5/25/03 E 5 INI James 1:16-21

In the Name of Jesus, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

You have heard the Psalmist declare the truth about God's goodness toward him, but only after he was tempted to complain! How well do YOU speak of your God in times of grief, trial, and trouble? Do we sometimes find it difficult to speak well of Him when we are tempted to reject his loving discipline in our lives. James teaches us in his first chapter that trial and temptation lie very close together. We remember how Job's wife advised her husband to "curse God and die" when God was putting them through a great trial. God's testing of Job had become a severe temptation for Job's wife to sin by complaining against God.

Sin-corrupted reason suggests that if God has placed us in difficult situations, then He is to blame when we lose our tempers, curse, or get drunk, or sin in some other manner. It's an easy thing for me to think, "Well if my life weren't so trying and hard to bear, I wouldn't act this way." But does God tempt any of us to sin? James sets the record straight in the verses before our text: "God tempts no one to do evil. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." (13-14)

To think that God is the author of evil and the cause of our sins is to wander from the truth about God and his love toward us. Instead, James reminds us in our text:

His gifts are always good and perfect for you. We could translate the first part of v. 17 this way: "every act of God's giving is good, and every gift which He gives is perfect." James uses two different words for "giving" and "gift" in this v. The first word speaks of God's purpose in giving; His purpose is always and only to bless His believing children, never to cause evil! It's man's use of God's giving which causes sin. For example, God gives us food and drink purely because of His grace and kindness. But if we glut ourselves on food or drink, then what was meant to be a blessing becomes bad for us. A knife is a very useful instrument in the home; but in the hands of a child or a murderer, a knife can become a dangerous toy or a weapon! So also good and gracious giving on the part of God often proves to be bad and evil when misused by men.

But if God's "giving" to us is always for the purpose of blessing us, then the "gift" itself must be exactly what we need. So James says, "His gifts to us are perfect." All God's gifts are designed by Him to save us from ourselves, from the world, and from sin. They are perfectly designed to bring us to repentance, to strengthen our faith, and to increase our hope of heaven.

When children are spanked by loving parents in order to correct them, this is a perfect gift from God. When other God-given authorities discipline the Christian in some way, this is a perfect gift from God. Illness, as well as good health; financial gain, as well as financial loss, are perfect gifts from God for His believing children. God gives you and me as much money, good health, and correction as we need for the improvement of our Christian faith and life -- no more and no less!

St. Paul, great missionary to the Gentiles, received a perfect gift from God in the form of a painful and troubling disease. Surely Paul wondered why God would do this to him when it seemed that his work was hampered by the disease. But when he prayed for healing, God said: "My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Apparently, the disease worked perfectly to keep the great missionary humbly looking to His Savior for grace.

How can we be sure that God's giving is always for our good and His gifts are always perfect for us? Because, James says, this giving and these gifts "come down from the Father of lights," with Whom "there is no variation or shadow of turning." The lights of the heavens change. Just a couple of weeks ago we had an eclipse of the moon; sometimes the moon the sun, and the stars are visible, sometimes they aren't. So, the lights of the heavens do not always help us to see our way in the darkness, nor warm our bodies; the lights of heaven do not always benefit us. Still, the natural knowledge of God has always moved human beings to worship these created lights of the heavens, as if they are God!

But you know the Creator of these lights, that He alone is God, and is therefore different from the lights. In our lives we sometimes feel that we are experiencing eclipses of God -- that His helping presence and light are far removed from us in our time of suffering. But in reality, this cannot be! For while the changing and turning of the bodies of the solar system cause shadows and darkness, the heavenly Father does not change. He says to you in His Word: "I AM the Lord, I change not." (Mal. 3:6) As the "Father" or Source of lights, He is light -- "in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5) The sun may have its eclipses and the moon its phases, but our heavenly Father shines upon us with undimmed and never changing light! His face always shines upon you!

Why is your heavenly Father always shining upon you? It's not because of any good thing in you! V. 18 says: "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures." Can you ladies imagine scrubbing a floor made of dirt in order to get it clean? The more you scrubbed with soap and water the greater the muddy mess would become! The corrupt nature of fallen man cannot be scrubbed-up either. God must plant a new nature. How is this done? By the "word of truth."

Jesus once told His disciples: "Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you." (Jn. 15:3) When the gospel of Christ was proclaimed to us, the Holy Spirit regenerated our dead spiritual nature. He planted a new nature within us when He caused us to believe in Jesus as our Savior. Why did He do this? "So that we might be a kind of first-fruits among His creatures." The "first-fruits" of every harvest in Israel were set aside for the Lord. So we Christians have been set apart from the world to be "creatures of God." -- His best creatures. By the working of faith in Christ we've been programmed to do the good works of faith. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)

Your God has separated you from the sinful world by the power of His Word so that you might receive the salvation of your soul and be the very best of His creatures! "Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (V. 19-20) How can you and I perform the righteous works of our Savior God, if whenever we have troubles in life, we react quickly with angry words and deeds? How can we produce the righteousness of God, if we complain against Him when He gives us some trial to strengthen our faith? How wonderful that the Lord gave us teeth and lips to hold back the tongue! But they are not enough are they? We need the power of His Word of grace.

"Therefore," James continues: "having put away all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (21) Especially in times of great trial and trouble we need to put away all that is filthy and wicked about our thoughts and actions, and instead, humbly receive the word of our Savior which is able to save our souls. This word of salvation was already "implanted" in our hearts when our heavenly Father caused us to believe the good news of forgiveness in the blood of Christ. But our God does not want this implanted word to remain in the seed stage." He wants it to grow in us. In time of testing and trial, He wants us to be "slow to anger," but "swift to hear" His word of life and light. This word alone has power to save our souls from despair, power to forgive our sins, power to comfort our hearts, and power to carry us safely through temptation so that we may keep our faith and be saved.

Brethren, you are loved by your God! Make no mistake about it: He is GOOD TO YOU, ALWAYS. When He gives you trials, be quick to receive again that saving Word which He has already graciously planted in you. Then you shall know and be comforted that His gifts are always perfect and His face always shines upon you, because He is working every earthly moment to bring you to Himself in heaven forever. Amen.