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Bro. Otis Fisher
Today we open the book of James. If you can find that in the Old or New Testament, turn to it. Turn to the first chapter, and before we get to the first verse, I'd like to make a few comments. Continuing with the theme that started in Sunday school this morning, worked its way through the morning service, let me continue.
Faith is actively, positively working on that that you believe. Faith is being very positive about your life. Prayer without faith, Russell, is like salt without an egg. Jesus had at least seven brothers and sisters, and this James was one of them.
James was written between 45 and 50 A .D., and is the first book of the New Testament that was written. Now a word about belief. Belief is a decision at which you arrive based upon facts outside of yourself.
The belief Brother David was referring to is based upon facts of Jesus Christ. In other words, you cannot come up with a belief and involve yourself in part of the decision making. It has to be based on facts outside of yourself.
Russell, if you're going to buy a new car, you'd look at all of the brochures, visit all of the places, talk to people that had certain kinds, you begin to narrow it down, but you would finally come to your decision based upon all those facts that you had gathered.
That's belief. He mentioned the mixed multitudes this morning, and since we have a chemist in the audience, let me ask you, Greg, what's the difference between a mixture and a solution? Now I believe you can give me the right answer.
What'd they say? Now did you hear what he said? Go back to the children of Israel in the desert. There was a mixed multitude. They were mixed in with them, but they could never become a solution. They could never become part of them.
They always remained separate. That's a mixture. A solution is things that are compatible one with another, and they produce something else. All right. So much for that. Now, chapter 1, verse 1. James, a servant.
And what is the word here for servant? Dulos. Now don't get the idea that's the only word for servant, because it isn't. But that's the word that's used in the Bible in most places. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.
Greetings. So, Russell, to whom is he writing? Twelve tribes. Then we don't have to pay attention to it, is that right? He says in verse 2, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.
So my brethren, would narrow it down even more to Christians. Count it all joy when you fall or are surrounded by divers temptations. Go to Galatians 3 .26. Read it, Debbie. All right. My brethren. That gives us the definition of brethren.
We are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. And whose faith is it? Jesus' faith. Now read the next verse, Debbie. All right. Baptized means what? What? Placed in two. So, as many of you that have been placed into Christ have put on Christ.
Trifles. Trifle. What is a trifle, Debbie? Trifle. Not trifle. All right. Small things. Now listen real close. Trifles are meaningless. Suffering is senseless. And testing is irrational unless we recognize the good purpose for which they came.
So don't stop real short when something comes along that disturbs you. And begin immediately complaining and trying to get rid of it. We must recognize why it came. Now, how do we know that all things that come to us are originally good and for our good?
How do we know that? What? All right. In Ephesians 111. But you'll have to tell this group. They don't know what that is. All right. When it says all things, what does that exempt? Nothing. So, Russell, it looks like everything that appears, every event that ever occurred or ever shall occur, is from God.
And it cannot be bad if it's from him. That's hard sometimes. And you have to keep telling yourself. But even this toothaches good. So we know that all things are good. And we must look at that and not at the immediate pain of the situation.
The word worketh brings out endurance, steadfastness, and patience. When, let's say we're prospecting for gold. Where'd Paul go? Okay. Okay. I was going to ask him this question, so I'll ask his father.
Will his father raise his hand, please? You're prospecting for gold, David. And lo and behold, you think you found some. And you take a sample of it, a small sack full. You come to town. You go to the assayer's office.
He's the one that's going to tell you whether you have gold or pyrite or whatever it is. And how does he do this? What's the process he goes through? Put it under a spectrograph? What? Well, to determine how good a grade and how much and so forth.
What's the assayer do? Tell him, Greg. Well, just sample. In what? All right. All right. Now, I want you to be sure and get this picture. David brought his sample in. I, being the assayer, I have a little crucible.
What did you say it was? Porcelain? Container. It's just about the size of a cup. And I mix this sample up the best I can. I take a portion of it and I put it in. And we heat it until everything melts.
Now, gold, being the heaviest of metals, sinks to the bottom. And the dross, or the unwanted portion, rises to the top. Then I take an instrument and I skim that all off, get rid of it. But I have to continue doing this because the hotter it gets, the more the impurities rise to the top until it gets as hot as possible.
And I keep skimming it off and skimming it off. Now, when am I going to be able to tell that I'm through? But there might be some that I can't see. What did the old-time assayers do, and still do, I suppose?
No idea. When he can look into it and see a perfect reflection of his face, when it's just pure gold, it'd be like a mirror. Now, can any of it draw a parallel between that and the Christian's life here on earth?
