After the miraculous birth of Christ, which was
foretold in Isaiah 7, verse 14, behold, a
virgin, a lady who's never come near a
man, physically, a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name
God, God, God, with us.
1 Timothy 3, 16, great is the mystery
of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh.
But after this amazing miracle, foretold in Isaiah
7, 14, and relayed in 1 Timothy 3,
16, Mary and Joseph, married, had a normal
relationship that God ordained and sanctified, and hallowed.
And only an impure mind could ever look
upon it as indecent.
He hallowed the sacred relationship that God ordained
between husband and wife.
And they had other children.
They had other children.
Children who were referred to as his brethren,
in Matthew 13, verse 55.
He's giving the name James, his brothers, brethren
means brothers, James, Joses, Simon and Judas.
That's the name of his four brothers.
They don't give the name of his sisters.
His brethren and his sisters are referred to
again and again.
One of them, of the children of Mary
and Joseph, was James, known as James the
just, the Lord's brother.
Galatians 1, verse 19.
One of the brethren of Christ, Matthew 13,
verse 55.
Who believed not on him.
John 7, verse 5.
Believed not on him.
Why?
Well, they didn't know that he was God.
James and his brethren and sisters didn't know
that their brother, that grew up and obeyed
in front of them.
Imagine this, imagine living in a home of
the only totally sinless life they'd ever lived.
Never did one mistake, never did one thing,
not once, that was not exemplary.
Imagine your conscience, I mean they must have
been staggered.
They must have failed.
They must have known sin in their life,
but they must have been deeply conscious.
This is a perfection here.
The respect they must have had is beyond
comprehension of your and my understanding of respect
of humanity, because we never had someone growing
up with us, totally sinless.
But they didn't know he was God.
I cannot begin to even comprehend what James
and his brethren thought when suddenly their brother
began to preach.
As Isaiah said at the Lake of Galilee,
where a light so burst forth doctrinally, spiritually,
there's never been men who sat in darkness.
They would become a light, amazing light, and
never spake man like this.
Just the Old Testament, you know two-thirds
of the New Testament is the Old Testament
word perfect, just the side of the cross.
Never spake man.
I cannot even begin to understand what James
and his brethren, his sisters, must have felt
when they suddenly, and don't believe they weren't
there, they must have hung on every word,
stunned as he talked to such a degree
that never ever in history did a man
speak like this, stunning, turning the world upside
down, the throngs of the thousands and the
thousands and the miracles.
To see him, don't doubt it, they were
there.
Don't doubt it, they didn't carry on with
work while their brother was turning the world
upside down.
They saw him putting hand the miracles, upon
miracles, upon miracles, upon miracles.
He healed every single person they brought to
him, without exception.
No matter how sick, no matter how totally
they were devoured by illness, he healed them
in one moment.
They must have been staggered, but what does
it mean they believed not on him?
You see, his teachings, his teachings, because the
religious leaders, they all, it's always been the
religious leaders right of the day, put someone
there that draws the crowd more than them,
that grips the crowd.
Jealousy comes.
Oh, they reaped with jealousy, in their carnality.
They were trying to catch him at his
words.
Everyone was conscious of that.
Everyone of any sanity, the questions.
Christ was not the only one that realized
what was going on.
The religious leaders reaped with sin, in carnality,
someone threatening them because never spoke so.
So what do they do?
What do they do?
They try to catch him.
They couldn't find anything.
This is when sin becomes such depravity, it's
unbelievable.
There's nothing like they couldn't find anything with
Daniel.
They knew there was nothing.
There's got to be something.
Look back, look everything.
Their duty over religious leaders said, James must
have become fearful as he sensed what was
going on, because fear was illicit, and
how Jesus devoured them, only with their own
right.
In the end they were fearful.
The devil's instruments, right through to today.
No uncertain manner.
Think they weren't expecting, or looking for, or
understanding, or grasping.
He was not
only the Son of God.
No uncertain way that he began to say
it, as they tempted him.
I cannot even put myself near to James's
heart, as he realized what was coming, as
he saw his brother led to judgment.
They stood, don't doubt it, they were standing,
weeping, they were trembling.
Don't doubt it.
It was through their blood.
But they believed not on him.
They also believed not on him, but they
didn't want his death, and they knew this
is death.
Especially with these rogues, living by death now.
Can you imagine James's heart rending, as he
sees Christ, scourge.
You know what scourging is?
Do you know that most people who the
Romans scourged, died before they reached the cross,
which is the ultimate Roman way of death.
The death penalty.
Most people scourged, died through scourging.
Did you wonder why Christ was unable to
lift up the cross?
Another man could be, he was a strong
man physically, what happened in the temple, he
must have been.
But he couldn't lift up his cross, sprawled
on the floor.
They had ripped his body open, don't doubt
it.
Lashes interwoven with hooks, metal hooks, that ripped
the flesh to the bone, the bone stuck
out.
If they, if they did only face scourging,
they never recovered.
You would never ever, ever see a man
fully recover from scourging, of Roman scourging.
It was a terrifying, it wasn't just a
whipping, it wasn't just a cutting the skin,
that scourging is the, can you imagine James's
heart seeing that?
And he wasn't the one that lifted up
the cross for his brother, he dared not.
He was keeping a distance further away than
even Peter would one day.
Soon, for fear of man, oh, no one
knows when James suddenly realized he was not
his brother.
The Bible doesn't tell us.
When he eventually grasped and embraced and became
saved, but as we know, he was gloriously
saved.
