1 Samuel 28-29, “Hitting Bottom”
——————-

Ever have one of those days when things get worse & worse? Both Saul & David are going to experience that tonight. On one hand, these two men couldn’t be any more different: one was anointed to be king; the other had the kingdom ripped from him. One was on the run; the other on the throne. One had a future; the other did not. Yet at this point in their lives, they’re acting remarkably similar to one another. Both are in a state of spiritual apathy, where they’ve backslidden in their walk with the Lord, and living in their flesh rather than in faith. As a result, things are going to get worse & worse. Through it all, God shows His grace – but Saul & David (like us) are going to learn some lessons the hard way…by hitting bottom.

1 Samuel 28 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.” 2 So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”

A. Reminder of context: David had been living among the Philistines, pretending to fight Israel for them. In reality, he’d been fighting enemies of Israel…

B. At this point, Achish is ready to make David one of his chief bodyguards – not a good position for the future king of Israel to have! …

C. Keep in mind why David is there: Saul had been trying to kill him, and David was running for his life. He had trusted the Lord through most of his time as a refugee (and showed fruit of this in marvelous ways!), but eventually fell back into his flesh because of fear. … Falling back into our flesh is not a temptation we’ll ever be free from, until we see Jesus… But it can (and needs to be) dealt with! Otherwise, we’ll end up like David, doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons…
.

3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

A. Samuel actually died when David was still roaming in Israel as a refugee – back in Ch 25… Several years have elapsed by this point. The point here is that Samuel is gone. The one person that Saul would have been assured to get the word of the Lord from is no longer available.

B. Keep the mediums & spiritists in mind – this is going to be a key part of the chapter. Interesting that Saul had actually put them “out of the land.” When this happened, we don’t know – perhaps at the prompting of Samuel, at the point that Saul actually listened to him. In any case, they were mostly gone.

C. BTW, this was in accordance with the Law. Mediums & spiritists = witchcraft, and God labels it as an abomination… Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (10) There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, (11) or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (12) For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. [] God had called Israel to be different, because Israel was going to be a light unto the Gentiles & Israel is where the Messiah would come from… God’s people had no business practicing witchcraft because it is directly opposed to the work of God! (Likewise Christians have no business playing around with it either…)
.

4 Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

A. Philistines are preparing for war – this looks to be a huge battle. Israel (for prior to Saul’s reign) had been under Philistine control & they had been battling against Saul for years trying to control the land (not unlike Israel & Palestine today!). This was to be a decisive battle, and Saul is understandably apprehensive about it…

B. Yet when Saul asks of God, God is silent. He went to the priests, he searched his dreams, he asked the remaining prophets in the land, but God never answers him by any of those methods. God was silent with Saul & had good reason to be! Saul had sinned repeatedly against the Lord, the people, David, and even his own family. Saul had much to deal with in regards to sin…

C. Has God ever been silent with you in your prayers? Not always, but many times it’s due not so much to God, but to sin in our own lives. If we persist in sin, we ought to expect it to be difficult to pray – it’s no different in our relationships with our spouses… [] The NT provides a straightforward example in our marriages: husbands are to dwell with their wives with understanding, so their prayers may not be hindered (2 Pet 3:7)… Our prayer life is affected by our actions & heart.
__a. So what do you do if God is silent? Sometimes we just wait upon the Lord for His timing, but when it truly seems as if you are isolated from God, then examine your heart in light of the word of God. Feelings can be subjective, but the word of God is always true & it is a light unto our paths! Psalm 139:23-24 (23) Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; (24) And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. [] Ask the Lord to search you & if there is sin there, confess it, repent, and make restoration if need be. Do what it takes to deal with the problem.
__b. What NOT to do? Act like Saul! See vs. 7…
.

7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

A. Note that Saul never repents. He had inquired of the Lord, but never once does the Scripture say he brought a sacrifice, mourned over his sin, cried out to the Lord in prayer, etc. He demanded an answer from God, and when he didn’t get it in the usual ways, he only sunk further & further into sin. In this case, he was willing even to go as far as paganism…

B. Beware of a hardened heart towards the Lord! Keep in mind that this kind of hardening & resistance to sin never happens overnight. It starts with little steps of disobedience, apathy towards the things of God, and progresses into larger & more blatant acts of sin. Saul didn’t start out his career as king by planning to go to a witch before he died (he began as a prophet!)… But little steps along the way took him down a path of more & more sin, and eventually he ended up at a place he never would have imagined.
__a. The time to stop backsliding in our walk with the Lord isn’t tomorrow; it’s always today! The moment you realize what’s going on in your relationship with Christ Jesus is the moment you ought to humble yourself before Him, confess your sin & repent. We want our hearts to be continually tender before the Lord; not hardened to His word.
.

8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.” 9 Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” 10 And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”

A. The witch knows this was a death sentence…she’s trying to avoid a “sting” operation.

B. How bad off is Saul in his sin? To the point of invoking the Lord in an oath prior to engaging in witchcraft. Words are cheap; Saul’s faith at this point is virtually non-existent.
.

11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”

A. Interesting reaction from the woman. She was told the Samuel was the person to bring up, but when she sees Samuel she cries out in terror & sees Saul for whom he is. Why would she be so surprised? Probably because it had never happened before! She had conned a lot of people out of money & pretended to talk to the dead – maybe she had even been deceived by demons herself. But when she saw Samuel, she knew this was real!

B. The occult is not something to play around with. There are very real demons out there who want to deceive and torment people, which is exactly what happens in false religion. [Paul warning against participating in idolatry] 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 (19) What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? (20) Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. [] So-called ‘psychics’ & others who play in the spirit realm have zero idea of what it is they are actually contacting (if contacting anything at all). What we can definitely be assured of is that they do not contact ghosts, spirits, or even other gods…if any spiritual activity takes place, it is demonic in origin.
__a. The good news is that the Lord Jesus is infinitely stronger than any demon! He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world… (1 John 4:4)
.

13 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” 14 So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

A. By this point, even Saul knew this was real. Whether he physically saw Samuel or not is debated – but he certainly recognized the presence of Samuel & bowed.

B. All of this begs the question: why didn’t God answer Saul through the priests & prophets (the proper methods), yet still allow Samuel to come up through pagan witchcraft? Is God blessing witchcraft? Certainly not! The witch was not the one who had any power over Samuel to bring him up from the dead; God was the one Who allowed this specific instance to take place. But why it actually happened, we can’t say for sure…Scripture is silent here. All we know is that it did happen.
__a. I suggest this was this a wake-up call to Saul. Perhaps at this point, God is still giving Saul to repent from his sin, and God knew that Saul wouldn’t understand the depth of his sin if he had received a word from the tabernacle priests (he could have assumed God’s blessing on his life). But to be chastised by the prophet Samuel from beyond the grave would be a crystal-clear show of how far Saul had fallen, with God’s full displeasure known. If so, it’s certainly unusual, but this event would be a demonstration of the grace of God, who loves us so much to discipline us when necessary.
__b. Sometimes God lets us hit rock-bottom in order that we would look up. Many people here only received the forgiveness of Jesus because they were at the bottom & had no where else to go. Like the prodigal son, they had a moment of lucidity as they found themselves eating the leftover pig-pods, and fell to their knees in confession & repentance. God loves us enough to let us get to that place, because we need to be in that place of humility.
.

15 Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” 16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy?

A. Saul lays out the problem for Samuel, and Samuel doesn’t waste words. Basically tells Saul, “Of course God hasn’t said anything because He departed from you & is your enemy.” … We do not EVER want God to be our enemy! Without the saving grace of Jesus Christ, mankind is at enmity with God as we war against Him in rebellion – but this is much worse. Instead of Saul fighting against God, God is now fighting against Saul! Who could withstand?
.

17 And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.

A. Reiterates Saul’s sins against the Lord. Saul had rebelled against the direct command of God by not wiping out all the Amalekites, and had even gone on to perform illegal sacrifices with animals that should have been destroyed. (1 Sam 15) God had ripped the kingdom away from Saul at that point, and now Saul was going to experience the consequence of that moment.
.

19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

A. Bad news! Israel is going to lose the battle, and Saul & his sons are going to die…

B. Question: is Samuel saying that Saul will still be saved? “you…will be with me” as in Saul would be in the bosom of Abraham with Samuel (i.e. a place of Paradise awaiting the day of Jesus’ resurrection)? Or simply that Saul will be in the place of the dead (Sheol)? Again, Scripture is somewhat silent on this point. Perhaps Saul was just experiencing the sin that leads to death (1 John 5:16), but Saul had never really shown any fruits of repentance either. We’ll find out one day…
.

20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night. 21 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. 22 Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” 23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.

A. Saul had a lot of grief, but no repentance. He fasted, feared, & fretted, but to no avail. How utterly sad! Never once does he break in humility before God, nor confess his sins & seek the face of the Lord. He’s sorry, but not sorry enough to repent. Whether or not the consequences would have changed is irrelevant…he was about to be judged by God Himself, and yet he never asks for mercy from the One who is rich in it. No wonder the Scripture tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6). A little sin leads to a lot of sin, which leads to hardened hearts…

B. Woman is begging him to eat. She doesn’t want the king of Israel to die under her roof as a result of her witchcraft…her own life might have been in danger.
.

24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 25 So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

A. Had a hasty meal (no time for leavening) & then Saul left. The next time we’ll see Saul will be the day of his death.
.

1 Samuel 29 (NKJV)
1 Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2 And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.

A. Big battle array & parade… David is right in the midst of it & the entire camp of the Philistines sees him with Achish. Can you imagine the picture of the warrior of Israel – the anointed one of God – the conqueror of Goliath being paraded in front of the Philistine army? All sorts of things wrong with this picture!
.

3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.”

A. Achish defends David – doesn’t realize how David has deceived him all this time…
.

4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? 5 Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”

A. Philistines are rightly afraid that David will turn on them in battle. They still remember his victory over Goliath & how he took 200 foreskins of the Philistines as a dowry for his wife. Saul may be David’s enemy now, but what would happen in the heat of battle – the Philistines simply couldn’t trust David enough to stand side-by-side with him in a battle against Israel. Interesting that the Philistine army here has more sense than either David or their king!

B. Ultimately, this isn’t the work of the Philistines; this is the work of God. God is providentially moving upon the hearts of the Philistine army to get David out from between a rock & a hard place! There’d be no way for David to assume the throne of Israel if he had fought against Israel as a traitor – and thus God is protecting David from himself… And as a consequence God is protecting His promise of the Messiah. Even though the covenant with David had not yet been made, God would later promise that the Messiah would be a descendant from the lineage of David. God was ensuring His word was kept long before He ever made the promise!
__a. Our God is a faithful God!!
.

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7 Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

A. Achish basically fires David – doesn’t want to cause a mutiny among the troops…

B. Was David happy that he didn’t have to go to battle? Did he rejoice in God’s deliverance from this tough spot where he would have had to fight against his own people in Israel? No. David is actually upset! He believes he’s being wrongfully terminated & disgraced in front of the Philistine army.

C. What happened? David had stayed in his flesh & sin so long that he lost perspective. He couldn’t tell the difference between right & wrong any more. Instead of desiring to please the Lord God, David’s upset that Achish is afraid of displeasing the lords of the Philistines. In Ch 24 & 26, David was grieved at even the thought of lifting his hand against the Lord’s anointed king, but now here he was upset about not being able to enter into battle against him. Persistent sin causes us to lose perspective.
.

9 Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” 11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

A. David is released from the battle, but he still doesn’t end this well. Knowing that he was rejected by the Philistines, does he go home to Bethlehem? No. David actually would rather return to “the land of the Philistines” than to return back to the land of promise…

Conclusion:
Two kings of Israel make the same mistake. At this point we expect Saul to remain in his flesh & not humble himself before the Lord in repentance – and Saul stays true to his character. Yet David – the one who had been so reliant on the Lord in the past does the exact same thing. He acts out in his flesh, and is deadened to the work of God in his life. Both of them had spent so much time living in their sin by this point that neither had any perspective on the will of God for them… …

Be careful! It can be so easy for us to take our relationship with Christ Jesus for granted. We get saved, start walking with the Lord, rejoice with Him, pray, worship, help others, etc. We’re so passionate at first! There’s little comparison with the zeal of a new believer… … But over time, things change. We pray less – we depend on the Lord less – we start falling into old habits & acting out in our flesh. Before long, we’re living like we’ve lost all perspective on what God desires for us – we just become apathetic to it. Beware! This is the trap of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-22)… … Don’t take the Lord Jesus for granted!

James 4:1-10, “Wars of Selfishness”
—————–

Wars and fights are not exactly uncommon things in our world – they are to be expected, though tragic. We saw two examples just this week: one was a disgruntled former employee in Orlando who opened fire on former co-workers, killing one & wounding 5 more. The other was the massacre at Fort Hood in Killeen, where it appears an act of domestic terrorism took place. 13 are dead, and 30 are still wounded. These are terrible events, and the families of the victims need our prayers. They are terrible & tragic, but not unexpected, because people in the world are at war with one another. What ought to be unexpected (but sadly isn’t) are wars inside the church among the people of God.

As we need to remind ourselves throughout this letter, James is writing to the very early church. These were people who were primarily Jewish in their upbringing & culture, but born-again believers in Jesus Christ. Time-wise, the records in the book of Acts have not yet ended, but already the church is having to deal with fights, wars, and quarrels among its members. (James written between 45-48; Acts written in 60-63) There were many great things about the early church – but they suffered some of the same exact problems we all do, and fights amongst themselves were one of them.

So what is a Christian to do when quarrels and fighting break out in their homes, among friends, etc? That’s exactly what James deals with in the 1st part of Ch 4. He starts off by defining the problem [“a problem well defined is half-solved…”], then he gives us the solution. The problem? Carnal selfishness… The solution? Godly humility…

James 4:1-10 (NKJV)
- Tackles the problem 1st: carnal selfishness…
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

A. Do Christians war & fight amongst ourselves? Yes. Ought we to do so? No! Sometimes we fall into a trap of thinking that the love we ought to be displaying as born-again believers in Jesus Christ is only part-time. ‘I’ll be loving and kind when you’re nice to me & agree with me, but don’t you dare turn on me, or I’ll be on you like white on rice!’ … That’s not love at all; that’s convenience. … … True selfless agape love is patient & kind, it doesn’t behave rudely & isn’t easily provoked (1 Cor 13:4-5). Those aren’t qualities that can be tested when everything is peaches & roses; you can only test how easily you can’t be provoked when someone actually provokes you. … So many times we get provoked, and then we don’t respond in agape; we respond in anger, and language heats up, voices get louder, and before you know it, we’re fighting with someone we love. And when fights aren’t dealt with & forgiveness doesn’t take place, those fights turn into wars…
__a. This isn’t what our Lord Jesus desires for us! He obviously knew we would struggle here, which is why He prayed for unity. John 17:20-21 (20) “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; (21) that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. [] This doesn’t sound like a people at war with one another! Jesus’ prayer for the church is that we would be one! Neither backbiting one another as individuals, nor breaking fellowship with other churches over non-essential doctrine. Jesus is the head over ONE Church – and every person who’s trusted Christ as Savior & Lord is part of it. When we fight & war with one another, we’re warring against someone for whom Christ died – and in a way, fighting against Christ Himself…it’s part of HIS body.

B. Where do these fights come from? Can we blame them on pressures from the world? Can we blame them solely upon the work of the devil? No. Just like our temptations, our fights come from our own sinful desires. In Ch 1:14, we’re told we’re led away by our own desires & tempted. Likewise here. Our fighting is a result of our own desires, our own covetousness that wants ‘my way & only my way.’
__a. Greek is interesting here. ἡδονή ~ “hedonism” = “that which tastes good”…it’s a reference to personal pleasure & preferred desires. Obviously pleasure is not necessarily a bad thing (we’re to taste & see that the Lord is good! Ps 34:8), but hedonists seek only what is pleasurable to them, regardless of its effects on others. It’s actually the opposite of agape love. Agape love thinks of others 1st; hedonism thinks of self 1st. Those who think of themselves 1st are easily provoked because “I” was offended, and “I” will feel better if “I” lash out in anger, and “I” will feel better if to hold grudges, etc.

