The text tonight is James 1.18,
James chapter 1 and verse 18. There are many who miss the blessed
instruction and the sweet consolation given by God the Holy Spirit
in the book of James because they somehow imagine that James
writing in his epistle contradict or at least appear to contradict
the writings of other inspired writers throughout the Word of
God. Most would not go so far as Martin Luther once did and
declared that the epistle of James is an epistle of straw.
But most people who profess to believe in salvation by God's
free grace, and deny that human merit and human works have anything
to do with God's saving grace, struggle with the book of James
and either ignore it or they will find some way to suggest
James was not really writing to us. He was just writing to
the Jews who lived in his day and they lived in peculiar circumstances
and what he has to say doesn't really apply to us. I don't see
how that helps any at all. The fact is God saved Jews in
James Day the same way he saves Jews and Gentiles today. He saved
Jews in all ages just as he saves Gentiles in all ages by grace
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, without any contribution
on our part, without any work or effort on our part. James,
like all the other apostles, tells us plainly that every good
gift comes down from God as the gift of pure, free grace. The gift of God in Christ Jesus. Look at verse 16. James 1, 16. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Let there be no mistake about
this. Every good gift, no exception, And every perfect gift, no exception,
is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. In other words,
James tells us by divine inspiration, nothing good springs from the
soil of humanity. Nothing good springs from the
dunghill of human nature. Nothing good in this world arises
from our nature. Every good gift, every perfect
gift, is from above and comes down from the Father of lights,
our God and Father, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James,
like all the other inspired writers of this blessed book, put the
crown on the Savior's head. on the head of him who alone
is fit to wear the crown and have the praise. He sang with
David as we sing, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto
thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. In
fact, The Psalmist words in Psalm 115.1 are precisely the words
that James declares in James 1 verse 18, our text this evening. Look at it. He's telling us exactly
the same thing David did. Of his own will, not unto us,
not unto us, oh no, of his own will, begat he us with the word
of truth. that we should be a kind of first
fruits of his creatures. Please note the fact that James
was inspired of God to tell us precisely and distinctly that
what he here speaks of applies only to a certain group of people
called us. Of his own will begat he us. With that little word, us, the
Word of God divides all men and women into two categories, us
and them. Us and them. It's always been
that way. It always will be that way. Us
and the world. Us, the seed of the woman, and
them, the seed of the serpent. Us, Christ's seed, and them the
devil's seed. Us, the offspring of God, and
them the sons of perdition. Us, God's elect, them the reprobate. Us, loved of God, them hated
of God. Us, the objects of mercy, them
the objects of wrath. Us, those to whom God gives His
grace, them to whom God gives his justice, us. Of his own will begat he us. Thank God for his great love
wherewith he loved us. How we ought to rejoice in that
redemption that is ours through Christ Jesus, who loved us and
gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling savor. Christ hath redeemed us. Thou wast slain, they sing, in
glory, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. Grace and salvation
belong to us. If we are saved, if you believe
God, grace and salvation belong to us because God has saved us
and called us. Because the God of all grace
had called us unto eternal glory by Jesus Christ. Hereby we know
that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of
his spirit. Are you among those James describes
as us? Are you among those James describes
as us? Of his own will begat he us. Oh may God be pleased this day
if you do not know him to make you to know the exceeding greatness
of his power to usward which believe. Now let's look at this
text together. The title of my message is His
Will, His Work, His Word. James speaks to us in this text
about these three things distinctly. His will, his work, his word. Here the Spirit of God teaches
us that God saves sinners according to his own sovereign will, by
the word of his truth, that he might make chosen, redeemed sinners
a kind of first fruits of his creatures. How often the scriptures
assert these facts, and yet the world, the religious world by
and large, ignores them, rejects them, rebels against them, and
despises them. First James tells us of his own
will, of his own will. That's the first thing James
calls our attention to. Whenever we think about salvation,
whenever we talk about it, whenever we write about it, whenever we
preach about it, if we think and speak according to this book,
we must begin with God's will. Salvation originates in God's
will. Salvation comes by God's will. not by your choice, not by your
decision, not by your will, not by your work, not by your feeling. Brother Don, you say that often
enough. We've got that. I wonder. Regeneration, the new
birth and all the consequent blessings of the new birth come
to sinners entirely through the absolute sovereign and gracious
will of God. This is the universal testimony
of scripture. Salvation is of the Lord. The salvation of the righteous
is of the Lord. Now, there are multitudes. You know such people and I do. You have such friends and I do.
