Studies from the Book of James

No 7 "The Word of Truth"

Preached by Pastor Jack Anderson

Bethel Church Isle of Man.

Introduction. James has written much about trials, testing and temptations.

It is a heavy theme, but necessary to those who had been surprised by the weight of the cross and the hostility of the world. Then, with wise affection, James says to these dear saints,

"every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". 1:17

Don't find yourselves, taken up with the same spirit of discouragement, which the world has. How disappointing life has turned out.

Consider all that you have, the blessings of the goodness of God, which you share with all men, and then consider the gifts of redemptive grace, which have been heaped upon you as Christians. They all come from God!

Having pointed them to the "Giver of Perfect Gifts" James goes on to speak of the greatest gift that a person can receive from a loving and a gracious God, the gift of the "New Birth which places one into the family of God.

V 18 of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. KJV

The subject before us is "Regeneration" the imparting of divine life through the "Word of Truth".

The word "Regeneration" appears two times in scripture.

1) Matt 19: 27 Peter said to the Lord" Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

And Jesus said unto them, V 28 "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel".

In this verse the word "Regeneration" means a "New Order" referring to the millennium, the Lord’s kingdom on earth.

2). The Apostle Paul uses this word in reference to the spiritual aspect of this kingdom.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Regeneration is a new order, a new creation, whereby God bestows on the believing sinner new life. God Himself is the giver and the believer is just the recipient. This life is God’s own life.

God being good, and the Father of Lights, has shown to us His redemptive goodness in the way of salvation. God has brought us forth by His word. Literally it means to make new or to make over.

A little boy, fascinated by the mystery of change in a man's very nature, asked his father to explain it. The response was "All I can say is that it is the power of God." Then he added, "The Creator is also the re-creator."

The Perpetuity of the New Birth

"Of His own will begat he us"

God takes the initiative in this act. The New Birth is all of God from beginning to end. James tells these New Testament Christians, that the Father of lights chose to give them birth. If God did not will to save us, we could not possibly be saved.

"Salvation is of the Lord" The new birth is wholly rooted in God.

1 Peter 1: 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Does God’s foreknowledge mean, that he saw in advance those who of their own free will would repent of their sins and believe? Then through His foreknowledge of the facts, He would decree that these people would be saved?

This would be unsatisfactory for it places the Creator in the hands of the creature. It places Salvation in the sinner’s hand and not in the hand of a Sovereign God.

It makes the Grace of God dependant on the will of man, and once Grace depends on anything it is no longer Grace. The very essence of Grace is that it is free, independent and Sovereign.

That God, of His own free will, should choose us to be heirs of eternal salvation through faith in His Son, is the greatest marvel of all time.

God fashioned and finished Redemption by His own will, but the sinner does not receive God’s life until he says "I Will"

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way.

God willingly brought us forth out of death unto life.

The Apostle Paul says, "He loved me and gave himself for me" Gals. 2:20. He is the God who gives himself to every believer.

Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:7 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

God has bestowed great dignity on those who are now His people, but privilege and responsibility go hand in hand. Gratitude of heart should be the hallmark of every Christian.

Redeemed by Precious Blood, Raised to Spiritual Life, and eternally secure in Christ. Let us put on the garment of Praise and bless the Lord, let His praise be continually on our lips.

When God wanted to defeat sin, his ultimate weapon was the sacrifice of his own Son.

In Loving Kindness Jesus came

My soul in mercy to reclaim

And from the depths of sin and shame

Through Grace He lifted me.

The Perpetuity of the New Birth

"Of His own will begat he us"

The Production of the New Birth.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,

We deserve death, but God acts in mercy to a countless millions of sinners and gives to them a new birth.

How does he do it? It is clear, from what James says here, that God's intention is to bring sinners into contact with "the word of truth."

"He brought us forth with the "Word of Truth"

It is God himself - the Father of the heavenly lights - who determines to bring the word of truth to men and women, in the form of a sermon, or a friend who speaks to them, or in a tract, or a booklet, or in a text on a wayside pulpit.

"He begat us with the word of truth"

The Apostle Peter says to the Saints in his first Epistle

1 Peter 1:22-23 seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abides forever. (KJV)

Peter describes the Word of God as a Seed.

Illustration. A wise old professor of biology stood before his class of eager students. The Professor held a little brown seed in his hand. Quietly he spoke to his class.

"I know just the composition of this seed, " It has nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon. I know the exact proportions. I can make a seed that will look exactly like this one.

But if I plant the seed that I have made it will come to naught; its elements will simply be absorbed into the soil.

But if I plant the seed, which God has made, it will become a living plant, because it contains the mysterious life Principle.

The Word of God is incorruptible seed, which contains the mysterious life principle.

Plant it in good ground, and it will demonstrate its life giving principle by germinating, growing, and bearing fruit. Only living things can produce life, the Bible is a life-giving book.

 

"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God

 

THE PROPERTIES OF GOD'S WORD

1. God's Word is a Divine word

It has always faced the attacks of men, the false prophets, who are under the control of Satan, and has defeated them. Listen to the challenge the Lord brings to the false prophets in Jeremiah's day.

 

Jeremiah 23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What <is> the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. (KJV)

 

There is nothing that could depict more clearly, the message of the false prophet, than chaff. It is the symbol of dryness and of deadness, the chaff of another gospel.

In this day of spiritual declension and confusion, we need to be able to discern between the chaff of the false prophet and the wheat of the Word of God.

 

2. God’s Word is a Dynamic Word.

 

The Bible is the great weapon which the Holy Spirit uses to bring, light, life, and liberty to men in darkness and death.

