James Simplified

Tonight We are Looking at the Book of Jacobus

Does Anyone Know Where the Book of Jacobus is?

You Do, You Just Don’t Know it By that Name

In English, We Call it the Book of James

A More Literal Translation From Greek to English Would Be Jacob/Jacobus

Author & Audience

Author: Jacobus or James

But Who is James?

We Find 4 Different Men Named James in the NT

But the Most Likely Choice is James, the Brother of Jesus Himself

This Makes the Content of James’ Book Really Interesting

If You’re Ever Bored, Compare the Book of James to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount

You’ll Find that James Repeats Many of Jesus’ Teaching in this Letter

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was Teaching His Disciples…

How to Live as a Citizen in His Kingdom

The Ethics and Moral Standards of the Kingdom

James is Doing the Same Thing with this Letter

But that isn’t All that James Does that is Similar to Jesus

He Speaks Harshly Against Religious Hypocrisy, Like Jesus

He Also Offers Encouragement and Comfort for Those Who Suffer, Like Jesus

James is an Incredibly Practical Book

It has Not Only Been Compared to Jesus’ Practical Sermon on the Mount…

But Also to the Very Practical Book of Proverbs

James, Like the Rest of Jesus’ Brothers, Didn’t Always Believe that Jesus is the Messiah:

John 7:5 (NASB95)

5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him.

But All that Changed After Jesus Resurrected From the Dead

Speaking of People Whom Jesus Appeared to After His Resurrection…

Paul Says:

1 Corinthians 15:7 (NASB95)

7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

After that, James Not Only Became a Believer…

He Became Thought of as a Pillar (Leader) in the Church at Jerusalem

Galatians 2:9 (LEB)

9 and when James and Cephas and John—those thought to be pillars—acknowledged the grace given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, in order that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision.

There are Several Other Passages Throughout the NT…

That Indicate the Leadership of James in the Church at Jerusalem

Audience: Jewish Christians

We Aren’t Explicitly Told Who the Recipients are

James 1:1 (NASB95)

1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

James Calling Them the “12 Tribes” Along with Several Other Hints Throughout the Book…

Make it Likely the Recipients are Jewish Christians Who are Scattered Throughout the Roman Empire

It’s Possible that They are Scattered From Jerusalem…

Due to Paul’s Persecution of the Church After Stephen’s Death

Other Hints that These are Jewish Christians Include:

James Refers to God as “the Lord of Sabaoth” (Hosts/Armies)

This was a Traditionally Hebrew Title for God

James Refers to the Christian Assembly as “Synagogue”

Early Jewish Christians Would Continue to Meet at the Synagogue

James Quotes From the OT Scriptures…

And Refers OT Characters Like Job and Elijah

These Jewish Christians Seem to Be in Need of Godly Wisdom

From What We can Gather:

They are Accustomed to Trials and Hardships

They Think Too Highly of Themselves

Believe Themselves to Be Wise

Believe Themselves to Be Religious

Believe Themselves to Be Capable Teachers

They are Double-Minded

They Claim to Love God, But in Reality They Love the World

They are Very Critical and Judgmental of Each Other

They Desire to Be Rich

They Show Favoritism to Those Who are Rich

They Despise Those who are Poor

They Speak More Than They Do

They Like to Run Their Mouths Negatively About Others and Positively About Themselves

They Don’t Actually Practice What They Preach

They Say They have Faith, But Their Actions Say Otherwise

Purpose

James is Writing to These Dispersed Jewish Christians…

To Rebuke & Encourage Them Toward Wise Gospel Obedience

His Point He Wanted to Get Across More Than Anything Else was:

The Gospel is Meant to Be Lived, Not Just Believed

Summary

Chapter 1

James Begins By Saying We Should Be Joyful in Trials

Whenever Our Faith is Tested, it is an Opportunity for Growth Toward Maturity

If We Ever Lack the Wisdom We Need to Endure the Trials…

We Should Ask God for Wisdom and He will Gladly Give it

But We Must Ask with Total Confidence that He will Answer

We Need to Remember that God Exalts the Poor…

And Humiliates the Rich Who Trust in Their Money

God Blesses and Give Eternal Life to Those Who Patiently Endure the Trials of Life