And never again was he to ever refer
to Christ as his brother, never once.
Others referred to him as the Lord's brother,
Paul, Peter, but he was only to refer
to him as his God.
He was there on the day of Pentecost,
praying with one accord.
Acts 1 verse 14, they mention James was
there with the apostles.
He had been saved, and he would die
one day for this God that he had
always thought was his.
He would die a martyr's death.
As they put him at the top of
the temple and screaming with loud voices as
crowds from beyond, they cried out to him
to deny that Jesus was the Christ.
And he cried out with a loud voice
that he was the Christ indeed, and that
nothing would make him deny Christ, even death.
And as he was speaking, they just plunged
him down from the gallery of the temple
before when he died.
Josephus, Josephus gives words I can hardly even
repeat of how his body just, the blood
just splashed.
And beside that, in their anger, dead though
he was, they still stoned him through these
rocks and in screaming abuse.
Oh, he was so godly, he was so
godly that Josephus said, there was no other
Christian on earth that this was said of,
not Peter.
James became the leader, not Peter.
His voice was the final authority.
The thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands
daily converted of the Jews who suddenly listened
to Peter, anointed with the Holy Spirit, giving
revelation, understanding the whole Old Testament.
Suddenly they embraced all the scriptures as they
came, for if they knew the scriptures, they
suddenly realized that it is, they put God,
the Son, to death.
This was their God.
And they turned as Peter preached, just bringing
out the Old Testament, the soil of Calvary,
with the Holy Ghost revelation in his heart
and understanding and conviction.
But these multitudes who were turning the world
upside down, they revered James above all the
apostles.
Don't doubt that.
His word was the final authority again and
again, not Peter.
He was so godly, they say that he
spent most of his time hidden and only
came out when it was vital.
When others were fellowshipping, discussing, James would be
on his knees, and it soon became aware,
the close inner circle, that his knees became
growing.
He spent so much of his day over
the earth that it became like camel's knees.
No man had ever that testimony but James.
But the reverence, this man would come, unable
it seems to rip himself away from communion,
but this is who he thought of his
brother.
Every second was deemed so precious, he couldn't
defend himself.
His knees just had to become like camels'
knees.
They were always on his knees, unable to
stand, just calling, communing, talking to this one
that he lived with but he didn't know
was his God.
But when he came out, that reverence that
came from such a life, Peter reported to
him after his miraculous escape from prison in
Acts 12 verse 17.
Paul went to him, to James, reported to
James after his conversion, Galatians 1.19. He
later sought his authority concerning the Gentile Christians'
freedom of the law, Acts 15 verse 20
to 29.
But then, ruthless persecution rose up.
Oh, this beloved Judaistic belief was now through
these people who were somehow defiling the Jews
and their Tao, defiling God's ordained religion, the
beloved Judaistic belief, the sect that had risen
up and was just turning the world upside
down and causing chaos in families and division,
right within the temple, right across the whole
spectrum of Israel.
Men like Saul of Tarsus, believing they were
serving God, they condoned the killing of these
men.
He stood there watching Stephen, the godly Stephen.
But by that time, the way Stephen died,
his face as he's dying, being stoned.
No wonder, Paul was kicking against the brick.
You try kicking against the brick.
Paul was in agony, the killing of these
people, trying to wipe them out.
He says that we've got to deal with
it, because it was a service to God.
But this persecution, this terrible onslaught of trying
to wipe them out by the religious zealots
of Judaism, it caused these thousands, the firstfruits
of Christ, to flee from Israel or die.
They fled to all parts of the Roman
Empire, because God's allowing it, weeping at their
deaths, weeping at their torment and sufferings, and
grieving at the blessings and denials of truth
of all the mothers who were wanting to
kill them, because of the favor they wanted
from the religious leaders, who still hated truth.
Because they were guilty of what had happened
to the one now that scriptures have been
flung at them, that they couldn't even begin
to comprehend, because their minds couldn't.
They fled to all parts of the Roman
Empire.
God allowed it, because here they were preparing
the way for Paul.
The Jews were there in so many places,
with the gospel.
They didn't go in little groups.
They went in great groups.
They wanted to be together, but immediately persecution
started as soon as Jews hear another Jewish
belief.
The persecution, the undermining, the current, oh it
must have been terrifying, let alone what was
suddenly to come on them by Nero.
Their lot was not easy, but now they
were without the protection of the apostles, doctrinally.
They were without the protection of the example
of the apostles, and on issues that were
a crisis, correction needed.
And it was James, he is believed by
most scholars, was the first one to write
the first letter of all the letters contained
in the New Testament that were to be
part of the canonized Bible, those writings God
kept and led and put together as his
holy word.
It is believed to be the very first,
as he was, it seems, the first one
on his knees, with such a grief, with
such a burden, for all these who he
had been able to protect and watch over
and influence on every crisis, doctrinally and anything
else, and encourage, suddenly they're without the protection.
And there was something of a fear, a
jealousy, for them to not compromise.
But he writes to them a letter that
he knew would be taken faithfully to where
they knew, don't doubt it, they knew just
where all the groups were, these thousands gathered,
some in their hundreds, but great groups.
He knew this would be read, not just
to one group, and he writes this letter
of careful correcting of error, where any error,
it was like a jealousy concerning pure doctrine,
no compromise on the doctrine, on the standard,
full of compassion, full of tender comforts and
love, and holding out to them not to
give up, to face anything, but not to
compromise, not to lose heart or spirit, but
allow God to have his purposes.