All right, Russell, do it. Well, in theory, though, he would do it until when? No. No. Until he can see his reflection in us. See, it follows exactly, step for step. So the heating, the throwing away of impurities, it's kind of painful sometimes.
Charlotte, there's some things I'd just rather not get rid of. But the heat is so that I have to. And it keeps on heating until it is. And the assayer skims it off and throws it away. I can't hold on to it.
All right. Sample of gold. Great lesson. There are more babies in worship service in most churches than there are in a nursery. Fourth verse. But let, don't keep interfering, let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect.
Now, as Russell just said, we're not going to attain perfectness or perfectness in this life. So let's see if we can get a little more understanding of perfect. Most of you have heard my explanation, but let's do it again.
To be perfect at any one time in your life simply means that you're exactly where you should be doing what you should be at any given moment. Take the peach tree. When the first bud of the peach begins, I remember my father would go out and look, and he said that they looked perfect to me.
But they were not eatable. They hardly resembled a peach. But he thought they were perfect. Now, Charlotte, what reasoning did he have? And he knew at that time they were exactly where they're supposed to be.
Then as it would develop later and later, he could say that at any stage, as long as they were developing normally. I'm not talking about the blue jays eating them and so forth. But when the peach was finished, it was still perfect, because that's what it's supposed to be.
So each one of you, each one of us, if we're right where we should be in our growth, and we're not lazy, we're not falling behind, we haven't given up study. And everybody comes to Bible study every time there's one during the week, so forth.
Then we're right where we should be. But the hardest job in the world, especially for a Christian, is to be honest with themselves. Because themselves, lots of parts of their self they don't want to look at.
And I'm not going to read my Bible today, let alone study it today, because I've got other things to do and I'll study twice as hard tomorrow. Nobody knows that but you. You're just lying to yourself.
So be ye perfect. Right where you should be, right now. All of the time. But let patience have her perfect work. Patience is perfect, and it's personified here, that you would be perfect, entire, wanting nothing.
There'd be no lack in your life. Now do not compare yourself to the preacher or to the man next door or the world or the newspaper. Compare yourself to the Lord. You have to look at Him to know that. You have to study Him to know that.
Is the patience passive or active? Passive. You sure? What? Oh, I thought he said passive. Well, the miracle is in the hearing, I guess. No, I didn't. Patience is not a passive grace. It's active. It does not mean you go sit down on a bench someplace and wait till it happens.
Did you ever hear a story about a seminary that had two students that decided they was going to trust God for everything? They wouldn't even go to meals, because they thought the Lord will provide whatever I need.
Well, after about the third meal, the dean of men come looking for them. Found them in their dormitory during mealtime. Asked them what was wrong, and they said nothing. They said, well, why aren't you down eating with the rest?
He said, we are trusting God to bring us whatever we need. The dean said, don't you get hungry? They said, yes, we got hungry. He said, well, stupid, that's His way of telling you to go eat. It's an active subject, not a passive one.
It demands action. You know, God does nothing but what we would do the same if we could see everything as He sees it. But we can't do that. So that demands what? Faith. The acid of grief tests the coin of belief.
How many have heard the statement, give it the acid test? You know where that comes from? From where that comes? Right after the Civil War, there was lots of northern Yankees that become carpetbackers, they called them.
And they would come down throughout all of the South, traveling from one place to the other, buying gold. Gold watches, gold rings, gold teeth, whatever. And they soon learned that these southerners would pawn off things on them that was not real gold, but it looked like gold.
So they got the bright idea of carrying a little vial of acid, and I have forgotten what kind. Maybe Greg can tell me. But they would dip the gold piece in the acid. If it turned color, it wasn't gold.
So they would give it the acid test. And that's where that term comes from. Based on reality. You will never become patient if you try to be patient. It's not something you can study in books and learn.
Verse 5, if any of you lack wisdom, anybody here, have you ever lacked wisdom? Anybody here that never did lack wisdom? If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.
The word men is not in the original. Give it to all liberally and upbraideth not. Let's go back to the word wisdom. What is wisdom? No wise people here. All right, that's the originating point. What is it, Greg?
All right. It's doing it as God would do it if he were doing it here. Now, Greg, can you repeat this wisdom? Why? Knowledge. So wisdom's a one-time shot. And it comes from God. You can always ask for wisdom every day.
That's fine. And his giving it to you doesn't depend upon you asking. But by asking, we prepare ourselves to recognize it when it comes. But realize that it is only a one-time operation for any one particular use.
Because after you've used it, then it becomes knowledge. And then you're looking for more wisdom on the next subject. You don't always get it. You don't always act in a very wise way. But we must ask and then be subjective to the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Wisdom. If any lack wisdom, let him ask. Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. David, did you ever know anybody that was under the influence of the last person to whom they spoke?