He Does Not Cause Our Trials, Nor Does He Tempt Us to Sin

Temptation Comes From Our Own Desires

If We Allow Our Desires to Lead Us Away From God, We will Die

God is the Giver of Every Good and Perfect Gift and that will Always Be True

Out of His Own Desires He Made Us New Through the Gospel

James Then Encourages Us to Receive the Saving Gospel with Humility

We Need to Be Quick to Listen and Slow to Speak and Get Angry

The Gospel Tells Us to Put Away All of Our Sin and Wickedness

Instead of Getting Angry at the Message or Messenger…

And Allowing Our Mouth to Run Wild with Anger…

We Should Humbly Listen to the Gospel and Change Our Ways

The Gospel isn’t Just Something to Listen to

We’ve Got to Be Doers, Not Just Hearers

Obeying the Gospel Looks Like:

Controlling Our Mouths and Doing Good for Those in Need

Chapter 2

Another Way We Obey the Gospel is By Not Showing Favoritism

It’s Tempting to Show Favoritism to the Rich…

Because They have Something to Offer Us that We Desire

We Often Despise and Neglect the Poor…

Because They Don’t have Anything to Offer Us

To Act in Such a Way is to Break the Royal Law of Our King:

To Love Others as We Love Ourselves

And if We Break the Law of Our King, We will Be Judged

James Tells Us that Faith Without Good Works is Dead/Useless

It’s One Thing to Say that Your Faith/Allegiance Belongs to Jesus

It’s Another Thing for Your Actions to Prove that to Be True

Simply Believing the Gospel Without Living According to it…

Will Not Save Anyone

Chapter 3

Not Everyone Should Be a Teacher Because Controlling the Mouth is Extremely Difficult

And Teachers with No Self-Control Over What They Teach…

Will Receive a Greater Condemnation

The Mouth is Small, But it can Cause So Much Damage

With it We Praise God and Curse Human Beings Made in His Image

This is Not the Way Jesus has Taught Us to Live

Wise Obedience to the Gospel Looks Like Doing Good Deeds with Humility

It Doesn’t Look Like Jealousy and Selfish Ambition

They Only Lead to Disorder and Evil

Wise Obedience to the Gospel is Being:

Pure

Peaceful

Gentle

Reasonable

Merciful

A Doer of Good Deeds

Not Judgmental

Not Hypocritical

The Righteous are the Peacemakers

Chapter 4

These Jewish Christians are Not Being Peacemakers

They are Fighting and Arguing with Each Other Out of Jealousy/Envy

They Don’t have What They Want Because They Don’t Ask God

But Even When They Do Ask God, They Don’t Receive it....

Because They Ask with Selfish Motives

They’re Adulteresses Because They’re More in Love with Worldly Pleasures Than with God

If They would Only Humble Themselves, Resist the Devil…

And Draw Near to God…

The Devil Would Flee and God Would Draw Near to Them

If They would Only Repent with Broken and Humble Hearts…

God would Exalt Them

That Repentance Would Look Like:

No Longer Slandering and Judging Each Other Each Other…

But Focusing on Their Own Obedience to the Gospel

Part of Obeying the Gospel is Recognizing that We have No Control Over the Future

To Speak as if We Do is Arrogant and Evil

God is in Control and We Need to Remember that

Chapter 5

Those Who Live Luxuriously Rich Lives…

And Who Use Their Riches to Take Advantage of Others…

Should Weep and Mourn Because Judgment is Coming for Them

Like a Farmer Patiently Waiting for His Harvest…

Christians Need to Patiently Wait for Jesus’ Return…

And Stop Complaining Against One Another

They Need to Be Honest and Tell the Truth

If You’re Suffering, Pray

If You’re Happy, Sing Praises

If You’re Sick, have the Elders Pray for You

Confess Your Sins to One Another and Pray for One Another

If Anyone Turns From the Gospel…

Those Who are Living in Obedience to the Gospel…

Should Seek to Restore Their Sibling

If They Succeed, They will have Saved Their Soul From Death…

And will Atone for All of Their Sin

Key Passage

The Entire First Chapter is Really the Key Passage of the Book

It Sums Up the Rest of the Books Main Ideas

But We Won’t Look at the Entire Chapter

James 1:22–27 (NASB95)

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The Gospel, the Perfect Law of Freedom, is Meant to Be Obeyed

If it’s Only Heard and Believed, it’s Worthless

It Must Be Lived Out

What Does it Look Like for the Gospel to Be Lived Out?

That Question is What this Entire Book Answers

But in the Immediate Context of Our Key Passage, it’s:

To Control Our Mouths

To Help Those in Need

To Live Holy Lives

That is Obeying the Gospel