I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of James, chapter
5. James, chapter 5. I want to read verses 19 to 20. And before I read these verses,
I'm going to ask you as we read these verses, let us read with
a heart that truly seeks our Lord's honor and the good of
His people. I'm absolutely convinced that
this message and the one that I plan to preach and just following
this message, I believe that this is the message of the hour. And I have great comfort, though
these messages are heavy, weighty, I pray that God bless them. Bless
them to the good of His people and bless them to the honor of
our blessed Lord. James 5, verse 19. Brethren, if any of you do err
from the truth and one convert him, let him know that he which
converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a
soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. Let's pray together. Our Father,
as we come this morning, we come asking You to help us. Lord, I pray, would You bless
the services today. Bless Your Word. Lord, would
You teach us and help us. Oh, how we need help. Lord, I
thank You for the goodness and grace and mercy that You've shown
us. Help us, I pray. Forgive us,
I pray. For Christ's sake. Amen. I've entitled this message, The
Recovery of a Brother. And there's a scripture that
speaks of the scriptures. And this blessed scripture is
also great comfort 2 Timothy 3.16, all Scripture is given
by inspiration of God. And it is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be perfectly and thoroughly furnished, that is equipped unto
all good works. Today I want to consider, as
I said a moment ago, a very weighty, very serious subject. That is, love sensitivity toward
an erring Brother, this is a matter of great tenderness. And absolute caution should be
taken when dealing with a subject like this. Now, I want us to
pray that Almighty God grant us the grace to forget for just
a few moments the doubts of our heart and to concentrate prayerfully
upon God's Word and seek for some guidance, some help on this
subject. Brethren, if any of you err from the truth, and one convert
him, let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the
error of his way shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude
of sins." Now the one being referred to as the sinner, which is converted
from the error of his ways, cannot be one that was brought from a state
of unregeneracy into a state of life in Christ. This is not talking about someone
that comes out of spiritual darkness and death into the light of the
glorious knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because as we look
at this passage, James begins under the inspiration of God's
Spirit and says, Brethren, Brethren, if any of you do err from the
truth and one convert him, I look at these scriptures prayerfully,
carefully, and looked at these words to know, Lord, help me
to understand what these words mean. Knowing that the Spirit
of God has directed James to write these things down, how
carefully must we look? Lord, speak to me. Lord, help
me. I need some help. If any do err,
the word err means to roam from safety, to wander out of the
way, or to have a wrong opinion. So I know this, there is a possibility
for a believer to err. Brethren, we still, every one
of us, every believer, we possess an old nature. A nature that
is unchanged. When we were born into this world,
we were born in this world with a nature that rebels against
God. A nature that hates God. A nature
that is wandering constantly, constantly out of the way, that
does not know God. Paul the Apostle said in Romans
7.21, I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is
present with me. Paul the Apostle says to the
church at Galatians 6, verse 1, Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit
of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Oh, what must a believer do? when it becomes apparent that
there is a brother, one of the brethren that has been found
in error. Let me give you three things
that we do. Number one, pray for them. Number
two, pray for them. Number three, pray for them. I don't want to do anything unless
I have absolutely sought the guidance of Almighty God. Who
am I? Who am I? We have an erring brother overtaken
in a fault. And the responsibility and attitude
of one used by God Almighty in the restoration of that brother. We love one another. When my children were growing
up, I did not want them to be deviating
from what I knew was right. I absolutely did not want them
to err from that which was honorable and respectful when I would teach
them. I wanted to teach them with a
spirit of love. Respectful. I wanted to be respectful
toward them and they to me. Approach one, the Scripture says,
if one errs from the truth and one convert him, how are we to
approach a brother? I'll tell you this, in a spirit
of meekness, in love, considering ourselves. Blessed, the Scripture
says, Matthew 5, 9, are the peacemakers. For they shall be called the
children of God. We love one another. We love
one another. John 13, verse 55 says, By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love
one to another. God's people are children of
God. redeemed by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that Spirit
of holiness and grace. But we're still human. We still
walk in this body. And the motions of sin and the
desires of the flesh and the potential to stumble and to fall
are in every one of us. If a believer falls, how many
times is he going to get up? Every time. Every time. Every time. But oh, the mercy
of Almighty God, that God, who knows that we are dust, would
give instruction on the restoration of a brother. I'm telling you,
this is most tender I cannot express to you the tenderness
of desiring, longing for the restoration of a brother. If a brother falls, if he stumbles,
and we consider ourselves that we're cut out of the same lump
as they are, What do we do? Well, I tell you what Scripture
is setting forth. We want to do whatever man wants
to do for his wife and whatever wife wants to do for her husband.
Hide their faults. Hide their faults. Defend them. Lord, put a watch on my mouth. Help me. I don't want to be one
that would stir it up. Lord, help me and forgive me.
