Hiding a Multitude of Sins

Sunday June 17, 2012 Phone: 570.829.5216 Pastor David Miklas e-mail: pastormiklas@aol.com Message: Book of James - #26 Text: James 5:19-20 Hiding a Multitude of Sins Introduction: It is hard to believe this Sunday morning brings us to the 26 th and last message in our series on the book of James. Please follow me as I read James 5:16-20, taking note especially of verses 19-20, Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (17) Elias 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. (18) And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (19) Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; (20) 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. Now with that rather startling ending, James ABRUPTLY stops to lay stress upon the importance of what he has been saying. James has given to us PRACTICAL solutions to everyday PROBLEMS that we face in the Christian life. He has dealt with the NITTY GRITTY of life, teaching us a PRACTICAL FAITH that's dynamic and alive. This has been an easy book to understand, but in some cases, not an easy book to accept. James has not minced words, some 54 times he used the imperative Greek tense. He does not suggest, rather He COMMANDS, DO IT! Now he abruptly stops, as though to say, "That's all. Now get with it." And on this Sunday as we finish up our study of James, we want to abruptly stop and challenge you to get on with it. In verse 19, James again uses the term "Brethren." Fourteen times he has used this word, or the phrase "My brethren." Using this term shows he is addressing believers, which is important to understand at the outset of this message. In these last two verses, he is giving believers a warning about falling into sin, as well as a challenge to help restore our fallen brother from that sin. First: "James WARNS us of a "SUBTLE DANGER." Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, Please notice the word "If" in verse 19. James understood the possibility of Christians going astray and deflecting from the truth. This "If" is a red light that flashes before us as Christians to be warned "Never to underestimate the power of the enemies of our soul, such as: The world of mankind with its worldly lifestyle, The devil, an evil crafty roaring lion, and The flesh, our old sin nature. Paul warns us in I Corinthians 10:12 "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." Let me again warn you, "The best Christian in this service, whoever you may be, could fall into sin, even deep sin, as early as tomorrow. Don't be so high-minded to think that it couldn't happen to you." We all face the realization that even though we are saved, born again through faith in Christ and on our way to heaven, we are still "bent to sin". The songwriter wrote, PRONE TO WANDER, LORD, I FEEL IT, PRONE TO LEAVE THE GOD I LOVE. Page 1

There is not a person in this room, including this preacher that ought not come to God regularly and say, "Oh God, I have sinned, I have sinned." Maybe you are a spiritual believer: You are honest and clean -living. You faithfully pray. You love the Word of God and faithfully read it. You faithfully come to the House of God every Sunday morning, and every Sunday evening and even to Wednesday prayer meetings. You try to live what is preached from this book, the Bible. But more times than you like, you must say "I have sinned." One who expressed those sobering words was David in II Samuel 12:13, "And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." Remember David was a man after God's own heart. He was: The sweet Psalmist of Israel, The invincible warrior, The greatest king of Israel, and The inspired prophet. Yet David had sinned he committed ADULTERY with Bathsheba and he MURDERED Uriah. David KNEW the ugliness of sin. David SAW the wickedness of sin. David KNEW the deadly nature of sin. Do we know the deadly nature of sin, or has it become such a common thing in our lives and minds that we excuse it instead of confessing it? It is amazing how much fun sin appears to be before you commit it, and how empty it is once you have. Look, folks, don't get puffed up and say that was David's fall, and you could never do anything like that. We all have human flesh. You and I had better watch out. We are not immune; we are not exempt. If we put ourselves into the wrong circumstances, we are liable to find ourselves in sin. Remember Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Here is a WARNING: Sin is the greatest of all detectives, be sure it will find you out. Be not deceived; you will reap what you sow. The first day in sin might seem like the nicest day you'll ever spend, so enjoy it. You'll never spend another day that nice again. Because every day in sin is worse than the day before, but every day with Jesus is better than the day before. Here is another WARNING: Sin has a medium of exchange that trades in SORROW, DISILLUSION AND DEATH. Remember the pleasure of sin is for a moment, but its wages are for eternity. James 1:15 puts it this way, "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Now back to James 5:19. James is speaking to the individual, "If any one of you do "ERR." The word "Err" means "to slip away; to wander; to go astray." That is the description of a "backslider." It is one who has wandered away from his commitment to Christ. Proverbs 14:14 tells us, "The backslider in heart shall be FILLED with his own ways." Now a backslider is not one who has been a real Christian and then lost his salvation. That's a popular idea but biblically incorrect. The Bible is abundantly clear that once saved, we have been given eternal life forever. Jesus tells us in John 10:28-29, "And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never, never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand..." Now listen carefully. A Christian can sin at any moment in time, but a Christian becomes a backslider little by little. A little thing can come between us and God, which eventually leads us away from God. Remember this, "Backsliding is not a sudden expression that comes without warning. Page 2