C. Internal selfishness leads to external sinfulness…
.

2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

A. Notice how this all goes back to selfishness. One person lusts for something & they can’t get it. They do whatever they think they need to do to get it (coveting, character assassination, whatever) and they still can’t get it. So they fight & war with other people until they do get it…but it still doesn’t come. But it all comes back to self. Selfish covetousness is the oldest sin in the book. Satan wasn’t happy with his place; he wanted more & so he rebelled against God. Adam & Eve were tempted in the garden because they wanted more. Cain murdered Abel because he wanted his offering to be the best offering – he wanted more. Selfishness is a gateway to all kinds of sin ranging from idolatry to murder.
__a. BTW – was James accusing the church of literally murdering & killing one another? No…this would have been a far different kind of letter! But we can murder people in our hearts far more easily & often. Whoever hates their brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15), and unrighteous anger is just as worthy of judgment as murder is (Matt 5:21-22). Hopefully none of us in this room have held a gun to someone’s head, but how many of us have shot it off in our hearts? This is where carnal selfishness leads…

B. Interestingly enough, the very thing that sets people on a selfish path of destruction could so very easily be solved through submitted prayer! Christians don’t have because we don’t ask. Jesus said to ask anything in His name, and He’d do it (John 14:13) – He said everyone who asks will receive & everyone who seeks will find (Matt 7:8) – He said that we are to ask in prayer, believe that we’ll receive, and we will receive them (Mark 11:24). Over & over through the gospels, Christ Jesus makes this same promise…you’d think we’d actually listen.  We do not have because we do not ask.
__a. ‘Ok, so why is it my prayers weren’t answered?! Why didn’t I get what I asked for?’ See vs. 3…
.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

A. How to ensure your prayers are NOT answered? Ask in selfishness. Ask amiss. Ask because you want it for your hedonistic desires (same word as in vs. 1) because it’s what you want for you first, without regard of what God wants. [Sears Christmas catalog as a kid] Prayer is not taking a catalog of stuff to God & saying, “I want, I want”; prayer is about submitting ourselves to God & declaring “I want what You want.” We see it in the model prayer the Lord Jesus gave us, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread…” (Matt 6:10-11) Are we invited to ask for our needs? Absolutely! We are utterly dependent upon God for them. But we are 1st submitted to God Himself, and we are to ask for His will to be done 1st & foremost. Jesus personally exampled this in the garden before His crucifixion – Luke 22:41-42 (41) And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, (42) saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” [] Was Jesus asking in faith? Absolutely! But He didn’t ask in selfishness; He asked in submitted faith.

B. Sometimes we hear criticism from certain preachers along the lines of, “If you’re asking for God’s will to be done instead of yours, you’re not asking in faith; you’re invalidating your whole prayer!” How many ways can we say that’s wrong? Let’s be perfectly clear: there can be no more God-honoring prayer than to ask for God’s will to be done. Do we bring our heart’s desire before the Lord? Yes – absolutely. But are we omniscient? Do we know the end from the beginning? Worse yet, do we think we know better than God Almighty? Heaven forbid! God is God & we’re not. When we ask in the type of “faith” that demands God puts His will aside so that our personal request will be accomplished, that is pure carnality & selfish covetousness. And that’s exactly what James condemns.
__a. Although James may or may not have known it was coming, this is a direct hit on the modern “prosperity gospel” movement. We can not bribe God with our gifts, nor manipulate Him with our praise in order that God is forced to do anything for us. There is no magic formula we can work that will make God fatten up our bank accounts & give us luxury cars. If selfish hedonistic pleasures are the reason you’re praying, James (through the Holy Spirit) assures you that you won’t get what you’re asking for.
.

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

A. One aspect of selfishness? It’s an indicator of worldliness. When what goes through our mind is “I want, I want…”, then we can be assured that we have the exact same mindset of the world & thus the sin Christ died for. When we’re wanting the things of the world – and especially when we’re willing to step all over people to get them – then our minds are obviously set on worldly things. Never mind what Jesus wants (you know, the One you call Lord & King), you want what you want, and who cares what the consequences are? If that’s you, be careful! If you’re a born-again Christian (you turned away from your sin, believed Jesus is the Son of God risen from the dead, received Him as Lord), then you are part of the bride of Christ. As Christ’s bride, you’ve just committed adultery with the world.

B. The result? We’re making ourselves into an enemy of God. It may sound a bit extreme, but it’s perfectly logical when we think about it. The world hates Jesus, thus we can’t be friends with the world; the world is an enemy of God. If we’re friends with God’s enemy, that makes us God’s enemy as well…

C. Keep in mind there is a big difference between separation & isolation. Christians are to be different from the world, but we’re not to be completely cut off from it. Jesus specifically prayed that God would not take us out of the world, but that we’d be kept safe from the temptations (and tempter) of the world (John 17:15). Jesus does not call us to be hermits locked away in our own little Christian communes – how then could be salt & light? How could we fulfill the Great Commission? We are IN the world, but we are not OF the world, and thus we are not to commit adultery WITH the world.
.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

A. If you do a word search in the OT to find this quote, you’re going to come up a bit short. Many scholars think that James isn’t attempting to quote Scripture here, but rather summarize the general thought of God’s holy jealousy for His people which is seen throughout the OT (Exo 20:5, 34:14, Deut 4:24, Josh 24:19, etc.)…
__a. God is jealous? Not like us. God is jealous for US…

B. BTW – Translations differ on this somewhat…scholars have a tough time translating this particular phrase. Some think this is a reference to the human spirit yearning to jealousy & envy, which would stir up pride & worldliness & quarrels. Others believe this is a reference to the 3rd Person of the Trinity as God the Holy Spirit yearns jealously for US to follow God alone & not the world. Personally, I side with those who believe this is a reference to the Holy Spirit – He “dwells in us.” Over & over the NT refers to the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (or looks at demon possessions with the spirits dwelling with the man in question); yet when referring to the spirit of man it almost never separates the man from the spirit. Our spirits don’t “dwell” in us; they’re simply a part of us. It’s by the grace of God that the Holy Spirit of God does dwell in us! And that Holy Spirit is jealous for us to be devoted only to Him.
.

- What’s the solution to all this selfishness & worldliness? Godly humility! …
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

A. Quoting the LXX version of Proverbs 3:34. Original Hebrew, Proverbs 3:34 (34) Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. [] Greek word used for “scornful” is a compound word – seems to have root of “over-shining.” The idea is arrogance & haughtiness. [good pride vs. bad pride] Those who come to God with a haughty selfish spirit are going to find themselves resisted by God at every turn. But those who humble themselves & submit themselves to God are going to receive His grace in abundance. Look no further than the kings of Israel – Saul was proud & haughty & had the kingdom ripped away from him… David was humble at times he had opportunity for selfish revenge, and God blessed him…

B. This principle is absolutely key in our relationship with God! Contextually, if we want to avoid fighting & warring against other members in the body of Christ (and thus fighting against God Himself), what do we do? We humble ourselves. Instead of seeking ourselves 1st, we seek 1st the kingdom of God & His righteousness… Instead of showing ourselves proud & arrogant against our brother or sister in Christ, we humble ourselves before God & demonstrate His love & patience with one another.
__a. Humility before God ought to be the 1st step we take in addressing any problems we have with one another. Before we can take the speck out of our brother’s eye, we need to take the log out of our own (Matt 7:5); before we jump down someone’s back about how they offended us, we need to examine our own hearts before the Lord & humble ourselves before Him.
__b. Also a key principle to remember in evangelism… Those who are proud in their sin & self-righteousness will not understand their need for a Savior because they haven’t any idea of how sinful their sin actually is. But the person who is broken because they realize that they’ve sinned against a Holy Perfect Just & Loving God will welcome the gospel…

C. So we know we need to humble ourselves before God. Great spiritual truth, amen! But how do we do that, practically? James gives 3 steps…
.

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

A. Step #1: be submissive… The word has the idea of voluntary submission – a falling in-line – an assuming of duty. Different than mere obedience. A person can be obedient, but not submissive (ask your children!). Obedience may be part of humility, but without submission it’s not humility. If we want to deal with selfishness in our own hearts, we need to stop being selfish – which requires that we voluntarily get off our throne & allow the Lord Jesus to have His proper place in our lives. After all, it doesn’t matter what counsel we receive in the Scriptures if we’re not willing to do it in the 1st place…

B. Beyond humility, this is essential in spiritual warfare. The order here is divinely inspired. We cannot resist the devil if we are not submitted to God. Ever wonder why temptations & spiritual struggles run rampant in your life when you haven’t been spending time in the word & in prayer? It’s because you’re not submitted to God. When we don’t willingly place ourselves at His feet, it’s no wonder that our attitudes start growing arrogant & we begin to get susceptible to all kinds of temptations & are led away by our own desires.
__a. BTW – there’s a wonderful promise here. When we are submitted to God, then when we resist the devil (standing firm against him clothed in the armor of God, Eph 6), then he WILL flee from us! The devil is a very real enemy looking to take down as many people to Hell with him as possible. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But the devil is no match against the Lord Jesus Christ… When you’re submitted to Christ, the devil will run!
.

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

A. Step #2: be sanctified… Goes back to the idea in vs. 4 about being friends with the world… As Christians, we don’t want to draw near to the world, we want to draw near to God. This is the idea of sanctification. Two-fold:
__a. Sanctified towards God: Draw near to God – worship Him, learn of Him, grow close to Him. ‘But how do I draw near to God?’ How do you draw near to your spouse? How is it that your know more of your husband/wife today than you did back when you 1st met them? You spend time with them, talk with them, etc… … It’s the same idea with God. And the wonderful promise is that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us! The more time you spend in the presence of God through worship & the word, the more you’ll recognize the work of God in your life…which only increases your worship… It’s wonderful!
__b. Sanctified away from the world: Sanctification has both the idea of being holy & being separate. If we are to no longer be friends with the world, then we need to be separate from the world – be cleansed from its enticements & desires & be purified away from it. Obviously this is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we draw near to God, our hearts will be changed to where we don’t desire the things of the world like we used to…and when our hearts change, then our actions need to follow.
.

9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

A. Step #3: be sincere… At 1st glance, this verse might seem opposed to other parts of the Bible where we’re told change out our mourning for dancing (Ps 30:11) & letting the new covenant of Christ change our sorrow for joy (Jer 31:13), but keep the context in mind. When it comes to worldliness within the church, this IS something that should bring us sorrow! When are hands aren’t cleaned, and our hearts aren’t pure before God, we shouldn’t laugh it off, but we should rather mourn over it. IOW, we need to recognize our sin for what it is, and actually show contrition & remorse over it. [David’s repentance] Psalm 51:16-17 (16) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. [] It’s no surprise when Christians slip up in sin; it is when they show no remorse over it. Remorse over sin is a sign that your heart is being changed into the heart God has…if you don’t have remorse, you need to get on your knees quick.
.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

A. The result of our humility? God will exalt us in due time… 1 Peter 5:6-7 (6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. [] God cares for you! God loves you! We don’t humble ourselves in order that we would be abased & wail in dust & ashes, putting on false shows of humility. We humble ourselves in order that we might come to our exalted King & God who invites us to come before Him, that we would enjoy His presence & live as His children. Whether it be now or in eternity, God will lift us up in His time. The 1st will be last & the last will be 1st, and God will be glorified in all things. And His desire is to be glorified in us now just as much as He will be glorified in us in heaven – so put away the selfish desires, and humble yourself before your God who loves you with an everlasting love!

Conclusion:
When there’s fighting among believers, we have a problem. When you war in your heart against another brother or sister in Christ, we have a problem. When you desire the things of the world more than God, we have a problem. The problem is selfishness – worldliness – covetousness, and it’s infected the church. The problem isn’t new, but it IS indeed a problem, and we need to deal with it.

The good news is that God has already dealt with it at the cross, and He calls us to a new way of living as a result. Not in selfishness, but in humility. As we submit ourselves to God, are sanctified by His grace, and are sincere in our contrition, we are coming to God in simple humility by which He gives us grace and lifts us up. And know this: God doesn’t ask us to do what He hasn’t demonstrated already through His Son, Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus is our very example of humility! He was eternally co-equal with God the Father, emptied Himself & came incarnate as a man of no reputation, took on the form of a bondslave, and was humble & obedient even to the death of the Cross – and as a result, God has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name! One day, every knee will bow & every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God! (Phil 2:5-11)

If the Son of God would humble Himself on our behalf to the glory of God, why would we do any less? A servant is not greater than His master, and our Master humbled Himself – thus we ought to humble ourselves. He will lift us up in due time…even to the point of being co-heirs for all of eternity with none other than the Lord Jesus Himself! So Christian, humble yourself now, and let God exalt you later.

Maybe you’re at war today. You’ve been led away by selfish desires, and it’s caused you to be at war with others, and fighting with the people you love. Let today be the day you make peace. It starts with submission…humble yourself before God today, confess your sin to him in sincerity – ask Him to do His will in you that He wants to do. That’s the starting point…then & only then will you be able to make peace with those around you.

Maybe the One you’re at war with is none other than God Himself. You’ve rebelled against His law, resisted His work in your life, refused to submit to Him as God. In short, you’ve been proud & had no fear of God whatsoever. Know this: you’re setting yourself up for a fall. Whether you want to believe it or not, it’s appointed to man to die once, and then face the judgment. You will stand before God one day and give an account for every thought, word, and deed you’ve ever had. Who can possibly stand in that day? When lust is seen as adultery, hatred is seen as murder, and selfishness is equal to idolatry? The law of God is our standard, and by the law of God, everyone is found guilty – there is none righteous, no not one. But it’s because of that that the gospel is indeed such good news! The punishment we deserved for breaking the law of God has already been poured out upon Jesus Christ… Whereas we are dead in our sin, Jesus through His love offers us life & life everlasting… But you cannot come to Him in your pride. God resists the proud. Humble yourself before Him today & receive His grace…

James 3:1-18, “Taming the Untamable Tongue”
——————-

Anyone ever had their mouth get them into trouble? … It may be only a tiny muscle, but a little tongue can cause a lot of damage if not ruled correctly. [Rancher vs. the DEA] If we could just tame our tongue – let our words and thoughts be guided by the wisdom given by God, we could save ourselves (and others) a lot of pain!

James 3 (NKJV)
1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

A. The whole subject of Ch 3 relates to the tongue, so addressing teachers is a logical way to start out. Those who teach false doctrine have unruly tongues…not so much in that they can’t control what comes out of their mouths, but what comes out is poisonous & shouldn’t have been uttered in the 1st place. False teachers are nothing new to the Church (Paul encountered many!) – but we can be assured that it will only increase the further along we get in the end times (2 Tim 4:1-3).

B. Teaching the Scriptures is a good thing! To be called as a pastor/teacher is a gift (Eph 4:11), & to desire the position of a bishop/overseer is to desire a good work (1 Tim 3:1). But it’s a weighty thing; it’s not something to be taken lightly. With teaching comes responsibility – after all, this is the very word of God that we handle! Just as a prophet wouldn’t dare speak in the name of the Lord if he were going to lie about it, neither should a pastor/teacher get in the pulpit with a thought of ever mishandling the Scriptures.
__a. The pastoral ministry is not a career; it’s a calling… It’s a dreadful thing to assume & a dreadful thing to deny. Jeremiah couldn’t help but speak because the word of God was like a fire burning in his bones (Jer 20:9)… Yet Simon the sorcerer was rebuked because he looked at the Holy Spirit as a way to make money (Acts 8:18-19)… If God is calling someone & he’s not serving, he’s going to be miserable until he does. And if someone is serving who hasn’t been called, he’s going to be just as miserable.