I desire that a brother that has erred be recovered and restored
and resettled to a place of fellowship. He may be ignorant of what he's
doing. Be patient with him. How would
you like for somebody to be patient with you if you found yourself
in error? Ignorantly. Not thinking. I just didn't think about it.
It didn't hit me. I wouldn't have done anything
to be disrespectful to my Lord. It didn't come across. The attitude of a believer, a
mature believer, don't be critical. Don't be harsh. Be patient. Be long-suffering. Because remember, that potential
to fall, to stumble lies in every one of us. And we stand totally
by the grace of God. We walk. I mean, there's an old
nature in every one of us. that just wars against that new
man. There's that old man that is
constantly telling that new man, it doesn't matter. It's not that
important. You don't have to be that concerned
concerning consistency. You're under grace. It's not
such a big deal. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Right here. The war is not on
the outside, I can tell you that. I'll tell you where the war is.
The war is inside. 2 Timothy 2, verses 24-25, And
the servant of the Lord must not strive, But be gentle unto all men, apt
to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose
themselves, if God, perventure perhaps, will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves
out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him
and his will." Whenever the Lord had been speaking
concerning those that would forsake him. He was talking to his apostles.
And Peter just very... I know. He was sincere. I know he was sincere. Peter
said, Lord, though all others forsake you... Now this is Peter. This is Peter. Though all others
forsake you, I'll never, I'll never forsake you. I'll never
deviate. There's no possibility that I
will deviate from you. Luke 22, verses 31, 32, And the
Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you as wheat. But I pray for thee, that thy
faith fail not. And when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren." Oh, consider the indescribable
mercy of Almighty God that keeps His people. Peter. The Scripture says that
the Lord revealed to him that Satan desired to have him. I want you. I want you. Desired to have him and to sift
him as wheat. But he couldn't. He couldn't. Why? Because the Lord prayed
for him. The Lord prayed for him. And as the Lord prayed for him,
oh, how sensitive must I be to do the same thing. To pray for
him. The Lord knew the frailty of
Peter. Peter thought he was strong.
Peter thought he had it all under control. What was the difference
between Peter and Judas? The grace of God. The grace of
God. That Almighty God would allow
Judas to do exactly what Judas wanted to was according to God's
eternal purpose. Why did God not let Peter continue
on in what he was doing? Because the Lord said, you're
mine. I prayed for you. Satan wants you. Satan wants
you. There's not a believer in this
congregation or in this world today that Satan would not desire
to have and to sift his wheat. And the only reason that Almighty
God will not allow it is because God Almighty will not allow it.
You're mine. I've prayed for you. The Lord
loves His own. the objects of His mercy, the
eye of the Lord is ever upon them. Almighty God may allow
a man to stumble, to show that man his frailty and his desperate
need of Christ, and then He may send a brother or sister to that
erring brother or sister as a messenger of His mercy to encourage them
To speak truthfully. To encourage them in the Lord
in God's ways concerning God's honor. And it's always for their
good. It's always for the Lord's honor.
Erring from the truth, brethren. Brethren, if any of you do err
from the truth, I don't know. I don't know the
extent. of the possibilities of those
things that we can fall into. Whether it's ignorantly, something
doctrinally that we've considered and just didn't, or whether it's
something practiced that we're doing that's disrespectful and
dishonest and dishonorable, contrary to the conduct of a believer.
We're a family. We're a family. And families
love one another. Brethren love one another. And
this airing from the truth is usually something that is very
gradual, and it progresses from a habit of usually doing three
things that we brought up here before. Three things. Number
one, the neglect of the means of God's grace. That is, the
consistent hearing of the gospel. If you want to know how Almighty
God keeps His people, let me tell you something. Not forsaking
the assembling of yourselves together is the matter of psalmias. Oh, how Almighty God blesses
the preaching of the gospel in the settling of His people. Second
thing is the study of the Scriptures. Ask yourself, is what I'm hearing
preached. Is that so? Is this so? Like those at Berea. The Scripture
says they were more honorable than those at Thessalonica. Why? Because they searched the Scriptures
daily to find out if the things that they were hearing were so.
Look in God's Word. Ask yourself this. If what I'm
hearing Is that so? Let me go to those Scriptures.
Let me find out what God has to say. And then thirdly, oh,
the daily seeking of God. Praying without ceasing. Meeting
with the Lord in private. Get along. Get along. Well, I've
got to leave and I've got to go to work early. We'll get up earlier. Seek first, first the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added unto you. God will bless it. I'm telling you, there is
nothing, there's nothing that settles the heart like obedience
in seeking Him, reading His Word, and hearing His Gospel preached.
