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I am a retired pastor of
the Church of God (Tennessee). My name is Isaac Livingston. I am from Neyyoor India. |
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Email: Pastor True Gospel
If video stops, you may watch this video by a click on this link: You-tube video.
In our previous study, we saw that 'tongue' represents preachers and their sermons; and how they influence the denomination and Spirit churches. The word 'body' refers to the body of Christ, which is the Spirit church. If preachers teach the truth in Spirit, they are of God. Others teach tradition and theology, and they are of the world and of the devil; but they pretend as if they are of God. James 3:9 says that these teachers and preachers praise God with their mouth, but their hearts are far from God, and they hate and curse those who follow Jesus Christ in their life.
["James 3:10
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and
cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11
Doth a fountain send forth at the same place
sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear
olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt
water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with
knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works
with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and
strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is
earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is,
there is confusion and every evil work.
17
But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
of them that make peace."]
What will we cover in today's study? This epistle is written to the brethren in church, but it is about preachers. Preachers praise God for an outward show, but they will not follow the ways of God, and they hate and curse those who follow God. They want people to follow them and their doctrine. Verses 11-13 show how they are double tongued hypocrites and are of the devil. Verse 14 is a rebuke to them. But wise men receive the revelation of God, live by them, and teach them. But worldly-wise men, who are foolish in the sight of God, will live for themselves, and teach theology and tradition. Last two verses say that godly wisdom is first pure, and so on. Wise preachers live righteously and bring others to be in peace with God.
"James 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." Apostle James writes this to the brethren, who are the congregation, to know about the preachers. Preachers praise God for a show, but they want us to follow them, but not God. If we follow God, they will curse us. We must expel such preachers; but if we cannot, we must get out of their church. They preach theology, but not the truth. "11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" Nobody can be godly and ungodly at the same time. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 7:16-20, that good trees cannot give evil fruits, and evil trees will not give good fruits. ["16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."] So, God will destroy the evil trees. These preachers are hypocrites, and that is why, they praise God and curse people of God. God will punish them, and we must reject such preachers and escape from them. Apostle James asks the same thing in the next verse also. "12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh." Telling the same thing again and again, is to give emphasis to teaching. Apostle Paul says in, "Philippians 3:1 ... To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe." So, it is good to hear the truth of God again and again.
"13 Who is a wise man and
endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation
his works with meekness of wisdom." He says that these preachers
are of the devil, and they are hypocrites; and the apostle appeals to the people in church that if there is a person who is
endued with knowledge, that is with the revelation of the word of God; let
him show it in his life, prove it to people;
and the hint is, let him teach it to the people. That is to reject false
teachers and you teach the truth. This verse says that preachers must be
endued with knowledge first, they
must apply them by good works, and then they must teach. In "Matthew 7:24
Jesus Christ says, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock:" That is, they must
do what they have learned, and then preach. Apostle Paul
says in, "Galatians 6:4
But let every man
prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself ..." Prove it by work; then rejoice.
In
"1 Corinthians 11:1 he says,
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." So, as you
follow Christ, invite others to follow you. Our study verse says to show our godly life with meekness
in wisdom. "James 1:21
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and
receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls." So, with meekness, we will save our own souls. "Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls." We must follow Jesus with meek and
lowly heart. "1 Peter 3:4
.. a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of
God of great price." So, meekness is of
great price in the sight of God. And it comes from the wisdom of God.
"14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth." Here, bitter envy and strife in our hearts may apply to anybody; but lie not against truth apply to teachers only. Verse: "16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." So, these preachers confuse people and are doing evil work. Nominal Christians are also confused, not knowing the truth, and pick up arguments and fights. So, envy and strife may be present in all levels. "1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" That is, such Christians are carnal because of their celebrity following, they are not of the Spirit; and so, they do not belong to the Spirit church, even if they show them to be spiritual. They go after celebrities, but not after God. "Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." So, please realize that godly life is not running behind a celebrity, certain pet doctrine, or a beloved denomination. They glory in themselves as servants of God, but they always preach against the truth.
"15 This wisdom descendeth
not from above, but is earthly, sensual,
devilish." So, there are two kinds of wisdom; one is from
above, that
is from God; another is from our own intelligence, that is of
the world, and it is from Satan. The verse says
that it is devilish. Do you know the origin of the worldly wisdom? It
is mentioned in these verses. ["Genesis
2:9 ... the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. ... 17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.