C. Even beyond pastoral ministry, the idea is clear: anyone who teaches needs to be careful about what it is they’re teaching. There are many who would spout all kind of teaching & then try to hide under the excuse, “But I’m not a pastor.” Doesn’t work… In James’ day, it was common for people who visited different synagogues to get up and share something from the Scriptures (this was Paul’s SOP). Apparently many Christians were eager to do the same thing in an attempt to show off – but the only thing they showed was that they didn’t understand the teaching. It’s a good thing to have the opportunity to teach the word of God (regardless of your personal calling); but if you’re going to teach it, make sure you teach it correctly.

D. What awaits teachers? A “stricter judgment.” Probably a reference to the Bema seat judgment that every believer in Jesus Christ is going to face. At the judgment, every idle word men speak will be called into account (Matt 12:36), so it makes sense that every teaching is going to be answered for. If a pastor wouldn’t say it when standing before the Lord Jesus Christ, then he shouldn’t say it to his congregation either.
.

2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

A. The tongue is an easy trap in which to get tripped up…it makes people “stumble”. Ever notice how quickly an argument can come simply through a few careless words? Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. [] It doesn’t take much before a torrent of sinful anger gushes forth… [parents/teens]

B. What does James mean by “perfect”? Perfect perfect?! Maybe – the word could simply mean “mature,” but this is the same word James uses in regards to the perfect gift of God (1:17) and the perfect law of liberty (1:25). A perfect Christ would obviously be mature – but James seems to be holding up an ideal here, that even he doesn’t reach yet. He admits that even he stumbles… But IF someone could fully control their tongue, that would keep them from all sorts of sins that follow.
__a. It may be an ideal in this life, but praise God it is reality in the next! Jesus is moving us towards perfection (process of sanctification), and that’s exactly what we’ll be in eternity (glorification).

C. A mature Christian can reign in his tongue (through the power of the Holy Spirit), which changes the actions that follow…
.

3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

A. Example #1: horses & bridles… Example #2: ships & rudders… Unless you’ve got horses on a farm today, or go sailing often, this may be tough to relate to. The same principle applies to automobiles. Compared to the rest of your car, the steering wheel is tiny – and it can be turned easily. The littlest effort can turn several hundred pounds of metal, fiberglass, & rubber. The point? A little thing can make a big difference!

B. ‘So what? What’s the big deal about words?’ Keep our context in mind from last week. Ch 2 ended with an exhortation to do good works; now we see an exhortation to speak good words. Our works & deeds to much to demonstrate our faith in Christ Jesus – they show our faith in action (which is necessary, because although we are saved by grace alone through faith alone through Christ alone, the faith that saves will be a faith that works). But someone can do the right deeds with a wrong attitude. Handing out food to the homeless while cursing them under your breath misses the point. Showing grace to family members while complaining about them isn’t showing grace at all. Our works may be abundant in quantity, but our words make a huge difference in its quality.

C. Note vs 3-4 are mostly good examples…at the very least, ambivalent. Those who ride horses & sail ships need those small devices to drive them, otherwise they’ll never get where they need to go. Likewise, words by themselves aren’t necessarily bad things. We may need to let our words be few, but taking a vow of silence doesn’t solve anything. If it weren’t for someone speaking to us, most of us probably wouldn’t have ever heard the gospel! What’s necessary isn’t that our tongues aren’t used at all, but rather that they are used in the right way.
__a. But there are also bad examples…look at the rest of vs. 5…
.

…See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

A. Example #3: a forest fire. In 2007, 38,000 acres in Southern California were burned because a 10-year-old boy was playing with matches (NY Times, Nov 1, 2007). It doesn’t take much of a spark to set a whole forest ablaze. Huge swaths of destruction take place every year in California due to wildfires. []

B. One unguarded phrase can start a world of hurt…and the effects last & last & last. To say “it is set on fire by hell,” James uses the word commonly used by Christ for Hell: gehenna. The picture was well familiar to Jews as a place outside of Jerusalem where fires were always burning & consuming trash, dead animals, & more. Jesus used it to describe a place where the worm never dies & the fire is never quenched – a very real place where very real people go and suffer for eternity (which is exactly what Jesus is offering to save you from!!) Contextually here, the effects from our tongues can last far longer than what we imagine. How many family members bear grudges for years based on some careless comment at a holiday dinner? For Christians, how many opportunities to witness about the Lord Jesus have been ruined because of hateful angry speech that spewed out of our mouths?

C. The tongue is capable of defiling the “whole body” – this is exactly what Jesus was teaching us about our thought life (of which our tongue is merely an extension). [controversy about washed hands] Matthew 15:18-20 (18) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (20) These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” [] Notice how thoughts & words bookend the list…it’s not just sinful works that show what’s in our hearts; it’s sinful words as well. (Praise God for our forgiveness through Jesus Christ!)
.

7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

A. Example #4: taming wild animals… Interesting contrast here with our tongue. We think there are some animals that can’t be tamed – they’re too powerful & deadly. Yet even lions can be trained to do what a person wants them to (to a certain extent). But our tongues (which we ourselves control) have less of a capability of being trained than a wild beast! It’s ready to spew forth poison…and can do so at any time.

B. Seeing the danger with your words yet? James isn’t trying to leave us hopeless here. Man can’t tame the tongue, but God can. What is impossible with man is possible with God because with God, ALL things are possible (Luke 18:27).
__1. Most of the book of James deals with various aspects of our sanctification – that life-long process that begins the moment we’re saved as God continues to grow us in holiness & shape us into the image of Christ…making us the man or woman of God that He wants us to be. What all of this serves to tell us is that sanctification is just as much dependent on the work and grace of God as justification is. We don’t perform good deeds on our own, but as God works in us, we work good deeds for Him, demonstrating our faith. We can’t control our tongue & words on our own, but because we’re new creations & the Holy Spirit lives in us, we can learn to tame our tongue – not based on our work, but based upon HIS work. Goes back to James 1:17 – every good gift & perfect gift comes from God the Father. Every area in which we grow in our character & become more & more like Jesus is due to the grace of God!
.

9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

A. This is the problem with our tongue – it was given us so that we could give praise, honor, and glory to God…but what we actually do with it is far different.

B. Note the hypocrisy being pointed out here: to bless God, yet curse men made in the image of God is flat-out hypocritical. If anyone says they love God & hate their brother, they’re a liar (1 John 4:20). People (though fallen) are made in the image of God – to curse them, hate them, insult them, etc. is to insult the God who made them.
.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

A. Like the old phrase, “You kiss your mother with those lips?” … Of course it ought not be so! We ought to be giving praise to God – speaking comfort to men – building one another up – exhorting one another to good works – proclaiming the gospel to those around us & more. The Bible gives us many things to do with our tongue other than cursing!
.

11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

A. Example #5: unity in nature. Interesting illustration. Nature shows us that one source generates a certain kind of product/fruit…not opposite kinds…

B. If that’s the case with nature, how is it different with us? Here’s the idea: we console ourselves thinking that our mouths are sometimes good/sometimes bad. But the problem is that even in nature, it can’t be both. Thus if it’s sometimes bad with us, then in reality it’s ALL bad because it’s all been spewing from the same place. I.e. even our blessings to God are somewhat tainted because it’s come from a mouth that spews forth curses on His created beings…
__a. This is where grace comes in. Praise God for the righteousness given us by Jesus Christ! Left to our own devices, even our praises are rotten – but in Christ Jesus, we are made pure & perfect in the sight of God. Even when we trip up in sin & accidentally curse our brother, Jesus has already paid the price for that at the cross… God made the bitter waters sweet by the hand of Moses (Exo 15); God made our bitter praises sweet by the grace of Christ.
__b. BTW – it’s precisely because the Lord Jesus already paid the price that our behavior ought to change. The Son of God didn’t pay the price for your sin in order that you could have the liberty to keep sinning as much as you wanted – He paid the price for you & made you a new creation so that you would change! We of all people have even more reason to watch what comes out of our mouths & hearts towards our brothers & sisters…we want whatever it is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ who redeemed us.
.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

A. Change of subject? Not really…how does someone control their tongue? How do they attempt to tame it through the power of the Holy Spirit? By Godly wisdom. The wise man/woman demonstrates his/her wisdom through “meekness.” The idea here is that meekness is the opposite of wrath & cursing. A wise man has his tongue under control…which is demonstrated though his “good conduct.”

B. Consistency is the key. Virtually everyone has occasional times when they fly off the handle – but wisdom is demonstrated through consistency. The person who praises God in the church building, but lives with outbursts of wrath when they get home in private cannot claim to have shown good conduct. The one who controls their words in public AND private is the one who shows him/herself to be wise & understanding.
.

14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

A. What’s “bitter envy & self-seeking”? “Envy” = zeal…but obviously the context here isn’t a godly zeal. “Self-seeking” comes from a word that means to work as a day-laborer. James’ intent is that the person is looking out for their own interests, without regard to others or to the truth. [] It’s easy to think of worldly examples of bitter envy & self-seeking (ambition) – but remember that James is writing to the Church (“my brethren”). What does this look like in the Church? Some might be false teachers/unqualified teachers per vs. 1 who just want the perks of being “in the ministry.” Others might be folks that have a good cause, but go about it in such a way that it demeans Christ & it just serves to build up their own name.

B. So what is someone to do if James is describing you here? Don’t lie about it. Certainly don’t boast in your sin, but don’t lie & claim you’re not self-seeking or zealous with an ungodly zeal. Problems aren’t solved by ignoring them. The Holy Spirit didn’t put these verses in the Bible to condemn us & leave us feeling guilty; if He convicts your heart, He wants you to do something about it! Repent from the sin & submit to the Lord’s guidance…

C. James goes on to describe what this false wisdom is like – see vs. 15…
.

15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

A. Selfish egotism is demonic & leads to evil. Just as the demons have a type of “faith” that doesn’t begin to approach real faith (2:19), they have a type of “wisdom” that doesn’t approach the real thing. To be zealous for oneself & one’s own motives is thought of as wisdom in the eyes of the world, but it’s truly soulish & selfish & is precisely the opposite of what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves.

B. Keep the context in mind. Those with unruly tongues do so many times because of envy & self-seeking in their hearts. They’re setting themselves up for the same trap as the Devil who rose up against God in pride & was cast down.
.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

A. The opposite of “demonic wisdom”… True wisdom is yielded to the things of God & reflects the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). True wisdom is not of the earth; it’s from above (like every other good gift) – true wisdom doesn’t seek itself; it’s willing to yield – true wisdom doesn’t spew forth blessings & cursings; it’s without hypocrisy. We want to be wise with our words…seek true wisdom!

B. Keep the promise of Ch 1 in mind: James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. [] Wisdom is something God wants to give you! We have not because we ask not.
.

18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

A. Great summation. Those who sow peace with their tongues display a fruit of righteousness with their actions…they demonstrate the wisdom of God & give praises to His name. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt 5:9)

Conclusion:
Men & women – may we be careful with our tongue & the words of our lips! James tells us many things about our tongue:
• Tongues that teach are judged (vs 1)
• Tongues trip us up & are tough to tame (vs 2-7)
• Tongues can be tainted (vs. 9-12)
• Tongues tell the type wisdom – demonic or Godly (vs. 13-18)

So how’s your tongue? Do you use words as a balm or a whip? It’s easy to fall into the line of thinking that words don’t matter – after all, they just disappear into thin air. But the schoolyard rhyme is a lie: Sticks & stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Wrong. Words DO hurt – and words can hurt for a long time with devastating effects.

Maybe you’re here & have been hurt by words in the past… Turn to Christ Jesus who alone has the words of life. Maybe you’re here & have hurt others with your words – your kids, spouse, neighbors… Ask forgiveness from God – seek to be reconciled to others – and then ask God for wisdom in using your tongue best. Submit your tongue to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit & start sowing peace…

1 Samuel 24-25, “Let God Handle It”
———————

How do you respond when someone comes against you? We’ve all experienced injustice at times – and we get justifiably angry. The fact that we’re angry is normal; how we handle that anger matters greatly. Do we respond by trying to get even? Do we try to puff up our own reputation? Or do we show mercy to those who have wronged us? We ought to show mercy & allow God to handle it in the way He so chooses.

David is going to encounter 2 events in Ch 24-25 in which he is absolutely wronged, and in the world’s eyes, he would have been justified in exacting his own revenge… In one instance, he immediately shows grace – in the other, he eventually gets around to it…but in both cases, God is the One who delivers David, and because of the grace of God, David is able to extend that same grace to others.

1 Samuel 24 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

A. When we last left David & Saul, Saul was closing in for the capture by surrounding David’s army. Things looked pretty bleak until God sent the Philistines to invade the land, which forced Saul to leave David alone for a bit. (Amazing that God would use a pagan attack in that way – but God is God!) So David escaped by the hand of God, and he ends up in the Wilderness of En Gedi. [Map]

B. Saul is obsessed with David! He can’t wait to try to kill him…as soon as he gets done with one battle & receives information on where David may be, he sets his army out again to capture him. The numbers are pretty overwhelming here. David has about 600 men in his army; Saul has 3000. Saul’s playing for keeps!
__a. It doesn’t matter how much we try to fight against the will of God; God’s will is always going to be done. Saul was fighting against the will of God & that’s always a losing battle…
.

3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. ( David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

A. David couldn’t be in a more advantageous situation here. Here he is hiding in the caves, and not only has Saul’s spies not found him, King Saul himself comes into the very cave David is hiding in, in order to go to the bathroom. Saul is (to put it mildly) is a very compromised position, and David could have killed him at any moment.

B. But note that David does NOT kill Saul! Instead, he cuts off the corner of Saul’s robe (which was probably lying on the floor of the cave). Keep in mind this has some significance – the robe is what Saul laid hold of for Samuel when the kingdom was being ripped away from him (1 Sam 15:27). The robe was the symbol of power & authority for a person – and by cutting off a corner of Saul’s robe, David was not only giving Saul a warning, but it showed that the kingly authority had been taken from Saul & given to David. … In any case, David showed much mercy! Instead of taking vengeance upon his enemy, David refrains & just shows what could-have happened.

C. Had David actually received a prophecy about this day? Apparently some word of the Lord had been given to David at some point – but there’s a bit of ambiguity of what it means. Was it a reference to Saul? Another enemy in the future? David does do “as seems good” – but what was good was showing mercy & relying upon the hand of God to make things right.
.

5 Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 And he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

A. Why did it trouble David? Because of what it implied. David was not the one taking the kingdom away from Saul; that was God. Just in the symbolism, David’s heart struck him…which speaks immensely of the integrity David had.

B. Question: was it David’s duty to remove Saul from the throne of Israel? After all, David was already anointed to be king. No. God placed Saul on the throne; God would be the One to take him out… …
__a. If we want to defend ourselves, God is going to let us. But how much better it is when we let God be our defense! Psalm 7:9-10 (9) Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. (10) My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. [] (Written about another Benjamite.) God knows what we’re going through – God knows what is right & just…we can trust Him!

C. People need to be careful about stretching out your hand against the Lord’s anointed! Be careful not to mislabel here…who’s the Lord’s anointed? The Lord Jesus…the Christ/Messiah! How would someone do this today? Look no further than Saul/Paul … (Acts 9:4, “why are you persecuting Me?”) Those who persecute the church are persecuting Jesus Christ…
__a. To a lesser extent, Christians might be guilty of a similar sin when we stir up divisions among one another. Our Lord Jesus prayed that His church would be united (John 17:21)… When we purposefully cause division, we’re coming against the Lord’s desire for His church; we’re rebelling against Jesus Himself. …
.

