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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want to talk to you about something in the Bible. Don’t that sound good so far? So we’re gonna look at the Bible tonight. This is the Bible Church. So take your Bible and turn to the book of James, the book of James, every chapter. The book of James, I want to talk to you about several things, something I believe that will help you to have a little bit better understanding. You know, we’ve had a lot of people lately that’s been sick.

And I read a little story one time about a young kid that going off to Bible college, got his BA degree, came home, and his dad was dying to cancer. And he says, son, I want you to call the elders of the church, and I want them to come and anoint me with oil, as it says in James, and I want you to pray the prayer of faith. Well, the son was excited but scared to death. So he called the elders of the church and only one of them showed up.

So he found some olive oil in the kitchen and got some of that and he dabbed a few spots on his dad’s forehead and rubbed his forehead with it. And now he was supposed to pray the prayer of faith. And he knew that if his daddy didn’t get well, it wouldn’t look good for him. But it was in the Bible, and so it says, a fervent prayerful righteous man avails much. And if you pray the prayer of faith, then God will raise him up.

So all he had to do is pray the prayer of faith. Now we know that prayer is important because God says you have not because you ask not. So we are to pray. And we’re supposed to pray believing because that’s what James is about, believing, trusting. And so he’s to pray the prayer of faith. So he prayed a good prayer, but he was so excited that his dad had asked him for this honor before he left to go to seminary.

So, he prays for his dad to be well. His dad was thankful, the other elder left, and he was off the seminary. Two weeks later, his dad died of cancer. And that really hurt him greatly. He believed that he had prayed the prayer believing. He had asked God, he was further in prayer, he had known it in with oil and God was supposed to raise him up. So he says it was written right there in James chapter 5 and it’s guaranteed.

So if you will, take your Bible look in the book of James chapter 5. Now if you don’t even get a good answer for this, you have to have some kind of consolation in your mind of what you really believe. It would be great if we could go into hospitals and pray the prayer of faith and get everybody out of the hospitals. I’ve often wished that maybe God will bless me and I can do that. But so far, it hasn’t happened.

So he says here in verse 13, is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. This is chapter 5. Look at James. 13, is any Mary let him sing songs? Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church. Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith, shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. That looks like it’s pretty straightforward, like it’s almost guaranteed.

And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your false one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent, prayerful, righteous men avail of much. Isaiah was a man or Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. He prayed again in the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth much fruit, or her fruit.

Brother, if any of you do air from the truth and one convert him, let him know that he which converted the center from the air of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins.” Now, that’s an interesting scripture. I sure wish I knew what it meant. But you do see there in verse 15, the prayer of faith shall save the sick. The Lord shall raise him up. It looks like a guarantee. But you and I know that if we had the prayer of faith, that means you’re supposed to believe that that’s what God’s will is.

You’ll You’ll find in many scriptures that the Bible talks about asking yes in faith, believing according to his word, according to his will. I’ll have to be honest, sometimes I don’t know God’s will. But just like he says, God knows what you have need of before you ask. But just because he knows it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. So there are some things that God is willing to give you, and if you ask, you can have it.

And there’s things that God may want to do in healing people, but He wants somebody to ask. And if you will ask and it’s the will of God, but because you asked, it can be done. But you’ll have to admit you do not always know the will of God. But it is the will of God that we pray according to the will of God. you can have those things that you want because God wants it and you want it and because you agree you can have it.

Now there’s sometimes God wants you to have things and you can’t have it because you didn’t ask or you did not meet the requirement. Now when he says here in verse 16, Confess your fault one to another, pray one for another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth everything. Did I read it right? A much, but not everything. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get everything you ask for or pray just because, well I prayed in faith, I prayed in much fervent prayer and I’m a righteous man.

But you don’t want to miss out on something that you could have had if you had simply when they had been prayed. So we don’t always know if God’s going to heal somebody, but we know that if he wants to, and somebody asked, it may be that God will answer the prayer because you did ask. Now look there in James 4 and verse 2. Chapter 4 and verse 2, ye lust and have not. He killed and desired to have and cannot obtain.

