Give your attention now to the reading of God's words. James 1, starting in verse 17. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will, He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, so that we could be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. This you know, my beloved brethren." Well, James has just finished teaching us about the second path. And unlike the first, which leads to life, This one has a deadly end. Remember, you start with an external push, the external push of temptation, and then the internal pull of desire comes, and when it takes over, it leads us into sin, and when sin is fully conceived, it gives forth death. But if you remember, James was very quick to tell us that God tempts no one, nor can he be tempted. In other words, the internal tugs that you experience are the result of your own desires. God is not, as it were, pulling the strings of your desires in the hope that you will succumb to temptation. That's not it at all. So when we come to verse 17, I think there's a natural inclination to see these words as a counter of sorts. James is countering the notion that God tempts by telling us that God gives good things and perfect gifts. Now, I think that's there. I think that's there. But that's not all that's there. James is obviously telling us something else. Let me put it like this. Despite the fact that I'm a Christian, I am ashamedly all too familiar with this path, this deadly path that leads to death. Or to put it another way, I am all too familiar with the tugs of my own desires, and perhaps even how many tugs it takes to go where I'm being warned not to go. Let me say it like this, and perhaps this really gets to it. The ruts that sin cuts into the road of my life are deep and well worn. and they're easily followed. And perhaps you're embarrassed this morning, even privately so, because you know that despite James' warnings, you have been on this deadly path too many times. You readily affirm, along with the confession, that there are some remnants of corruption in you. And as a result, there arises a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. The point is simply this, we know quite well what James is saying to us this morning. And so the natural question that arises, the natural question that we ask ourselves is this, how are we to step forward into life How are we to step forward on the path that leads to the crown of life when there is an internal pull that seems to continually draw us to death? How are we to grow and mature when we feel as though we are constantly being pulled down by our own immaturity? And so therefore, more than a counterpoint, James is really giving us an answer to this question. The question being, how can I step forward into life when I feel that I'm being pulled back into death? That's what I think he's really doing. I think he's really giving us an answer to that question. And this is his answer. Here is the answer. Every good that we need is in Him and from Him. You want to know how to step forward in the life when you feel as though you were being pulled backward into death? Then here's the answer. Look to Him because the answer is in Him and from Him. And so, as we might expect, James is really shifting our focus, isn't he? He's moving our attention, as it were, from us, which is what we were looking at in the last few verses, us and our sin, to God who provides the solution to our sin problem. Because every good that we need is from Him. from the one who gives perfectly. And so this morning I simply want to focus on two things. Very simple. I want to focus on God and I want to focus on His gift. And the reason is obvious. A better understanding of God and His gift will better equip me to choose life rather than death. Let me add, a better understanding of what God has done for me will help me cultivate a love for Him who first loved me. And so with that in mind, let's just look at those two points. The first point being very simple. It's this, God the giver. Let's look at God the giver. In this short verse, James has said a great deal about God as a giver. In fact, he's told us two very important things worth remembering. First, we learn the type of giver that God is. What type of giver is God? Well, He is the quintessential giver. He is the ultimate giver. That's the first thing that we learned. Now, you know, as I was thinking about This, as I was thinking about God as being the ultimate giver, I couldn't help but think that we were hovering around Valentine's Day, and so let me ask you this. Have you ever anticipated something, a gift, an event, a getaway, whatever it may happen to be, and it just didn't quite live up to your expectations? And frankly, let me just say it, it never really does, does it? I mean, it may be really good, but it never quite lives up to the expectations that you set for it. And you know why that is, don't you? We are built for a happy ending. We have a predilection to joy. And we constantly expect more than a sin-fallen world can give. We do that, don't we? We build up expectations. And here's the thing, we often build up those expectations for others. And they are simply unable to meet those expectations, and with unmet expectations comes disappointment. But James is telling us that God is more than able to meet our every expectation. He is the quintessential giver. And the text makes that clear to us in two ways. Two ways the text makes clear that God is this kind of giver. First, according to James, God's giving is great in its scope. I want you to notice verse 17. It says, every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above. Now, if we look at the words given and gift, we discover a slight difference. A very slight difference. The first one is used often in terms of the act of giving, and the second word is often used in Scripture to point to the giver. In other words, I think James wants us to focus on what we're focusing on. I think he wants us to focus on God as the giver and His gifts. But I really don't think that that's the focus and the emphasis of this verse. You see, it's not the nouns that are the most striking thing about this