SundayAugust 21, 2011 Phone: 570.829.5216
Pastor David Miklas e-mail:
Message:Book of James - #1 Text: James 1:1
“James, Who?”
Introduction:There has never been a more important time than NOW to launch a study on the New Testament book of James. Its strong message of "Genuine Faith" cries out against the emptiness of what Paul predicted would be prevalent in the last days.InII Timothy 3:5Paul said people would"have a form of godliness, but (would be) denying the power of it..."The Epistle of James stands out in stark contrast to this prediction.
James is going to demonstrate for us an"ACTION-PACKED PRACTICAL FAITH that is DYNAMIC and ALIVE."
James will go beyond the stage of CREEDS and BELIEF, to introduce us to a vital and genuine faith demonstrated in a PRACTICAL WAY. James deals with CONDUCT and BEHAVIOR.James will speak to Christians where they are, as they experience the big threeknown as trials temptation, and testing.James will give us solutions to everyday problems all us as believers experience.
As someone said, He deals with “The Nitty-Gritty of life."He tells us a faith that works is a faith that lasts.
Throughout the book you will discover his knowledge of the Old Testament through at least five illustrations, and you will notice that he alludes to the Lord's Sermon on the Mount at least fifteen times.
James writes with the passion and fiery eloquence of Elijah. He minces no words. In this short letter of 108 verses, there are fifty-four imperatives. James does not suggest, he commands "DO IT!"
On the other hand, there is genuine warmth in this epistle. Eleven times he refers to his readers as "my brethren." Three times he calls them "my beloved brethren." His words may at times seem harsh,but THEY ARE MEANT TO HELP, NOT HARM!
Now beginning a study of a book of the Bible is something like preparing for a trip. You like to know WHERE you are going and WHAT you can expect to see. Perhaps the best way to launch a study of James is to answer three important questions.
First: Who was James?In James 1:1 we read,"James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ."Here we have to ask the question who is this James, since there were several prominent men who bore this name.In Acts 1:13 we discover several disciples with the name of James,“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and JAMES and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, JAMES the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of JAMES.”
First there wasJames the son of Zebedeewho was the older brother of John. They, along with Peter, were part of the inner circle closest to Jesus. According to Acts 12:2 this James was the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom.
Second there was James the son of Alpheus.According to Mark 15:20, this James, also a disciple, was called "James the younger, or James the less."
Third there was James the son of Mary and Joseph, who was the half brother of the Lord and whom we believe was the human writer of the book of James. We believe Jude, the writer of the book of Jude, was also a brother of James and a half brother of Jesus based onJude 1, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James..."and several other passages.
In Matthew 13:53-57 we read of the family of our Lord, “And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, in so much that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, JAMES and Joses, and Simon and JUDAS? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him…”
In Galatians 1:19 Paul said, "But other of the apostles saw I none, save JAMES, the Lord's brother."
It is intriguing to read the Epistle of James knowing the one who penned it, grew up with the Lord Jesus Christ. And what is more interesting is James lived with Jesus for those 30 years and before the crucifixion, remained an unbeliever according to John 7:5where we read, "For neither did His brethren believe in Him."However, after Jesus rose from the dead, He made a specialappearance to James according to I Corinthians 15:7,“After that, he was seen of James; than of all the apostles.”This prompts us to believe James has recognized andtrusted Him as his Savior. Finally, when Jesus showedHimself to those gathered in the Upper Room in Acts 1:14James was there.“These all continued with one accord inprayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the motherof Jesus, and with his brethren (here speaking of his family).”
Paul referred to James as one of the"pillars"of the churchin Galatians 2:9, and by the time the first Jerusalem councilwas convened in Acts 15, James appeared to be the Pastor.
We have no record of this in the Bible, but tradition tellsus James was martyred in AD 62, when he was stoned to death on orders of the High Priest, Annas. The story is told that James died praying for his murderers as did the Savior by saying,"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Second: To whom did James write? Again notice verse 1, "To the twelve tribes scattered abroad, greetings."The twelve tribes can only mean the people of Israel. In this case these would be Jewish Christians. The Phrase"scattered"is a term used to identify the Jews living outside the land of Palestine.
These Jewish Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire had problems and needs
Being Jewish, they would be rejected by the Gentiles.