If I didn’t war, yet you have not because you asked not. So does God know what you have need of before you ask? Yes. But He still wants you to ask. And there are things that are within the will of God that He is willing to do for you and through you. But if you don’t ask, you won’t have it. But you could have it. So this is why when you start off in the book of James, there’s something that he mentions that I think is very important.

Now we can look at these verses through here from the physical standpoint, and we can also look at these verses from a spiritual standpoint. So there’s people who are physically ill, and they may be ill or sick because they have something that they’ve done, error in their life, walked away from the Lord, sent in their life, whatever it may be, and he says, this is what you’re to do. They may be sick because they’re not right with God. And if they will confess that, then God could heal them because their sickness or whatever the problem could be because they had sent in their life and had to get it right.

So that’s why he makes the statement down there in verse 20, let him know that he which converted the Senate from the air of his way. Shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sin. Now when you see that word there, the error of his way. Now look there in the book of James and chapter 1. In James and chapter 1, you’ll notice in verse 16, do not err my beloved brethren. Now what’s interesting is he’s talking to believers.

Now there are some people who teach in the perseverance of the saints that you will persevere in the faith. But James teaches that most, or I shouldn’t say most, but many of God’s children will not persevere in the faith because he’s telling them how to walk, what to do about trials and tribulations, and about your faith not being dead. So I wrote down the other day three little things that I saw from the book of James. And one was faith without prayer is dead.

Faith without prayer is dead. Faith is you’re talking to the Lord, but you’ve got to believe. And prayer without faith is dead. Faith without prayer is dead and faith without works is what? It’s dead. It’s not productive. So there’s things that you’re supposed to pray for believing, but if you pray and don’t believe because you’re a double-minded man and unstable in all of your ways and you ask not in faith, you prayed but not in faith. Now, where’s it say that at?

Well, look there in James and you’ll notice there in verse 2, don’t stop too soon on this verse. My brethren count it all joy when you fall. Now what if you stop right there? Hey I fell in the sin. I am so excited. I am so happy. Count it all joy when you fall. So is it possible for Christians to fall? Yes but I don’t think this is what this verse is referring to. Count it all joy when you have all these trials and temptations and so forth that you can learn from them and learn the patience that God wants.

But I don’t believe he’s talking about we ought to rejoice because I fell into sin. No, he’s not talking about that. But because of some people’s lack of faith in the Lord, their lack of strength, many are going to fall. You’ll notice what he says here in verse 11, I mean, people will read a couple of these verses and say, well, what’s this in here for? This doesn’t even belong. Well, not so fast. But just look in verse 9, we’ll go down to verse 11.

Let the brethren of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that he is made low. See God’s always lifting up and putting down based upon what your confidence is put in. God can take away resources and give you resources, and He can give you good health and He can take away health. But He says here in verse 10, because, and He uses us as an illustration, as the flower of the grass, He shall pass away.

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning hate, but it withered the grass and the flowers thereof falleth and the grace of the fashion of it parishes. So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. So he’s talking about God’s children. You’re not going to last here forever. You are going to die. Now this goes along with the 103rd Psalm where God talks about that we’re just like grass of the earth. We’re just here for a little while and then we fade away.

It also mentions that again in chapter 4 of the book of James and we’re just like a vapor just here a little while and you know we’re gone but also to let you know that just like the grass it comes up and the sun comes up and the heat beats upon it there’s also a parable that’s used in the Bible that’s also mentioned as the same illustration, that because of the pressures of life, the heat of life, and your roots are not deep in the Word of God, then you’re going to stumble.

You’re going to fall. And that’s why he makes the statement here, and the grass thereof falleth. And yes, why you see over there in verse 16, do not err, my beloved brethren, because God’s children can fall. They can fall because of the various testings that comes in their life. They can fall because of the temptations that comes in life. So as you go through here, you’re finding that there’s an awful lot to do with your stability in the Lord.