He writes to them with such tenderness, with
seldom such throbbing love on every word, virtually,
that comes through the book, but staggeringly.
The love goes further than just comfort.
He writes such staggering rebukes to anyone who
would, that there is no letter in the
entire book, not even John, in his fear
of their compromise.
He is longing for their protection.
He addresses the letter from James, a servant
of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,
greeting, my brethren, my brethren, count it all
joy when you fall into diverse temptations.
This word temptations means suffering.
Count it all joy when you fall into
diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of
your faith, the trying of your faith, worketh
patience, but let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him
ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and a braided knotness shall be given
him, but let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering, for he that wavereth is like a
wave of the sea, driven with the wind
and tossed, for let not that man think
that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
Let not that man think that he shall
receive anything of the Lord.
A double-minded man, a double-minded man,
is unstable in all his way.
Let the brother of low degree, let the
brother of low degree rejoice in that he's
exalted, but the rich in that he's made
low, because as the flower of the grass
he shall pass away, for the sun is
no sooner risen with the burning heat, but
it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof
falleth, and the grace of the fathom of
it perishes, so also shall the rich man
fade away in his way.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for
when he is tried, when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life, which
the Lord has promised to them.
Let no man say when he is tempted,
I am tempted of God, for God cannot
be tempted with evil, neither tempted he any
man.
But every man is tempted when he is
drawn away of his own lust and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth
forth death.
Do not err, my beloved brethren, do not
err, my beloved brethren.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
Of his own will begat he us, of
his own will gave he us spiritual birth,
of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth, that we should be
a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be
swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to
rot, for the rot of manwork is not
the righteousness of God.
Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness, lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with
meekness the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls.
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 goes
his way, and straightway forgetteth what man of
man he was.
But whoso looketh unto 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, this man shall
be blessed in his deed.
If any man among you, if any man
among you seem to be religious, and bridleth
not his tongue, but deceiveth his own, this
man's religion is vain.
Pure religion, 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, to keep
himself unspotted from the world.
My brethren, have not the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
respect to persons.
For if there come unto your assembly a
man with a gold ring and goodly apparel,
and there come an also a poor man
in vile raiment, and ye have respect to
him that wears a gay clothing, and say
unto him, Sit thou here in a good
place, and say to the poor, Stand thou
there, or sit here under my footstool, are
ye not then partial in yourselves, and have
become judges of evil thought?
How can my beloved brethren have not God
chosen the poor of this world, rich in
faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he
hath promised to them that love him?
But ye have despised the poor, ye have
despised the poor.
Do not rich men oppress you, and draw
you before the judgment seat?
Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by
the which ye are called?
If ye fulfil the loyal law, according to
the scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself, ye do well.
But if ye have respect to persons, ye
commit sin, and are commenced of the law
as transgressors, for whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he
is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery,
said also, Do not kill.
Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if
thou kill, thou become a transgressor of the
law.
So speak ye, and so do as they
that shall be judged by the law of
liberty, for he shall have judgment without mercy.
He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath
showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
What doth it profit, my brethren?
Though a man faith, he hath faith, and
have not works.
What doth it profit, my brethren?
Though a man faith, he hath faith, and
have not works.
Can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and
destitute of daily food, and one of you
send to them departing peace, be ye warmed
and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those
things that are needful to the body, what
doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith,
and I have works.
Show me thy faith without thy works, and
I will show thee my faith by my
works.
Thou believest that there is one God, thou
doest well.
The devils also believe and tremble.
But wilt thou know, o vain man, that
faith without works is dead?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works,
when he had offered Isaac his son upon
the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works,
and by works was faith made perfect?
And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness, and he was called a friend
of God.
Ye see then, how that by works a
man is justified, and not by faith only.
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified
by works, when she had received the messengers,
and had sent them out another way.
For as the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without works is dead also,
is dead also.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that
we shall receive the greater condemnation.
For in many things we offend all.
My brethren, be not many masters, say you
odds and says, teachers of the oracles of
God, self-appointed preachers, John Calvin says.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that
we shall receive the greater condemnation.
For in many things we offend all.
We offend all.
If any man offend not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and able also
to bridle the whole body, to control the
whole body.
Behold, we put bits in the horse's mouth,
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 of fierce wind,
yet are they turned about with a very
small helm, which is so that the governor
listeth.
Even so the tongue is a little member
in both of great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire,
kinder than the tongue is a fire.
A world of iniquity, so is the tongue
among our members, that it defileth the whole
body, and set it on fire.
The course of nature, and it is set
on fire.
Hell for every kind of beast, and of
birds, and of serpents, and of things in
the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed
of mankind.
But the tongue can no man tame.
It is an unruly evil, full of deadly
poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and
therewith curse we men, which are made up
to the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and
cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not so to
be.
Doth a fountain send forth of the same
place sweet water and bitter?
Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive
berries?
Hither are vines, figs.
So can no fountain.
Both yield salt water.
Who is a wise man?
Who is a wise man, and endued of
knowledge among you?
Who is a wise man, and endued of
knowledge among you?
Let him sow out of a good conversation
his works, the meekness of wisdom.
But if ye have bitter envy and strife
in your hearts, glory not, and lie not
against the truth.
If ye have bitter envy and strife in
your hearts, glory not, and lie not against
the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is
earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is
confusion and every evil work, there
and every.
But the wisdom that is from above, the
wisdom that is from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated,
full of mercy and good food, without partiality
and without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make.