8 David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down.

A. Note the respect. This was a man trying to kill David…

B. David responds in humility with Saul. David’s not going to be perfect in this area, but at least here he’s a good example.
.

9 And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? 10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’ 11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it.

A. Basically tells Saul, “You’re listening to lies about me – and here’s the proof!”…

B. David wasn’t the one sinning against Saul; Saul was the one sinning against David.
.

12 Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15 Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”

A. Let the LORD judge… Amen! When God judges, it’s always right…
.

16 So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

A. Saul wept, but did Saul mean it? Hard to say…Saul had certainly been given to emotional fits before. At the very least, we know that his grief was only temporary due to the face that he would continue to persecute David…
__a. Saul had emotion; he didn’t have a Godly reason for that emotion. I.e., he was sad, but it was a sadness over worldly things – he got caught. Godly sorrow leads to repentance… (2 Cor 7:10)

B. At this point, even Saul publicly acknowledges that David will be the next king…

C. BTW – this is how we should want our enemies to speak of us. That they would see our good conduct and be ashamed of how they reviled us (1 Pet 3:16). We are to let our light so shine before them that they can’t help but glorify God (Matt 5:16).
.

21 Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.” 22 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

A. David had made a similar promise with Jonathan – and he was good to his word. Most of Saul’s household will die, not due to David, but due to the sins of Saul himself.
.

1 Samuel 25 (NKJV)
1 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

A. Passing of Samuel… Last of the judges…this was the end of an era. Anointed both Saul & David… Samuel seemed to have a lot of regret over Saul – but he also knew of God’s solution. Although he didn’t live to see David crowned king, he knew that God had provided the right king for the nation.

B. Why didn’t David go to the funeral? Most likely because he was still running from Saul…
.

2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

A. Their names are interesting here & plays into the Scripture. Nabal = “fool”… Abigail = “source of joy”… Both are definitely going to live up to their names…

B. On the surface, Nabal had it all. He came from a great family – “He was of the house of Caleb,” & he was “very rich…” Neither served him well! Good family lineages don’t guarantee anything. Nabal is absolutely nothing like his ancestor! Nor did his riches give him the wisdom he needed…
__a. It’s the opposite for us, isn’t it? We come from nowhere (we’re dead in our sins), and we have nothing to offer God (filthy rags), but in Christ we’re given everything!
.

4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”

A. Gotta understand the culture here. These were dangerous times in Israel – bands of Philistines would come in and raid towns (1 Sam 23:1), among other bandits & robbers. On top of it, there didn’t seem to be a regular police force…just soldiers for Saul’s army (who were routinely searching for David). If a warrior wasn’t with Saul, he’d work in someone else’s service – such as David’s 600 mighty men. How does a warrior survive? 2 ways: (1) plunder after a battle, and (2) grateful payment from those whom they protected. Apparently, David’s men had protected Nabal’s servants & flocks, and David is asking for some provisions for his men. Especially with the timing around a feast day, Nabal should have had no problem giving some food away.
.

9 So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited. 10 Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. 11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

A. Was Nabal grateful? No! He was rude & insulting. David was well-known as the son-in-law to the king (and the conqueror of Goliath), and yet Nabal treats him with absolute disdain, using the same insults on him that Saul did.

B. Nabal doesn’t even respond out of basic compassion. To him, he had earned everything he had (no credit to God), and he didn’t want to share with anyone – especially the stranger (who really weren’t strangers at all).

C. People respond to the Son of David with similar disdain today… They absolutely revile Jesus Christ… They have no clue Who it is they insult…
.

12 So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

A. David’s response? Understandable anger…

B. Is this something David should have done? Probably not. God is definitely going to use this & there’s much we can learn in the process – but David had already been humble with Saul & allowed God to be his defense; David should have done the same thing here. (And God is going to teach him exactly that.)
.

14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”

A. Servants warn Abigail – they’re rightly afraid for their lives…

B. How sad is it that Nabal’s own servants can’t even talk sense to him? It’s one thing when it’s David’s men; it’s another thing when it’s the people that Nabal knows.
.

18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.

A. Was Abigail being deceptive? Some think so; I disagree. She didn’t tell her husband, but she was trying to save his life, her life, and the lives of all their household. This was a debt both of them owed, and she’s taking care of it. In the end, she DID tell her husband; it was just after everything was resolved.
.

21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. 22 May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.” [Planning on a total massacre!]

23 Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24 So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25 Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

A. Abigail responds in humility…

B. Abigail responds with responsibility… Had she actually sinned? No – but she’s willing to take the punishment that her husband deserved.
.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

A. What’s she doing here? Interceding for her house…

B. This is what intercession is all about! God righteously judges a people, and others stand in the gap pleading for them, asking God to show His mercy and grace. This is exactly what happened with Abraham & Sodom… [Gen 18] When we’re interceding for the lost, this is the same thing. They rightly deserve the judgment and wrath of God, but we’re interceding for their souls in the name of Jesus Christ & asking God to save them in His mercy & grace…
__a. The question sometimes comes up: “If God could just save someone, why doesn’t He just do it, rather than waiting on someone to pray?” First of all, God CAN save anyone He wants, and He often does so without us…we haven’t a clue this side of Heaven how many He’s saved by sheer revelation apart from any of us. But that aside, the fact is God invites us to pray – He wants us to pray. It’s not a “have-to” pray for the lost; it’s a “get-to” pray & intercede for the lost!
.

29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

A. Abigail is speaking with a lot of faith here! She’s confident in what the Lord is teaching David, and that it is God Himself keeping David from doing something he’d regret later.

B. Basically pleading to have mercy shown to her house both now & after David is enthroned as king. Quite the opposite from Nabal who refused to even recognize David as the next king.
.

32 Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34 For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”

A. David receives her gift & her intercession…

B. David recognizes that Abigail’s coming was by the hand of the Lord, who stopped him from shedding blood.
.

35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” 36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

A. Picture the scene. Nabal had refused to even give the barest provisions to David’s men, but he’s partying in his house living it up while his own wife is pleading for his life. Abigail gets back, waits until he’s sober, and then tells him how close he came to death. Apparently it was such a shock that he had a stroke on the spot!
.

38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

A. God avenged David! …
.

39 So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.” 41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

A. Now that Nabal the fool is dead, David sends for Abigail to be his wife. She once was bound to a “harsh & evil” man, but now she will be married to the future king of Israel! … Reminiscent of Romans 7, where the wife dies to the law that held her & is bound to Jesus Christ in new life and freedom… Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. []

B. Abigail is such a righteous woman! She’s still responding to David in such humility… Isn’t that how we’re supposed to respond to our king? He’s our friend & brother (praise the Lord!), but He’s also our Lord & Master. We come boldly before the throne of grace, but we still come humbly in reverent submission to our God.
.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. 44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

A. Polygamy is never condoned in Scripture; it’s just recorded. David (like his sons) participated in it freely…

B. One more act of insult from Saul here. David had won the right of marriage to Michal by killing Goliath & bringing back 200 foreskins of the Philistines. But Saul here tries to cut all family ties with David by forcing David’s wife (Saul’s daughter) into adultery (no divorce).

Conclusion:
It’s not a question of whether or not someone will come against us unjustly; it’s simply a question of when. Maybe it’ll be in your job as people play office politics – maybe it’ll be in your home with a jealous family member – maybe it’ll even be against your faith in the Lord Jesus. Whatever it is, and whenever it happens, there’s no doubt that at some point we’re going to be tempted to take things into our own hands & seek revenge.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, that’s no longer your job! You were bought with a price and you belong to the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. So may we follow His word in handling injustice – let Him handle it in His wisdom.

James 2:14-26, “Faith: It’s Alive!”
———————-

Question: What does faith look like? We know we need to have faith in Christ Jesus as the Son of God risen from the dead in order to be saved…the Bible is perfectly clear here. But if faith is necessary to be saved, it’s vital that we can define that faith & demonstrate what faith looks like. To some, ‘faith’ is mere intellectual assent – a kind of holy Bible trivia. To others, ‘faith’ is some kind of force people can claim in order to work miracles. But what does the Bible say about faith – real faith?

To throw one more wrench into the works, is the Bible (as some claim) conflicted on the matter of ‘faith’? This very chapter is at the heart of why Martin Luther did not see the Epistle of James on the same level as the rest of Scripture. At first glance, it seems that Paul & James not only disagree on faith, but are at flat-out opposite ends on it. Eph 2:8-9 states plainly that we are saved by grace through faith & not of works. Couldn’t be any clearer here in Paul’s writings that faith saves us completely apart from works; otherwise we would have something to boast in – something we “achieved” apart from the grace of God.

So what are we left with? Is Paul in one corner & James in the other & we’ve got to let them duke it out in the Bible boxing ring – whoever lasts longest has the right doctrine? Be careful here! The 1st thing we need to remember is that even though James & Paul were the writers of their letters, the ultimate author behind them is God. God is One – and perfectly consistent within Himself – He is not the author of confusion. Thus James & Paul could not be arguing against each other; they must be making different arguments altogether.

And that’s exactly what’s happening. James and Paul are perfectly consistent because they are writing of two completely different aspects of faith. To Paul, we need faith (that God gives us) in order to be made righteous. To James, faith is what we as Christians already have, and it’s demonstrated through righteous acts & works. Paul is describing what happens when someone is born-again; James is describing the ongoing faith of someone who is already born-again. That person’s faith is alive! It’s active! It’s ongoing! And when it’s not, then it’s not really faith – it’s dead.

James 2:14-26 (NKJV)
14. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

A. At 1st glance, this is a shocking statement…and perhaps it’s meant to be exactly that. It’s the type of thing that makes you sit up & pay attention. ‘What do you mean by questioning whether or not faith can save?! Of course it can save! If it can’t, what hope do we have?’ That may be exactly the reaction the verse is meant to get. We have NO hope of salvation outside of faith in Jesus Christ – our best attempts at righteousness are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6)… Since that is the case, then we better take a close look at what James is talking about here.

B. What’s the issue here? A “faith” which “does not have works.” I.e., this is referring to a type of faith. People have faith in all kinds of things. Some people trust their own intellect alone – some trust in false gods – some trust in their own abilities, etc. But not all faith is of the same value. What determines its value? Its ability to save. [Magical pen/stick] If it can’t save, it’s worthless. The same concept applies here. Apparently in the 1st century church (as today), there were people who claimed to have a completely internal, intellectual faith – they could repeat the creeds & sing the hymns, but that’s as far as it went. There were no works in the person’s life as a result of that faith…no fruit showing what the seed of the gospel had done in him/her. A faith that has no works can’t truly be called “faith”…at least, it’s not a living faith. Thus this faith cannot save him.
.

- Example of this kind of ‘faith’…
15. If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16. and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

A. Can you imagine it? You’re walking down the street one day, and you see someone from church in desperate straits. Their clothes are in tatters while the wind is blowing cold, and it looks like they haven’t eaten in days. Our pious response? “Trust in the Lord, brother! He’ll provide for you!” And then we walk off. How pious & how pathetic! It may be theologically true, but it’s practically useless. Such religiosity wouldn’t “profit” anyone…neither the person in need, or us. How so? Because we would have just proven our so-called faith was dead!
.

17. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

A. That’s about as straightforward as it gets. Dead faith is useless faith. Dead faith is a faith that cannot save. Thus dead faith is dangerous because it gives people a false assurance of salvation. Dead faith is what Jesus condemns at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 7:21-23 (21) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ (23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ [] On one hand, we could argue that these people had works in their faith because of all the religious things that they did. But Christ Jesus sets us straight. Their faith was dead because their faith was left to mere religious ritual; their actual lives were filled with ongoing lawlessness. …

B. We don’t want a dead faith; we need a faith that is alive & vibrant! A faith that’s alive is a faith that works. A living faith shows itself through actions & deeds.
.

18. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

A. The proof is in the pudding… Living faith can be (and is) demonstrated in works.

B. What kinds of works is James talking about here? Actually, James has already given many examples (and will give many more) – most famously Ch 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Internal & external examples:
__a. Internal: Purity in spirit… Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)…
__b. External: Compassion… Purity in deed…

C. Note that none of the works James mentions throughout the letter are ritualistic. It’s not a matter of how many prayers we can pray (though prayer is good) – it’s not a matter of how much money we can give (though giving is good) – it’s not a matter of how many rituals we can participate in… The works that show our faith are works of love & purity. These are works of faith because they are works that began in faith.
.

19. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

A. Believing is good! Believing is foundational – and we’ve got to believe essential doctrine correctly. James references the 1st part of the Hebrew Shema – from which Jesus gives us the Great Commandment: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (4) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. [] Faithful Jews would repeat this at least twice daily & affirm their belief in the One God. But for those who would equate “belief” with mere knowledge, the Bible shows us knowledge isn’t anywhere near enough. Even demons have right doctrine. The Devil himself has more Scripture memorized than most people. Faith begins with belief, but it cannot remain in our intellect…living faith shows itself.
__a. (Wiersbe) “Beware of a mere intellectual faith. No man can come to Christ by faith and remain the same any more than he can come into contact with a 220-volt wire and remain the same.”

B. It actually seems that demons believe more than some people do. At least they have a more appropriate response to the awesomeness of God: they tremble in fear! Is this an act of faith for the demons? No; they tremble because they know 1st hand the holiness of God. Yet they still rebel against Him. The person who claims to be a Christian but yet has a dead faith is in a similar category as the demons…a bunch of head knowledge, but no repentance. The difference is that the person with dead faith isn’t trembling yet!
.

20. But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

A. Case study #1: Abraham… [Context of Gen 22]

B. Was Abraham justified by works or justified by faith? This is not the only time Abraham is brought up in the NT: Romans 4:1-4 (1) What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? (2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. (3) For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (4) Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. [] So Romans 4 specifically says that Abraham was not justified by works, but James 2 says that he was. What’s going on here? This is James’ whole point. Abraham had faith – amen! But what would have happened if Abraham had told God, “Lord, I believe You. I know that You are God & that my life & my son’s life are in Your hands. I believe that Your promises are true, and that Isaac is the son that will inherit Your covenant. I’ve got no other hope except for You. But I’m not going to put my son on the altar, because I think You’re nuts.”?! It doesn’t matter what Abraham had previously confessed with his lips; his actions would have shown that he had zero faith in the promise of God…

C. But that’s not what happened. Abraham believed God, and his belief was demonstrated when he bound his beloved son to the altar & lifted up the knife to kill him. He knew that God was going to keep His promise – even if it meant resurrecting Isaac from the dead… Abraham’s intellectual belief was proven to be heartfelt faith in this singular act – and he was declared righteous by God & called the father of all those who believe (Rom 4:4).
__a. All of this is ultimately a foreshadowing of what God does with His only begotten Son Jesus at the cross!
.

22. Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

A. Faith & works go hand-in-hand…it’s not ‘either/or’; it’s ‘both/and’. [Swindoll – goalpost.] Abraham’s work showed that his “faith was made perfect”…it was complete. IOW, his faith was shown to be a mature, living faith through his act of obedience and trust in the Lord.

B. Notice that these are not works of the Law. The Law hadn’t even been given by this point… And even the prior covenants of God (Adam, Noah, etc.) had nothing to do with Abraham’s act of faith. No one is EVER made perfect by keeping the law! The law stops our mouths & show us to be guilty before God (Rom 3:19) – the law shows us our sin & shows the holiness of God (Rom 7:7) – the law is our tutor to bring us to Christ, and once we are in Christ we are no longer in need of a tutor (Gal 3:24-25). Nowhere in the book of James do we find an exhortation to go back to the Law of Moses. This is not a book of legalism; this is a book that calls us to a living faith!

C. What’s the difference? Abraham’s work was not a work of the Law; it was a work of faith. It was a work borne out of his faith… His faith came first, and it was proven through his actions…see vs. 23.
.

23. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

A. The timing here is really interesting & helps us to understand James rightly. He writes “And the Scripture was fulfilled…” Which Scripture is it? Genesis 15:6, after Abram had met Melchizedek (the mysterious king & priest who’s a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ), and when God cuts a one-sided covenant with Abram. God promised that Abram would bear a son of his own body & that God would make him into a great nation – and Abram believed God & it was accounted to him for righteousness. With that in mind, when did Abraham put Isaac on the altar? 30+ years later in Genesis 22! Was Abraham’s faith valid all that time? Yes! He was made righteous the very moment God accounted it to him in Gen 15:6. But it wasn’t until Gen 22:10 that the Scripture was “fulfilled” & his faith was proven/confirmed through his actions. Faith always comes 1st; whether or not it is alive is shown by our works.

B. Abraham was not justified in reward for any righteous deed (he didn’t buy God off) – he was not justified by any work of the law (God wasn’t forced to give it to him) – Abraham was only justified by the grace of God through faith, which was shown to be complete though his work…his work of faith.
.

24. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

A. It ought to be so clear. If we’re trying to reduce “faith” to some sort of list of doctrines we claim to believe, and then tell God, “I’m cleared to be saved now; I can pass the test!”, then we’re fooling ourselves. We’re certainly not fooling God into thinking that our faith is real! … Works are absolutely essential to a living faith, in that we see the reality of our faith through our works.

B. Keep in mind that the entire NT is consistent here. The gospels tell us that we need to believe & have life in the name of Christ (John 20:31), but also tell us that he who has Jesus’ commandments & keep them, that’s the person who truly loves the Lord Jesus & that’s the person Jesus loves (John 14:21). The 1st evangelistic sermon given on the day of Pentecost challenged the Jews to show their faith by their works by repenting (action) & being baptized (declaration of faith) & if they did so, they could be assured of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Even the apostle Paul makes it perfectly clear that we are saved through faith alone, but still calls us to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. Even his most famous writing on the subject makes the point: Ephesians 2:8-10 (8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. [] We are to walk in faith, so we want a real faith – a living faith. And a faith that’s alive is a faith that works!

C. This is a truth the American Church needs to be reminded of today! We’ve done a perfectly good job of separating faith from works, with camps on both extremes declaring the other to be heretics. Generations of people have come up in churches where it’s works, works, works, and nothing but works. Ritualistic works – social works – priestly works. Miss a work, and you miss salvation… On the other hand, we’ve got the other extreme where all someone has to do is walk forward, mutter a prayer, and they’ve been declared to be saved for all eternity. Never mind the fact that they have no fear of God; no respect for the Lord Jesus. They know the bare facts about the gospel, but it made no difference in their lives whatsoever – yet they’ve been assured that they’re “saved” & they never need to worry about examining their own heart ever again…
__a. Both extremes are wrong! We are saved by grace through faith alone, but true faith is never alone. Faith is always accompanied by works; when it isn’t, it’s probably a sign that the faith wasn’t real in the 1st place.
.

25. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

A. Case study #2: Rahab. [Context… Joshua 2] What makes Rahab such a good 2nd example is that she’s such a stark contrast from Abraham. Abraham was THE patriarch of the Hebrew faith; Rahab was a Gentile woman. Abraham was well-known & respected; Rahab was a prostitute. For those who might claim that Abraham was justified because of what such a good person he was, James blasts away that argument with a single shot! Abraham was justified because of his living faith; not because of anything he had earned. And we know this because Rahab was justified in exactly the same way.

B. Just like Abraham, Rahab demonstrated true living faith in the One True God through her actions. She could have easily have claimed to have faith & then let the Hebrew spies be found & killed…but what kind of faith is that? It wouldn’t have been faith at all. Yet she not only declared her faith in words (Josh 2:11), she demonstrated it through her actions…
.

26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

A. Concluding statement. Our spirits are what move our bodies into action. Our bodies can actually be kept alive on medical equipment, but once the spirit is gone, that body isn’t going to get up out of bed ever again. Likewise with faith & works. It takes both for it to be real & alive. May God keep us from holding up a shell of so-called faith in place of the real thing!

Conclusion:
Is it clear? A faith that’s alive is a faith that works. It’s such a simple concept, but it’s absolutely foundational! God forbid any of us would stand before Jesus Christ on the Day of Judgment & hear those terrible words: “Depart from Me; I never knew you.” It’s not a matter of whether or not we’re claiming to have faith for ourselves because we know the right answers to Bible trivia questions; it’s whether or not we truly have faith – a living faith, an active faith, a faith that shows that we’ve received Jesus as Lord because there’s no way that could actually happen without something changing.

So here’s the million dollar question: is your faith alive? Is your faith the type of faith that’s merely intellectual, that’s had no impact on your life? You’re still living in just as much sin as you always did prior to claiming Jesus as Savior – you’ve had no outpouring of compassion on your neighbors to love them as yourself because of what Jesus did for you? That’s a dead faith! It’s an empty shell. You need to take the test of 2 Cor 13:5 & examine yourself to see if Jesus Christ is in you. And then get on your face before God & seek Him.

What if your faith seems to be inconsistent (like the rest of us)? Some days it seems to be alive & vibrant, and other days it seems to be dead? That’s just life. Keep in mind that we don’t put our faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation, and then try to hold onto our salvation through our works…as if the 1st time we mess up, God will throw us out of the family. Both James and Paul (and the rest of the Bible) would affirm your salvation rests in the hands & grace of Jesus Christ. It is HIS work on the cross that saves you; not your own. The works we do in Christ are simply the evidence of the work Jesus has already done within us through our faith in Him. So let James 2 be a wake-up call to you. If you’re falling into the trap of a lazy intellectual faith, beware of what that faith looks like – and then take action. Ask Jesus for forgiveness & then repent…

1 Samuel 22-23, “Fleeing in Faith”
———————–

When we last left David, he was running for his life away from Saul. Saul was furious that the kingdom had been ripped away from him, and promised to David – and even his own son Jonathan had covenanted with this person he saw as a usurper to the throne. So, finding a way to trick Saul, Jonathan & David learned Saul’s true intents, and David fled. He did so by walking in his flesh – lying to the priest Ahimelech, and trying to find refuge in the land of his enemy (Gath of Philistia). To keep his head, David has to feign insanity, but even in his humiliation he praised God (Ps 34), recognizing that God was the one to deliver him.

So will David learn his lesson? He’s tried fleeing in his flesh; now he’s going to try fleeing in faith. And God will prove Himself to be faithful every time.

1 Samuel 22 (NKJV)
1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam [Ps 57 & 142 written there]. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

A. Interesting development with his brothers. Originally, they seemed to object to David’s anointing, but now they receive it… At the very least, they recognize the potential trouble their lives could be in, simply for being related to David. For the right reason or just a convenient one, they ended up coming alongside the anointed one of God.
__a. Isn’t that the way so many of us were? Some people truly saw their spiritual poverty & trusted Christ. Others had no where else to go, so they came to the foot of the Cross. Still others of us didn’t even have a clue what was going on & God surprised us out of the blue & called us to Himself. (Personally, I was just going for a free concert…) However we came to Christ, praise God that He revealed Himself to us & saved us!

B. Who came with David? 400 men badly in need of help. In debt, in trouble, in discontent with Saul…not exactly what most recruiting officers would be looking for when building an army. If a general had his pick of the crop, most of these guys probably would have been refused. … We see the same thing with Jesus & the disciples. He chose fishermen, tax collectors, hotheads (James & John), doubters (Thomas), and even petty thieves (Judas) to follow him.
__a. Just like us. We were not the noble ones, but God called us… 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (26) For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. (27) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; [] There was nothing about us that God should have chosen us; all of us should have been rejected! But God in His grace DID choose us! …
__b. BTW, this may be how David’s army began, but this is not how they were known later on. The more time they spent with David, they eventually became known as “David’s mighty men.” … The same thing happens to us the more time we spend with Christ Jesus. Look at what happened to the apostles: all but Judas Iscariot followed Christ to the end – surprising the Sanhedrin with their knowledge & turning the world upside down with the gospel. What can God do with someone who’s willing to spend time at the feet of Jesus, absorbing the word of God, being filled with the Holy Spirit? God can use that man or woman to move mountains!
.

3 Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

A. Providing protection for his family… Why Moab? Possibly because of his family connections via great-grandmother Ruth…
.

5 Now the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

A. Already see a big difference from last week. Here, David is being guided by God, through the prophet Gad. … Gad is going to serve with David for years to come, even pronouncing the chastisement of God when David sins as king by ordering a census of the people (2 Sam 24). But David had a desire to know & seek out the word of God, and he’s learning from his past mistakes of walking in the flesh.
.

6 When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him— 7 then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? 8 All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”

A. The man is paranoid…accusing the whole tribe of Benjamin of conspiring against him, and concealing Jonathan’s covenant with David. As if the whole tribe knew? Saul is consumed with rage and jealousy. He doesn’t trust the Lord & he certainly doesn’t trust men.
__a. Did it have to be this way with Saul? No. Saul could have been grateful for the role God gave him to play; instead, he was never satisfied. He attempted to take priestly duties away from Samuel – he attempted to supersede the commands of God regarding the army – and never once has he humbled himself to repent & accept God’s decision & word. He could have easily have been like John the Baptist, saying of David, “He must increase, while I must decrease” (John 3:30), and it would have been to the glory of God. Instead, Saul continues in despair, distrust, and destruction.

B. Re: “fields & vineyards…captains.” This is an appeal to tribal loyalty. David is of Judah; Saul is of Benjamin. Saul is basically trying to buy the people’s loyalty & claim that David would no longer give them preferential treatment like Saul did.
.

9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

A. Here, Doeg shows his true colors. In Ch 21, Doeg was detained at the Tabernacle with the priests – but obviously not due to any devotion for God. He was a Gentile servant of Saul, and was there for some other reason; he obviously had no care for God or respect for the priest. He takes the 1st opportunity to betray David & Ahimelech in order to grow his own reputation with Saul…
.

11 So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?”

A. Saul insults him (“son of Ahitub” – not 1st name); degrades the priest in front of the whole company of people gathered there.

B. Saul assumes the worst. Instead of getting Ahimelech’s side of the story, Saul is predisposed to believing that the Gentile Doeg is more faithful to him than the priest of the Most High God. It’s folly to answer a matter before hearing it out (Prov 18:13); Saul is showing himself to be a fool here.

C. It should go without saying that Saul provides a great example in how NOT to handle conflict. Nothing about Saul at this point reflects either the love of God or the true justice of God.
.

14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? 15 Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.”

A. Ahimelech defends David (calling him by his name; not the insult Saul used “son of Jesse”). David had a reputation for being honorable (amen!), and Saul had no reason to think ill of him. (Interesting that at this point, many people in the nation saw Saul’s irrationality for what it was; the only person who was really blinded to it was Saul himself.)

B. Ahimelech defends his own actions. He was innocent of any wrong doing, because he had no reason to assume David was being pursued by Saul. To be accused of treason was certainly unfair, as Saul had obviously not put out any notices to the people of what was going on. If Ahimelech had known, he may have acted differently (then again, maybe not)…but it was an unfair charge.
.

16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” 17 Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD.

A. Saul is in a rage! Willing to murder to further his own kingdom, even though God had already ripped it from him…

B. Guards refuse… Question: was it wrong for them to disobey a direct order from their king? After all, we’re supposed to submit to the authorities over us (Rom 13:1)… Keep in mind even though we have rulers & authorities, that ultimately we serve God! The soldiers did what was right. [Apostles & Sanhedrin 2nd time] Acts 5:27-29 (27) And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, (28) saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” (29) But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. [] Given the choice between insubordination & murder, the guards were correct to honor God & disobey Saul.
.

18 And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. 19 Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

A. Doeg had no fear of God whatsoever. Massacred 85 priests + their families & livestock. Interestingly, the Bible never says what became of Doeg, but David was confident that God would show him His justice. Psalm 52:5 God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [] We can be certain that God is just & His justice WILL be done. Both with the Doegs of this world – and the ultimate enemy of our souls who inspired him. Satan WILL have his day in Hell…
.

20 Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests. 22 So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

A. David takes responsibility for his actions. He didn’t actually murder the priests, but he understands that it was his lie that put Ahimelech in that position.

B. David protects the one survivor of the massacre. We’re not told exactly when Abiathar actually met with David after the slaughter…probably not until 1 Sam 23:6. Whatever the actual chronology, Abiathar knew his only hope for survival was to stay under the protection of David.

C. What do we do when pursued by our enemy? Stay close to the Son of David, Jesus Christ! The devil hates us because the devil hates Jesus (like the world, John 15:18), but He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world!! (1 John 4:4) We need to stay close to Jesus Christ – He is our only hope – our only salvation – our rock of refuge – our strength!
.

1 Samuel 23 (NKJV)
1 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

A. What were the Philistines doing? Robbing Keilah of their produce. Keilah was a border town with Philistia, and they’d come in & take the wheat that had already been threshed & give it to their army.

B. Interesting that people brought the need to David, rather than their ‘official’ king… Protecting cities from the Philistines was a role Saul should have been fulfilling.
.

2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

A. We’re going to see a great pattern here…David inquires of the Lord. There is a legitimate need, but before David takes a step in that direction, he’s going to ask the Lord God if it is God’s will that he go there.
__a. Just because there’s a need doesn’t mean there’s a call. If we gave money to every single person & ministry who had need, we’d be broke by the end of the day. One of the reasons that God has brought us into the “body of Christ” is because we can’t individually do it all. The hand has to play the role of the hand, the foot has to work the role of the foot, etc… We want to be wise about what we do, never hesitating to do good, but always proceeding in prayer & according to the Word of God.

B. May we be a people who are quick to seek out the Lord’s will through prayer & the Scripture! That’s exactly what David did, probably through the prophet Gad. We may not have a prophet at our beck & call, but we have a far better revelation of the will of God: the completed Scriptures! Want to know God’s will for your life? Look it up in the Bible… Ask God through prayer… What a privilege we have! We have the freedom & even the invitation to bring all our requests before God: Philippians 4:6-7 (6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. [] If we want to walk in faith, we need to act according to faith. Be filled with the Spirit – seek the Lord’s guidance & wisdom in prayer – receive God’s instruction through the Bible…
.

3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

A. David’s 2nd inquiry with the Lord…basically asking for a confirmation of the previous call. This wasn’t a lack of faith in David; this was brought about by a concern of David’s army. Like any good leader, David is listening to those whom he’s serving, and doesn’t hesitate to take their very real concerns before God for God’s word on the matter.

B. What were they afraid of? Being caught between two armies. They were already on the run from Saul there in Judah. Now they would be going up against the Philistines as well…they were afraid of being caught in the middle with no way out. It was wise of them to ensure that God was calling them to go.

C. The end result? God would deliver the victory. In vs. 2, God commanded David to go save Keilah; in vs. 4 God confirms that He would make them victorious.
__i. When in doubt, seek the Lord!
.

5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. [Amen!] 6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand. 7 And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

A. David had just fought for the freedom of the city (which God granted), but now Saul lays siege to one of his own cities in his pursuit of David…

B. Completely messed up priorities! Saul has plenty of time to run after David, but apparently no time to protect his own people…
.

9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will deliver you.”

A. David’s 3rd & 4th inquiries. In a word, what’s going to happen? Betrayal. Faced with handing over David-the-hero, or being destroyed by their own king, the city would hand David over to Saul. On one hand, we can sympathize with them – they were in a tough situation, but betrayal is still betrayal. Instead of taking a stand to do what was right (like the guards regarding killing the priests), Keilah was planning to take the easy way out. … Men will often fail us; God never will. God never betrays us…He is always true.
.

13 So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.

A. David escaped the city unharmed (not waiting around for Keilah to betray him). And notice the growth…50%! Quite a few people are taking sides & joining with David.