And if you’re not strong in the Lord, these things can cause you to fall. And when you fall, you’ve got to realize you can lay there if you want or you can get up. So I believe that James is talking about two things, one, physically, spiritually. So you know that it’s talking to the believer as you go through this chapter. And when he talks about faith without works is dead, then he’s talking about somebody who is sick in the prayer of faith.

Now in the book of Galatians and chapter 6 he says, ye which are spiritual seek to restore those that are weak, Consider it by yourself lest you also be tempted to do the same thing or to fall also. Now hold your place right here and just turn a couple pages to your right and you’ll come to the book of 2 Peter and chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1, can God’s children fall? Can you fall? You want to walk with God, but generally you stumble before you fall.

So that means you’re not even keeping your eyes focused upon where you’re going and what you’re doing and you very easily can make mistakes and say and do things you shouldn’t do. But now notice what he says here in 2 Peter in chapter 1, he mentions some things about adding to your faith. Add to your faith. So you already saved, you got your faith in the Lord. You trusted the Lord for what he said that he would do save you if you trusted him.

So you did that. But then he talks about adding to your faith. See there in verse five, and beside this giving all diligence add to your faith. Now, virtue and virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance, patience and to patience, godliness, the godliness, brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness, charity. And if these things be in you and abound, that means you’re actively pursuing these things. You’re actively abounding in these areas of your life. You are walking with God. You’re seeking these things to be in your life and evidence in your life because you want something more and better.

He says that they make you that ye shall neither be barren and you don’t wanna be barren. unproofing, you don’t want to be unproofing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So you’re growing in the Lord. You’re adding to your faith, you’re getting stronger. And so the stronger you get in your Christian life, the more observant you’re going to be, the greater discernment you’re going to have. And then he says in verse nine, but he that lack of these things, in other words, doesn’t add to his faith, doesn’t mature, doesn’t grow in the Lord.

He lacks the strength that He needs to withstand the heat, the pressures in the Christian life. Then He’s going to be like the flower, the pressures of the heat, and He withers up and falls and fades away. Now we know we don’t have much time in this life and our bodies are going to fade away also, so we know that. But I believe there’s something here physically and also spiritually. But he says, but he that lack of these things is blind.

So can a Christian fall? Yes, can a Christian be blind? A Christian can be blind. Can a Christian be asleep? The Bible talks about Christians wake up out of sleep. So Christian can be asleep. Christian can be blind because of the purpose that God has for their life. They don’t understand how God works, why God does what he does. So because they don’t understand, they perceive things wrong and they don’t look at it from a divine perspective, but only from a human perspective.

They don’t see. When they don’t see, they’re blind. Now isn’t there a verse somewhere in the Bible that says, I would thou work hot or cold, but because you’re lukewarm, you make me sick. And he says, for a vow’ll say it, I am rich and have need of nothing. And he says, you’re blind, you’re naked, you’re poor, and you need some counseling. He says, repent or be chastened. You either change your mind or I’m going to have to whoop you.

I’m going to have to discipline you. Now where’s that found? Revelation where? Chapter 3. Very good. Now notice what he says here in verse 9. and cannot see a far off and half forgotten that he was purged from his old sin of that old sinful nature. You’ve been separated from the old sinful nature. Now don’t let the old sinful nature control your life. You’ll never be strong enough. And he’s going to blind you and he wants to keep you blinded.

Just like he wants to keep the lost man blinded to the gospel, he want to keep you blinded to the purpose that God has for your life. But he says in verse 10, Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things. If you do these things you shall what? You will not fall. You see you don’t have to fall in serving the Lord. It’s because we take our eyes off the Lord and we don’t remember the things that we should.

So Peter now is well he’s not going to be long before he’s going to be leaving this old body and he says, I’m going to be departing here very soon, but I want to put you in remembrance. Remember, remember, remember. You see, you can’t really serve the Lord if you can’t remember. You have to remember Scripture. You have to remember the goodness of the Lord. You have to remember how God has blessed you. You’ve got to focus upon the things and you’ve got to remember.

