Brethren, If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. May the Lord bless his word. No doubt you have had this common experience perhaps over the phone, you have been talking to somebody, and it's clear to both of you that the conversation has come to an end. Maybe you have to leave and that's known, or you both said everything that you want to say. For whatever reason, you both realize that it's time to end that conversation, but neither one of you seems exactly to know how to do that. And so there is an awkward and rather useless continuation of that conversation. No one knows exactly how to bring it to its proper end. And we do that. We struggle with bringing things to a proper conclusion because we recognize conclusions are important. We don't simply want to hang up. We don't simply want to cut off that conversation at an improper point. We want somehow to bring it to a conclusion, to take all of the strands of thought or the conversation we've had and tie them together at the end. We want that conclusion to be, what it ought to be, an important end to the conversation. Or maybe you've had the exact opposite experience as well. You've been talking to somebody on the phone and suddenly they're not there anymore. You wonder to yourself, should I expect them to call back? Should I call them back? Have we been cut off somehow? Why is it that the conversation ended so abruptly, even perhaps rudely it seems to you? And so you're left wondering, Is that really the conclusion of the conversation? And again, that underscores the reality that we understand the conclusion of a conversation is something that is important. We need to get it right. We need to use all of our words, all of our attention to draw to the best, most fitting, proper conclusion. Well, since we know that in our common experience, we might look at these final verses of James and begin to wonder if he knows that. Are really these the most fitting words with which to conclude this epistle, this letter, to these people? Does this demonstrate, perhaps, some ineloquence on the part of James? Does it demonstrate a lack of sensitivity towards his audience, perhaps? What is it that we are to make of these concluding verses that seem to us, perhaps, quite abrupt and pointed, and then simply stop? Doesn't he know what we all know? That the conclusion of a conversation ought to be special, ought to be most fitting. It is important to get that right. Why is it that he concludes with these verses? We need to understand, since they are the inspired word of God, that this is the exactly appropriate and fitting conclusion to this letter. And our responsibility then is to understand why is that the case? We can understand why it is the case, on the one hand, because we recognize that James has been saying this exact thing throughout his letter. He is simply repeating his theme. Remember how we opened the letter and recognized that this was an epistle of active and living faith. James is constantly talking about the need for good works to issue from living faith. And he talks about the life then of the Christian to be that which is in communion with God, walking with God and bearing abundant fruit therefore. And his entire point then to speak to these brethren who are who are wondering, who are cast out, who are in trouble, who are struggling. His entire point then is to tell them, you need to cling to Christ and walk with Him throughout all of your days. And He is warning them and urging them not to be duplicitous, not to be double-minded or double-spirited, but with whole hearts, faithfully to walk with the Lord. Not to forsake Him, but to walk with Him. And as he concludes them with these words, is this not the heart he has been bearing towards us the entire letter? Brethren, don't wonder from the truth. Seek those who are wondering. Make sure that you together are walking in the ways of the Lord. It is then a repetition, a summary statement of everything he has been saying up to this point. That there is need for us to walk with the Lord. But more than that, He is also saying that he's not always going to be there to tell them that. And so he is urging them, and now us, to do the work that he has been doing. When you see those who are wandering, you go after them. You recognize the value of that. You take encouragement from his word here to do that very thing. The very thing that James has been doing throughout this letter. Now, you do it. It still may seem rather abrupt, though, even though we recognize that it is full of the glory of God and the love of the people of God. Because He is saying, you need to bring people back to the truth, which is Christ, really. Because He is glorious and worth it, and this is above all what we need to be doing. And because he's urging them to gather to help one another walk with the Lord, you can see it is full of his love and of the glory of God. He's not so much concerned about sounding loving as being loving, is he? And so it is demonstrated here in these words, but as well, these words still might seem rather abrupt. We can say that's James' character. We can also say it's not unprecedented. There are various places in scripture where there is a sense of urgency and an abruptness that is coinciding with that urgency. You may recall the greatest psalm, the longest psalm, Psalm 119, verse 176 concludes with a similar sentiment where the psalmist says, Seek your wandering sheep, for I keep, or I love, your law." That's how he ends the entirety of that psalm. 