Rev. David Holwick C James series #20
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 20, 2008
James 5:19-20
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I. The high cost of wandering.
A. Lost whales are a recurring theme.
Last summer, a pair wandered into San Francisco bay and
caused a huge ruckus.
You may remember that three years ago, a beluga whale
wandered into the Delaware River.
But the granddaddy of all whale rescues happened in 1988
when three gray whales were trapped by ice off Point
Barrow, Alaska.
An international rescue effort soon got into gear.
Russian icebreakers made three passes to open up a channel
to the sea, at a cost of $42,000 a day.
Eskimo whalers, the United States military, the oil
industry, environmentalists, and the local government
all worked together to free the whales.
27 television networks from four continents showed up.
President Reagan even sent the rescuers a message:
"Our hearts are with you."
The total cost of the rescue effort: over $5.8 million.
One of the whales died, and two disappeared.
The effort was considered a success.
An Alaskan colonel even fell in love with a White House
aide as a result of it.
#34968
B. Whales aren't the only creatures who wander.
1) James describes wandering Christians and the efforts we
should expend to get them back.
2) These situations usually get less coverage than whales do,
but they have eternal consequences.
II. Who is wandering here?
A. Some say it has to be a non-Christian.
1) The wanderer faces death, perhaps spiritual death.
2) That can't happen to real Christians, right?
B. But it is obvious that James is addressing believers here.
1) The person is "one of you."
2) The goal is to "bring him back" to his original
position.
a) Can an unbeliever wander away from that which he has
never believed to begin with?
C. This is a hypothetical situation, much like Hebrews 6:4-6.
1) At worst, the wanderer is a phony Christian who thinks
they are saved.
a) But maybe they are just backslidden.
b) We shouldn't make assumptions about their status
until God declares it to the universe.
2) James is convinced they can be won back to Christ, and
that should always be our focus.
III. Why Christians wander.
A. They get out of the habit.
1) Very common experience.
2) Sickness may keep you from church for a few weeks.
You're not a pagan - you watch a television preacher.
He's a lot better than the local pastor.
God doesn't strike you dead, so he must approve.
After a while, you are too embarrassed to go back
because everyone is going to stare at you.
B. Sin can be a major factor, especially the habitual ones.
1) We become increasingly desensitized.
a) If you will remember, James describes the process in
1:14-15:
"Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire,
he is dragged away and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to
sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to
death."
b) The process happens in increments but results in
total destruction.
1> It is interesting that both passages see death
as the end result.
2> Some see it as physical death - sin can rob you
of your health, like the violators of communion
in 1 Corinthians 11:30.
3> It is more likely that spiritual death is in view.
2) Nibbling our way to doom:
Mike Yaconelli wrote in The Wittenburg Door:
"I live in a small, rural community.
There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and, every
once in a while, a cow wanders off and gets lost...
Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and chances are he will
reply:
'Well, the cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green grass,
and then it nibbles on that one near a hole in the fence.
Then it sees a tuft on the other side, and goes through to
nibble it, then the next one, and the next...
The next thing you know, the cow has nibbled itself into
being lost.'
Many Christians are in the process of nibbling their way
to lostness...
Pleasures entice us to move just a little away from God,
then a little farther, and yet farther, until we are
completely lost."
#2107
3) Since we don't like to feel divided, we separate ourselves
from the source of tension, God.
Phyllis Schlafly wrote a fascinating editorial on
how the most destructive theories and philosophies
of our time originated in flawed individuals.
Margaret Mead, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Pablo Picasso
all created new ways of thinking.
But the theories put forth by these enormously influential
intellectuals are simply rationalizations of their own
sexual desires.
Christians are also good at rationalizing their sins.
God is reduced to a vague concept of love.
And their spiritual lives disintegrate.
#2803
C. Other Christians have failed them.
1) All Christians are sinners, so it's easy for us to get
offended.
2) A special danger is hypocrisy - we present ourselves one
way, then act another.
3) Christians can also be cruel to each other.
4) Once you take your eyes off Jesus and focus on a Christian,
you will always be disappointed.
D. God has failed them, or doubts arise.
1) We are told warm platitudes that may not measure up to
reality.
a) (God loves you, and nothing bad will happen to you...)
2) All the competing religions and philosophies get to us.
a) Note how James emphasizes they are wandering from
the truth.
1> We usually see wandering in moral terms, which
is entirely appropriate.
2> But wandering from Christian doctrine is just as
significant.
b) You start to feel Christianity is just one of thousands
of religions, and it's not very scientific.
1> Assaults on the Bible, pressure from TV and
Hollywood, all take their toll on believers.
3) Why go to church if you don't believe it anymore?
a) Some in our own church have experienced this.
IV. Bringing them back.
A. What NOT to do.
1) "We haven't seen you in ages. Please come back so we can
watch the ceiling plaster fall on your head."
2) Wanders are hardest to reach, according to church growth
experts. Few come back.
3) A judgmental, condemning attitude is not effective.
B. What to do.
1) Love is the greatest weapon Christians have.
a) Too often, it's a secret weapon!
b) Use encouraging words, and let them know positive things
they are missing.
2) For doubters, listen to them and show the reasonableness
of our faith.
a) Books like "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel can be
helpful.
3) If they have been hurt by others, attempt reconciliation
between the parties.
4) If it is due to sin, ask God to show them where it will
lead.
C. Church attendance is not the goal.
1) It is Jesus they need.
2) A church full of sincere believers should be the best
place to find out about him.
3) Individualistic faith is shallow and unsatisfying.
We need to band together.
V. Anyone can be brought back to God.
A. No sin is so great God cannot accept us.
1) Some here are living proof.
B. You probably know someone who has wandered.
1) A friend or family member has drifted away.
2) What is your plan to bring them back?
3) Don't give up on them!
C. Perhaps you are the one who is still outside.
1) Come home to God.
2) Pray for others who are still outside.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 2107 "Nibbling Our Way To Lostness," by Mike Yaconelli, Leadership,
Fall 1988, p. 45.
# 2803 "How Sex Has Been Foisted on the Public," by Phyllis Schlafly,
Daily Record newspaper of Coshocton, Ohio, September 9, 1994.
#34968 "Wandering Whales," by David Holwick, adapted from the following
articles: "2 Whales Apparently Escape to Sea; Rescue Effort
Called Success," by Richard Mauer, special to The New York
Times, October 29, 1988; <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/~
fullpage.html?res=940DE7DB113CF93AA15753C1A96E948260>; and
"Freeing The Whales - How the Media Created the World's
Greatest Non-Event," by Tom Rose; <http://www.highnorth.no/~
Library/MediaWatch/fr-th-wh.htm>
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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