B. Saul left Keilah after David did; he didn’t care about the city at all…neither to protect it, nor to destroy it. They were just a means to Saul’s end of destroying David.
__a. Saul provides such a tragic example. Never forget that this was a man who at one time was filled with the Holy Spirit & anointed by God for His glory. What a fall from grace! Complete abandonment of God, and it destroyed him.
.

14 And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

A. Don’t miss it here, this is key! WHO protected David? God. Saul would only catch David if God so allowed it. Our God is completely sovereign; there is nothing outside of His hands!
.

15 So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. 16 Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” 18 So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.

A. Renewed the covenant…

B. Note even Saul knew the truth about David becoming king; he was just kicking against the goads…
.

19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.” 21 And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on me. 22 Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of Judah.”

A. Another betrayal. Unlike Keilah who would have been forced to turn David over to Saul, Ziph proactively sought to curry Saul’s favor by delivering David into his hands. This was a far more foul motive. David wrote about this in the psalms – Psalm 54:1-3 (1) Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength. (2) Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. (3) For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah [] Wonderful prayer! David understood it wasn’t going to be by his own strength that he’d be saved; it would only be by the hand of God. The God Whom the Ziphites did not fear would be glorified & victorious.

B. This time, Saul didn’t go…asked Ziph to search out the caves & find David.
.

24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. [they escaped] 25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. [things are looking bad…] 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” […but God delivered!] 28 Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. 29 Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.

A. Saul had them on the run, and eventually surrounded David. Humanly speaking, David was through. But what is impossible for man is possible with God! God allowed an attack from the Philistines that forced Saul away from his pursuit…
__a. Can God use evil things for His purposes & glory? Yes! That doesn’t make them less evil; it just demonstrates God is sovereign over all. (Rom 8:28)

B. How sovereign is God? No matter how many times Saul came after David – no matter how many people betrayed him – David was not going to fall into the hands of Saul unless God allowed it. And God didn’t. … Just like Jesus! No one could lay a finger on Jesus unless He let them. People tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29), stone Him (John 8:59), and otherwise kill Him (John 5:18), but until God was ready & Jesus’ hour had come to suffer & die, people could not take Him. Even after Jesus was arrested & beaten, He knew that Pilate & the Romans had no power over Jesus unless God had given it to them (John 19:11).

a. So what? So God is in control. God is ALWAYS in control. Do we deal with the consequences of living in a fallen world? Yes. Do we deal with sin both of our own & of others? Yes. But nothing is going to happen to us that hasn’t gone through the careful fingers of God 1st. We can trust Him to deliver us! Maybe deliver us from the trial; maybe through the trial…but either way, our lives are in the hands of the God who loves us & bought us by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:
Huge contrast from Ch 20-21! When David first fled from Saul, he did so in his flesh. He was crafty, told many lies, and endangered the lives of those who helped him. In Ch 22-23, David is no longer operating in his flesh; he’s operating in faith! He took responsibility for his previous actions and started relying on the Lord completely for guidance, wisdom, and deliverance…

May we learn to do the same! Too often, we go off half-cocked in our flesh, and the result is we hurt ourselves & other people, and we end up having consequences to pay. But when we’re led by the Spirit, and we walk by faith, everything’s different. It doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer through trials (we will!), but we can be assured that God is the One who is taking us through those trials, giving us the strength to endure, and the wisdom to know how to proceed. He is the One who then gets the glory, and we praise His name as a result.

Whatever you’re walking through tonight, are you walking by faith? Are you seeking the will of God through prayer & the Scriptures? Are you relying on His power and His strength? Take the time tonight to commit yourself to the Lord & ask His help in walking by faith & not by sight.

James 2:1-13, “Show Mercy to ALL”
—————-

We’ve all seen it on TV. There’s a big ministry event or a huge church service, and as Camera 1 cuts away from the face of the preacher, Camera 2 focuses in on some celebrity that attends church there. One massive church in Florida at one point had a reputation for how many famous-name athletes attended there…they had great seats (right in view of the cameras), preferential parking, and exclusive private time with the pastor & his wife.

How can we put it gently? It was sinful – a prostitution of the gospel of grace that they claimed to preach. And it is exactly what James is referring to in this passage.

Think about it…those of us who are born-again have been given the most glorious privilege and grace in all the universe: we’ve had our incomprehensible sins forgiven & we’ve been saved by the Son of God! Whatever we had done in the past, it’s all wiped away in Christ Jesus…our punishment has gone upon Him, and He gave us His righteousness in return (not exactly a fair trade!). We have been shown mercy…we have been shown grace…we have been given a status that we most certainly did not deserve in that when we received Christ as Lord we were given the right to become the children of God (John 1:12).

With that in mind, who are we to show preference to one person over another – especially for entirely superficial reasons? We who have been shown mercy/grace ought to show mercy/grace to others. None of us deserved the blessings we’ve received in Christ, so none of us have any reason to withhold that blessing from others.

Remember our context from Ch 1: James challenged us to change our perspective regarding trials & temptations. In trials, we are to count it joy because God is sovereign, and we can trust Him to work good in our character (patience) & give us what we need to walk through it (wisdom). We were told how temptations arise (by us being enticed by our own desires), and what God gives us instead of temptations (every good thing & what we need to endure). Ch 1 ended with an exhortation to put our faith into action. Whether it is how we walk in trials, or how we live in purity or how we show the compassion of Christ, we are to DO the word & not just hear it.

This gives us a great transition to Ch 2. How better to apply “doing” the word than to look at how our faith is put into action regarding the rich man & poor man James referenced in 1:9-11? We do the word, but we do it equally – without regard to person.

James 2:1-13 (NKJV)
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

A. The focus of this passage is how we are to hold our faith, but it’s worth looking at what we are holding in the 1st place. “the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ” Talking about the gospel…the faith (sure steadfast belief) that Jesus is God incarnate who went to the cross for our sin & rose again on the 3rd day in victory in righteousness. This message is given to all the world so that all who would put their faith IN Jesus would be brought into the faith OF Jesus. Who is Jesus?
__a. The “Lord”: He’s the ruler – the master – the teacher…but more than that, Jesus is GOD. That’s exactly what “Lord” is referring to. Even his half-brother James acknowledges it, Jesus is “our Lord” – He’s our God & King who is worthy to be praised!
__b. The “Christ”: The awaited anointed Messiah of God – the promised deliverer of Israel & the world…the one who offers salvation to all who call upon Him.
__c. The “Lord of glory”: He is at the same time glorious, worthy of glory, and the brightness of the glory of God (Heb 1:3). ‘Glory’ is sometimes thought of as a quality that really ‘spiritual’ Christians are to seek after. Not so! Biblical glory is either the radiant majesty of God Himself or honor, praise, & worship…and there is only One who is worthy of it: God! God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit is worthy of all the glory for all time…

B. How are we to hold our faith in Christ? Without “partiality.” This seems to have been a very Jewish word in Greek – James likely took a Hebrew concept and made up a word to describe it. Literally, it means to “hold/lift up the face”…a greeting of acceptance. By itself, it’s not necessarily a bad thing – when Jacob returned to Esau, he sought to be accepted by him (Gen 32:20)…the same sort of idea. But when used among one another (as if choosing someone to which to give this acceptance), it becomes partial & prejudice. What James is referring to is the act of the church choosing some particular people out from the crowd & lifting them up above the others.
__a. One big reason the church shouldn’t show partiality? God doesn’t. [Telling Israel to fear God & do justly] Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (17) For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. (18) He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. [] That God does not show partiality is something for which we can give Him praise! That’s the very reason we are saved! The gospel was given to the Jew 1st because the Lord Jesus went to the Jews in fulfillment of Jewish prophecy…but God didn’t keep it to the Jews. Whether Jew or Gentile, God has made salvation through Jesus Christ available to ALL. This is what Peter was amazed at when the Spirit took him to the house of Cornelius for the purpose of sharing the gospel with him (Acts 10:34-35).

C. What does partiality look like? See vs 2…
.

2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,”

A. Example of partiality… [] We so often see the same thing today. The top givers in a church are identified & given special treatment (gifts, trips, attention), while the single parent who’s struggling to get by can’t even get an appointment with the pastoral staff. Special “nameplates” are bought for huge donations & those seats are reserved for the family who bought them, etc. There are dozens of ways in which special treatment is given to the top-givers of a church (or folks who are being sought after as potential top-donors), and the Bible has a very specific term for it: partiality.

B. This section of Scripture is foundational to how we handle money at CC Tyler. People give cheerfully as they worship the Lord & put money in the box. That box remains locked until Dave (who serves on our board as Treasurer) & another person are able to count the money from that particular week. I neither have a key to the box, nor am I involved in any way with the counting. I’m given a sealed envelope with the offering for the week which I later take to the bank. I know a grand total for each week (which is good stewardship), but I neither know who gives or who gives how much. Why take such specific steps? Because we want to be Biblical in how we handle finances & we want to avoid partiality at all costs.
.

4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

A. The Bible doesn’t mince words here. What some would think to be minor, the Lord shows us is evil. When we show partiality, we “become judges with evil thoughts.” It is unfair & unjust judgment, which Jesus specifically warns us away from (Matt 7:1 – judge not…planks & specks) We don’t want to be bad judges; we want to judge rightly…through the eyes of Jesus Christ & according to the word of God! And when it comes to people’s value to God, we don’t judge them at all. As a believer, they are a fellow child of God…as an unbeliever, they are a person for whom Christ died & someone that needs to hear the gospel.

B. Obviously the primary example here is regarding social/economic status, but it’s not the only way in which the church shows partiality towards one another. The biggest reason Sunday mornings are the most racially segregated hours in America today is because for 200 years our countrymen showed partiality & prejudice against one another. And worse yet, although it was condemned by many churches, it was accepted & upheld by others. To this day, our country is still paying the price. Racial prejudice WAS wrong & IS wrong because it is partiality – and the Bible makes it clear that it is evil.
__a. Partiality is the opposite of what God does through the gospel, where He makes His grace & mercy available to every person (John 3:16)… And once we are in Christ, we are all brought to an equal status – Galatians 3:26-28 (26) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. []
.

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

A. Why not to show partiality against the poor: God chose the poor & loves the poor! In Luke’s account of the Beatitudes, Jesus makes it perfectly clear – “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). If your bank account is empty in this world, but you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you are truly rich!
__a. Why are the poor blessed in this way? Because oftentimes, it is a person’s riches that keep him from humbling him/herself before God. Money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10), & one of the most common evils as a result is pride. It is tough for a rich person to see their spiritual poverty & their need for God’s forgiveness. [rich young ruler. BIBLE: Matt 19:16-22]

B. Is God’s blessing based on anything the poor have done? No – it’s based upon God’s promise…His word… He’s promised to give it to those who love Him. IOW, being poor is not a ticket to heaven. Selling off everything you gave is not going to bribe God (even with the rich young ruler); we have to love God & follow Christ. And God is true to His word – to those who believe Christ Jesus by faith, He has us His children & co-heirs with Christ for all eternity (Rom 8:17).

C. BTW, to all those who claim that the Bible’s sign of blessing is that God makes you rich…you’re 100% wrong. The Bible says exactly the opposite. God certainly can provide money & riches to someone, but James 2:5 makes it absolutely clear that God loves & blesses the poor who love Him.
.

6 But you have dishonored [insulted/treated shamefully] the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

A. It’s not even logical to dishonor the poor & show partiality against him. Historically, to “drag” someone into court usually referred to debt repayment. It was common for poor people to take short-term loans from the rich & many times if the rich (of the loan-shark variety) weren’t paid back immediately, they could apprehend the debtor on sight, and were legally allowed to physically drag them to court & have them placed in jail until the debt was paid. Obviously this wasn’t something the poor were even capable of doing to one another. If the poor can’t hurt you, why would you treat them badly? You’ve got even more reason to treat them with honor & respect…it doesn’t even make sense to dishonor them.

B. It’s not much different today. A wealthy person may not be able to physically drag anyone into court, but if someone crosses them, they can sure afford the attorney to get a subpoena that would force the poor to be there.
.

7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

A. Another contrast with the rich. Many times they have a lot of cash, but can’t afford good manners. At the time, slave owners would speak ill of Christianity because it raised up the slaves & brought down the owners to the same level, among other reasons. Sometimes it was because slaves would no longer lie for them – other times it was because slaves took time for worship & they found respect in the church. The rich would “blaspheme” the name of Christ as a result.
__a. We again see the same thing today. How many times have we heard a rich person disdain the “religious superstition” that the poor person has to cling to? Thus James is correct to be confused as to why we spend so much time trying to impress the rich…

B. Question: is it wrong to be rich? Does God bless only the poor? No… Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob were all very wealthy. Job was wealthy, poor, then wealthy again. The kings of Israel (especially David & Solomon) were all very rich. In the NT, we find Joseph of Armimathea (who’s wealth enabled him to purchase the tomb for Jesus’ burial), the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius the centurion, and more. … Keep in mind that partiality can go both ways: against the poor AND against the rich. (Barclay) “We do well to remember that it is just as much a sign of favourtism to pander to the mob as it is to flatter a tyrant.”

C. BTW – did you notice how James puts our Christianity? “that noble name by which you are called…” The terminology is similar to how a newlywed bride is now called by the name of her husband – she’s been brought under his protection & his love. Likewise with Christ Jesus! We are His bride & we’ve been brought under His protection – His grace – His love – His name…
.

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;

A. At this point, some might object to James, “But by showing favor to the rich man who walks through the door, I’m just loving my neighbor!” James isn’t fooled – if we are really loving our neighbor by showing a lot of favor to the rich, then we’re going to show equal amount of favor to the poor. That’s the essence of keeping the royal law.

B. ‘But I thought Christians weren’t under the law any more; that we’re under grace!?’ True, but we need to clarify which ‘law’ we’re talking about. When referring to the Law of Moses & the 613 (give or take) commandments regulating the nation of Israel & their covenant with God, we are most definitely not under that (hence the reason why we don’t have a problem wearing mixed fibers, eating BBQ pork ribs, etc.). When referring to the Law of God (i.e. the 10 Commandments), God’s moral law is still very much in effect, but completely fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Thus although we’ve broken that law (and still break it), the punishment has been meted out on Jesus, and we have been given His righteousness in return.

C. ‘So what law is left?’ The commandments that the Lord Jesus specifically gave to His church, including the greatest commandment (to love God – Matt 22:37), the 2nd greatest/royal commandment (to love your neighbor – Matt 22:39, Rom 13:9), and the new commandment (to love each other as Jesus loved us – John 13:34). All of this is part of comprising the “law of Christ”, which we are take part in fulfilling (Gal 6:2).
__i. ‘So if we’re commanded to obey the law of Christ, where’s the grace in that?’ Exactly how is it do you think that we’re able to obey Christ at all?! It’s only by the grace of Jesus & the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re enabled to obey God in the slightest way… …

D. Notice God wants us to do it. “If you really fulfill…you do well.” God wouldn’t tell us to do something He doesn’t want us to do! He’s our Lord – our King – our God – and we are to obey Him by His grace. (To obey is better than sacrifice… 1 Sam 15:22). So by all means, show grace to the rich when they come in – but be sure to show favor to the poor. When the homeless man walks in smelling of the street, we’re to show as much grace to him as if Donald Trump pulled up in a limo. Anything less is not keeping the royal law by the grace of God.
.