Being Christian Jews, they would be rejected by other Jews.
These scattered Jews realized that becoming a Christian would not make life any easier and they would not be living "happily ever after"in this life.
I believe with all my heart that"Nothing that happens to us takes us out of the care of God. Nothing removes us from his concern for our lives, and no matter how dark the valley, God will see us through it."You will notice immediately after this first verse of introduction that James begins to talk about trials and testing that come into everyone's life. It is as though he is saying,"You twelve tribes have been scattered abroad, but God knows where every single one of you is, and He has His eye upon you."
As we read the opening versesJames seems to be saying,"I am writing as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ to those of you who are scattered abroad, but because you are still on the mind and in the heart of God, REJOICE in your circumstances."Today, can you say that you are rejoicing in spite of your circumstances?
Third: Why did James write this epistle? Each New Testament letter has its own special THEME, PURPOSE and DISTINCTION. As you read the Epistle of James, you discover that these Jewish Christians were having some problems in their personal lives and in their church fellowship.
Some were going through a difficult time of testing.
Some were facing sinful temptations.
Some were catering to or being robbed by the rich.
Some church members were competing for the position of teacher.
One of the major problems in the church, then as it is now, was theFAILURE ON THE PART OF MANY TO LIVE WHAT THEY PROFESSED TO BELIEVE.In other words their walk and talk did not square with what they believed and taught others. As we note the list of church problems found in James, they are no different than what we see today.
There were serious problems with the Tongue.
Worldliness was another problem.
Humility was still another problem.
People were suffering because of Trials in life.
People were falling because of Temptations to sin.
James was not discussing an array of miscellaneous problems. All these problems had a common cause, SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY. These Christians had not GROWN-UP. I believe this gives us a hint as to the basic theme of this book,"THE MARKS OF MATURITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE."
This theme is indicated by the word"perfect"being used five times in the book andmeaning"mature or complete."It refers tosomeone who is growing-up.
James 1:4, “But let patience have her PERFECT work, that ye may be PERFECT and entire, wanting nothing.”
James 1:17, “Every good gift and every PERFECT gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights…”
James 1:25, “But whoso looketh into the PERFECT law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
James 2:22, “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made PERFECT?”
James 3:2, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a PERFECT man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”
After 45 years in the ministry I am convinced Spiritual maturity is one of the GREATEST needs in our churches today. Too many of God's people are using the church as "playpens" for babies instead of “work-shops” for adults. As I listen to conversations, I sometimes wonder if you are mature enough toEAT SOLID SPIRITUAL FOOD of the Word of God, or are you still on a diet of milk?
James instructs us on the "MARKS OF A MATURE CHRISTIAN"by including these chapters:
Chapter 1: a mature Christian is PATIENT in testing.
Chapter 2:a mature Christian PRACTICES the truth.
Chapter 3: a mature Christian has POWER over his tongue.
Chapter 4: a mature Christian is a PEACE-MAKER not a trouble maker.
Chapter 5: a mature Christian is PRAYERFUL in times of trouble.
Having given you the introduction to James, let’s look at a 21stcentury lesson, found in verse 1,"James a SERVANT of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."We might think that a man of this prestige would introduce himself as:
"James, the half-brother of our Lord," or
"James, the Pastor of the church of Jerusalem," or
"James, a friend of the Apostle Paul.
But instead he simply said, "James a SERVANT of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."This is the only place in the New Testament that this particular description is not coupled with another descriptive phrase.For example we read:
II Peter 1:1, "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ..."
Jude 1, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James..."
Titus 1:1, "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ..."
But James simply says,"a servant."Here James uses the Greek wordDOULOS, which means"bond-slave." The word means "to bind."
A bond-slave was one deprived of his personal freedom.
A bond-slave is one who can never say NO to his master.
A bond-salve was cared for by his master.
What a sobering thought.We are by virtue of our faith in Christ bound to Him as a bond-slave. However, the trouble is most of us like to drag Him wherever we go, instead of following where He leads as real slaves should.
“Wait a minute,” I can hear someone say, “I am no slave to Christ.”OK, then think about this for a moment:
When we are born into the physical world, are we not slaves of the natural laws of life?”
Can we live without breathing fresh air ?
Do the laws of gravitation enslave us on the surface of the earth?