MEN ALWAYS BACKSLIDE IN HEART BEFORE THEY BACKSLIDE IN EXPERIENCE." Slowly and over a period of time it begins to happen until ultimately it becomes a condition of life. Let me pause and again warn you of a danger that creeps into the Christian life. The great danger in the Christian life is that of DRIFTING. You drift in and out of the things of Christ. You come to church out of habit, but your heart is not in it. You serve the Lord out of habit, but your heart is not in it. You worship out of habit, but your heart is not in it. You read your Bible out of habit, but your heart is not in it. You pray out of habit, but your heart is not in it. I could go on to other things in life "You do it, but your heart is not in it." You become careless in some of the big and little things of life. Someone said, "A Christian who falls into sin is a Christian who had been careless in many little things, thus making a great sin possible. Ask yourself, "Are there any little weeds in your life that have been choking off your joy and blessing in Christ?" Remember Simon Peter, who said to Jesus he would never deny him. He really thought he was saying the truth. But the one thing Simon Peter did not realize over a period of time he had been drifting from his relationship to the Lord. It had become "Simon Peter-centered instead of Jesuscentered." He was, I am sure, the one most surprised when he heard himself cursing and denying Jesus. It was almost as though he was listening to someone else. Again notice in verse 19, "If anyone do err from THE TRUTH..." In the New Testament the word "truth" means "a system of doctrine or a system of conduct." When James talks about wandering away from the truth, He could be saying that we have denied Biblical doctrine, or we have refused to keep a deep conviction about truth, or we have begun to live and conduct our lives in such a way that denies what we say we believe. Remember this, "If we do not believe the truth in the Bible, it will soon show up in the way we live." Be careful, we had better live what we believe, or there is a subtle danger that we will "Err from the truth." We might begin to backslide and soon be in sin and away from the Lord. Second: James CHALLENGES us with a SUBLIME DUTY. Verses 19b-20, and one convert him; (20) 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. What a way to close out this Book of James by expressing a precious privilege and responsibility that lies upon the shoulders of every believer, to turn someone around, to restore them and then to cover their sins. What a privilege and responsibility. However, the problem is too many of us seem READY and WILLING to pronounce ANATHEMA, EXCOMMUNICATION and CONDEMNATION. Someone said, "Let's kick all the sinners out of the church, to which another responded, "Then who would be the judge and who would be left." That's not what James tells us to do in verse 19. "My brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone converts, (returns, restores) him..." The primary duty of a healthy Christian is to endeavor to: Bring back the one who has fallen into sin, and to Bring back the one who has backslidden from the Word of God. We are not to take pleasure in pointing a finger at their sin or backslidden condition. Often we do it out of PRIDE and SELF-COMPLACENCY, which says we would never do such a thing. My friend you and I need to be on guard against PRIDE and SELF-COMPLACENCY. Instead of condemning: Page 3