I know this, the God of all grace will not allow those that He's
everlasting to love to continue in error. He won't. It's not
that they've embraced heresy. Let me tell you the difference
in error and heresy. The Scripture says if any of
you do err, just an error, error. Let me tell you what heresy is.
And then you'll understand what error is. Heresy is to believe
or to attribute man's salvation to be by man's work. By self-righteous
works. By thinking that I have done
something in order to merit. or to establish salvation before
Almighty God. That's heresy. That's heresy. To think that you did something,
and because you did something, therefore, God saved you because
you did whatever. That's heresy. Error is to have
a misconception of. To ignorantly see something or
to do something in Scripture That is contrary. That's error. We're not talking about heresy.
We're talking about stumbling while in the truth. The Scripture
says, let him know, verse 20, that he which converteth the
sinner from the error, not the heresy, but from the error of
his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude
of sins. Let him know that the one who
is instrumentally used of Almighty God in the restoration of an
erring brother shall save a soul from death. Brother Henry made
a statement on that part right there, and he says, who knows?
We don't know. Maybe God would have killed him. I don't know. But if Almighty
God is purposed to draw him back, God uses means. Means. In the calling out of
God's people, what's the means by which He uses? The preaching
of the gospel. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of
this gospel. It's the power of God and salvation. Means. You
say, well, couldn't God just Save somebody without the preaching
of the gospel? Let me just say this. Almighty
God can do whatever He wants to. But He's been pleased to
use the means of preaching the gospel to save people. Save those
that He's everlastingly loved. How does God restore? He uses the means. of having
mature brethren. I'm not saying he doesn't use
other means, but I know this one he does use. He uses the
means of brethren that care and love and are concerned. Not in a way of trying to... Let me tell you what I found
out over here. That is, I'm telling you, the
most disrespectful, self-honoring, All you're doing is lifting yourself
up. I'm telling you, when a brother is found and is detected, and
you've prayed about it, and there's error, oh, you know what you
want to do? Do you know what you want to
do? You want to do nothing. I don't want to bring it up.
I'd rather not say anything. Oh, I'm telling you to have to
go to one that you love and just sit down and just say, Brother,
I love you. I love you and I'm concerned.
Almighty God has been pleased to use the instrument of His
people, the Scripture says, to convert, to draw back, to gently. One it is found in the Arab.
Let him know that he which converted the sinner from the error of
his way shall save a soul from death and hide a multitude of
sins. God is not going to allow it
to continue. He is not. Oh, what the Lord has kept us
from. We are not judges of God's heritage. We consider our brethren
with lowliness. We esteem them better than ourselves. If you can't go to a brother
with an attitude esteeming them better than yourself, then don't
go yet. Wait. Wait. Continue to pray
for them. But if Almighty God has not brought
you to that place, Lord help me, to where you look at them
and say, you know what? He's esteemed more highly than
myself. Who am I? But just a messenger. Don't go. Wait. The Lord who has ordained
his people to himself knows the frailt of our nature. And he
knits us together in love, caring for one another. We don't want
to hurt each other. We want to help each other. We
want there to be A bond of fellowship. The one that is seeking recovery
of a brother is respectful. He's respectful toward Almighty
God. He's respectful to that brother.
And the one being recovered should be submissive. Let me just read
this in closing. 2 Samuel. Verse 5, as King David
was riding through a town, when King David came to Behurim, behold,
hence came a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name
was Shimei, the son of Gerah. He came forth and he cursed as
he came. And he cast stones at David and
all the servants of King David. All the people, all the mighty
men were on his right hand, on his left. Then said Abishah the
son of Zariah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse
my Lord the King? Let me go over, I pray thee,
and take off his head. That's what I want to do. And
David said to Abishah and to all his servants, Behold, my
son which came forth of my vows, seeking my life, how much more
now may this Benjamite do it? Let him alone. Let him curse,
for the Lord hath bidden him. And it may be that the Lord will
look on my affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good
for his cursing this day. Look at the submission of that
king, King David. You know what he said? No, no,
no, no. Leave him alone. I need that.
I needed that. I needed to hear what that man
right there had to say. God sent him. God sent him. All blessed are the wounds of
a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Oh, as we continue to go through
this life, there's not going to come a day when we don't find
ourselves seeing, not only in ourselves, but in others, error,
thoughts and actions that are disrespectful, hurtful. But as
we consider, going to a brother and speaking to him. I'm telling
you, bathe that thought in prayer. Pray that Almighty God, have
mercy. Teach me. Lord, help me. Help me that whatever comes out
of my mouth, that I will absolutely say it with a spirit of submission. before the Lord Himself, and
let it be for God's honor and for the good of that brother.
Remember, consider yourself, lest you also fall. If someone
comes to me, oh may it be for the spirit of love, for my good,
and for the honor of my Lord. Amen.