We have such in our families. Multitudes, multitudes who acknowledge
and confess The salvation is by the purpose of God, the purchase
of God, and the power of God. Multitudes who do. Who yet embrace
things totally inconsistent with God's grace. Children of God,
hear me. Anything that ascribes any aspect
of God's salvation to you is contrary to the revelation of
this book. Anything that causes you to look to you and feel good
about yourself, causes you to look to you and think that this
is what makes me to differ. Anything that causes you to look
to you and make you think well of yourself and your acceptance
with God is totally contrary to the whole revelation of this
book. Salvation is of the Lord. Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth. Let's look at some scripture.
Turn back to Romans, chapter 9. Romans, chapter 9, verse 16. Romans, chapter 9, verse 16.
I find it astounding that God the Holy Spirit, as he moved
men to write this book we have before us, gave a direct negative
statement to every form of heresy I've ever heard. before it ever
was spoken by man. Men tell us that God loves everybody. God loves everybody. You hear
it everywhere. So God tells us before anybody
ever invented such nonsense, Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. How much plainer could Scripture
be? Folks tell us Christ died for everybody. But before anybody
ever debated the issue of the atonement, the Lord Jesus said,
I laid down my life for the sheep. You're not of my sheep. He spoke
very plainly. He said, I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou hast given me. And everybody today,
everybody under the sun who's not been taught of God, worships
himself at the altar of his own free will, setting man up in
the house of God, worshiping him as though he were God, ascribing
to man that which belongs only to God, and that is the power
of his will to give life. Men brag on their free will.
Listen to the book. Romans 9, verse 16. So then, that is, this is the
conclusion of all I've said. It is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Salvation is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Now it doesn't matter what you read or hear elsewhere, that's
what the book of God says. I was preaching in Louisville
and Dr. Magruder came up to me after
the service was over and he said, isn't it a strange thing that
man takes the weakest aspect of his nature, his will, and
makes it his God? The weakest aspect of humanity
is your will. But men make the will to be the
Savior. Not so the book of God. The great
contrast between the religion of the world and the religion
of Christ is just this. Who is entitled to the praise
and the glory of the sinner's salvation? Your answer to that
question is determined by your answer to this. Is salvation
by your free will or by God's free grace? The answer is clear. The scriptures give clear and
precise answer. If they speak not according to
this book, It is because there's no light in them. Hear what God
says. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honor and power. For it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Salvation,
our God says, is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit. What does this ugly, vile, reprehensible,
blasphemous term free will represent? Free will represents everything
and anything with regard to religion that is decided, determined,
or done by man to attain God's favor. Free willism is the religion
of Satan. Lucifer was the first will worshipper. Lucifer was the first freewheeler. Read about it in Isaiah chapter
14. Those who crucified our Lord
Jesus are those men of whom the scripture speaks like this, Pilate
delivered Jesus to their will. Look back to Calvary and you
will see what free will always do to God if it can. Pilate delivered Jesus to their
will. Free will is the religion of
Babylon, the religion of Antichrist according to 2 Thessalonians
2. What's represented by this glorious God honoring Christ
exalting term, free grace. Everything that has anything
to do with God's salvation. Free grace is the sovereign,
voluntary, eternal, immutable, uncaused, unconstrained will
of God by which we are saved. The glory of all God in all His
being is in His grace. Grace reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ of His own will begat he us. If the Lord God wills the salvation
of some who are not saved, then the will of God is meaningless. If the Lord God wills the salvation
of some who perish under the wrath of God, just as He wills
the salvation of others, then the will of God makes no difference.
If the Lord God wills the salvation of some who are not saved because
they will not be saved, then the will of man is omnipotent
and the will of God subservient to the will of man. The Word
of God declares with unmistakable clarity that it is the will of
God alone that's the cause of our salvation. Man's will is
like himself. Man's will is dead. Dead. Dead in trespasses and
in sin. You say, well I have a will.
You have a will for everything under the sun except faith in
Christ. You have a will for everything evil, everything dark, everything
blasphemous, everything ungodly. No will for God. No will for
Christ. No will to worship at the throne
of God. That's not within the power of
your ability. Man's will, like himself, is
dead. And like himself, is depraved.