The answer to each of those questions is Yes! Likewise when you were born by faith into the Kingdom of God, the very moment you repented of your sins and you were born again, you became a slave of the laws of the Kingdom of God.Now, since this is true, you don't have to worry about the provisions of life, because it is now God's responsibility to take care of you.
James identifies himself in terms that leave no question as to where the"GLORY is to be given."James is not seeking any"Celebrity status,"rather Jesus Christ is given completeHONOR and GLORY. Jamesclaimes to be simply a servant of Christ. This is genuine humility.
What does it mean to be that kind of a servant? I believe the simple answer is found in the words of Jesus back in Mark 10:43-45,“But so shall it not be among you; but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”Those are straight- forward words; Jesus came to serve and to give. It makes sense, then, to say that God desires the same of us - to serve and to give.
II Corinthians 4:5 says, "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your SERVANTS for Jesus’ sake."
Galatians 5:13 says, "…but by love SERVE one another."
These are forgotten words in our Christian world today, where we find very few with a servant mentality. We have been caught up in a rat-race for increased numbers and superficial success. We have "self-styled Christian super-stars,"who promotethe philosophy of "Me-ism" by exhibiting a "Celebrity Syndrome Mentality." Would you not agree, we often murmur at the mundane of DAILY DUTY? We think that we are worthy of bigger and better. Our little sphere of service seems so INADEQUATE and so UNWORTHY and yes, even UN-NOTICED.Yet our service to God is necessary. Let God be the judge as to who is worthy. Remember, the Bible teaches:
Those we EXALT the Lord HUMBLES, those we HUMBLE the Lord EXALTS.
Those we think are NOTHING,the Lord thinks are SOMETHING.
Those we think are SOMEBODY, such as a Christian Super-Star, the Lord thinks are NOBODY.
We think greatness is in being served, yet God thinks greatness is in the serving.
God's will for your life and mine never comes through theBIG THINGS,but always through theLITTLE THINGS. If we ACCOMPLISHthe SMALLESTresponsibilities,DIGNIFY the SMALLESTduty, one day God will relieve us of theLITTLEthings and give usBIGthings to do for His glory.
Over a kitchen sink a motto read: "Divine service is conducted here 3x a day." I think there is a breath of Heaven in that statement. Faithful in small things enables God to trust us with BIGGER things in life.
A famous music composer said to a gathering of musicians, "As we gather together, our major purpose is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ, not ourselves. THERE IS NO ROOM IN THIS GATHERING FOR SUPERSTARS."
Oh, my friends, I bow before those of you in this life whohave the servant mentality and servant attitude. You might be playing a second violin, or a second trumpet as far as life is concerned, but unless you are doing so, there would be no harmony.
May I encourage you to put into practice the great proof of servant-hood, ANONYMITY.
You know, Lord, how I serve You
With great emotional fervor in the lime light.
But how would I react,
I wonder, if you pointed me to a task
day after day, month after month, in a room where
NO BODY SAW AND NOBODY KNEW?
This does not mean a Christian should HIDE in a corner or REFUSE to use the talents and opportunities God has given him lest he be lifted up with pride.
This does not mean we should say “NO” to unique opportunities for service that give us PUBLIC VISIBILITY.
This does not mean we should REJECTCOMPLIMENTS as if we are not worthy to hear or accept them.
This does mean to always put Jesus Christ first, which means to graciously play second fiddle as a servant. Here are six challenges for you to actively put into practice this week:
First: Be faithful in "little things."
Second: When offered a job, do it well, with all your heart, and without expecting public recognition. When offered an assignment, accept it gratefully andbe encouraged by anypraise and thanks shared with you.
Third: Let others promote your capabilities and accomplishments.
Fourth: Demonstrate your abilities by your "WORK" rather than your "WORDS."
Fifth: Honor others above yourself. Be an encouragement to them by offering praise and thanks.
Sixth: When you get opportunities requiring public visibility, "THANK GOD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, AND DO YOUR BEST TO HONOR GOD."
Jesus said in Matthew 20:27,"And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your SERVANT.” May those of us who name the name of Jesus seek a servant’s position,for one day in glory we will hear the words of Jesus,"Well done, thou good and faithful SERVANT."
James Who? He was no super-star.Rather, he was James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we close this message, prayerfully envision writing the following as a description beside your name: