 |
I am a retired pastor of
the Church of God (Tennessee). My name is Isaac Livingston. I am from Neyyoor India. |
 |
Email: Pastor True Gospel
If video stops, you may watch this video by a click on this link: You-tube video.
We are going continue the first chapter in the epistle James. Last time we studied up to verse 12, and it was on temptations and rewards. There, temptation was persecution and tribulation, and the rewards are the glory of God and our crown in heaven. Now let us study from the next verse, 13. Please watch for the meaning of the same word 'temptation' here. We must take the meaning from its context. Here temptation is seduction.
"13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" Here, the word tempt means, to attract, to lure, or to entice, by worldly glamor, evil desires, lust, and such things. It says that God will not tempt anyone by such means, and God cannot be tempted with such things either. Jesus was tempted by the devil, and we see it in Matthew 4:1-11. In "7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." In the context, the devil tried to force Jesus to do a miracle by the power of God. Jesus says that it is tempting God. Pharisees also came to Jesus and required signs from the sky, and such. They tried to tempt God through Jesus. Jesus did not give in, proving that God cannot be tempted. In the book of Acts 5:1-11, there is the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Ghost, who is God. It was considered as tempting God. It is in verse 9. "Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?" So, lying to God also is considered as tempting God, and they were punished for that.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:28, "... whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. So, he is tempted and lusted. Romans 6:23 says "the wages of sin is death." If we put these two verses together, we can cast the lusted man to death roll. So, it is a very scary proposition, since even a lustful look will take us to hell. Now let us see verses 14&15. "14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Here, if we are enticed and drawn with lust, we are tempted. First we lust in our hearts, next lust is conceived, then we decide to do it, then we do it, and then it is sin. When it is finished, then is the judgment. By these steps, God cautions us, by giving us time to escape. If we did not escape, death is on our head. Still God in his mercy, gives us one more final chance. Please read Ephesians 4:17-32, when you have time. It tells us to put off the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;" That is, cut off the past life of lust and sin at least from now on, and escape from the death roll. Let me give the link for a study that we had a few weeks ago: "True Forgiveness." So, if you are converted at least now, from the old sinful life, you can escape the damnation. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord has longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." So, let us make use of the longsuffering of God and escape damnation.
"16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 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." So, we must not make an error. If we look a few verses down, we will see that the best gift that God will give us is to adopt us as his sons. As an earnest for this, God gives us a unique gift, it is the holy Spirit, it is life to our soul, and without it we cannot go to heaven. The holy Spirit is not one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost that God gives to do his ministry, after the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Then, grace is a gift that God gives only to those who will humble themselves before God and his saints. If you are not such a humble person, you do not have the grace from God, and God will resist you. If you think that you have grace, and if you do not humble before God and his saints, the grace you have is from Satan, the devil. In Mark 12:24, Jesus answered to religious people that they make error, because they neither know the scriptures, nor the power of God. So, we must know the scripture and the power of God, so that we may not make errors. Colossians 2:4 tells us not to accept enticing words of preachers. Enticing words are the words from the mouth of the devil, which preachers teach. So, receive the pure word of God only. How about the power of God? If we accept the Lord Jesus Christ, who is in the omnipotent Spirit, with all his power, as God, we will receive power from him. But our preachers present the man Jesus as God, and it is very easy to convince Christians with various kinds of Jesus stories and misrepresent the Man Jesus as God. Scripture says that this man does not even exist now. In that case, how can we receive power from a non-existing man? He was crucified, dead, resurrected, and now he is in the omnipotent Spirit. This is the truth. He is no longer a man. Why do you visualize a man Jesus Christ to be your God and worship that imaginary idol of that man as God? Let me give the link for this important study also: "God Jesus Christ." So, if we are established on the word of God and on the true Jesus Christ, who is God with power, we will escape from all errors.
"18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." To understand how God begets, we must know how the Lord Jesus Christ was begotten. We refer John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son," to study begotten Son. They preach that the begotten Son was the man Jesus, and that he was born to God and Mary. Accordingly, Man Jesus was born as a cross breed between God and human. So, Jesus was half God and half man, and preachers call it as full God and full man. This is total error by scripture; but we accept it by commonsense. I have a study on this and let me give the link for it. "Begotten Son." So, according to the bible, begotten Son is the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, who is God in the Omnipotent Spirit. So also, if we live our lives, purifying ourselves as in 1 John 3:1-3, God will beget us also as sons, as he begot Jesus Christ as his Son. So, please look at the link and study how God begot Jesus Christ as his Son. 1 Peter 1:3 also says that God is begetting us as his sons, and our study verse also says this. And it also says, "we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." So, it is, firstfruits and creatures. Creatures are of the Spirit; and first fruits does not mean that we must ripe before others, but we must be of top quality, which is first grade and perfect fruits for God. Revelation 14:4 says, that "they are virgins, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." It means that we must be virgins, pure, and perfect in godliness for God. Many verses say the same thing.