And like himself, is in bondage. In bondage to his corrupt heart
and corrupt nature. People love to think about their
free will and brag about their free will and sing about their
free will. Man has no free will. His will is in bondage. Maybe
I shouldn't say that. Maybe I shouldn't say that. After
all, everybody is sure man has a free will. Well, let's put
it the way Brother Scott Richardson did here years ago. He said,
I'll give it to you, your will is free. Just as free as a frog
in a snake's belly. You can jump around all you want
to, you just can't get out. And that's the way man's will is
in his nature. He can't change what he is. His
nature controls his choice. God Almighty determined to save. He determined who he would save,
when he would save them, how and where, and he arranged it
in sovereign providence and predestination. Isaac Watts spoke very well when
he said, mortals be dumb. What creature dares dispute his
awful will? Ask no account of his affairs,
but tremble and be still. Just like his nature is his grace,
all sovereign and all free. Great God, how searchless are
thy ways, how deep the mystery. All right, second, look back
at our text. James tells us that salvation,
particularly the new birth, is God's work. Of his own will begat
he us. We have been born again, regenerated
by the will of God, according to the will of God. By the power
of God, according to the will of God. Born again by the spirit
of God, according to the will of God. Of his own will begat
he us. We were generated in our natural
life. That is, when a man or woman
is first born as a baby, coming forth from the mother's womb,
in natural generation, we experience creation. The Creator is God. In the new birth, we experience
regeneration. We experience a new creation. And the Creator is God. We are made new creatures in
Christ Jesus. Made new creatures. Turn back
to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature, a new creature, a new creation, a new creation. Who would ever think of ascribing
creation to the work of man who says he believes God. Who would
ever dream of one who believes God ascribing creation to the
work of man? Who would ever dream of one who
believes God ascribing salvation to the will of man? Oh no. This is the Creator's work. We are new creatures in Christ
Jesus. So that the Lord God in the new
birth makes every chosen sinner a new man. A new man created
in righteousness and in true holiness. A new man called Christ
in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, that new man formed
in you that cannot sin. So that the believer has new
eyes. Blessed are your eyes, for they
see. With which to see things he could
not see before. He sees the glory of God in redemption. He sees the mysteries of God
revealed in the book. He has a new heart. A new heart to believe God. A new heart set on things above. A new heart in that regenerate
man which no work of religion or no work of man can produce.
He's made to know the love of God in Christ. Made to know God's
covenant grace and the grace given him in Christ Jesus. A
new heart so that he sees God not merely as the God of nature
and the God of providence and the God of creation, but God
my Father. Our Father which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. The Lord Jesus, our creator,
tells us that this knowledge of God in Christ Eternal life
the new man this new one born of God Has new desires He wants what he never wanted
before If I am heaven-born If you are
heaven-born We want things we didn't want before We want not
only to be reckoned righteous, but to be righteous. Not only
considered holy, but made holy. Not only to be treated as though
we had no sin, but to have none. And these things we have in Christ. But Bobby, these things we pant
for all the time. You just got through praying.
Back there, we want to love you with all our hearts and we can't.
Give us grace to keep trying. Believers have desires after
God that only God creates. Desires after Christ that only
the knowledge of Christ gives. Desires after the Spirit that
only life in the Spirit gives. Oh, over the new man, He has
ears, new ears with which to hear the shepherd's voice, and
new feet with which to follow him, and new hands with which
to serve him. We are now, men and women, given
over to Christ because Christ has given himself for us and
to us. Given over to Christ as the willing
bond slaves of Christ Jesus. Gladly giving ourselves to Him,
not by any constraint of law, not by any promise of reward,
not by hope of anything we might gain from it, but rather because
the love of Christ constraineth us. And this is by grace alone. If the regenerate soul is a new
creature in Christ, If regeneration is a resurrection from the dead,
then clearly this is God's work. Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth. That brings me to the third thing.
James here speaks of his word. Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth. Many things could and should
be said concerning that statement by James. Let me simply declare
three things here that I want you to get hold of. First, is God saves sinners by
the preaching of the gospel. This means that God has ordained
the salvation of sinners to be accomplished through the preaching
of the Word. Faith comes by hearing, hearing
by the Word of God. How important then is the hearing
of God's Word? How important is the hearing
of God's Word? Second, the Word of truth Revealed in
this book is Jesus Christ crucified. I want you to look at this one.
