reveals the faith of your heart. Is that true? Works of your mouth reveal the faith of your heart.

That's a true statement. I don't always adhere to it, but it's true. Selfish ambition, greed, desire for territorial or economic advantages, and position in the church business, social or politics, all are manifestations of worldly lusts.

All this is contrary to the Spirit. Selfish ambition. It's a great motivating tool. But if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. You cannot make me believe that genuine Christians can curse six days a week and then come to church and sing in the choir.

You can't do that. There's lots to try, and they think they're doing it. He cannot tell dirty jokes and then teach Sun School class, telling about the love of Christ. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Strife and envy do not come from God. God sends a situation, but if I use it to argue with, that's not of God. For where envy and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Did you ever see any two people or a group of people have a strong disagreement, so strong in fact that they split away?

Is that of God? No. Now you may choose to go your own way, but don't do it in anger. Knowledge is proud that she has learned so much. Wisdom is humble that she knows no more. Psalms 23 7,. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Eat and drink saith he to thee, but the heart is not with thee. So whatsoever he thinks in his heart, so is he. What is it that you think in your heart? What what is heart here, Dennis? All right. For whatsoever he thinketh in his mind is something different than that.

Diane, right now, do we display that all of the time, Joy? We all know we should, but we don't. And we sin when we don't. Life on earth would not be worth much if every soul source of irritation was removed.

I said that a moment ago. Without the irritation, it doesn't mean anything. Now that seems rather strange that my progress in the life of Christ depends a lot on how much irritating it is. Now, behind that is the source of irritation.

Go study the oyster in the making of a precious pearl. David, does that occur overnight? No. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. I knew a person once that claimed that you were going to get saved and I'll force it down your throat. That belief was very prevalent among the Catholics, and still is, but not in this country.

James 4: Worldly Desires, Friendship with the World, and Godly Wisdom

Now we come to chapter 4, and I want to ask you something. I have a watch here. If the hands were not telling the right time, then don't blame the hands. Why, Greg? The problem is much deeper than just on the hands, but it is the hands that we see, that we look at, that shows itself to the world.

Now, if it's not right, you're not showing the truth. You do not die from symptoms. You die because of the disease. Symptoms don't kill anybody. First first, from whence come wars and fighting among you?

Well, what would we say, Clarence, from where comes these wars and fighting? Self-pride. Come they not hence even of your trust, lust, that war in your members? The lust wars in your members. Members.

What is the members? Bill, what are our members? And the reason we think we have to have them is just that. We think we have to have them. Jesse, what is it in this world that you really need? Yes, the physical world.

What is it you really need? All right, we have to have food of some kind. What's next? Have to have water that go with food. Shelter, you couldn't. The shelter is necessary, but not, well, we'll pass that for a moment.

What's next? All right, we have to have clothing only because everybody else does. What's next? All right, you find out pretty quick that you run out of half two things. Yes, a safe exit, what? Safe exit, what?

Oh, yes, I have to watch Bill. He thinks in heavenly things all of the time. It is all, we're talking about the self-justification, all of it is because you want your own way. World wars, church conflicts, personal arguments all have the same origin, and it's what, David?

It's all behind that, what? Behind that's what? Satan. Anytime you remove your eyes from God, you sin. All of it suffers from the same origin, which is Satan. If it were not for Satan, you wouldn't have these things.

Romans 3, 11, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Romans 9, 16, if then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. 8, 17, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be.

Carnal mind has nothing to do with God, absolutely zero. John 15, 18, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. Philippians 2, 13, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and do, and to do of his good pleasure.

Man chooses that which is according to his nature. A raven has no desire to eat the clean food that the dove does. The dove has no desire to eat what the raven does. But if you could put the nature of a dove into a raven, it would eat the food of the dove.

The nature is that we each carry is what is real. Now you may try to fool it, but you cannot. You can walk in the word for a while, but if you're not studying it, if you're not communicating with other people, you'll soon lose interest.

Verse 2, you trust and have not, but, excuse me, you lust and have not. You kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not. Now in the asking, well, well let's set up a situation.

You lust and have not. You kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. What is this you have but not obtain, cannot obtain? The desire to have but cannot obtain it. Greg, what is that? All right, you're always looking in the wrong place.

What does that mean? That's right. Now it comes down to home. If our neighbors drive a new car, do we want one? If they have a bigger house than ours, do we want one? You lust and have not. You're always looking in the wrong place.

You ask and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lust. Now how in the world does God know that I have asked amiss when I pray? Dennis, does God hear the prayers of the lost?

Clarence, no way. He hears what? Even, when is a prayer evil? When is a prayer evil, Joy? Greg? Yes. That's right. When your heart is wrong. And by the way, that's not even a prayer. All prayers go to God.

There's lots of them. We make believe. We think we do. Others prayed this prayer, so I will too. That's the wrong reason. John 5 14, and this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.

That is the condition for all prayers. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Do adulterers and adulteresses know that the friendship of the world is against God? Do they know that, Clarence? The definition of adultery is taking the love that belongs to one and giving it to another.

Worldliness in the church has produced all the cults, denominations, factions, divisions, and cliques. Friendship with the world is to be on good terms with persons and organizations that are indifferent toward God and in some cases openly hostile to him.

Friendship of the world. Now we have to use people in the world, but a lot of them are not my friends. This is why his church should never receive money from the unsaved or hold cakewalks open to the public to raise money for the church works.

I'm glad we don't do that, but there's lots of people that do, lots of churches that do, and they grow real big. Five, do you think that the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us listeth to envy?

What? Listeth to envy. Do you think that the scripture saith in vain? Do you think this is not worth looking at? The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. Lusteth to envy. The very spirit. God yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us.

He will not tolerate divided allegiance. God will not tolerate you splitting your time between him and the devil. Well, devil and the world mean the same thing to me. If it's worldly, it's not of God.

And there's only two. Now I know they say the flesh, the flesh, sin, and God, but the flesh is evil. But he giveth more grace, wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

He gives more and more power to the Holy Spirit to meet the evil tendencies as they come into our life. To be a friend of the world. He'll help you fight against them. Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Now, how do we resist the devil? Joy, how do we resist the devil? How do we do that? All right. Bill, when do we know? How do we know when to do this? If it's fun, all right.

It's like a positive pressure system. As long as it's closed, it's all right. But you let one crack appear and it'll force its way in. This resist is a military term. It means to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader.

In non-military use, it was a voluntary attitude or given in cooperation, assuming responsibility and carrying a burden. So resist is a military term. Well, we need to stop here. Any questions? That's right.

Know what to expect. And even then, it will come unsuspected. Dennis, dismiss us, would you please?