sentence. It's the adjectives. Have you noticed that? He gives every good thing and every perfect gift. You see, what James is saying is this. God holds nothing back. He gives us everything we could possibly need. The generosity of the Father of Lights stretches further than the sun's seemingly boundless rays. That's what he's saying. His generosity knows no bounds. You know, earthly fathers are a mere shadow and a type of the Heavenly Father, aren't they? The earthly father gives what he's able to give, but he's often limited by his means. Not so the Heavenly Father. His means to supply all of our needs is endless, and He lavishes us with grace upon grace. James 4 says that, doesn't it? I just love what James says to us. God gives a greater grace. There is nothing outside the scope of the Father's desire or ability to give. Let me just pause. Let me hit the pause button and ask you a question. Do you know, brothers and sisters, do you know how we know that that is true? Do you know how we know that that is true? Well, I'll tell you. We know that that is true because when we were yet sinners, God gave us His only begotten Son to die for sinners, that we might be called His children. He could do nothing greater than that to display the scope of His love. That's how we know about the scope of God's love. But not only is God's generosity great in its scope, secondly, we notice the focused way in which God gives. I've already mentioned that God's generosity is boundless in comparison to the sun's seemingly boundless rays. But I want you to think about it like this. I want you to think about the sun's rays. Aren't the sun's rays beautiful? And as they climb over the snow, aren't they? I digress. But what happens when those sun's rays get focused in the lens of a magnifying glass? Those rays that we thought were warm and brought light, now all of a sudden bring an intensity that can burn. And that's the way I want you to think. I think that's the way James wants us to think about the generosity of God. God gives to his people in a focused, concentrated way. Remember what James said in verse 5? Remember what he said? He said God gives singularly. He's not double-minded with regard to his people, and as a result of his singularity of purpose, he is great in his generosity. He is intense in his generosity. His generosity, when focused in that singular way, is like the rays of the sun being shown through the magnifying lens. Now, perhaps you're thinking something like this. Well, you know what? I know what you're saying, Pastor, but I just don't often perceive the generosity of God. I don't often perceive it. I don't sense it. There are times when I don't. Now, I don't want to challenge your experience, but I do want to press your interpretation. Because according to the text, when you ask in faith, God gives wisdom. He gives us more of Christ, singularly and generously. It's great in its scope and it's intense. But because He gives according to our need and according to our good, God gives by degrees. God gives by degrees. Now let me give you an example. Let me give you what I think is a good example to try and illustrate the way that we may experience God's giving. We may be walking down a road and we may not have on an overcoat and it starts to drizzle slightly. Now you often times think when you're in this situation that I'm not getting that wet. And it's not until you get to the place where you're going that you realize you're just soaked. But you never really realized you were getting soaked, because the rain was just a slight drizzle. But in the end of the journey, you're soaked, you're saturated. Or, you may be walking down a road, and you may hit a cloudburst. And in a matter of seconds, you are wet. In a matter of seconds, you are absolutely drenched. Now, I want you to know that illustrates the way in which God gives by varying degrees. He gives from above and He gives us what we need when we need it. He gives us what we need when we need it. Sometimes His generosity is a slow, steady drizzle, almost imperceptible. And at times we believe that we've encountered cloudbursts of His generosity. But His giving toward us is always singular and it's always generous, regardless of our perception of it. Because, as I said, God is the quintessential giver. That's the first thing that we learn about God as the giver. There's a second thing that we learn, and that's this. God is a changeless giver. James says that in Him there is no variation, there's no shifting shadow. There is no possibility of coming to Him and finding that He's unwilling or unable to give. Now, do you see what James is doing here? He's telling us something. He's teaching us that there's a great difference between God and men. Do you see it? You see, the focus and the scope of God's giving is undivided. It's singular. Unlike men who are often double-minded, God is not. Now, this has some real practical importance, doesn't it? Why? Well, what do you do? What do you do when God seems distant? What do you do when God seems distant, when you no longer have a sense of His presence, when you feel as though you are in the midst of hardship and God is deserted? What do you do? You start blaming God, don't you? You start blaming God. God, why have you deserted me? Why are you slow to answer my prayer? God, wake up! You blame God. But in reality, according to James, God is immutable. He's unchanging toward those who love Him. And what happens is simply this. You have forgotten who God is. And you have stopped asking Him in faith with singleness of heart. And what did James tell you a few verses ago? When you stop asking like that, you ought to expect nothing from Him. It's not that God has changed, but you've changed. You've become double-minded. Now let me ask you something. Let me ask you something very practical. Let me hit the pause button one more time. Have you forgotten who God is this morning? Have you forgotten who God is? Are you dealing with hardships, and your hardships are turning into temptations, and what are you tempted to do? You're tempted to blame God. God, why in the world would you do this to me, and especially