The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
of them that make.
From whence come wars and fightings among you?
Come they not hence even of your lusts
that war in your members?
Ye lust and have not.
Ye kill and desire to have and cannot
obtain.
Ye fight and war, yet ye have not
because ye ask not.
Ye ask and receive not because ye ask
amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts, ye adulterers and adulteresses.
Know ye 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 ye think that the scriptures say it
in vain?
Do ye think that the scriptures say it
in vain?
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusts us
to envy, but
ye give us more grace.
Ye give us more grace wherever ye say
it.
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto
the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from
you.
Draw nigh to God and he will draw
nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your
hearts, ye double-minded.
Purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
Be afflicted and mourn and weep.
Let your laughter be turned to mourning and
your joy to heaviness.
Let your laughter be turned to mourning and
your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves, humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord and he shall lift you up.
Speak not evil one of another, brethren.
He that speaketh evil of his brother and
judges his brother, speaketh evil of the law
and judges the law.
But if thou judge the law, thou art
not a doer of the law, but a
judge.
There is one lawgiver who is able to
save and to destroy.
Who art thou that judges another?
Go to now ye that say today or
tomorrow we will go into such a city
and continue there a year and buy and
sell and get gains, whereas he know not
what shall be in the morrow.
For what is your life?
What is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for
a little time and then banishes it away.
For that ye ought to say, if the
Lord will, we shall live and do this
or that.
But now ye rejoice in your boastings.
All such rejoicing is evil.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good
and doeth it not, to him it is
sin.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good
and doeth it not, to him it is
sin.
Go to now ye rich men.
Weep and howl for your miseries that shall
come upon you.
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are
moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered, and the
rust of them shall be a witness against
you and shall eat your flesh as it
were fire.
Ye have heaped together for the last days.
Behold the hire of the laborers who have
reaped down your fields, which is of you,
kept back by fraud, and the cries of
them which have reaped are entered into the
ears of the Lord of the boasts.
Ye have lived in pleasure in the earth
and been wanted.
Ye have nourished your hearts as in a
day of slaughter.
Ye have condemned and killed the just, and
he does not resist you.
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of
the Lord.
Behold the husband and waiter for the precious
fruit of the earth, and have long patience
for it until ye receive the early and
the latter rain.
Be ye also patient.
Establish your hearts for the coming of the
Lord draweth nigh.
Blots not one against another, brethren, lest ye
be condemned.
Behold the judge standeth before the door.
Take, my brethren, the prophets who have spoken
in the name of the Lord for an
example of suffering, affliction, and of patience.
Behold, we count them happy which endure.
Ye have heard of the patience of Job,
and have seen the end of the Lord,
for the Lord is very pitiful in him.
But above all things, my brethren, above all
things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any other
oath, but let your yea be yea in
your name.
Is any among you, is any among you
afflicted?
Let him pray, let him pray.
Is any merry, is any merry?
Let him sing a song.
Is any sick among you?
Let him call to the elders of the
church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the
Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save
the sick, and the Lord shall raise him
up.
And if ye have committed sin, they shall
be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray
one for another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.
Elias was a man subject to like passions
as we are, and he prayed earnestly that
it might not rain, and it rained not
on the earth for the space of three
years and six months, and he prayed again.
Heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth
her fruit.
Brethren, if any of you do err from
the truth, and one convert him, let
him know that he which converteth the sinner
from the error of his way shall save
a soul from death, and shall hide a
multitude of sins.
Brethren, if any of you do err from
the truth, and one convert him, let him
know that he which converteth the sinner from
the error of his way shall save a
soul from death, and shall hide a multitude
of sins.
This book of James, this letter, has been
the source of most controversy throughout the ages
between Rome and the Protestants.
Luther called it an epistle of straw.
It wasn't really meant to be canonized.
It's not divinely inspired.
There's something wrong here.
Have mercy on Luther, okay?
He didn't have commentary.
He didn't have priests.
He didn't have anyone to turn to.
He just somehow taken what was kept from
the people, and brought this translation word by
word into the Greek language himself of works.
He knew it wasn't God.
He knew this was from the devil.
He knew the devil is people who behind
the system were crying out, pay!
You pay!
It's not...
You see, it works.
You pay to get your father, who was
wicked, and died without the blessing of Rome,
because he didn't pay enough.
But if you want to get him out
of purgatory, it got to the place where
they were so desperate for money for Rome,
just to have their glorious paintings, etc., that
the Pope even sanctioned that they cry out
and say, one desperate plea, we've got to
finish the section.
Do anything to get them forgiven since so
long as they...
Before the coin hits the bottom of the
tin, the soul will be out of purgatory.
Can you believe it?
No wonder Luther was sickened, and so was
the world.
For the whole world was not being ruled
by an emperor.
It was being ruled by an emperor in
religious garb, in a way that the emperor
didn't need to lift up arms.
Just your souls were at stake.
And so, women, children, believing these works,
Christ's death wasn't enough.
We have to pay.
And Luther, thank God, in his desperation, because
he himself was wicked, sanctioned by Rome, purchased
with the damnation that's coming, if something
isn't paid for it.
Luther was so sickened by this that he
began to zerk.
It was a crime by death.
It was a crime that no one thought
he'd do what he was going to do.
Germans always...
Well, this man was going through, as he
translated, and weighing up word after word, the
just shall live by faith.
He looks back to the Old Testament.
He gets the Greek, the Hebrew meaning.