That’s why it’s so important for God’s children. Remember in the Old Testament even had a whole chapter in the book of Psalms where it says, they forgot, they forgot, they forgot, and they rebelled against the Lord because they forgot, they just forgot. And it’s so easy to forget the things that we’re supposed to remember. I go back to the book of James, back to the book of James. And so he’s talking to them about having profit in their life.

And so he says there in verse 14 of James chapter 2, to the believer. What did that profit my brethren? It’s like having a profit and loss statement in a business. How are you doing? Well, this is how much came in and this is how much came out. What do you have left? So we’re expending time and energy. What did we get for it? We’re spending our life. We should be laying up treasures in heaven. God wants every child of God to be profitable.

Remember in the book of Titus he talks about be careful to maintain good works. These are good and profitable. They’re profitable under men, but they’re also profitable for the child of God because God’s going to reward you for what you do for him. That’s why he says in chapter 10 of verse 35 in the book of Hebrews, cast not away there for your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. So remember that. So in James here, he’s talking to the believer and that they are to be careful because he could fall.

Do not air my brethren. And faith without works is dead. And so part of the goal of a Christian is challenging other Christians not to be dead. dead. If you’re not serving God and living by faith and doing the works that God wants you to do is like you are dead. You have your faith in the Lord for salvation, but faith in the Lord for service is greatly lacking. So God says he will have to chasten you. Now he guts in early talks in chapter three about the tongue, the things that you say.

He talks about the things that you do, chapter two. And then he warns us in chapter four of some things that can happen about being exalted in your own mind. And sometimes this is where temptations come, because there is the temptation to exalt oneself, God will send things to humble you. So you look there in James chapter 4 and you’ll notice what he says here in verse 6 but he give us more grace, wherefore he said God resisteth the proud.

God resisted the problem. So when you are trying to serve the Lord in your way, I used to have people tell me, well, you just serve the Lord your way and I’ll serve God my way. Well, we both have to serve God’s way. It’s not that we’re just free to choose. No, you serve God God’s way. And when you don’t and you say, I’ll do whatever I want and call it serving God. Or do whatever you want and say, well, I prayed about it.

A lot of sin has been committed by that. Just because you pray about something, did you get the right answer? Just because you prayed about it. Well, I know I should do this because I prayed about it. Well, maybe maybe God told you to do that and maybe God doesn’t. But you got to check things a little bit closer and you can do a lot of sin and a lot of rebellion without being close to the Lord. But you can use spiritual phrases.

Here he says, God resisted the proud but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. To lift yourself up in pride comes from the devil and doesn’t come from the Lord. And remember this, in your Christian life you’re always battling this little idea of my wisdom, my will, versus God’s wisdom, God’s will. So he says there in the last part of chapter 3, something very interesting. And so he says here in verse 13 of chapter 3, who is a wise man and in dude with knowledge among you, let him show out of a good behavior, your manner of life, his works with meekness of wisdom.

Let him show by his works how wise he is. Do you consider yourself to be a wise man? It will be revealed by the wisdom you have and the decisions that you make. Or it can also reveal whether you’re a fool or whether you’re wise. But notice what he says here in the last part of verse 13, let him show out of a good conversation, his works with maintenance of wisdom. But if, see that word, if, if you have bitter, envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

So we’re talking about Christians, Christians that don’t say the right things, don’t do the right things, and they’re dead as far as productivity is concerned. So there’s a warning in the scriptures. And he says here, bitter, envying. This goes along with what I’ve been speaking on the last two services. And strife in your heart. This comes from human wisdom. You see in verse 15, this wisdom descended not from above, but as earthly, sensual and devilish. For where envying and strife is, there’s confusion.

and every evil work. But in verse 17, kind of gives you a different picture. The wisdom that comes from God that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be intrigued. So if you have the wisdom of God, this is what you’re going to manifest. If you have the wisdom of the world, then in being and bitterness and strife is going reveal the wisdom of man. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr.

Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of The Gospel Driven Man.

Mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you, and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold.

Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live the day and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.