It is the Gospel alone, which is the word of truth. It tells us the truth about God, the truth about man, sin, death, heaven, hell, and the need for repentance.

 

It was by God’s Word at last my sin I Learned

Then I trembled at the Law I had spurned

Then my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.

 

3. God’s Word is a Durable Word.

1 Pet 1:24, 25 for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

But the word of the Lord endureth forever.

The "Word of Truth", is a living word, a lasting word, and an enduring word. It is Divine in its nature, Dynamic in its power, and Durable for it is settled in heaven.

The "Word of Truth" is Distinctive, 1 Pet 1:25 and this is the word, which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The Word of Truth is

1. The Medium for Spiritual Life.

1 Pet 1:23 being born again, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. (KJV)

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (NKJ)

Rom 10:17 so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We must be born again if we are to share in the glory of the presence of God for all eternity.

As in the garden of paradise of old, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man.

W S Plumber writes, The annals of world history do not tell us of one instance, where a sinner was converted, sanctified, filled with the hope of heaven, made willing to suffer in the cause of God, and enabled to triumph over the world, the flesh and the Devil, over fears, temptations, and death itself, except by the Word of Truth as revealed in the Gospel of Christ.

Salvation’s operation is through the word of truth. Which is, Completely, Convincingly, Constantly, and Convertingly True.

2. The Method for Spiritual Cleansing

1 Pet 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit (KJV)

The Psalmist says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psa 119:9

Jesus said to His own, now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you"

He prays to the Father " Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy word is truth.

The Word of Truth is

3. The Means for Spiritual Growth.

Pet 2:2 as newborn babes; desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby:

Paul prayed for the Church in Collosse, that they might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Col 1:9

God’s Word is the means for Spiritual Growth. It’s the milk, bread, meat, and the honey, which give sustenance and satisfaction to the believer at all stages of spiritual development. Heb 5:12-14

The word of Truth is a priceless possession.

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb". Ps 19:10(KJV)

The Word of Truth is, The Charter of all true liberty and the guide of history. It is the Illuminator of darkness, the up rooter of sin, strength in weakness, and the escape from temptation.

The word of Truth is the answer to the deepest human heart hungering, the begetter of life, the star of death’s night, and the revealer of God.

  1. W. Tozer

God did not write a book and send it by messenger to be read at a distance by unaided minds. He spoke a book and lives in his spoken words, constantly speaking his words and causing the power of them to persist across the years.

W. E. Sangster—Centuries of experience have tested the Bible. It has passed through critical fires no other volume has suffered, and its spiritual truth has endured the flames and come out without so much as the smell of burning.

The Perpetuity of the New Birth

"Of His own will begat he us"

The Production of the New Birth.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,

The Purpose of the New Birth.

V 18 "that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures"

God's intention in the new birth is now presented. The word of God is the seed that brings forth fruits.

The First fruits -- The background for this expression is in Leviticus 23:10

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye are come into the land, which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you:

 

There are two significant facts regarding the first fruits:

1. The First fruits were sacred and belonged to God. So too, believers are the special possession of the Living God and we are very precious to Him.

1 Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

2. The First Fruits were also indicative of a greater harvest, which would follow among His creatures -- This may be a reference to all those who will come to believe after these first century tokens of an amazing harvest of Christians to follow.

The believers, to whom James wrote, were just the beginning of a great multitude who would come to believe. Paul uses the same picture, when describing the Risen Christ as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep in the Lord.

1 Cor 15:20 but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

3. The First Fruits may also refer more broadly to creation. The entire creation is going to undergo a transformation as a result of the finished work of Christ. These believers are just the beginning. Rom. 8:18-23

4. The First Fruits, was an act of Consecration when the worshipers acknowledged all that they had had come from God and therefore belonged to Him.

All good and only good comes from God. That is clearly demonstrated in the fact that He sovereignly chose to give us salvation; and not us only, but also to a great multitude who would follow in coming generations.

In fact, the entire creation (excluding unbelievers) will be redeemed by His grace. The first fruits remind us of

1. The Believer’s Dignity—they are part of a crop that have been set aside by God.

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

2. The Believer’s Delight.

A heart that is filled with Gratitude, because of what the Grace of God has done for us.

Paul exhorts the believer to be rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

3. The Believer’s Desire –

Is to have a Life that is filled with Godliness. Reminding His ancient people of the blessing that they had known, God said,

Jer 2:3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase.

The Believer should be marked by holiness which distinguishes him from the rest of mankind. God is properly thanked for His goodness by our godliness.

4. The Believer’s Duty---

Is the propagation of the "Word of Truth" we have been Saved to Sow the seed.

Sowers must sow Faithfully

Eccl 11:6-- in the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

Sowers must sow Liberally

He who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly, but he who sow liberally will reap a bountifully. No force is so potent for good, as the hand that sows the "Word of Truth".

Sowers must sow Confidently

Gal 6:9-- and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Mary Warburton---

Expressed her confidence in the Word of Truth when she penned the following.

I sow and keep on sowing

The book that is God’s word

The word that tells of Jesus

The Lord who is the Word

I’m sowing and believing

There must a harvest be

The Seed that is life giving

God trusted this with me.

James 1:18 of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The more we ponder this verse, the more our hearts should be drawn out in grateful praise, and the more holy we should be.

Almighty God Thy Word is cast

Like seed into the Ground

Now let the dew of heaven descend

And righteous fruits abound.


Email Pastor Jack Anderson


Return to Pastor Andersons' Sermon Index Page