He comes back to the Greek.
When you write with God, if you're rightly
related to God, it's because of faith.
And he goes further.
To him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is
counted to him for righteousness.
Versus he, begging, imploring God for light in
the darkness of his heart, not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is of the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God by faith.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ.
It is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth, to the Jews, Persians,
and also the Greeks.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith.
Elders written, the just shall live by faith.
Suddenly, as this man's embracing all these, not
of works, it's not of works, by grace
he's saved to faith, not of works.
Being justified freely by grace through faith in
his blood, Romans carries on.
Everything crying out, crying out.
And suddenly he lays down everything he's done.
Nothing in my hands I bring.
He just clings to the cross in desperation
to the blood.
He looks, he brings to God, and that
he found himself incapable to ask again, forgive
me of my sin.
Such a witness, the spirit itself bears witness
with our spirits that we are the children
of God.
He that believeth on the Son of God
hath the witness in himself.
He that believeth not, God has made him
a liar, because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son.
And this is the record that God has
given to us eternal life.
And this life is in his Son.
He that hath his Son hath life.
These things are written unto you that believe,
O, that ye have eternal life, and that
ye may believe on the name of the
Father.
You know, we know we've passed from death
unto life, John says.
Hallelujah.
And this man knew, and all the demons
of hell and their millions howled.
Suddenly a man had truth, and heaven stood,
and of course, Germany was finished.
Rome lost nation upon nation as they tried
to kill him.
So some man had to kidnap him, put
him in a castle, where the devil even
came in.
He saw the devil physically, I believe that,
through the ink, the mark still against the
wall in that castle.
No one thinks that's rubbish.
The devil was worried.
The truth, the whole world turning away from
what the devil kept them from, in the
masses that they were paying, and went to
hell with religion.
Luther now was staggered when in Rome, didn't
he just sit back and say, Luther's champion.
What about James?
What of that prophet, though a man say
he has faith and have not works, can
faith save him?
But thou know, vain man hath faith without
works in death, who is saved by works,
not by faith only.
My word.
So Luther made this terrible statement, it's an
epistle of Saul.
Have mercy on him.
He didn't have Matthew Henry's commentary.
He was busy writing the first one that
really matters.
And, but he found, as you go deeper,
I mean, I don't know about you, but
when you first say, then you read through
the Bible, there's so much you don't understand.
You don't suddenly have perfect light.
Wow.
Luther didn't just have perfect understanding, but as
you go through the next time, I'll never
forget the first time I read Romans 9.
Wow.
No, that can't be.
And I used to, but it kept me
searching, every man, every person of God, I'd
sit down and searching it until I got
the answers.
But suddenly I realized, thank God for Romans
9.
I love it now, because more light comes,
you know, as you go through, and more
light had to come to Luther.
So forgive him making that statement.
More light came as he began.
Suddenly it came on him.
He made a mistake.
He apologized to the whole world, by the
way, asking for forgiveness for the statement he
made, implying this was not divinely inspired.
This was a mistake.
This one letter of James, it shouldn't be
there, contradicts.
He said it isn't contradicting Paul.
It's in perfect agreement with everything Paul says
in Romans 6 and many other places.
Perfect agreement with Christ says in Matthew 6.
You'll know them by their fruit.
What John says.
John chapter 3, 1 John 3, chapter 2
verse 2.
What did the prophet know?
He said, thereby we do know that we
know him if we keep his commandments.
He said, I know him and keepeth not
his commandments.
He's a liar.
The truth is not in him.
Everything was, he said, he suddenly realized that
James had no dispute with Paul about it
being works.
James is not saying you're saved by works.
No, you're saved by faith.
James is not saying you're saved by works.
You're saved by faith, but you're not saved
unless your faith works.
Oh, Luther made a statement there that must
have made papal the devil.
Oh, what do I do now?
You're not saved by works.
You're saved by faith, but you're not saved
unless your faith works, friend.
The devil believes he doesn't doubt one word.
He knows he trembles because everything he knows,
every single bit about him and demons will
happen.
They'll be cast in one moment.
Oh, my, there's God in one moment for
eternity in the lake that burns fire and
stone.
They know, they believe, they don't doubt.
They know there's only one God.
He isn't saved.
Satan, demons aren't saved.
You have the same belief as them.
If you think just believing saves you, you've
got the same as the devil.
He's not saved, he isn't turned.
It didn't do anything to make obedience come
to the known will of God, step by
step.
Each step that God tells you to take,
if you don't take, it's a step of
defiance, of faith, that God weighs the only
way.
If your life hasn't been bought to correspond
with this book and what God says is
the result of salvation, you're not saved.
What Jesus said is the result.
Many will say, do you mean that day,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name,
preached in thy name, in thy name cast
out devils, and in thy name done many
wonderful works?
Then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you.
People who cast out devils, literally, and done
wonderful works, miracles, literally, were done in the
name of Jesus.
Did Jesus say this about something that never,
never happened?
No.
Then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you.
Depart from me that work iniquity.
You that never repented.
God now commanded all men everywhere to repent.
Repent ye therefore, and be ye converted that
your sins may be blotted out.
They can't be blotted out unless you've repented
from them.
Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins, the same
shall have mercy.
If any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature.
All things are passed away.
Behold, all things become new.
Do you want to start ripping out every
page that doesn't correspond with your understanding of
salvation?
What will you be left with, sir?
You can repent.
You can't set yourself free.
But God can't repent to you.
That's the one thing he can't do.
