James 1:4-8
A Touch from God
We are about to begin a revival. What is a revival about? It is
about getting a touch from God. Everyone needs a touch from God,
saved and lost. Everyone needs a regular touch from God. However,
there are different types of people and they need different types of
touches!
1. Some need to be hit with the hammer of God.
2. Some need to be re-charged by God.
3. And some need their eyes to be opened.
James introduces to some people who need a touch from God.
I. The Foolish Man needs a touch from God.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom….
A. Please do not be offended if I seem to suggest that you fall
into this category.
1. A foolish man is not necessarily one who lacks knowledge.
2. In fact, some of the most knowledgeable people of this
world are very foolish and some of the wisest people of
world have very little knowledge.
3. Wisdom and smart are not the same.
4. Knowledge is intelligence, the accumulation of facts;
Wisdom is having the ability to see things as God sees
things.
B. James warns of the inferiority of mere knowledge. He calls
a person who relies on knowledge double-minded, even
unstable.
James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways.
1. Again, James does not mean that they are crazy, just
erratic, unsteady, subject to change.
2. Why? Because knowledge can be faulty and is subject to
change.
In the old days, the largest printed encyclopedia was the Britannica
Encyclopedia. It was so large that it was divided into different
sets, the Micropædia and Macropædia. Together, they had about 40
million words and 24,000 pictures. The index contained 2,350 pages,
which listed 228,274 topics written about in the Britannica, One
could easily say that it was THE source of knowledge for many
generations.
However, since 1936, the articles of the Britannica have been revised
often, with about 10% of the articles brought to be re-written each
year. One Britannica website said that 46% of the articles were
revised in the past three years; but another Britannica web-site says
it was only 35% of the articles were revised.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica
3. Knowledge, facts, smarts—it changes which means what you
think you know today might be incorrect. In fact, it
probably is.
C. So James warns us to get wisdom instead.
1. How do we get this wisdom? Just ask for it. God will
freely give it.
2. But how can a person ask for wisdom if he does not know
it exists?
a. There was a time in our country when wisdom was as
abundant as the leaves on the ground in fall. You
could not walk anywhere without stepping in it.
b. But the God-haters of this world have about destroyed
wisdom off the earth. God is virtually outlawed in
public environments and it won’t be much longer before
they attempt to outlaw Him in the private arenas too.
c. That is one reason why we need revivals. People need
to come out of this world and have some open the
word of God and expose them to God’s view points—
not just for 30 or 40 minutes. But for 60 or 90
minutes. Not just one day a week, but night after
night.
D. What kind of wisdom does the foolish need to gain?
1. Wisdom of salvation
a. The first and foremost wisdom that needs to be gained
is the wisdom of salvation.
b. Here it that wisdom in a nutshell.
Mr 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul?
c. What would you have if you gained every wealth the
world contained or tried every pleasure that it
offered?
(1) Would it be worth your soul?
(2) The foolish might answer, "Yes."
(3) You need the wisdom to know that nothing is more
important than your soul.
(4) If you lack that kind of wisdom, only exposure to
the powerful preaching of the Word of God can
pound that kind of wisdom into you.
(5) Being under the preached word is like a hammer.
God designed it to drive wisdom into the heart.
2. Wisdom of eternity
a. Eternity is not just a time period. It is a point of
view, a perspective.
b. Most everything changes when you start looking at them
from the perspective of eternity.
c. Perhaps your life is tough, filled with struggles and
heartaches—but what are a few days of struggle
compared to eternity?
Ro 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us.
3. Wisdom of the Word
a. Anyone can own a Bible.
b. Understanding of the Bible can only come by wisdom.
1Co 2:14 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.
E. These three wisdoms could altar not only the landscape of a
human soul but of a nation—of the whole world!
II. The Tempted Man needs a touch from God.
A. Much of the book of James is directed to the tempted.
B. The tempted man that James writes to must be a Christian man.
1. You say why?
a. Temptation does comes to the saved and the lost, does
it not?
b. Temptation is someone being tempted to abandon right
for wrong, is it not?
2. Yes! But James knew that the lost man’s best efforts were
to be moral were wicked and abominable before God, so he
would tell spend his time trying to help them win a moral
battle when what they needed was to win the salvation
battle!
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty
of all.
Ga 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the law
to do them.
3. You can’t be a little bit good or bad anymore than you can
be a little bit pregnant or a little bit dead.
4. As a matter of fact, the categories of "good" and "bad"
don’t exist. The only thing you can be is forgiven or
not forgiven.
C. So James is speaking to the saved man who was being tempted to
be discouraged, defeated, or downhearted. Such a person needs
a touch from God.
D. What might God give to such a man?
1. Faith
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience.
a. When temptation comes, it is your faith that is being
attacked.
b. Faith is your assurance in God and His promises.
c. You need a touch from God to strengthen your faith.
d. Getting under the preached word is like a charger
being hooked up to the battery. It will do something
for you!
e. They did not have batteries are charges in the Bible
days but they had fire and undersand that from time
to time, a fire needs to be restoked.
f. Revival will out the fire back into you!
g. Isn’t it interesting that when the Holy Ghost came in
the Upper Room that He came as a flaming fire?
2. Patience
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that
ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
a. When temptations comes, we need to hold on until God
brings deliverance and victory!
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that,
after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise.
b. Patience is the ability to wait without anxiety or
frustration.
c. So when temptation comes, we need to keep doing right
and to wait patiently for God!
3. Joy
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye
fall into divers temptations;
a. God does want us to have the good things in life, like
joy, peace, power, and purpose.
1Jo 1:4 And these things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
b. Now He is not as much interested in us having fun,
pleasure, and prosperity; but God wants life to be
good for us.
III. The Cold Man needs a touch from God.
A. The foolish man is lost; the tempted man is saved; but the
cold man can be either.
1. It is strange that a malady as severe has coldness can
have an effect on both the redeemed and the damned, but
it can.
2. What’s more, it is very, very difficult to fix this
condition.
B. Notice how James describes it:
1. The cold man can know the Bible.
James 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word….
2. The cold man can know his sins and shortcomings.
James 1:24 For he beholdeth himself….
3. The cold man can have a form of religion.
James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be
religious….
4. But for all he knows, he has no concern.
James 1:24 He …goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.
James 1:23 He is …not a doer….
5. He has grown cold and indifferent to the Word of God.
C. The Old Testament says of him…
Proverbs 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own
conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of
him.
D. Such a man needs a touch from God! God summarizes what this
man needs.
1. If he is religious, he needs to stop deceiving himself.
James 1:26 He "…deceiveth his own heart, this
man’s religion is vain."
2. He needs to let the Word of God penetrate his heart.
James 1:21 "…receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls.
3. Friend, your best opportunity is to put yourself under
the preached Word of God, night after night, service
after service—praying all the while that God would
touch you!
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