3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than
any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the
woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall
not surely die: 5
For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil. 6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired
to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."] God grew a tree,
which will give knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam and Eve, not to
eat the fruit from that tree. Satan told Eve, the fruit of the tree will
give them knowledge and it will make them wise. But God already told them
that it is the tree of knowledge. So, it is not new. But God told them
that if they eat the fruit from the tree, they will die, but the devil told Eve that
they will not die. At present, God tells that "sin unto
death, or obedience unto righteousness." But the same Satan even now preach that we will not die, even if we are committing sin,
because of grace. Adam and Eve became wise on
the day they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, but they were
cursed by God, and thrown out of the garden of Eden, because of that. (By
the way, the garden of Eden is paradise, you may study this in this link:
"Garden of Eden is Paradise"). So, this wisdom appears to be a smart
thing, but it is disobedience to God, and it is devilish. It will cost us
eternal life. "1
Corinthians 1:20 Where is
the wise?
where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God
made foolish the wisdom of this world?" We think that theologians
are wise; but God made the foolish as the wisdom of the world, and they
are theologians and preachers. "21
For after that in the wisdom of God the
world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe." So, by
the wisdom of this world, nobody can know God. That is, by worldly wisdom,
which is logic and intelligence, nobody will know God. But heavenly wisdom
is by the Spirit and by revelation. Even though it appears to be foolish
to an intelligent man, it saves them that believe God. "Romans 1:22
says
Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools," These preachers and
theologians think that they are wise and smart, but God made them foolish.
"1 Corinthians 1:26
For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called: 27
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty;." It says, God
does not call any worldly wise and mighty people for him, but he calls the
so-called
foolish people of the world. So, it is profitable to be foolish rather than to be wise
and strong. 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 also says the
same thing.
["1 Corinthians 3:18
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among
you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may
be wise. 19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the
thoughts of the wise, that they are vain."] So, be cautioned; no
man can outsmart God. God makes their wisdom to be vain.
1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." So, God's wisdom is spiritually
discerned.
"17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." There are two opposite wisdoms. One wisdom is from the world and the other is from heaven. The heavenly wisdom has many limbs. First of all, it is pure, it is gentle, it will make peace with others, easy to entreat with people, has mercy, produce good fruits in life, without partiality, that is, it is not respecter of persons, and it will not have hypocrisy. This is the wisdom that we will receive from God. "1 Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:" Here perfect people are the sons of God, and this wisdom is shared among them. But the worldly wisdom, it is from the devil, who is the prince of this world, will come to nothing before God. "7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:" God's wisdom is in mysteries, it will be ordained to us for our glory in heaven. One other thing that I like to mention at this point is the ministerial gift, "the word of wisdom." It is one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost for the ministry. That is in: "1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; and so on." These gifts are given to do ministry, to reveal a few things about people. But the wisdom we are studying in James, is as godliness is infused into our very being, which will make us wise pertained to heavenly things. It will help us, even to have fellowship with God. It is like the grace. It is wisdom abides in us.
Let us see verse 17 again, and study each word from there. "17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." The wisdom from above will be pure, and so, it gives us purity. "Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." We need purity to see God. Also, this wisdom is peaceable and gentile. "Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" Without this peace, we cannot see God. This wisdom gives us that peace. "1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:" Wisdom makes us gentle, so we can teach the truth as the apostles have taught. But Jesus Christ told the scribes and Pharisees in "Matthew 23:28, Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." Present day preachers are also the same as them, and Jesus Christ calls them hypocrites more than twenty times in the gospel. One of them is Mark 7:6&7. "6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Now, they teach theology for doctrine, which is the commands of men, instead of the commandments of Jesus Christ. "18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." It is wisdom that gives us the fruit of righteousness and peace of God. The context is, the wisdom that is from above. So, they will live righteous life, they will have peace with God, and they will be ministers to people, for them to have peace with God; that is, they all will be saved. Jesus Christ says in, "Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Philippians 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." So, wisdom of God will lead us to be the children of God, and to be in the kingdom of God. But, if we do not have this wisdom, then what? "James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." So, if you love God and follow God, but if you do not have the wisdom from above, ask God and he will give it to you liberally. He upbraideth not. That is, he will not rebuke you. Receive the wisdom of God from above, live the life, and teach the brethren. You will become Sons, even the beloved of God.
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.
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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.
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Email: Pastor True Gospel
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