You turn into the way God knows you.
You're not just coming for forgiveness of the
conduct.
That's when God saves you.
You don't just look to the death of
Christ to be saved.
You look to the risen power of Christ
to save you.
It's not you're setting yourself free that saves
you.
It's your salvation that he does that sets
you free.
You're coming just to the blood, just to
Christ, looking to him, receiving.
For thus the Son shall set you free.
You shall be free indeed, hallelujah.
But he will, or doesn't that matter that
God said that?
To serve himself in sins.
But if the Son shall set you free,
hallelujah.
Oh, you're not saved by works, you're saved
by sin.
But you're not saved unless you're I could
go on.
There are other doctrines.
Verses taken in isolation, like Jehovah Witnesses have
to do to survive.
And even take by Rome, about confessing your
faults one to another.
So there's a public confession to the priest.
It's not talking about sins there.
Even though two verses before, God says you
forgive your sins.
It's talking about healing.
Confess your faults, your physical faults.
And pray that you may be healed, hallelujah.
It doesn't take much of wisdom to know
that.
But all the disputes that have gone through
the centuries over this book, there is no
book, not Romans, not Revelation, that caused more
controversy doctrinally than this book.
But I want to get away from the
controversies now.
The disputes that have raged that said blood,
blood flowed because of these, before they were
accepted and able to be lived.
I want to look at the heart of
this letter.
I do not know of a more awful
cry to those who have become unfaithful to
God as this cry.
I do not know a more awful cry
to those who have become unfaithful to God
as this cry from this epistle.
In his last thought in chapter 5, verse
19, he says, Brethren, if any of you
do err from the truth, literally meaning if
any of you stray from God, have drawn
back and wandered from God.
I wonder, I wonder if there are any
of us here today who have erred from
the truth.
Or if there are any, if there are
any, James cries out in chapter 4, verse
5, Do ye think that the Scripture saith
in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us
lasteth to envy?
Do you think God says for nothing, that
the Scripture says for nothing, that the Holy
Spirit that God has put in you is
jealous?
In chapter 1, verse 27, he says, 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.
O God is jealous of us, Brethren, and
to those of us who have not kept
ourselves unspotted from the world, that we have
compromised with the world.
James cries out to us in chapter 4,
verse 4, Adulterers and adulterers.
He's not speaking about a man being unfaithful
to his wife.
He's speaking about Christians being unfaithful to God,
the bride being unfaithful to the bridegroom.
You adulterers in the galleries of heaven, don't
doubt this.
They stand, these things, as angels desire to
look into.
This is the platform, this is the arena,
and in the stadiums of heaven, they gaze
on man.
They watch you and how many of you
who sing the praises of God in front
of each other, but walk out when you're
out of sight, and you haven't kept yourself
pure, you haven't kept yourself unspotted.
They cry out, Adulterers!
Know ye not that the friendship of the
world is empty with God?
Tell me, Beloved, have you kept yourself unspotted?
Have your testimony, have you kept yourself pure?
Have you become so compromising with the world,
that yet today, and have you done what
James says in chapter 1, verse 14?
You've drawn away from a tender walk with
God, from vital reality with God, from a
spotless walk with God, from an uncompromising walk
with God, no compromising with this world.
Do you sit here with that, having happened,
you've drawn away, 1 verse 14, from vital
reality with God.
It wasn't, it wasn't God's fault.
How the devil twists things and tells us,
and we actually believe that God didn't give
us enough grace, you know.
Oh, the verse before, 13, verse 13, He
says, Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God, for God
cannot be tempted of the evil, neither tempted
be any man, but every man is tempted
when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed, then when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin, and sin bringeth forth
death.
That tender walk with God, you don't know
any, and vital reality, and in Christianity, anything
less than vital reality is agony.
What did the devil do to entice you?
He saw you, and in his desperation, as
you were causing havoc to his kingdom.
You know, the devil fears nobody with degrees
out of the door from Oxford University or
Harvard, theological degrees that make people, oh, oh,
he doesn't fear that.
Do you honestly believe he fears that?
No.
You know what the devil fears?
The young Christian, with a little bit of
knowledge, every step he takes to the
devil's kingdom, right in the hole.
Men can recover from a great sermon, sir,
but they can't recover, transformed in a love
of Jesus.
Do you remember when you were real?
What did the devil do to draw you
away from this reality that made him and
demons, oh, and the devastation you were causing
to them?
What did he do to entice you away
from that walk, that tender walk, to draw
you away, that you accepted, you embraced, to
the point that you don't endure, when you
don't resist the devil, and God promises you
never to sin, they're compromised.
I mean, no one is watching books, the
internet, what percentage of the world is living
in.
You know when you were real, when you
knew when you got on your knees?
Heaven, the whole of heaven rejoiced, you knew
the Spirit bore witness in your spirit, this
was creating joy within God's heart.
Do you remember when you were real?
Do you remember when this book came to
draw you away from it?
No TV, no fellowship even was important enough,
if you hadn't had the time, do you
remember when this was?
And when you looked and you staggered, because
every single verse in the whole page, you
marked the whole Bible with this flying out
at you, God just crying out, because you
were crying out in truth thinking, when it
wasn't just done because, but when nobody was
watching, you just could, you said the wrong
things, maybe somebody's still running, but how many
couldn't recover from truth?
Do you remember when you were real?