9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

A. Reiterates that partiality/prejudice is flat out sin. There is literally zero excuse for it among people who are redeemed by the Lord Jesus…

B. Why does the royal law convict us? Because partiality simply isn’t loving…it’s actually the opposite! When we show grace to one person & despise another, we’re showing disdain in our hearts & certainly not serving them in selflessness. Our culture has treated this as something minor…after all, we just looked down at someone; we didn’t actually hurt them physically. But it’s not. Being prejudiced against one another/showing partiality is breaking the very royal law that Christ Jesus has given us to keep. Hatred in our hearts towards one another convicts us as “transgressors.”
.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

A. Crucial point to understand about sin! There are not major sins & minor sins; there are just sins… Our temporary consequences may vary between different actions, but all sin is rebellion against God & ultimately all sin has the same consequence: death. … Hence the example James gives. It doesn’t matter whether we’re an adulterer, a murderer, an idolater, or a liar (or all 4) – ultimately we’re all transgressors of the law & in dire need of grace & mercy. This is why the Psalmist declared (as quoted by Paul) that none is righteous, no not one! (Rom 3:10) All of us have broken the law in one way or another…

B. This is also why we are so dependent upon Christ Jesus – why we can never take the Cross & empty tomb for granted. Living a perfect life & committing one act of pride on one’s deathbed (by looking back at your perfection) would still bring us under the weight of the entire law… … Yet Jesus DID fulfill it perfectly, and He makes us perfectly righteous in the sight of God…
.

12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

A. Not only do we have a law to keep, we will be judged by that law… [the Bema seat] 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (9) Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. [] Note this is not a judgment for salvation; both James & Paul are writing to believing Christians. Our eternal judgment has already taken place at the cross, and because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we have been found “not guilty” because God now sees us clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. The Bema seat is a judgment of reward for the believer (1 Cor 3:14), that which our Lord will give us for all eternity. But one of the specific things we will be judged for at the Bema seat will be how we treated one another & how we judged one another (Rom 14:10). We need to remember that every idle word we speak will be held in account one day & we will stand before our Lord & answer for how we treated one another. Thus we are to speak & act as those who know judgment is coming.

B. This is not a law of burden; this is a “law of liberty!” As others have said, this is not a law to get saved; this is a law of privilege that we get to do because we’re saved. We get to love God – we get to love others… We have been delivered from the law that showed us our sin & death, and we’ve been placed under the law of liberty – free to serve Christ Jesus our Lord!
.

13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

A. Because WE are in such need of mercy, and because WE are the ones who have been shown such incredible mercy, we ought to show it to one another. We have received so much grace and mercy at the foot of Jesus Christ, it is unthinkable that we would withhold it from anyone else. God blesses those who are merciful by showing them mercy (Matt 5:7), so what we’ve freely received, we ought to freely give (Matt 10:8).

B. What happens when we show no mercy? We are shown judgment. [Parable of unforgiving servant – Matt 18:22-35] Whether it is showing forgiveness towards our brothers, or showing grace to everyone within our midst, we have been exhorted by the highest authority (the Lord Jesus!) to love one another – and we have every reason to listen to Him.

C. Which is more powerful: mercy or judgment? Mercy, by far! If it weren’t for mercy, none of us would be alive in this room today! Mercy kept God from delivering our death sentence to us the moment we 1st sinned… And His grace is even far better than that!

Conclusion:
So the question from James would be: if we enjoy the blessings of God’s mercy so much, what keeps us from showing it towards others? Apparently, this was a big problem for the early church (notice the past tense in vs. 6, “dishonored”), but it’s certainly not just a problem for the early church…our own version of evangelicalism sees it too. I’ve seen parents tell youth to leave because their hair was the wrong color or because they had habits they didn’t like. We’ve all heard the excuse, “I couldn’t walk into church…I don’t have anything to wear.” Why the pressure? Because so many ‘Christians’ look down on the person in filthy clothes. When a church gets to the point of turning people away for how they look, dress, smell, etc, it’s either time for a church revival or a church burial because they’ve completely forgotten the grace & mercy that had been shown to them in Christ Jesus.

May we be a people who are quick to show mercy! That anyone who walks through the door of this church (and others around the area) would understand that they’ve walked into a place that glorifies God & desires to show His compassion, mercy, and love to those around us.

Maybe you’re here today & you need to repent of the sin of partiality. Now’s the time. Remember that spiritually speaking, you were in the place of the prodigal son at one point: filthy, rebellious, and so spiritually poor that you were eating the slop of pigs. But because of Jesus, your heavenly Father embraced you, put the righteousness of Christ upon you & lifted you up out of the miry pit of sin. How can we possibly withhold our mercy from anyone else in light of that? Turn away from partiality/prejudice & ask God to forgive you & cleanse you, and He will!

Maybe you’re here & just realized what kind of spiritual poverty you really do have. You perhaps thought you were a ‘good’ person, but now realize you are a transgressor of the law – you’ve broken one part & are guilty of it all. You understand the weight of all God’s righteous judgment is resting upon you & you need help! Here’s the good news: Jesus Christ has already done the work to help you! When Jesus died on the cross, He died there for your sins & the sins of the whole world. When He rose again on the 3rd day, He proved that the debt for sin had been paid & He freely offers forgiveness & new life to all those who believe & receive Him as Lord.

So I get a call this afternoon from what I can only suppose was a Jehovah’s Witness, pretending to want a question answered about the Bible. He sounded suspicious from the get-go, and after he asked his question, I specifically asked him if his question was real, or if he just wanted a debate. He told me his question was legitimate, but from his tone & refusal to let me answer the questions, it was obvious he was lying & attempting to debate me out of a belief in the Triune Godhead, revealed as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

So what do we do when the truth of the Scripture comes under unexpected attack? Turn to the Scriptures & pray for the one attacking it. This particular man was unwilling to listen to anything that was said to him and kept railing on without taking a breath. I tried sharing Scriptures with him, I tried sharing the Law with him, I tried sharing the Gospel with him, I tried appealing to him, and after everything was obviously useless, finally I had to hang up the phone.

So for anyone out there who actually IS wondering the answer to the question: does the Bible really say that Jesus is God in the flesh, the answer is a resounding YES. Here are just a very few of the examples:

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

John 1:1-3 ” 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

John 10:30-33, ” 30. “I and My Father are one.” 31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” 33. The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.””

Phil 2:5-11, ” 5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6. who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Col 1:15-20 ” 15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20. and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

And we could go on & on. Jesus is the Son of God; God the Son. Jesus created the Universe, upholds it by His power, receives worship, and lived a perfect sinless life. He went to the cross & rose again on the third day (which is the declaration of His deity – Rom 1:4), and provides salvation to all who humbly come to Him in repentance, believing Him to be Lord.

The Nicene Creed states it well:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

1 Samuel 20-21, “Fleeing in the Flesh”
———————

Introduction:
When we left off with David, Saul had been trying to kill him in various ways. Saul was enraged that the kingdom had been ripped away from him & given to David, and furiously jealous of how the people saw David as being superior to their own king. Saul had thrown spears at him, tried to have the Philistines kill him, hired an assassination attempt by night – all of which had failed. David eventually fled to Ramah to find Samuel & tell him what was going on & then hid out at Naioth. Saul found out about this too, and personally pursued David to kill him…at which point God stops him in his tracks & makes him lay down naked & prophesy for hours on end.

We pick up with David fleeing Naioth & going back to Saul’s house to find Jonathan. Why? Couldn’t David keep fleeing from city to city? Surely yes – but he needed to let his best friend know what was going on, and he needed the protection Jonathan could give him. So at great peril, he goes back.

What we’re going to find is a mixture of the Godly & the carnal. Godly people doing God’s work through fleshly means. Does God bless it? Maybe yes, maybe no – He definitely uses it for His purposes, which is a marvelous testimony to the grace and provision of God.

1 Samuel 20 (NKJV)
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

A. Is David accusing Jonathan? Probably not…most likely David thinks Jonathan might be able to give him some information concerning Saul. Obviously Jonathan was in the dark about the whole thing…

B. Jonathan may be a bit naïve here (considering Saul hasn’t exactly been subtle with his attempts to kill David), but at least Jonathan believes the best about both his friend & his father.
__a. This is exactly what love does! (1 Cor 13:7) We need to be wise, but we always want to be willing to believe the best about people…
.

3 Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.” 5 And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ 7 If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him.

A. The plan…
B. It seems that David is asking Jonathan to lie. Some have suggested that David really does have an excuse to go home, but this won’t the last lie David is going to tell in all this affair, so it seems it starts here. David is certainly within the will of God in trying to protect his life, but he’s going to go about it the wrong way.
.

8 Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

A. Back in Ch 18, Jonathan & David had made a covenant together where Jonathan had taken off his royal garments & armor, and given them to David (showing that he recognized David was to be king, and everything he had belonged to David – and vice versa). Part of the aspect of the covenant was protection. If David was in trouble, Jonathan was obligated to protect him – and Jonathan willingly took this up.

B. Although it may sound like it, making covenants with one another isn’t just an ancient practice. Marriages are covenant relationships… Our very salvation is based in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ! … … The Son of God has made a covenant with you & He’s NOT going to break it! We are under HIS protection – and we can call out to Him in our time of need.
.

10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. 12 Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, 13 may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

A. What Jonathan promises to do…
B. Note the blessing. The Lord God had indeed been with Saul; now Jonathan recognizes that the anointing of God was upon David. … Jonathan isn’t concerned about himself; he seeks the will and glory of God…
.

14 And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; 15 but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

A. Going to be very important in the life of Mephibosheth later…
.

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” 17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

A. Renewed the covenant…
B. Some liberal scholars have criticized this, using it as “proof” that David had a homosexual relationship with Jonathan. It’s a perverted interpretation based out of the perversion of their own hearts. The love between Jonathan & David is nothing less than holy & upright. It’s the love of a friend who’s closer than a brother… LXX translates it as “agape”; the selfless covenantal serving type of love…

C. Who do you love as your own soul? Your spouse? Your children? Hopefully your God! … This is the essence of the Great Commandment – Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. [] We are to love God with all that we have & all that we are… This kind of covenant relationship is what the God of all the Universe desires with you. What an honor & privilege! May we never take it for granted…
.

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. 20 Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; 21 and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. 22 But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.”

A. Plan for communication…very clear instructions…
.

24 Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 25 Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.”

A. Apparently Saul didn’t say anything the 1st night; assumed David had a good excuse for not being there…

B. BTW, why was David expected? He was the son-in-law to the king & member of the king’s court. Even if he hadn’t been anointed the next king of Israel, Saul wanted David to serve in his presence…especially at one of the national feast times. For David to be absent a New Moon feast would be akin to missing Thanksgiving dinner. This wasn’t just any-old-meal; this was a time his presence was expected.
.

27 And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?” 28 So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

A. Here’s the test… And Jonathan’s lie…
.

30 Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

A. Unrighteous anger – in spades! … Outbursts of wrath that Paul warns us away from (2 Cor 12:20, Gal 5:20)…these are the works of the flesh & it’s further proof that Saul was not walking with the Spirit (despite the Lord using him for prophecy).

B. Notice the insults…Saul is heaping the worst kinds of insults he can come up with upon his 1st born son. Basically calling him an illegitimate child, because ‘surely no son of Saul would do such a thing.’
.

32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

A. Saul just tried to kill his own son in his uncontrolled rage! …
.

34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

A. Note the difference; Jonathan had a righteous anger… He didn’t spew insults at his father – he didn’t try to hurt his father. Saul’s actions were reprehensible, but Jonathan showed his righteous anger while still honoring his father (per the 5th Commandment). … Be angry & do not sin… (Eph 4:26)
.

35 And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36 Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

A. Followed through with the plan. Jonathan added more to ensure David knew it wasn’t safe…
.

40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.” 41 As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

A. Weeping over friendship or sin?? Or both? David was going to spend the next many years as a refugee & they both probably realized they’d never see each other again.
.

1 Samuel 21 (NKJV)
1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” 2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

A. Another lie from David. Disturbing trend…
B. Is it right to do wrong, even for noble ends? No…the ends never justify the means. So what do we do when faced with seemingly impossible circumstances? Turn to the God to Whom nothing is impossible. Scripture makes it clear that no temptation has overtaken us to which God doesn’t provide a way of escape (1 Cor 10:13). God always provides the way of escape; we usually don’t look to Him for it. What should David have done? Sought the Lord 1st, and then approached Ahimelech with the truth, leaving the results to God.
__a. So what do we do if we’re in David’s situation, and we already lied about something that we thought we were justified in? The same thing as with any other sin: confess it to God, repent, and be done with it. Our God is a merciful God & He is faithful & just to forgive us through Jesus Christ! (1 John 1:9)
.

3 Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.” 4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” 5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.” 6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

A. What was the showbread? Also called “the bread of the presence” – 12 loaves to represent each tribe of Israel – always sat before the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle, remaining perpetually fresh. Showed the fellowship Israel was supposed to have with God… Ultimately symbolic of the body of Christ – God incarnate Who came to the nation of Israel & Whose body was broken for our sins.

B. No bread except the showbread & this was supposed to be reserved for the priests. The Law makes this perfectly clear – Leviticus 24:5 (5) “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. … (8) Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. (9) And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute.” [] By the strictest interpretation, David should not have been given the bread – but yet the Law does not specifically state that no one other than the priests can eat it. Giving it to the priests was certainly the normal practice, but between feeding a starving person & letting them die, the choice for Ahimelech was easy & understandable.

C. Priest gave David an opportunity (probably after inquiring of the Lord – 1 Sam 22:10); he took it…he certainly had not been with his wife since he fled, so he would have been considered ritually pure. … BTW, Ahimelech had already noticed David was alone – why did David say there were other young men? Some believe David is lying again here. It certainly is possible (considering his lies to this point), but it’s also reasonable to assume David came across some loyal men in the days he had already been on the run from Saul.

D. Why did God allow this? In demonstration of His mercy! Jesus specifically addresses this in 3 of the gospels… [plucking heads of grain – BIBLE: Matt 12:3-8] Question: was Jesus advocating breaking the Law? Finding loopholes in the Law? Of course not! Jesus perfectly fulfills the Law & said that not one jot or tittle of the Law would pass away until everything was fulfilled (Matt 5:18). Christ Jesus is not treating the Law lightly; rather He’s showing the heart of God IN the Law. Remember that the Law is simply our tutor to bring us to Christ (Gal 3:23)… The Pharisees had Jesus in their midst, and all they could do was carp on their overly rigid & legalistic interpretation of the very Law that Jesus gave them! They missed the whole point…
__a. We need to be careful of the same thing. Amen to reading the word of God – to memorizing the word of God – to following the word of God in everything He’s called us to do. But may we be very careful not to fall into the trap of Bible-idolatry. There are 3 Persons of the Trinity (not 4) – we need to remember that the Bible is subject to God; not the other way around.
.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

A. File Doeg away for next week; he turns out to be a murderous traitor…
.

8 And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9 So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

A. Was it illegal to give David the sword as well? Saul will think it is…

B. Keep in mind this was a former weapon of the enemy, but now it has been redeemed for use by God’s anointed…

C. Do we need Goliath’s sword? No, we just need the sword of the Spirit – and there is none other like it!
.

10 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”

A. Remember that Gath is enemy territory. Basically, David fled from Saul to go to the land of the Philistines – to the very people from which Goliath came. Not exactly the safest (or wisest) course of action…

B. Even the people of Gath had a better memory than David. They weren’t going to let him stay there without the consequences of answering for his past…
.

12 Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

A. David the warrior – David the victor over Goliath – David the anointed king-in-waiting of Israel – THIS David acted like a madman & a fool to escape with his neck… Basically pretended to have uncontrolled fits of epilepsy…

B. David ended up writing Psalm 34 about this specific event – and nowhere in it does he give an indication that he was ashamed of acting like a fool. Instead, he gives God the praise for letting him out alive! [BIBLE: Ps 34:1-8] We ought to trust the Lord our God! He is good!

Conclusion:
David seemed to trust the Lord’s promise (that he would one day be king), but it seems he didn’t trust the Lord’s methods during his time of trial. David had good reason to be distressed (!), so on one hand, it’s understandable why he lied & acted the way he did…we may have done the same things if we were in his shoes. It may be understandable, but that doesn’t make it right. At the end of the day, David had his life…but just barely, and had walked straight into the enemy’s camp in the process.