now? My brothers and sisters, don't forget who God is. That's what James is telling us. Do not forget His singular generosity toward you. And don't forget your tendency to become double-minded. Perhaps you've forgotten about this, and this is a good reminder for you this morning. It's a good lesson about who God is. But up until now, we've only been talking about God as the giver, and we need to move on at this point to talk about our second point, and that's this, God, the gift of God. We need to be talking about the gift of God. Now, what's the gift of God? that's mentioned in verse 18. What is it? Well, it's simply this. God fathered us. God fathered us. He, as the text says, brought us forth. Now, that's the gift. And I want to explore what James says about the gift, but I want us to keep something in mind as we do. I do not want us to lose sight of the fact that this gift is given in order to answer the question, how can I step forward into life when I feel as though I'm being pulled back to death? That's what this gift is given to answer. So with that in mind, let's look at the things we learned from for our encouragement and strength about this gift. And the first thing I want you to know is this. We learned that our birth into God's family was his decision. Now, that shouldn't surprise us. Who among us can raise our hand and say, no, no, no, my birth was not my mom and dad's decision. My birth was my decision. You see, this is just commonsensical, isn't it? Our birth into God's family was His decision. The text says, in the exercise of His will, He brought us forth. This kind of statement has a way of disturbing people, doesn't it? They get all riled up. It doesn't seem fair that God should choose this person and not this person. How could God leave this person in spiritual decay and resurrect this other person? Now, let me tell you something. I'm not going to say much more about that right now because we're going to be dealing with that tonight in Romans chapter 9. So if you want to talk about that a little bit or you want to hear some talk about that, come back. Come back tonight. Come back this evening. But for now, I want you to do your best to disabuse yourself of all your objections. I want you to put aside your objections that you may have for just a moment and think with me for a minute. Do you realize that if your faith began with you rather than God the Giver, if you are the originator of your spiritual life, Do you realize that you have no certainty at all that it will exist for one more moment? Do you realize that? Perhaps you still don't see the problem, so let me put it in another way. You tell us, perhaps you come and you say, look, I became a believer because of my desire for God. Now, despite the fact that the Bible says that the unregenerate person has no desire for God, let's just, for the sake of argument, assume that it's true. You believe that as a result of your desire, you chose life. Now, let me ask you this. When you're tempted, and your desires lead you to choose death, which of your desires represent what you want most? Life or death? God or sin? Now you protest and you say something like this, well that's not fair, we all have sinful desires, we're all double-minded as it were. That's my point. You see, not only are your desires inadequate to save you, but they are like shifting shadows. And more than that, if you believe that you are saved on the basis of your desire to come to Christ, then you will never, ever, Enjoy the peace of assurance and the joy of knowing for certain that you are a son or a daughter of God. Why is that? Because your assurance is only as certain as its foundation. So let me ask you this. Is your assurance built on your ever-shifting desires? Or is it established on the singular desire of God to save you in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? You see, brothers and sisters, that's the foundation. That's the foundation alone which can provide you with comfort. That's the help. That's the help. To know that when I am in a battle with my own desires, with my own double-mindedness, I know that the Lord saved me not on the basis of my own shifting desires, but on the basis of His immutable, unchanging will, and there is absolutely no shifting shadow in Him. You see, that's the first thing I want you to know about the gift that He gives, and what a thing it is. But there's a second thing I want you to know, and that's this. God has worked through the means of His Word, and He keeps on working through those same means. James says that God brought us forth by the Word of Truth. Our birth into God's family came about through the instrumentation of the Word. Now, James isn't telling us something we haven't heard before. If I could get you to remember back all the way to 1 Peter, and do you realize now, check this, do you realize that we were in 1 Peter in our second year? It seems like time is flying by. But there the Apostle said this, he says, for you have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God. We've heard this before. This isn't something new. James is consistent with the rest of the canon. Now, here's the question. How does this help you step forward to life? Well, I think the help comes when we understand what the Father does in our lives with His Word. So what does He do? Well, listen to this. The first thing He does is this. He speaks to us inwardly. He speaks to our dead souls imparting life. and bringing us to new birth. Now that's called regeneration. But it's wholly and completely a work of God done in the life of the person who's dead in sin. It's the gift of God. It's the new birth. Now, you know what? There are people, there are actually I'm not going to say who this is, but I just talked to a person recently, about two weeks ago, and this person was telling me that he had some affiliation with various churches, and he was telling me about a church that's an evangelical church that no longer wants to talk about being born again, or born anew, or anything like that. Because it's offensive to talk like that. But see, that's what James is talking about. He's talking about the new birth