When you were real with God, and the
devil feared you, and he had to do
something to draw you away from that walk
with God, that was uncompromising, unspotted by the
world, what did it take for you to
compromise with the world, your adulteries and adulterous
as this man of the world, enmity with
a God, whosoever therefore be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God, you
stand with the devil's people, with the enemies
of God, enjoying what they enjoy, to be
damned by Satanist, and you hold out, because
other Christian boys say it's fine, I guarantee
you, you start listening, do
you remember when everything was throbbing with reality,
and joy flooded your heart, joy unspeakable and
full of glory, oh restore him to me
the joy of that, you know joy as
a Christian, oh you're standing with the enemies
of God, do you remember when you were
real, before the devil drew you, enticed you,
whatever it was, and you let it conceive
you alive, just after compromising, oh what led
to that, what happened to that, do you
remember when you were real, God does, God
hasn't forgotten, have you a taste of jealousy
sir, that's something many of you haven't even
ever known, a woman, for those of you
that have, I want you to multiply, the
jealousy is beyond, here
today, and you know God speaking to you,
and you know, and you've drawn away, then
I have the most glorious message from God,
to those of you that have, drawn away,
James cries out in chapter 4 verse 8,
draw nigh to God, and he will draw
nigh to you, he's speaking about those who
backslide, draw nigh to God, you have
drawn away, and he will draw nigh to
you, oh call the devil a liar, call
men liars, but don't call God a liar,
listen to the most glorious invitation in the
whole Bible, to a backslider, you won't find
another page, another word, that God so speaks
to James, to those who've compromised, to the
vague he's got in mind, he starts in
chapter 4 verse 4, the adultery is an
adultery, he says, you've become unfaithful to you,
know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God, whosoever will be
a friend of the world is the enemy
of God, do ye think that the scriptures
say it in vain, the spirit that dwelleth
in us lusteth to envy the jealous of
us, but, oh I love this, everybody who
hasn't, has any sanity at all in the
pulpit, can't wait to get to the appeal,
I pity those who don't believe in appeals,
what on earth do you want to bring
them in conviction for, unless you make them
give a chance of turning, James knows he
was a ruthless, he's called you, he's outsparing
what you are, telling you the truth of
the grief you are, and now he cries
out, but, and this is any man of
God in the pulpit, can't wait for this,
but, it isn't the end of you child,
God hasn't given up on you, he giveth
more grace, all that's needed to restore you,
wherever he sayeth, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble, what a terrible
warning, every bit of grace you need to
get tender with God, is there right now,
this moment for you, but he has to
resist the proud, he can't do anything with
those that are full of pride, and can't
humble himself in the sight of God, he
giveth grace to those that are willing to
humble themselves, he giveth more grace, wherever he
sayeth, carefully now, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble, submit yourselves therefore
to God, resist the devil, he will flee
from you, I don't care what hold he's
got on you, in one moment, God, who
is not a million times more strong than
the devil, he's a billion, zillion, trillion, times
a million, billion, trillion, and you're nowhere near,
you resist the devil, God will make him
flee from you, God says so, draw nigh
to God, I don't care how far you've
gone, the grace is there too, and he
will draw nigh to you, don't doubt that,
don't call God a liar in your inner
conscience, that you think God won't come and
take you up, you do this, cleanse your
hands, he's not speaking to the unsaid, he's
speaking to God's people, oh God, when I
look at the things I've done, while I
name the name of Christ, how do you
cleanse your hands?
Confess, who's to confess the sins, confess the
sins, the sins of them, the blood of
Jesus Christ cleansed us from all sins, we
are an advocate of the father Jesus Christ,
the righteous, he's the propitiation for our sins,
the Christian sins, and not for ours only,
he's the way to mercy, the mercy seat
that is, not for ours only, brought to
the sins of the whole world, if they
come to God, if they come by faith,
that is this, but ours, and we say,
you see it's possible to fall, God says,
but don't forget, we haven't had a high
priest which cannot be moved with a furly
feeling of unfirmity, and all points tempted like
as we yet without sin, ever come boldly
to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy,
don't let the devil have you down there
in the mud as you can't get up,
oh I can't ever get up again, listen
to God, faith, the same God, the same
book, the same God who gave you promises,
that came and saved you, the same offers,
because he knew it's possible that this could
happen, that you could fall like this, and
he didn't say give up, get up, you
have no right to give up, you're lying,
and I give provision, when my whole being
God is crying out to you, no matter
how the devil has made you so defy
yourself again, cleanse your hands now, confess, look
to the blood, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, ye double-minded, you that sit in
the hall and jump down into the church
when they expect you to be there, no
one's watching, but you jump down into the
world equally fast, sometimes faster, it's a neglected
church meeting, rather than mess with the devil,
even after the spirit pray, you can, oh
cleanse your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts,
ye double-minded, let the blood go deeper
than just cleansing, God created me a clean
heart, by the blood of Christ, renew a
right spirit within me, a consistent, steadfast, transparent,
walk with God, fight your reality, be afflicted
and mourn and weep, if you're sitting here
full of joy, praising God as if you
were just giving God happiness, while you're singing
or doing anything else, let your laughter be
turned to Christ, can you imagine the defiled
hypocrisy of God, the faith of a false
lie, even in laughter the heart, restore
unto me the joy of the salvation, humble
yourself and he shall serve your
child, if you're a little boy, even a
kid, he
knew he was doing it to you, grieved