First Corinthians chapter 2. First Corinthians chapter 2. The message of the book is the
person and work of Christ. One day I was over here studying
when Will was just a toddler. He was old enough to walk over
by himself, so I guess he was probably two or three years old,
but he was just a toddler. He came over on Sunday morning
for services and stood beside my desk for a little bit. Finally,
he said, Poppy, is that where Jesus lives? And pointed at my
Bible. And I looked at him and I said,
well, son, I guess you could say that's where Jesus lives.
He's right here in this book. This living word is living because
this is a book about Christ. Christ crucified, our Redeemer. There is no preaching of this
book apart from the preaching of Jesus Christ crucified. No preaching of this book apart
from the preaching of the accomplishments of our crucified Redeemer, the
Lord Jesus Christ, who by the sacrifice of himself put away
our sins. Corinthians 2 verse 1, I brethren,
when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or
of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. Paul said
to these Corinthians, these were smart folks. These were among
the elite folks of his day. These were the educated folks
of his day. He said, I didn't come to you
on purpose with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring the
testimony of God. I didn't come to you with flowery,
impressive speech. Now, I know that others try to
justify using flowery, impressive speech. It's just natural to me, hogwash.
No, it ain't. No, it ain't. I'm not the brightest
bulb in the room, and I have to struggle to try and impress
anybody with anything I say. But flowery logic and impressive
speech is not natural to anybody. You work at it to impress folks. So people will say, wow, man,
didn't he sound pretty? Boy, didn't that sound good?
I never heard anybody make such arguments. Man, he has such impressive
language. He has such abilities. Paul,
who wrote this epistle to the wisest folks of his age, the
most highly educated folks of his age, people who thought themselves
superior to everybody else, he said, when I came to you, I deliberately
did not use impressive speech and wisdom to declare the testimony
of God. for I determined not to know
anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. I have back here in my library
on the shelves two sets of sermons published by very good preachers
in the same age. In fact, some of them overlapping
numerous years. Joseph Parker and C.H. Spurgeon. And Parker and Spurgeon
weren't enemies, they were friends. Parker pastored a large Baptist
church in London. Spurgeon pastored a large Baptist
church in another section of London. On one occasion, a couple
from the United States was visiting London many, many years ago,
and they decided to go hear these two world-renowned, famous preachers. And they went in to hear Mr.
Parker preach. And when they came out, The man
said to his wife, what a great preacher. What a great preacher. And that evening they went to
hear Mr. Spurgeon at the Tabernacle. And when the service was over
and they came out, this woman said to her husband, what a great
Christ. What a great Christ. Our object
in preaching. is to make known the greatness
and glory of Christ our Savior, not ourselves. Read on, 1 Corinthians
2. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling, weakness in my flesh, fear before
God and much trembling with the weight of my subject and my speech
and my preaching. was not with the enticing words
of man's wisdom. I didn't come to you and persuade
you to make a profession of faith by my persuasive, enticing, flowery,
eloquent words. No, no, no. But in demonstration
of the spirit and the power. Why is that? That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. All right, second, or third rather,
turn to Ephesians chapter one, Ephesians one. God saves sinners by the preaching
of the word. The preaching of Jesus Christ
crucified, redemption accomplished by Christ Jesus is the preaching
of the word. But the bare preaching of the
gospel isn't saving to anyone. No matter how well preached,
no matter how plainly, no matter how thoroughly studied and prepared
the preacher is, God saves sinners by the word of truth, by the
preaching of the gospel, when he sends the gospel home to your
heart by the effectual power of his spirit as the word of
the truth, the gospel of your salvation. Look here, verse 13,
Ephesians 1. in whom ye also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth. And if you care to look it up
in the original text, there's a definite article in front of
that. After you heard the word of the truth, the gospel, watch
this now, of your salvation. When God comes with the word
and the power of his spirit, and causes you to hear of redemption
accomplished for you, causes you to hear of grace for you,
giving you faith in His dear Son, then you believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation. He said, Our
Lord did His disciples, you go, and preached beginning at Jerusalem
and then into the uttermost parts of the earth, repentance and
remission of sins. Go and tell folks they ought
to repent so their sins can be remitted. No, no. Go tell folks
that repentance, the turning of my people to God, I have accomplished. And by my turning my people to
