INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• One of the things I will never forget about the 9/11 attack was seeing brave firefighters, first responders, and other personnel rushing back into the burning twin towers making every effort to try to save those who were in danger.
• From what I understand about the tragedy is that many of the emergency personnel who died did so trying to save the lives of those who were trapped or otherwise injured.
• Around the country on any given moment we see brave people going to extra-ordinary lengths to try to save the lives of people who are in danger, and they usually are going to these heroic efforts for someone they do not even know.
• Going back to the 9/11 tragedy nothing was going to stop those brace people from making every effort possible to save as many lives as possible.
• Now let’s look at the context for our text this morning.
• James has shared a lot of practical things for us, things that will help our faith to be stronger.
• The situation for the Christians in James time was difficult; there was a lot of persecution. It was a tough environment in which to keep ones faith intact.
• There were folks who were wandering away from the faith as a result of the difficulties and the struggles going on in the church.
• James in his closing remarks is encouraging us to make every effort to try to bring them back.
• As we look at the last two verses of the book of James, I pray that we will see the importance of making every effort to bring back one who is wandering away from the faith.
• Let’s turn to James 5:19-20
• SLIDE #2
• James 5:19–20 (ESV) 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
• Let us begin by seeing that…
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
We are called to make every effort to bring a wandering soul back because:
I. Christians are family.
• My brothers,
• As we conclude the book, we are reminded of the connection each and every Christian has, they are part of the family of God, we are connected by the blood of Jesus, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
• In the midst of all the issues the church was facing, it was important for them to remember that fact.
• When times are difficult, when we are tempted to go after another Christian in a negative way, we must remember the fact that we are family.
• We sing the song THE FAMILY OF GOD. It is a good old song with a great message.
• If you see your son, daughter, brother, sister or any of your family heading down a bad path, would you not do all you could to try to help get them back on track?
• I do not want to spend a ton of time on this point but it is a point that we should all understand.
• SLIDE #4
• 1 Corinthians 12:25–26 (ESV) 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
• SLIDE #5
• Galatians 4:6–7 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
• Those brave folks who ran back into the towers while everyone else was running out of the towers were going in to get people they did not even know.
• Those folks had no regard for their own safety, they could only think about making every effort to save as many people as they could!
• Now with that in mind let us next see that …
• SLIDE #6
We are called to make every effort to bring a wandering soul back because:
II. Family should reach out to a family member in danger.
• Look at the past part of verse 19 again.
• , if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,
• James is speaking of a CHRISTIAN brother who is wandering away from the truth. This is not a hypothetical situation that could not happen but rather a real and present danger.
• Notice the word ANYONE. This denotes that ANYONE of us is capable of doing this.
• Let look at a couple other words in the text so that we know what we are reading.
• The word WANDERS is important. This same word is translated DECEIVED in James 1:16
• SLIDE #7
• James 1:16 (ESV) 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
• The word denotes being led or deciding to leave on ones by ones’ own choice. This does not speak of an accidental or unconscious departing from the truth.
• What are they wandering from? The test tells us they are wandering from the truth.
• The TRUTH is the saving message of the Gospel, the truth that we grasp and respond to so that we can be saved.
• In James 2:1 we see…
• SLIDE #8
• James 2:1 (ESV) 2 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
• James is saying that the faith people once held to, they were now leaving.
• There are a couple of ways we can “WANDER” from the truth.
• DOCTRINALLY- WE can leave the teachings of the gospel for something else.
• PRACTICALLY- WE can begin to IGNORE the great moral teachings to the point that our life reflects a rejection of Jesus. This is what is being spoken of in the context of this passage.
• We see this from what is said in verse 20 concerning a covering of a MULTITUDE of SINS.
• The TRUTH gives us spiritual birth in Jesus.
• SLIDE #9
• James 1:18 (ESV) 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
• Now think of the sense of urgency in which those brave folks ran back into the burning towers to save people they did not even know, now think about how much higher the sense of urgency would be if they were going after their own flesh and blood!
• IF WE see one of our spiritual family wandering away from the truth it is not just the job of the church leaders to go after them but James says and someone brings him back
• Normally we do not let a child wander off, if you see the neighbors 2 year old walking down the street, you would go get them, you would not say that is not my job especially if you saw them heading into a busy dangerous street.
• The word SOMEONE indicates that we are ALL RESPONSIBLE to do what we can.
• To BRING them back means to help bring them to repentance.
• How do we do that? The passage does not lay that out for us be here are some suggestions.
1. Be aware there is a problem.
2. Prayer- Pray for the wander, do not despise them
3. Pray for yourself so that your heart is right in trying to help. Galatians 6:1
4. Make personal contact. If you are not a part of their life you cannot help.
5. Be ready to teach them the truth in love.
6. Be living the truth in your own life.
7. Be ready to encourage them
8. At times you may need to publically or personally confront them as Paul does Peter in Galatians 2:11-ff
• Helping lead one to repentance can be a scary thing to do but….
• SLIDE #10
We are called to make every effort to bring a wandering soul back because:
III. The blessings are worth the effort.
• I would imagine for those who ran back into the burning twin towers to save folks know the blessing of saving lives was worth their efforts.
• Those who died in an effort to do the same felt that the blessing of saving a life was worth the possible sacrifice of their own life.
• We see that one who wanders is in serious danger because in verse 20 James equates the wander with being a SINNER. The one who strays is tagged as a sinner.
• Look at verse 20 again. 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
• To bring a sinner back is to get them to quit their wandering away from the truth.
• We see two wonderful blessings that will happen for the one who is BROUGHT BACK.
• First, his soul will be saved from death.
• This is speaking of the SECOND death, the final death that will come for those who are lost, separated from God.
• SLIDE #11
• Revelation 20:14 (ESV) 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
• Spiritual death comes as a result of sin (Romans 6:16-23)
• Jesus gives us a way to avoid all that!
• When we help turn someone back, they will avoid this dreaded fate.
• There is a sense of urgency because there does come a point of no return.
• SLIDE #12
• Hebrews 6:4–6 (ESV) 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
• We need to be willing to rush into the burning building to save them!
• The second blessing that is worthy of our efforts is..
• and will cover a multitude of sins
• This speaks of forgiveness. God will forgive them. The word COVER does not mean HIDE, it denotes FORGIVENESS.
• The sins pile up as we walk away from the Lord and He is will to forgive them.
• SLIDE #13
• Psalm 32:1 (ESV) Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
CONCLUSION
• What is a soul worth to you? If a family member of yours was in peril would you try to rescue them?
• When we see a brother or sister in Christ wandering away, we need to make EVERY EFFORT to bring them back.
• The blessing are worth the effort!