and he knew the grief, and he cries
out for forgiveness, he cries out to help
myself, do you honestly think, if ye being
evil know how to give more
than you ever knew before, I guarantee to
grow and you won't neglect the time you
redeem it, I want every single person that
God's speaking to
yourselves, to resist the devil by doing this,
who are willing to humble themselves in the
sun, I want those of you that are
willing, who know that God's speaking to you,
sir God may never ever speak to you,
scraping into heaven by grace, I want those
of you that and believe that with all
your heart, cleansing in the blood, deep cleansing
of the heart, the one to get
right through, I
want those of you that know God's speaking
to you,
you might find and restoring
the joy of salvation, I want those of
you who desperately, oh it costs doesn't it,
do you know what it'll cost you if
you don't, come all of you standing that
are brave enough, come stand in the front,
come, the rest have the right to pray
for you, because they're right with God, come,
let's make something sacred here that the devil
won't have a chance of you not remembering
the sacred moment of seeking God, with all
your heart, no one will judge you, they
only can love you for honesty, because that
is something that is the highest form of
integrity, even if you failed honestly, you've
been honest, everyone sitting out there, you please
say amen in your hearts, if you want
to stand out there just to move from
sitting, but I want you all in your
hearts to say amen at the end of
this prayer, because we're two or three of
you agree, touching anything, that's the will of
God, in my name it shall be done,
now there's more than two or three, let's
put God to a holy obligation, that's not
irreverent, it will be irreverent to say anything
less, I so believe thee God, I cannot
believe I would deny you, now that I
take thee at thy word, I want all
of us to just say amen out there,
to these dear godly people who are standing
here longing for God's blessing, every one of
you in the front, I want you to
pray after me please, and pray from your
heart as best as you can, God won't
despise the best you can give in your
weakness, even though I'm leading you in this
prayer, but pray aloud please with me, those
standing in the front, to God, to God,
oh my father, forgive me for the grief
I have been to thee, for my backsliding,
my compromising, my adultery, being unfaithful to God,
for not keeping myself unspotted from the world,
but being a friend of the world, in
the things they look to the devil to,
to satisfy them, I have compromised God, and
I ask for cleansing by the blood of
Christ from every failure, please God, wash me
in the blood of Christ, from all sin,
and let the blood go deeper, God, create
in me a clean heart, oh God, and
renew a right spirit within me, a consistent,
steadfast, honest spirit, a spirit of integrity, fill
me now with thy Holy Spirit, take complete
control of me, I lay my life afresh,
on the altar of God, and I will
just be clay, yielded, in the hands of
the potter, have thy way, Lord, as with
all my heart I say, I'll obey thee,
come what may, oh Lord, have thy way,
help me my God, from this day, till
the day I die, never to neglect my
Christ, to soak myself in the scripture, and
in prayer, as the greatest priority of my
life, even if I have to be ruthless,
with everything in my life, throwing things away,
but the things I have to do, help
me to make time, and to redeem it,
to be alone with thee, and feeding off
thy word, for then I will never, backsliding,
whosoever abideth in him, but
has consistent, Lord we love, that when
he shall appear, we may have confidence, and
not be ashamed, before him it is coming,
and perhaps scrape through, because of grace alone,
to walk with God, as Enoch walked with
God, to be holy, because it is written,
be holy, take
my life, let it be consecrated, Lord, to
thee, what I dedicate, thou wilt consecrate, fill
me so with the Holy Spirit, that the
fruit of the Spirit, may be seen in
my every reaction, no matter how trying the
circumstances, and if a single failure comes, which
is possible, help me not to let it,
be the beginning of other failures, or the
reason for other failures to come, but to
keep a short account of God, and immediately
confess, and ask for cleansing, of that isolated
failure, and for grace to help, that I
don't do it again, in the circumstances, I
find myself, I ask these things, in
the name of Jesus Christ, for his sake,
whom I love, and live for, and would
gladly die for, keep me true, to the
end, day by day, give me grace, to
walk with God, thou hast promised, my grace
is sufficient for thee, for Christ shaken in
his name, we ask these things in faith,
because we drew near to thee, we know
thou has drawn near to us, because we've
resisted the devil, we know he has fled
from us, because we've humbled ourselves in the
sight of God, we know he's lifted us
up, and we're safe, in the arms of
Jesus, every moment, but give us the grace,
to never miss thee again, morning and night,
and communing with God, as our source of
survival, in Jesus name, amen.
Can we all stand out there please, one
staggering final question, I know this is true,
those who are unsaved, who are going to
hell, maybe religious, but you've diverted from truth,
you're not saved by works, not one work,
try it and God denies you, nothing but
the blood of Jesus, and then by that
faith, the new birth comes, which results, in
a life that's fulfilled what the scripture says,
and that gives you the witness, not a
condemning anymore, those of you religious, maybe better
go into hell for eternity, if you don't,
who would seek Christ to save their soul
right now, I'm going to dare to ask
you this sir, I asked this the other
day, and a boy jumped up screaming, but
he got gloriously saved, we found out he
was, wife had walked out, the children, he
was just, but he just jumped up and
said, it's me, and he sobbed, then he
came to Christ, he hasn't got a chance
of backsliding with all those, anyone who would
say that to Jesus, right now, save my
soul, save me from religion, that'll keep me
from heaven, save me from sin, I come,
I dare you to come, trust me you'll
find eternal life, in one moment, what is
it proper that man gains the whole world
and loses his own soul, if you know
you're not saved and you want Jesus Christ,
I beg you, go to someone who, and
I will deny everything and anything that diverts
from what I've heard, is the only reason
God will save you, I beg you to
do that.