God in reconciling grace and atonement, their sins are remitted. You've heard the word of the
truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed,
having believed, having trusted Christ, ye were sealed. You had sealed to your soul that
Holy Spirit of promise, the earnest of the inheritance, until the
redemption of the purchased possession. Now turn back to James chapter
1. Let's look briefly at the rest of our text, and I'll be
very brief. Let me show you God's aim in this great work. Of his
own will begat he us with the word of truth. Watch this now. God did this for a purpose, with
this aim, with this design in mind, that we should be a kind
of first fruits of his creatures. Now, I had been studying that
last phrase for weeks and weeks and weeks. What does that mean? God gave us life and faith in
Christ. Jonathan, if he's given you life
and faith in Christ, he did it so that you might be a kind of
firstfruits to him. What's that talking about? What's
that talking about? Firstfruits are the best. They're the best. We don't raise a garden anymore,
but I remember those first mess of green beans. There's not another
one like it. I remember that first ripe tomato. Not another one like it. First
fruits are the best. Our God, Bill Raleigh, has put
on us this distinction. He's made us precious and honorable
in His sight, delighting in us as He delights in His Son. Firstfruits
are the best. Firstfruits are the pledge of
full harvest. Bring the firstfruits. God says,
the firstfruits are mine because the rest of it's coming. You
bring me the firstfruits. But there's more. When James
tells us that we are born of God, that we might be a kind
of first fruits of his creatures, he's specifically telling us
that by the work of his grace, our heavenly father answers the
prayer of his darling son for us. Sanctify them through thy
truth. Thy word is truth. 26 chapter of the book of Deuteronomy
At your leisure and learn the law of the firstfruits, let me
summarize it for you The firstfruits were brought by faith Even even God I'm supposed to
bring you my first beans my first corn my first sheep my first
goat my I'm supposed to bring you the first of everything?
How can I be expected to do that when nothing else has come yet?
You believe me to provide everything. First fruits are given by faith. Come now, children of God, and
give ourselves to Him in the totality of our beings by faith. First fruits were brought willingly. If a man didn't want to bring
anything, nobody forced him to. They were all to be brought voluntarily,
willingly. God calls them free will offerings. Free will offerings. Offerings
rising up from a man's heart because he wants to honor God. First I had a preacher call me this
week asking me about how to instruct folks about giving. I said I
wouldn't put folks under any kind of bondage, inspire them
by anything at all, and I sure wouldn't pressure them. I wouldn't
do it. I wouldn't do it. Because God loves a cheerful
giver. God loves a cheerful giver. God
loves a cheerful giver. We don't teach tithing because
tithing is law. We preach the gospel of God's
free grace and declare God loves a cheerful giver. That's all.
If you want to give, give. If you don't, don't. Well, boy,
we might shut down. We'll shut down. Shut down. God loves a cheerful giver. I don't make any effort to put
pressure on folks to come to church. My heart breaks for folks
when I see them absent themselves from the house of God. No pressure.
I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. If nobody
comes, no pressure coming from me. Not going to happen. Not
going to happen. If you don't want to worship
God, stay home. Now, you'll suffer the consequences.
I promise you that. But there's nobody putting any
pressure on you. Nobody putting any pressure on you. Do what
you want to. Do what you want to. are brought to God with a confession.
With a confession. The Lord said, you bring your
first fruits and you say this. You make this profession at my
altar. Lord, I was a Syrian ready to
perish. And I went down to Egypt for
help. And there I found nothing but trouble. But you redeemed
me. with an outstretched arm. I'm
yours because you brought me out. Firstfruits. The firstfruits
is the presentation of myself to God because I believe him and I want to give myself to
him who loved me and gave himself for me. That's what you just
said a little bit ago. Lord, you gave yourself for me. Now I give myself to thee. Firstfruits. Firstfruits were brought in a
basket. They were brought in a basket
to the door of the tabernacle or the temple. And the man took
the firstfruits that he brought to God and put them in somebody
else's hands. He put the firstfruits in the
hands of the high priest. And the high priest took the
man's firstfruits and offered them to God. Here is what God's done for us in
the saving operation of His grace. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth that we might come and present our lives to
Christ, our priest. And the Lord Jesus takes these
dirty first fruits. and offers them to God and says,
God, my father, here's your son and your children and all their
filth, degradation, corruption, and weakness washed in my blood,
robed in my righteousness. Accept them for my sake. And the father takes us. as his
own, a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Amen.