"19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." How to be swift to hear? "Acts 2:40-42 say, that people heard the preaching of apostles, repented, took water baptism, and it was all in the same day. It is about 3000 people. Then they immediately joined the apostles and began to study their doctrine and became the part of the fellowship of the brethren. Here we see that they are swift to hear. What is slow to speak? At five verses down, 25&26 say that some people will not do what the apostles say but will talk boastful thing with no control to their tongues, and they talk bluff. They must learn be quiet, but not to speak. Let us see an example of slow to wrath. Jesus says in Matthew 5:22, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Ephesians 4:26 says, Be ye angry, and sin not. Slow to wrath is to wait and see that if we have a cause to get angry. Jesus Christ did not say, not to get angry. Jesus himself got angry and whipped those who did business in the temple. That was by his righteousness. So, we must not forget to be righteous. So, if there is a cause to get angry, then get angry; but be careful not to commit sin.
"21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." It says to lay apart all filthiness, etc. 2 Corinthians 6:14 to 7:1 tells us to be separated from all filthiness by separating ourselves from ungodly hypocrites. 7:1 says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." What is to receive with meekness the engrafted word? "1 Peter 2:2 says, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: In John 6:68, .. Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." So, the engrafted word gives life to the baby as well as the eternal life. This word is able to save your soul: "Romans 1:16 ... it is the power of God unto salvation .... 1 Corinthians 15:2 says, .., by which also ye are saved." The word of God is the core instructions of Jesus Christ, which is the gospel, that is preached to save souls. If we obey the word of Jesus Christ, it will save our souls.
"22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." It says, be doers of the word, that is to live according to what the word says. But most Christians do what they want to do and forget about what the word says. Jesus taught one of his doctrinal points in Matthew 7. 21 says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Calling Jesus Christ as 'Lord, Lord', is like singing praise songs to him in churches, and may be like attending church services, prayer meetings, etc. Jesus Christ says that doing such things will not allow them to enter heaven. But if we do the Father's will, which is obeying God, we will enter heaven. "22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." These people got the baptism of the Holy Ghost and have received gifts, and use the gifts to heal, prophesy, cast out demons, and to do miracles. When anybody use the gifts, the angels of the Holy Ghost do the works behind them, and so, it is not their works, but the works of angels, and it is by God. But they claim the gifts as their works to enter heaven. No, they are not their works, and so, they cannot enter heaven. Next portion of the verse is, deceiving your own selves: Christian churches are infiltrated by preachers of grace gospel; but their grace is fake grace. "1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." If we do such things, unless we repent and be converted from doing them, our sins will not be forgiven, and we cannot enter heaven. But most preachers teach that even our future sins are forgiven, it is by grace, and so on. The grace they preach is the grace of Satan. "2 Timothy 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." Deceivers deceive themselves also. Every Christian believe that they will be in heaven as soon as they die. They take heaven for granted. It is deception.
"25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." The perfect law of liberty is the law of the Spirit, that we must live in; and it is living by the guidance of the holy Spirit. "Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Those who live by law of the Spirit, which is the law of liberty, are not under the law of 'sin and death'. Romans 7:22&23, say that we know the law of liberty in our minds, but if we let the flesh takeover; and because of that we are under the law of sin. James 2:12 says, that we all shall be judged by the law of liberty. Our study verse 25 also says that we must continue in the law of liberty. In "John 8:31 Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Romans 11:22 and 1 Timothy 4:16 say, that we must continue in his goodness, to be saved; or else, we will be cut off. So, we must continue in the law of liberty, that is the law of Spirit to be in heaven.
"26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Seems to be a religious means, that he thinks and shows himself to be religious, while he is not. Once a man told me that we must help the fatherless, widows, and our neighbors. I asked him, who were the people he helped so far. The answer was none. So, he preached high demands to others, but he did nothing. This guy must bridle or control his tongue. That is, he practices a religion that is vain. "Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." There is one more phrase to see in the last verse, 27. It is to keep himself unspotted from the world. What is it? "James 4:4 says, ..., know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" Jesus Christ says in John 17 that his followers also are not of the world, even as he was not of the world. "1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." So, we must know distinctly, the difference between the things of the world and the things in heaven. "1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." We know what the things of the world are, and we like them. But God tells us to be unspotted by them. Even a spot of worldliness must not be in us. So, let us all be heavenly minded. Please look for the things that are in heaven.
If any
point needs explanation, OR, if you find an error according to
scripture,
Please write to me in the
'Mail Box' below. I will respond promptly.
Thanks.
 |
HOME |
 |
 |
Matthew 28:20, & Mark 16:15. Jesus Christ preached his commandments to obey, as his
Gospel; it is the true Gospel to inherit Eternal life. Genesis 3:1-4 & 2 Corinth 11:2-4. But Preachers, who are Serpents of Satan, preach the life of man Jesus just to believe, but not to live as a chaste virgin, as the gospel; it is another gospel, which cannot and will not give Eternal life.The true gospel will convert evil people to do good and thereby they will inherit the kingdom in heaven.
John 3:19-21 say that people are two kinds, evil and true. Evil doers will not come to the Light, who is God; but people of truth come to God for their deeds to be made manifest. We have good and evil people by our standard of our society or culture. These evil people may be converted to be doers of truth by the power of God, and they may inherit the kingdom of God in heaven.
 |
 |
Email: Pastor True Gospel
 |
