Scripture:
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.
Observation:
I know this is not a lot of scripture. But it has a power-packed punch. James is one of my favorite books in the bible. HE never really sugarcoats anything. He comes at you with the truth and doesn’t seem to care if you like it. However, in these verses, he seems to approach slightly differently. All throughout the Bible, we see some common threads. One that sticks out the most to me is Jesus, and honestly, I don’t know if you can talk about Jesus without talking about grace, so let’s look at the scripture that was chosen this morning. It talks about wandering away from the truth. This seems to be someone who has heard the word of GOD started down the right path and at some point gotten sidetracked or misled. The word “wondering” implies a slow fade. Seemingly not even noticeable in the moment. Yet when this person stops long enough to look up and see how far away from GOD they have gotten, it seems like it’s too late. James, in all his wisdom, knows that his half-brother did not die to leave them in that state of being. He tells us it’s possible for them to return to the LORD. But how? They seem to be so far away. The journey back seems impossible. Well, it’s not.
Application:
Grace+truth=love… love covers a multitude of sins. How do we bring someone back from wondering? Well, I have never been able to condemn them into heaven. It just doesn’t work that way. In fact, that tends to push them away from so-called Christians. When Jesus was on the cross in pain that none of us could understand. HE said Father forgive them. Not only can we not understand that kind of pain, but that kind of grace is very difficult to comprehend as well. But what does it take to turn a sinner back to Christ? AMAZING GRACE AND UNWAVERING TRUTH. Please don’t get me wrong when you read this. Because I’m not telling you to point and tell people they are going to hell if they don’t change their ways. But what I am saying is we have to show them, Jesus, in real time. Pointing our finger in their chest won’t work. We have to love them with the truth… Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. They need to know that GOD is for them, not against them. 2 Peter 3:9 is a great verse, in my opinion, and shows just how great GOD’S love is. What is in the bible will happen. No one can stop that, but our Father wants all to find repentance. To turn for our sins and embrace HIM. The only way for that to happen is for those who know HIM (like you and I) to speak the truth that is seasoned with the same grace we were shown when we turned from our sins. Listen, y’all, GOD is good. If we show them love (grace+thrth=love), they can be turned back to Christ. I know this to be true because someone did it for me. I was saved 14 years ago. But I have less than 7 years clean and sober. I wandered away from the truth. But GOD sent someone to bring me back. For that, I am grateful.
Prayer:
Father, thank you. You never give up on us. You will not start something that you do not finish. You are so truly amazing. Help us to see how to love without condemnation. It’s not our job to condemn anyone. The Bible says the world will know that we belong to you by the way we love. So let us love in the same way you do. I know that hurts sometimes. Because we have to see people do things we know are not good for them. You watch that millions of times a day from millions of people. Gi e us the words to say that might turn just one more sinner to repentance. We just want one more father, and after that, just one more help us to empty out the flaming pit one sinner at a time. Your word tells us that the gates of hell will not hold up against your church. Through the grace given to us, we can extend that same grace to others and help them see your love. That love is what will turn them back to you. That’s our heart’s desires. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray amen.