Fifth Sunday of Easter (2023)
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James 1:16-21
James 1:16-21
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ we have before us this morning the book of James, and this book has caused some debate over the years as people have tried to put James letter against Paul’s writings, but by doing so forget an important principle. All of the Scriptures are true, and if you are using one passage to reject another, then you are tearing the Scriptures apart and rejecting the fact that they all of the writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit. We have a passage here that is important especially as it deals with how we are saved, and one of the sins of the flesh, anger and wrath.
Good Gifts from Above
The Scriptures tell us that every good and perfect gift is from God.
When we look at the very beginning that when God creates all things, he declares that they are good. They all come from him. For He is the source of everything that is good right and true, and its by his existence that we also realize that this world isn’t as it should be.
This is why no one is tempted by God.
For God himself does not lead us into sin, nor into temptation, but rather calls us to Himself. For He is our creator and we are his creation, and so He imparts to us blessings that we might cling to Him above all things.
God gives these gifts through His Word.
This has been how God works since the beginning, all things were made through the Word and they were made Good, and so if God is going to give us good things, it is going to be through His Word.
This is how God made us His Children.
It was by the power of the word joined with the water that gave to us God’s divine and holy name that we might belong to him and be his own dear children.
Source of Sin
If it isn’t the Creator, then it must be creature.
For if God himself is good, then why is the world so full of sin and problems today, why is it given over to sin, death, and decay. What is going on here? So we need to figure out where sin comes from in our present world.
We look outside to find the source.
Why is there such evil in the world? Why do people do the bad things they do? It must be because of money, it must be because of corporations, it must be governments, it must be their parents, their teachers, etc the list goes on.
Sin comes from within.
This is a hard conclusion to come to and that is why we need the Law of God to hold up a mirror and actually look in it to see who we are. For we do not naturally do this, we try to shift the blame for wrongdoing off on to someone or something else instead of taking it upon ourselves.
When we blame others, we are trying to justify our sins.
This is why it is so popular in our day to try and find something outside of ourselves to blame, then we aren’t responsible for the wrongs that we have done. It was forced upon us by others, this is the default position of mankind, as we have trouble admitting that we are evil.
We are responsible for our sins.
This is harder to swallow, because it means that our chief problem isn’t about those who are outside of us, or having other people fix their problems, that we have to to take up the task first.
Work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit convicts of this truth.
This is the primary work of the Holy Spirit not just that we see the world is broken but to recognize that we are broken, and that we have fallen to sin and are the problem. This is much harder to convince a person of, for it is easier to shift blame to others, but to accept that I am wrong is very difficult.
The Holy Spirit works through the Word.
Now the Word does this by showing us what is Good, Right, and True, and doesn’t measure us according to our neighbor, but according to what is actually good. This is why people don’t like the Law which sets an objective standard for all of us and shows that we have all failed.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us in our sins, he brings us to life.
This second part is important as well. For it is not enough to hammer us down into nothing with the Law, for that does not change hearts. Does tearing a person down and showing them that they are nothing change a person? No it only builds resentment. The Holy Spirit doesn’t only lay us low, he also brings us to life, by forgiving our sins, and giving to us the goodness that comes from God alone.
On Going Sanctification
The sin we inherited remains within us.
This is where there is trouble in this day to day life as we try to struggle against sin, for having been brought to life by the word that’s been given to us we don’t wish to continue in sin, we wish to be freed from it and to not go again into death.
We are called to fight whatever form it takes.
Most often people think of sin only as what they do, and they don’t recognize that this corruption is found not just in our hands, but in our hearts and in our minds as well, and this is the struggle that we have and why sanctification is never complete in this life.
Each person has different temptations.
This is why we should not look down on others who struggle with different sins, and think to ourselves ah well I’m such a better Christian because I don’t have any issue with this particular sin. As though there aren’t others who could say the same thing about your temptations. Rather recognize that Satan comes at each of us, and the only reason we are strong is because work of the Holy Spirit who strengthens each of us.
Putting Sin Away
We are to put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness.
So there isn’t one sin that we can say, well I will put some of my sins, but make room for others, this is not how the faith is to be understood, we are called to put away all of our sins and to fight against them all.
By “put away” it refers to laying aside a garment.
Now this is because in the Scriptures you find that when it speaks about baptism, it refers to it as a garment that is put on us, so we lay aside the garments of sin and put them off instead being clothed in Christ’s righeousness.
He points to a sin the world loves, anger.
You see anger used all around us, and anger is praised as being good and helpful, we hear anger even being referred to as righteous, or deserved, and we justify it by looking at how sinful or awful our neighbor is and that is why they deserve our wrath. But what does the Bible say, the Anger of Man does not produce the righteousness of God, which is to say it is sin.
Why don’t we need to take out our wrath on others?
God’s wrath is greater than ours, and His wrath is not tainted by sin, but is just and righteous, for it comes from He who is eternally good. God’s wrath is carried out through offices that He has established. This is why we have police officers, judges, and our government. Well what about those who wrong you that might be outside of the reach of the Law? God is judge and will not let any escape, leave it to his wrath he is your avenger. But to go outside of those offices or not leave it in the hands of God is because you don’t believe God’s wrath is enough and his judgment not just.
Receive the Implanted Word
The Word is able to save because Jesus is the Word.
This is why our focus at Church is always the Word, it is this fruit that has been planted in your heart that is meant to grow and bring you to life.
Permit the Holy Spirit to sow this good seed.
You can reject this work of the Holy Spirit and forbid him to work, you can blaspheme him, but it will be to your damnation so do not reject his good work.
When this word bears fruit, share the fruits.
These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These will benefit your neighbor, for that is the heart of the law, to love your neighbor for Christ showed this love to you in order to save you.
First there is faith and then come works.
Indeed if the only reason a person carries out works is because of the threat or punishments they aren’t doing any good works at all, but when the Word of God takes root in our hearts, it enables us to love our neighbor as Christ has loved us.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ, James’ epistle is an excellent letter that benefits our neighbors that focuses first on the Word of God that has brought us to life, and encourages us to lay aside all sins. In the verses that follow we are encouraged to not only be hearers of these words, but also doers, for we are blessed in our doing, but if we think that can claim to be religious and not bridle our tongues, then our religion is worthless. So let us treasure the Word and receive it with meekness for it is that Word made flesh that has saved our souls. In Jesus name. Amen.