We ought to pray,. We ought to admonish in love, and We ought to restore them to spiritual health in the family of God. James tells us in verse 19 "To convert" and in verse 20, "Who converteth" The word means "to turn back." It's the same word that Jesus used with Simon Peter in Luke 22:31-32 where Jesus said, "Simon Simon, behold, Satan hath desire to have you...but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art CONVERTED, strengthen thy brethren." This is the same principle found in Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness..." We have the responsibility to draw back those who have wandered from the prescribed course of truth they once knew. What does James mean in verse 20, "shall save a soul from death"? There is a strong possibility this refers to physical death. The New Testament does teach us there is a "sin unto death," when a Christian becomes so rebellious against God that God has to physically take his life so that he can no longer be used by Satan as an embarrassment to the cause of Christ. Death is also spoken of in the Bible as an "atmosphere in which we live, an atmosphere of despair, guilt, and depression." Someone said, "A Christian away from God is the most miserable person in the world. The quickest way to unhappiness is to be a compromising, backsliding Christian." James may well be saying here that the one who is converted, turned back from sin or backsliding, is the one who is saved from a living death, a life of waste and emptiness. Do you realize that each time you or I sin we die a little? We lose the JOY of our faith in Christ. Therefore, each time you or I reach out and help another believer out of the pit of sin or off the road of backsliding we not only "stand them on their feet, but we also save them from an atmosphere of death." We now come to the last phrase of the book of James. It's a rather startling ending, and yet unforgettable ending, "And shall hide a multitude of sins." What is James saying here? James impresses upon us that "Upon being restored, the erring brother has His sins covered." THEY ARE NOT TO BE SEEN ANYMORE. THEY ARE NOT TO BE TALKED ABOUT ANYMORE. THEY ARE NOT TO BE BROUGHT UP ANYMORE. Micah 7:18-19, "Who is a God like unto thee, who pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression... He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Praise God! He remembers our sins no more. They are buried. If I understand rightly, the deepest part of the sea in the world is 35,802 ft. down. That means our sins are buried almost 5 miles deep into the sea. Remember the chorus you learned in Sunday School: Gone, Gone, Gone, Gone, Yes, my sins are Gone. Now my soul is free, and in my heart s a song. Buried in the deepest sea, Yes, that's good enough for me I shall live eternally, Praise God - My sins are G O N E. So where are all my sins? They are GONE buried in the deepest sea to be remembered no more. Isaiah 38:17, "...Thou(God) hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." BEFORE salvation our sins are open and naked before God. AFTER salvation God has placed them where eyes cannot see them, behind His back. Page 4

Thank God, not only does He bury my sin, but He also puts them where He cannot see ever again. When God covers our sins, they are gone forever. Psalms 103:12 tells us "As far as the East is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." HOLD IT!!! If God has done that for us, SHOULD NOT WE ALSO RESTORE, FORGIVE AND COVER THE SINS DONE AGAINST US? Now let me call your attention to two passages of scripture to clarify our text. Galatians 6:1, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. If I am going to help to restore someone, I must have my life in order and come with a spirit of gentleness willing to help someone bear their burden of sin and err. Ephesians 4:31-32, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: (32) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. God is kind, tenderhearted and forgiving to you and you know what, YOU DON'T DESERVE IT. If you've going to determine whether or not to be kind or tenderhearted, or to forgive someone based on whether or not they deserve it, you've missed the point. The character of God says, "I don't care what you've done to me; I'll love you, be kind and tender to you, and forgive you." On the cross He TOTALLY and COMPLETELY forgave our sins. In Ephesians 1:7 we read "In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Praise the Lord, we can sing; Calvary covers it all, My past with its sin and strain, My guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, and Calvary covers it all. James tells us that when we restore a sinning brother or bring a backsliding brother back, "we cover a multitude of sins" He impresses upon us the truth that once someone has sinned and has repented, His sins are to be covered to be remembered no more. This does not mean that love "sweeps the dirt under the carpet. No, for where there is truth, there is honest confession of sin and cleansing from God. Love not only helps the offender to face his sins and deal with them, but love also assures the offender that those sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more. Peter tells us in I Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent love among yourselves for love shall cover a multitude of sins." Solomon tells us in Proverbs 17:9 "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love, but he that repeateth a matter separated friends." Forgiveness is the promise not to raise the issue AGAIN. Forgiveness is closing the closet door never to open it again. Forgiveness is marked on the permanent file: CASE CLOSED. Love does not BOAST, it hides. Love does not REPEAT, it covers. Love does not HOLD AGAINST, it forgives. With that rather startling statement, James abruptly stops. From beginning to end, James has been a practical epistle. He has been telling us how to live. He has been telling us how to relate to God. He has been telling us how to properly use our tongues, our attitudes and our thoughts. He has been telling us how to relate to others around us. Now very abruptly he stops, as though to say, "That's all, now get with it." Page 5

******************************************************************** If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon Hiding a Multitude of Sins then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at 570.829.5216. Page 6