176 verses of speaking about the glory of God, the wonder of His law, the delight of following God. All of those things boils down to that conclusion. Seek your lost sheep. Seek me, I wonder. But I still love your law. I love your commandments. the book of Ecclesiastes, going through the entire scope of life, its pleasures, its satisfying things that it holds forth to us, and concluding what? This is man's all, to follow the Lord, to keep his law. It's not unprecedented to have this sort of ending, and it demonstrates a certain sense of urgency, doesn't it? Let's put it this way, in this analogy. If a man were on his deathbed, perhaps he is literally on his bed and he is very near to death and he knows that and everyone around him knows that. Or maybe he's on a plane and he happens to call out as it's going down. He knows he has but a few moments to express something to his loved ones. If he said something like this, would we be at all shocked or think it is unusual if he said, now you know I love you. Make sure that you take care of each other and obey God and follow God all of your days. Those were the last words he spoke. We wouldn't think it unusual or odd. We would say, that was the point that he wanted to be emphasized. And he didn't want to dull the point by any extra language. He wanted with a sense of urgency and necessity to impress that upon his hearings. Likewise here, then, James concludes not noting ineloquence, not demonstrating a lack of sensitivity, but with urgency, pressing upon us the point that we, together, need to love one another, and watch out for each other. We, together, need to walk in the ways of the Lord. That, you see, is why these verses are entirely appropriate and best fitting to conclude this letter. So let us take them up under three primary headings. First, we are going to see the potential for wandering. That's implicit in the passage, but it is there. Second, we want to see the responsibility to turn those who are wandering back to the Lord. Again, that's implicit, that's assumed as part of the responsibilities we have as believers. And then third, the encouragement to act in this way. So first, the potential, then the responsibility, and then the encouragement to that responsibility. First, the potential. Notice to whom he is speaking here. Brethren, he says, verse 19. He makes it quite clear that he's speaking again to those who are in the household of faith, those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. And he says, brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth. In other words, he's saying to us quite clearly that there is potential for even those named brethren to wander from the truth. He's saying, in essence, we cannot look around and say today, as we look at one another, these people will never wonder from the truth, or even of ourselves, I will never wonder from the truth. Peter tried that once, you recall, when Christ said, you will deny me. And he said, I will never deny you, I will die rather than deny you. And he denied Christ three times before the crowing of the morning came. We need to recognize that we are weak and susceptible to falling away, to wandering from the truth. There is very real potential that this will happen to us. This warning is for all of us, therefore, and it is quite pertinent. We need to listen carefully to what James is saying. But what then does it mean exactly to wander from the truth. We know that it could mean simply, for example, to fail to understand a certain doctrine. Or perhaps it means that we understood a certain doctrine at one point, now we're not really remembering it. Or even perhaps it means that we used to memorize scripture and that memory is fading away and we're wandering from the truth in that sense. It could mean any number of things, but in James' book it can only mean one thing. And with the language he uses here, it can only mean one thing, and that is to wander in terms of walking away from the truth. That's his emphasis throughout, isn't it? The need to walk, to have a living faith that walks, that works, that acts. Therefore he is saying, don't turn aside, don't wander away from the path of truth. It is a truth that is taught throughout the scripture. Psalm 23, we are to walk in the path of righteousness for His name's sake, walking in a certain path, walking in a certain way. Jesus Himself talks about the way to destruction and the path to everlasting life. He's saying, in essence, that what we believe and understand to be true, we need to live that out and not wander from it. We never want to separate doctrine and practice. We always want to hold these together. They must be joined together. God has joined them together. Let no man tear them asunder. James is saying we need to understand and believe God rightly, and then we need to live it out. There are some who do not understand God's word, and therefore they do not walk in the path of truth. There are others who understand very clearly what God has said, but do not obey it. And to one degree or another, we are all in both camps, really. But James is saying we need to be careful to maintain a proper understanding, belief, and walk especially according to those truths in the way of the Lord. Now when we think about wandering from the truth, we need to realize the full impact of what he's saying here. It's not just some theories that we're abandoning. What did Christ say? Remember, I am the way, the truth, and the life. When we wander from the truth, we are wandering from Christ. We are forsaking Christ. When we refuse to understand what the Word says, or refuse to submit to what the Word says, we are forsaking Christ. Now why would we do that? Why would we forsake Christ? Think for just a moment with me. about what that implies, what that means. Christ is the only fountain of goodness, and wisdom, and mercy, and hope, and truth. He is the only help, the only comfort in this life and in the next, isn't He? There's no one else. There's nothing else. He alone is it. He is the infinite, eternal, unchangeable friend and Savior and Lord. There is no one else. Why would we ever wander from Christ then? But it is a very real possibility. We all know it. We don't have to go to the various examples in Scripture that demonstrate that we know it, don't we? In our own hearts and lives, we know that it is a very real possibility. Notice as well what James says about wandering from the truth. You notice he doesn't say, now if anyone among you rushes headlong away from the truth or sprints away from the truth, but wanders. Because he is saying here, as the scriptures often do, that there is a tendency for us to begin slowly, subtly, gradually, to leave the right way. Very slowly, very gradually. This is very well exemplified again in the book Pilgrim's Progress. Remember that great scene when Christian and hopeful are walking on the way to the Celestial City and it begins to hurt their feet. It's a little bit rough on their feet. They're having a hard time. It's becoming difficult and they notice there's just this little side path, just a little ways off of the main road. It's lush. It's soft. It's a nice path to walk upon, and after all, it runs parallel with the main path. We can just take the small, short deviation, and any time we want, we can jump right back on the main path. Isn't that how it so often begins? Well, we're interested in certain things in life, maybe that even aren't good for us. We begin to allow our lust to take over, and we pursue them a little bit. We can always draw back, and get away from that. Or we begin to play with the truth a little bit. Or we begin to work too much. We begin to value relationship too much. We know that it infringes upon what God has said. We know it infringes upon the time and the energy and the love and affection we should have for the Lord. But it's just a little bit. We're just indulging a little bit. And we can always get back right onto the main path as soon as we want. What happened to Christian and hopeful, you recall, that they began to be engaged in a conversation with another person who came along. And before they knew what was happening, there was a dark storm. Amidst the thunder, the lightning, and the rain, they could not see the original path. They were frightened. They were hopelessly lost. And then, along came giant despair, and threw them into Downing Castle. And they began to despair. It is only because by the Lord's grace Christians remember the key of faith that they are able to break out of that castle and get back to the road. It doesn't always happen though, does it? It doesn't always happen that those who wander from the path return to the path. James is saying, if you begin to see anyone wandering from the path, you need to act. It is an urgent matter. It is a matter of great note. There is a tendency for us to wander away. James says then, which brings us to our second point, that we are responsible to go after those who wander from the truth. Now again, that isn't implied here, or rather we should say assumed as an obvious fact. Well, it is obvious throughout the scriptures, isn't it? We are told that as believers, as the body of Christ, we are to know one another. That's assumed. How can we bear one another's burdens unless we know one another? How can we grieve with those who grieve and rejoice with those who rejoice unless we know one another? How can we really have a family together in Christ if we're not having hospitality and being with each other and praying for one another, loving one another, and caring for one another? That's assumed. There is a responsibility, therefore, to know each other so that we recognize when one is wondering from the truth. It's assumed. He doesn't say, if you happen to see someone wonder from the truth, he says, if someone turns him back, the one who wonders from the truth, the one who is identified by us because we know each other. The one who wonders from the truth is assumed to be known to His brethren, who He is, what He is doing, why it is the case. Now, this of course doesn't recommend to us meddling, and prying, and gossiping, but it recommends to us a knowing of each other, and a caring for one another that is evident, so that when one does wander from the truth, it is known by certain ones especially, and they go after the one who is wandering less. they do end up in that giant despair's dungeon. So there is a responsibility to know one another. Even so far as to recognize if we turn someone, we will save them. It's a remarkable thing. Now we might look at this and say, am I really responsible? for turning my brother back? Well, it says, if he turns him back, there's a possibility certainly that he will not. But the point is, if we don't do anything, are we not responsible for not turning someone back, for not even trying to do it? Are we not responsible for letting that one leave us and forsake the Lord? But we say, isn't God sovereign? Doesn't He elect some people, not others? We can't be held responsible for someone going off into destruction, can we? Let us remember that while there are glorious doctrines such as election that we believe firmly and clearly, we can't look around at each other and say, that one's elect, that one's not elect, this one's elect, this one's not, can we? We can only act according to what the Sovereign God has told us to do, and He has told us that He uses us as means to bring people back into the fold. We do have responsibility to seek and to save the lost, even as our Lord did. But what does that look like? What are the means to that end? There are many such means to this end. One of the clearest ones is in Matthew 18, where we are told to go to a brother who has offended us, or we see in this situation, turning from the truth, we are to go to that one. We are to confront that one. If they do not repent, we are to bring one or two witnesses with us. And if they do not repent, we are to bring them to the church, that is the church courts, in order for the church courts to bring to bear the means of grace, which is church discipline. That's a means of grace. The Apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth to cast out that one member who is the evil leaven of the church in order that he might be delivered to Satan. In order that he might be saved. That's a means of grace. Or prayer. How often do we pray for those who are wandering? How often do we pray for each member of this church that they would not wonder, knowing the potential that exists for every one of us? Do you pray for every member of this church? Do you pray fervently, consistently, deeply, with concern and love? Do we pray? There is even the means of not associating with that one, so that they would be ashamed. As we're told in 2 Thessalonians 3, 14-15 and so on. There are many and various means that are to be applied and many and various situations. But if we do nothing, are we not responsible? That we have not even tried to turn someone away? But that doesn't mean it will be easy. Of course. In fact, it is one of the most difficult things perhaps we can say in the Christian life, to confront someone who is wandering away from the truth. Have you ever tried it? One commentator likened it to trying to save a drowning person. I don't know how much you know about saving a drowning person. I know from my own experience, when I took a class at the YMCA, lifeguarding class and the instructor decided to show us what it was like to try to save a drowning person and gave us all of the information we needed and said, now come and try to save me. I'm going to pretend like I'm drowning. Do you know the psychology of a person who's drowning? Do you know what it is? It is when they see you coming toward them, you are the flotation device that they're trying to get on top of so that they can get their mouth out of the water to take one breath of air. That's what they look at you as. push them down as far as we can so we can get off a little bit of air. So when you go to save someone who is drowning, they are going to push you under the water and drown you if you're not careful. No wonder the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6.1 that we are to restore someone gently, lest we ourselves are tempted. When we go after and when we confront and when we talk to those who are wandering for the truth, we need to recognize we may be met with great resistance. That doesn't deny our obligation graciously, lovingly, with care, with truth, with dignity, with power from the Word of God and the Spirit of God to come to them and confront them and seek to turn them back, does it? But the Lord doesn't simply leave us there with the potential for wandering or the responsibilities we have or the difficulty of it. He gives us largely encouragements to it in this passage. He says, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone churns him back, let him know that he who churns a sinner from the air of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. What does it mean to save a soul from death? The death that is here in view is especially the second death that we read about in Sunday School class in Revelation. It is Hell. We know that because on the one hand death related to sin is always ultimately issuing in Hell. But we also know because He says the soul from death. He's not talking about the body. He's not talking simply about physical death. He's talking about the death of the soul. which is not only to be dead in trespass and sins, but to be dead in that condition forever, which is hell. He's saying, if you go after one who is in your midst, who flees from or wanders from the truth, you're going to save them from hell. On the one hand, we say, how is it that one among us, that he calls brethren, can possibly ever be considered as going to hell. It's because, and we know this well, when we are in church it doesn't mean we are saved. Does it? It doesn't. We can't look around and say, everyone here is saved. We can't do it. What we can do is what the apostles did when Christ said, one of you is a traitor. They said, is it I? Is it I? That's what they did. You see, the attitude we are to have is the isn't I attitude, not the I am elect, I can't be fixed, I can't be changed, it is simply the way it is. When the scripture comes and warns us against the possibility of wondering, or someone amongst us wondering, we need to say, is it I? Is it I? And that is the way that the scriptures speak to us and call us to think. Election is a glorious truth. And you are elect if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and love Him. But we also need to take to heart the warnings of Scripture that if someone from in our midst wanders, they are going towards hell. And we need to try to take them back. That's what He is saying. There is urgency. here, there is need to listen carefully, not for the sharp edge of what he's saying in any way to be dampened by any other words. What it means then is simply to be like Christ, doesn't it? To have the same concern, the same heart, the same care as Christ had for us. Because Christ was the one who came to seek and to save the lost. That was His heart's desire, wasn't it? When one sheep of the hundred went astray, He went after it. Even leaving the ninety-nine to do so. The very heart of Christ is when we see people wandering from the truth, to go after them. To try to bring them back. To plead with them. to rebuke them, to confront them, to express to them our desire for them to return to in every way possible, take them by the hand and bring them back to our Savior. Because that's what Christ did. That's who Christ is. And that is the genuine love and care and concern we ought to have for each other. So that we will do so. We'll save a soul from death. Perhaps we are not is motivated to do so because we don't think about that death. We don't think about it. We don't meditate upon hell. It's not a pleasant topic. We don't like to think about the torments there. We don't like to think about the justice of God that is shown there very clearly. But maybe if we did think more about it, we would be more zealous to seek those who are lost. and we will. Then, he says, there is a very real possibility of winning him back, of bringing him back. And if so, then we will cover a multitude of sins. What does it mean to cover a multitude of sins? Well, we can think about how that word is applied to Christ and His work. that He, by His sacrifice and His righteousness, His blood, He covered the sins of His people. As in the day of Passover, when that blood of the Lamb was covering the house, and wherever that blood covered, the angel of the Lord passed over. We can also think about the fact that it is used in Proverbs 10 and 12 in a different sense when applied to us. Do you remember Proverbs 10, 12? It says, hatred stirs up strife, but love covers a multitude of sins. And there are two statements that are opposites, and intended to inform one another, each statement informing the other. So the opposite of love covering a multitude of sins is hatred stirring up strife. What does it mean to stir up strife? You children think about this. If there were A dog who had rabies, and if you know what that means, they're going crazy. They're foaming at the mouth. They're running around. They're very vicious. They might bite people. What does it mean to stir up strife in that case? Well, it would mean to throw rocks at that dog, perhaps. Poke it with a stick. You're playing with danger, and you're trying to make it even worse. Isn't that what it means? That's how you stir up strife with a rabid dog. Well, it would be the opposite of that. How would you cover over this problem? Well, you wouldn't cover it over by simply shutting your door and letting that dog roam around that neighborhood, would you? That wouldn't be to deal with it. That wouldn't be to cover it over. That would be to ignore it. To pretend like it didn't exist. If you're going to deal with it, you have to call someone, perhaps a professional, to come and catch it and to treat it, hopefully. To make sure it gets better. And then, you don't always go to that dog and continued to say you were a rabbit one time and poke it in. No, you forget about it. It's healed. It's better. You're not worried about it anymore. That is what it means in this case as well. It doesn't mean to pretend like it didn't exist or doesn't exist. It doesn't mean that we say, oh yes, there's no repentance necessary here. It doesn't mean that we cover over with a band-aid the bite of a brown recluse spider, that's not going to help. It's going to keep getting worse. It means that there is repentance. There is a return to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then we do not in any way unnecessarily bring it up. We forget about it. We accept that person. We welcome that person back. They are fully restored to us. No indignity, no dishonor attached. But love is poured out upon that one. That's what it means. Love covering a multitude of sins. What James is saying is, we are to do what He has been doing. We are to know each other, love each other, care for each other. And when we see one wandering from the truth, we are to go to them. We are to, as it were, take them by the hand and lead them back to Christ. Remind them of His goodness, of His worth, of the fact that there's no hope outside of Him. Remind them of the source of wisdom and goodness, the unending supply that He is. We are to call them to repentance and reconciliation and restoration. And we are to receive them back. graciously, lovingly, gently. In other words, we are together to walk on the path of righteousness. We are, for one another, to be concerned that we, together, walk. When we see one wandering, it is our responsibility to go and to bring them back with us. towards the Celestial City. That is why James concludes this letter in this way. He is telling us that we must, as he does, have the mind of Christ and walk in his ways. May the Lord bless his word. Let us pray.