Is stress an excuse to fall back on our flesh? No. When we fall back into old habits – the fleshly way of doing things, we almost inevitably make things worse (hence ending up in Gath wearing Goliath’s sword!). With Paul, we can affirm that nothing good dwells in our flesh (Rom 7:18) – we need to remember that it is the deeds of our flesh to which we are supposed to die, through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:13).

So if we don’t rely on our flesh during trouble, what DO we rely on? Jesus Christ! David finally got it when he was in Gath – Ps 34:6, “This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him…” Had God gone anywhere? Was God any less able of hearing David in Israel than in Philistia? Of course not; David simply hadn’t yet called out. In His grace, God continued to protect David throughout all of David’s panicking; but David missed out on sweet fellowship, comfort, and guidance in the meantime.

As a born-again Christian, we have a far better promise than what David had… … Jesus even promised to send us the Holy Spirit as a counselor/comforter… … Are you relying upon Him, or are you trusting in your flesh?

James 1:19-27, “Just Do It”
——————–

“Just do it.” It’s an old Nike slogan, but it’s effective! Whatever the sport was, the commercials showed people active & working/playing hard at what they were doing. Anything was better than sitting on the couch…just get out there & do it. As Christians, sometimes we need a similar exhortation! It can be really easy to fall into a rut of just sitting still & become spiritual couch potatoes. We read the word, we hear the word, but when we don’t put the word into action, we get spiritually flabby…after a while, it just goes in one ear & out the other. That’s not how God wants us to be! God want us to hear the word, but He also wants us to DO the word.

This goes right in line with what James has been writing about so far, in dealing with trials and temptations. We started Ch 1 by looking at changing our perspective during trials, and choosing to walk in faith & the wisdom of God. Last time, we looked at how someone is tempted during trials (led away by their own desires) & what God gives us in lieu of temptations (every good & perfect gift). So now that we know why we are tempted, how is it that we go about enduring those temptations & trials? That’s how James 1 ends…we endure trials by doing the word of God. Doing the word shows us to be disciples of Jesus, and He’s the one who gets us through.

James 1:19-27 (NKJV)
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

A. This is what endurance looks like. How do we respond to trials? 3 things:

B. 1st, we are to be “swift to hear”: The epistle of James is full of the unexpected. In vs. 2, we’re told to consider it joy when we fall into trials… In vs. 12 we’re told that the man who endures temptation is blessed… Here we’re told that the 1st step to enduring those temptations & trials is to listen – to be still & hear what God has to say. This is not our natural reaction! Usually when trials come, people panic & scurry or get mad or do all sorts of things – but what we ought to do is listen. [Elijah running from Jezebel; the still small voice – 1 Kings 19]
__a. Are you listening to God? … We’re promised His wisdom when we ask for it, but for us to receive it, we’ve got to be ready to hear what God has to say!

C. 2nd, we are to be “slow to speak”: It’s been often said we’ve been given 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason. Our mouth often is a trap, and can get us into a lot of trouble (as we’ll see in Ch 3). There is definitely a time to speak, but we want to be careful that (1) what we’re saying is edifying to one another, and (2) our own need to talk isn’t getting in the way of what God is trying to tell us. (The best thing Job’s friends ever did was to just sit with him in silence – Job 2:13…)

D. 3rd, we are to be “slow to wrath”: Very rarely does our wrath accomplish anything good. We tend to get all upset & puffed up (at kids, co-workers, parents), but the times when our temper is short & our wrath is quick are usually the times WE are the ones that need to go back & apologize…even when we had a good reason to be angry in the 1st place! [Peter cutting of Malchus’ ear] Our wrath simply isn’t worth much, because our wrath “does not produce the righteousness of God.” (i.e., the practical righteousness of how God wants us to live)

E. BTW, it’s worth remembering that James is writing to believers in Jesus Christ. “my beloved brethren” – if James is a bondslave of the Lord Jesus (vs. 1), then his brothers/sisters are also bondslaves of Christ. This is really important to keep in mind throughout the entire epistle. This is not a letter dealing with “how to get saved”; this is a letter dealing with “how to walk after you’ve been saved.” Throughout the letter (including this section), James is going to exhort us on to do good works (an exhortation the Church desperately needs!), but if we lose the context we might get the false idea that we’re saved by our works. That isn’t what James is saying at all! James is writing to those who are saved by Christ, and now need to show the fruit of their salvation through their deeds.
__a. Apparently, churches then (as today) were filled with people who claimed to be born-again believers, but showed zero evidence of what Jesus had supposedly done in their lives. If we’ve truly been made into new creations by the Son of God, then by definition we’re not the same people – there ought to be some sort of change. It’s this change that James to which exhorts us.
.

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

A. If the righteousness of God does not come by our wrath, how DO we get it? By receiving the “implanted word” … The gospel – the good news of the word of God become flesh – is able to save our souls! [] Even beyond eternal life, we want to get the seed of the word of God into our heart in order that our souls & character in this life would be the character God wants us to have.
__a. The thought here is similar to the Parable of the Sower… We want the seed of the word to be implanted into good soil. And the way we can tell whether or not it has is if it bears fruit…

B. Note how someone needs to receive it: 1st, we have to lay some things aside. Some have likened “lay aside” with taking off clothing – as if we were shedding the sinful skin of the past in order to live in the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Colossians 3:8-10 (8) But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, (10) and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, [] Similar listing here. We need to “lay aside all filthiness & overflow of wickedness…” We don’t use words like that too much anymore, but that’s exactly what sin does! Sin works in us internally (filthiness / impurity), and it leads to sin working in us outwardly (overflow of wickedness / malice). These are the very reasons Christ Jesus died on the cross! Because WE were filthy & impure – because WE performed all sorts of wickedness, Jesus had to take our penalty upon Himself. Since these are the reasons He died, why would we continue living in them? Christian – put it aside! Take off the old man, and take up what the Lord Jesus gives you…

C. After all this is done, THEN we can “receive [the word] with meekness.” It’s tough to receive the instruction of God through the word when we’re seething with wrath & anger. Instead, we come humbly before our God & King, and receive the life-giving words He provides for us.
__a. This is talking about repentance! So often we limit the idea of repentance to the moment that we receive Jesus as Lord & are born-again of the Spirit to eternal life (which you can do today!). But repentance is more than just a change of mind; it also indicates a change of direction. Before we met the Lord Jesus, we did live one way (in sin, filthiness, & wickedness), but after we met the Lord Jesus, now we live a different way (walking in His righteousness as the children of God). …
.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

A. To be assured you’ve truly received the word, you need to do the word… [BIBLE: Matt 7:24-27] What’s the one difference between building our house on the rock & the sand? Doing what Jesus tells us to do. It’s such a simple concept, but so widely neglected (especially here in the USA). A ‘disciple’ could be defined as a student or pupil – but it’s more than a pupil. A disciple is someone who actually follows the teachings of their master in order to be like their master. [Disciples “do”] The Lord Jesus calls us to be His disciples. It’s part of the Great Commission: Matthew 28:19-20 (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. []

B. Note that “hearing” isn’t bad. We’re to be “swift to hear” (vs. 19) – faith itself comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). But we dare not leave things at just “hearing”! We are to be hearers; we’re just not to be “hearers only.” A walk of faith with Christ Jesus begins with hearing, but it continues with doing. James is going to show the difference between the two…

C. Why is this important? Because people can be deceived! We buy into the concept that someone is a Christian if they dress a certain way, listen to the right radio stations, have the right bumper stickers on the back of their car, use the right lingo, etc. None of that is bad, but none of it makes us a disciple of Jesus Christ! A disciple of Jesus receives the word, and does the word.
.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

A. Example of a hearer… Like when you tell your kids to go wash their face & they come back just as dirty as when you sent them in. They looked at the mirror & got their hands wet, but didn’t really pay attention to anything while they were there & forgot about it when they walked out. It’s a great picture of the person who just hears the word, but isn’t a doer of it. They glance into the Scriptures (and many times pride themselves on doing so), but they either have:
__1. No idea what it said, because they weren’t really paying attention to it. It was just something to fulfill their religious obligation for the day.
__2. A head full of Bible-trivia, but zero experience in application. It’s just a bunch of knowledge that they can be proud of, but they have no desire to actually follow through on what they’ve learned. (Kind of like the lifelong bachelor who feels free to give out advice on marriage & raising children.)

B. That is NOT what the result of learning the word of God ought to be! The word of God ought to wash us (Eph 5:25), sanctify us (John 17:17), transform us by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2), be hid in our hearts to keep us from sin (Ps 119:11), pierce us in conviction & healing (Heb 4:12). When these things don’t happen – when there’s not a change taking place in our lives because of the word – that ought to be a red flag to us that we are being hearers & not doers.

C. What does a ‘doer’ look like? See vs. 25…
.

25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

A. Hearers are forgetful; doers are blessed… As the doer of the word humbly walks with Christ, applying what we’ve been told in the Scripture, actually following through on the commands of our Lord & King – then we are blessed! This isn’t to say that God gives us the “Midas-touch” & we experience financial prosperity… Rather, we are blessed as we serve our Lord! The blessing is “in” the doing…

B. What is “the perfect law of liberty”? Different scholars have different ideas of what James meant here. Some think this is a reference to the gospel, but that seems unlikely since James is writing to believers & what to do after they’ve been saved. Some think this is a reference to the 10 Commandments (the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul – Ps 19:7). Others think it’s a reference to the two greatest commandments, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, & strength, and to love your neighbor as ourselves (Love is the fulfillment of the law – Rom 13:10. Loving each other & bearing each others burdens fulfills the law of Christ – Gal 6:2). Which is it? Likely both! The Lord Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law of the Old Covenant in Himself, but the 10 Commandments is still the perfect law of God (it’s complete in itself; no flaw in it) – and the way we continue in it as believers in Christ Jesus is to love God & love one another. It’s in living how Christ calls us to live (and empowers us to live) that we find true liberty! When we keep crawling back to sin, we’re acting as a slave to it…and that was something we’re supposed to be dead to! The Lord Jesus bought us our freedom; so we walk in that freedom as we walk with Him!
__a. A doer looks into this law: If we’re going to ‘do’ the Bible, we’ve got to know what it says. Instead of the ‘hearer’ who just gazes into the mirror, we want to be the ‘doer’ who peers into the word of God, taking in what God has to say.
__b. A doer continues in this law: The lack of a past tense is so obvious here. Someone isn’t a ‘doER’ if they aren’t ‘doING.’ (Otherwise, they’d be a ‘did’ .) We don’t love our neighbor once & then cross it off the list; we are to love our neighbor continually through the power of the Holy Spirit…
.

- James gives an example contrasting hearers & doers…
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

A. Goes straight to the heart of religious hypocrisy! People get caught up in the trappings of ‘religion’ & profess all sorts of Christian truths, but then turn around & engage in gossip, backbiting, outbursts of wrath, etc. Like the Pharisees Jesus condemned as whitewashed tombs (Matt 23:27), these people are washed on the outside, but full of death on the inside. They pride themselves on the sins they have (supposedly) kept themselves from, but their tongue betrays a heart unchanged by Christ Jesus.

B. Note their heart is “deceived.” They say they love Jesus & that they surrender everything to Him, but in reality they don’t. They don’t even surrender their tongue to Jesus, much less anything else.
__a. If this is you, wake up! Jesus warned about those who would come to Him on Judgment Day claiming to be His followers & pointing back to all sorts of religious works – yet Jesus will respond to them that He never knew them (Matt 7:23). Religious trappings cannot save you; only the Lord Jesus can!

C. What do we want? Real religion! See vs. 27…
.

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

A. The concept of “religion” gets somewhat of a bad reputation (not undeserved)… But religion (when it is pure) CAN be a good thing! Subtle contrast between “religious” (vs. 26) and “religion”. The 1st term (“religious”) refers to someone who believes he/she is being pious towards God, but the context shows that their piety is all show. They might take part in a lot of ceremonies & listen to a lot of sermons, but their faith in reality is a mile wide & inch deep. On the other hand, “religion” is the actual stuff; the real faith that is put into action & shown to be “pure and undefiled.” We have many examples of defiled religion; what we need are more examples of that which is pure & undefiled!

B. Who is this pure religion devoted to? “God and the Father.” KJV & NKJV may not have the best rendering here…literally the Greek is “the God and Father.” Our God is THE God… And praise God through Jesus Christ, God is not just the Almighty Omnipotent God that we are removed from; He’s actually our “Father”! We are His children, given the spirit of adoption because of His grace. Our sins should have forever placed us square in the sight of the wrath of God, but because Christ Jesus went to the cross in our place, our sins are not only forever forgiven, we are now the children of God; God Himself is our Father. !!

C. Pure religion has 2 defining characteristics: compassion and purity.
__a. Compassion: “to visit orphans and widows.” Over & over throughout the OT, we find exhortations to care for orphans and widows (Exo 22:22, Deut 14:19, Deut 24:17, Deut 24:19, Deut 27:19, etc.)…God cares about the fatherless & the widow! These were the people least able to defend and provide for themselves, so the rest of the people were to demonstrate compassion to them. [I.e. gleaning – Ruth] Likewise, we’re to demonstrate compassion to those who are most in need of it. [GAiN trips]
____i. Don’t limit yourself to orphans/widows! You may not personally know any in those categories, but God has placed many people around you to whom you can demonstrate the compassion of Christ (ETRM – Nursing home, etc.).
__b. Purity: “to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Once we are saved by Jesus Christ, God then calls us to be holy, for He is holy (1 Pet 1:14). To be “holy” is to be “set apart / separated” for use by God. God has already set us apart to Himself, but we’re to continue to walk as that set-apart people – separating ourselves from the influences in our culture that would defile us. Thus we’re to be careful about the movies we watch, books we read, sites we visit, friends we keep, habits we make, etc.

D. Our problem in American Christianity is that we’ve almost entirely separated these two concepts. Churches either promote all compassion or all purity. To the liberal Christian, religion can become all about compassion (social gospel)… To the conservative Christian, religion can become all about purity (spoken gospel)… According to the Bible, pure religion is BOTH! When we’re following the Lord Jesus, doing the word of God, we’re going to live holy lives AND we’re going to demonstrate His compassion to those around us.

Conclusion:
Note how this all ties back together: as we endure trials & temptations, we rely upon the gospel and the Spirit of God as He works in our lives. When we endure, we become doers of the word – which is what God desires us to be, instead of being religious hypocrites. True doers of the word demonstrate the compassion of Christ, and live life in the purity of Christ – not perfectly; but through the grace of Christ, empowered by the Spirit. …

So are you a doer of the word? Are you acting as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you’re like me, you probably immediately think “No! I mess up all the time… So many examples of how I fall short!” Be assured James isn’t trying to lay a guilt trip on you; sometimes we need a gentle nudge & encouragement from the Spirit to keep going. In reality, if you’re a believer in Christ Jesus & truly know that you’re saved, then you probably “do” a lot more than what you realize. So when you mess things up, confess it to God, repent, receive His forgiveness, and keep going. We endure these trials by continually doing the word of God through His power.

But maybe you’re in the place today where the Holy Spirit is telling you, “You’re in danger of just being a hearer!” Listen to Him! Ask God for help in being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath – ask Him for discernment on knowing when to take action. Don’t forget: as a Christian, you’re a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you to succeed in walking worthy of the calling with which you were called. So rely upon Him to help you & guide you…

If you’re in the place of religious hypocrisy today, repent! Receive the word of God with meekness & humility today… If you’re not yet a disciple of Christ Jesus, then let today be the day you receive Him as Lord & follow Him… Recognize He’s the Son of God who died for your sins & rose from the grave – turn away from your sins & turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness & new life – trust Him completely with your life & receive Him as your Lord & King.