that happens when God speaks inwardly and quietly to our dead spirit. And all of a sudden, it's alive. And secondly, what happens is God presents that same word of truth to the person to whom He has inwardly spoken in His preached word. And to this preached word, the new life within us makes a personal and believing response of faith. Now, is it any wonder that James says in verse 19, Know this, my brethren. Know this, because it has a stabilizing effect on your life. Know this, because it's a ministry to your soul. Let me put it like this. Your spirit, your spirit was dead within you. According to Romans 3, you had absolutely no desire for God whatsoever, no matter what you thought, because you were as dead in your sin as Lazarus in the grave for four days. Go to any cemetery and there you have an analogy of how dead your spirit was within you. And then God came. And He spoke into your life. He spoke to your dead spirit. Like Ezekiel standing over the valley of dry bones. Dry bones! And God says, Speak! And He says, These are dry bones. And God says, Speak! And when Ezekiel spoke, he heard the spirit move along the bones and they started to rattle. Well, that's the same thing that happened in your dead life. And what happened next? You experienced a resurrection. And you could tell what happened to you. You knew that something had happened to you. You didn't get hold of religion. Religion got hold of you. You no longer wanted to do the same things that you used to do. But now, all of a sudden, you wanted to do more. You wanted to read your scriptures. You wanted to pray. You wanted to pray with others. Now, you wanted to come to church, but you wanted to come to church because you actually thought the pastor had something important to say. And you actually wanted to hear what the scriptures said. Why? Because there was a resurrection that happened in your life. And it was His Word that brought us forth to this new life. Now, is it any wonder that James' very next words instruct us not only to receive the implanted Word in us, verse 21, but also to be hearers and doers of the preached Word. Why? Because not only is it a means of our birth, but it's a means of our growth and maturity. He supplies all we need through the instrumentation of his word. That's the second glorious thing about the gift that God gives. So there's a third thing I want to point out to you, and that's this. Believers are the first fruits of God's creatures. Now, what does that mean? Well, James is drawing down on the Old Testament. He's drawing down on the Old Testament. The people of God were required to offer to the Lord the first of the crop. We find regulations for this in various places in Leviticus. And what we discover about this offering, often called the minhah offering, is that it was a gift offering, a tribute to God from His thankful people. Now, notice what we find in James. Here we find that the people of God are a gift offering to God Himself. Now, perhaps they're saying something like this. I knew we were eventually going to get to this part. Here is what we do. We haven't done anything so far. Here we finally get to our part. We offer ourselves as a gift to God for all that He's done to us. Great. That's great. No. That's not it at all. Dear brothers and sisters, because of your sin, you are offensive to God. You were offensive in His sight. And what is more, this text does not say that we offer ourselves to God. It says that God offers us to Himself. But what is most striking about this Minha offering is this. The Minha offering was never offered because it was a bloodless offering. It was never offered without a sin offering, without an atoning sacrifice accompanying it. Now, I want to suggest that James readers would have understood this basic practice, this basic parallel. You see, they would have understood that the firstfruits are not offered to God in the absence of a sin offering. And the implication is obvious. In and of yourself, you are an unworthy and sin-wrecked gift. You are soiled and stained. I want you to know that you were a mess, unworthy of presentation to a pauper, let alone a thrice holy God. So in order for you, as a gift, to be presentable in God's sight, you, like the Minha offering, needed to be accompanied by an atoning sacrifice. You see, James Readers would have understood that, do you? Do you understand that in order to be presented to the Father of Lights, you must be cleansed by the Son of God, who comes clothed in the Gospel? Do you understand that you must be purified and washed in His blood, and only dripping with His blood can you be offered wholly in the sight of God, forgiven of sin and having the righteousness of Christ imputed to you? Only then are you acceptable in His sight. A gift that He will by no means cast away. That is how you can step forward through though you feel the pull of your desires. And if you haven't figured it out, if you haven't figured this out, let me just make it very plain to you. There is a pull in you now that is stronger than any push of the world and any tug of your old desires. There is a pool of spirit-born affections within you, because Christ now lives in you. And I want you to know, through the exercise of the means of grace, those affections will become increasingly strong, and in parallel to them, the tug of your own desires for the things of the world will diminish. You see, that's the secret of God's gift. That's the effectiveness of God's gift. And that is the thought that's worth your afternoon. Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and for the time that you've given to us, and thank you for your implanted Word in us, which cultivates in us affections for you through the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, continue to water and Continue to cultivate those affections within us through your means that they might grow and that we might feel a diminishing tug of the desires that we had for the world. And Lord, we pray and we ask that you would do this not only for our good, for we ask it so, but for your glory, especially in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for your time.