What? Did I? Yes. Well, that's a person that is not living in faith. It's awful to believe whatever the last person told you. There's people like that. To ask in faith. I'd like for you to go to the book of Romans, chapter 14, verse 23, please.
Greg, read that for us. All right. Paul's talking specifically about eating meat of an idol or something. But it applies to everything. If you do anything out of doubt, you sin. Anybody here ever do anything out of doubt?
You don't have to answer that. I know the answer. Do what? Do nothing from doubt. You youngsters, there's two here. If you're ever in doubt about what you're planning to do, don't do it. You'll find out later or you'll forget it one or the other.
But just don't do it if there's any doubt. Of course, that applies to everybody. Don't live your life in doubt. Now, I don't know whether I ought to do this or not. What do you think? That's just a cop-out.
This person that is wavering, that means to vacillate back and forth. No hesitation, no doubting. A man of this wavering character is continually distracted. Because Greg, he doesn't know what to believe.
And he doesn't want to make a decision himself. He wants somebody else to. Then if it's not right, it's not his fault. It's somebody else's. This type of person is most miserable because he will not let the earth go nor heaven go.
And he can't have but one. Therefore, he's very, very miserable. We trust God for salvation. But I believe we could have a much more enjoyable life if we really believed him. Now, how do we know if we believe something?
How do you know that 2 times 2 is 6? Well, how do you know 2 times 2 is 4, then? How do you know that? Because you read it in a book? What? You used it. You really, you can say you believe things, but until you act on it, you don't.
You know nothing except what you experience. You know about a whole lot of things. I know a lot about Greg's salvation, but I cannot witness on Greg's salvation. But he can because he knows it. He experienced it.
That eliminates a lot of our so-called witnessing if we just talk about what we've experienced. A witness in a court. Well, tell me what is the definition of a witness, David? Well, that's half of it.
Well, you're wrong on 2 counts. One is you can't use the word in describing a self, and you just repeated what David did. He won't change his mind even under what? Death. That's a witness. Now, are you a witness for God?
You think you are. How would you ever know? I just told you. If you experienced death, then you'd know. So you just know about it. You think that you would be, you would like to be, and you know it as much as God can make you know it.
But you really know nothing unless you experience it. This thing in Romans 14, 23, Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Remember that every morning when you get up. 37, and we'll stop here. But let your communication be yea, nay, yea, yea, nay, and nay.
Or yes, yes, no, and no. 37. Oh, go to Matthew 5. You're supposed to know that. It's written right here. Looks like after 54 years, she would have known where I went. Now, Greg read 37. Did you hear that, Richard?
Then what's all this maybe stuff? What's all this gray area that we like to live in? It's man-made. Did you know, and of course you won't unless you've done it, but did you realize, are you cognizant of the fact that most of our unsaved life we lived in a maybe world, a gray area?
Greg, why do people like to do that? Why did man invent this gray area? It makes them able to escape the responsibility. But every question can be answered yes or no. Greg, on what premise does a computer work?
Everything to that is either yes or no. The switch is on or it's off, one or the other. It's not half on or half off. That's the way it's supposed to be. If you do not know yes or no, then go find out someplace.
Arrive at a decision. Then you can answer. Do not live in a maybe world. It'll frustrate you. I said we're going to stop there, but not at what I think is next. In Numbers 30 and 2, and I'll just read this.
If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. In Deuteronomy 23, 21, when thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it.
For the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee, and it would be sin in thee. You remember the Lord making a statement that inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, you've done it unto me?
You remember that? Well, that's what this is talking about. If I was to say, Greg, I'll meet you here in the morning at 10 o 'clock. That depends on whether you're here, but I'll be here at 10. And if I say that to him, I've said it unto God.
Therefore, I better be here. Now, if I say, Greg, I'll meet you at 10 o 'clock, God willing, then that puts responsibility on God. And I'll certainly be here if I can. That's right. So, any time that you make a promise to someone else, you're making it unto God.
That's why the marriage vows are so sacred. You've made it to God. Remember that. Never give an excuse. I want to know the difference between excuse and reason, and then we'll go. David, what is an excuse?
All right. Russell, what's a reason? To give an explanation. Is that what you said? Oh, okay.
Don't ever put a but on the end of it. Don't say, I would have been here on time, but the train held me up. See, that's trying to shift the responsibility to something else. Remember it like this. Excuses come from within you.
Reasons are from out without. And don't put a but on the end of an excuse. Let's stop here. Greg, dismiss us, and we'll go home. I don't know where I am. James 7. Do we do? All right. Well, next week, David will be here, so you can tell him.
Greg.