Practical Faith: James — An Introduction

Text: James 1:1

Theme: James is an example to all men everywhere that Jesus Christ changes lives.

Date: 01/22/2023 File: James01.wpd ID: NT20-01

Tonight we begin a journey through the Epistle of James. It’s a letter that a lot of folks wish was not a part of the New Testament canon. You don’t have to read very far into this epistle before we begin to squirm with spiritual discomfort.

I mean, holy cow, the second and third verse tells us: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:2–3, ESV). Even Martin Luther, the great 16th century Protestant Reformer, said that in comparison to the Gospels and the writings of the Apostle Paul, that the book of James is, “a right strawy epistle . . .” What does straw do when your in it too long? It chaffs, it irritates, it’s scratchy. Luther had scant use for this epistle because it contains little teaching about the great doctrines of the Christia faith that he so passionately defended.

Luther was right. The book of James is not a doctrinal treatise. That does not mean there is no doctrine in it. It’s just not the theological juggernaut like Romans or Galatians. It is an intensely practical manual for Christian living. As he began to pen his letter, James must have thought to himself, “I’ll leave the gospel to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And I’ll leave the weighty matters of doctrine and theology to Peter and Paul. I’ll write a basic manual for Christian living.” I’m sure that if James were alive today and writing the same letter his publisher would say, let’s call it Christianity for Dummies. James is indeed a “how to” book for believers.

Tonight’s message is meant to introduce you to the book of James: More specifically to the author of the book of James.

I. JAMES BEGAN WERE ALL MEN BEGIN

1. he was lost and undone and doomed to an eternity without God

a. the Word tells us that all men everywhere are sinners

“as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;” (Romans 3:10, ESV)

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, ESV)

b. not only are we sinners, but we are sinners by choice

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, ESV)

c. we are not sinners by accident

A. JAMES WAS A GOOD MAN WHO WAS WITHOUT THE SAVIOR

1. James grew up in a devoutly religious home

a. there is every indication that his family regularly attended the synagogue of their choice

1) if they had it, he probably attended VTS – Vacation Torah School

b. James learned the Jewish Scriptures and all the required prayers at the feet of a spiritually dedicated and loving father

c. we can also assume that James made the yearly trip to Jerusalem with his family to celebrate the Jewish Passover

2. the spot that besmirches this exemplary life is his rejection of the Son of God

3. his life is a picture of the spiritual condition of many in our very own community today

a. men and women who are good, decent, God-fearing people, who may even regularly attend church, but who are depending upon their own personal character and their own personal goodness to gain them eternal favor with God

b. they have based their salvation on an outward code of behavior and religious affection, and religious rites rather than on a personal faith relationship with the Risen Savior

c. some of you say, “How do you know all this pastor?”

1) because for 18 years I was one of those folks!

4. the case of James is all the more tragic when you consider who he was

a. who was he?

b. he was the earthly half-brother of our Lord, Jesus Christ

1) in Matthew’s Gospel we have the story of Christ speaking at His home synagogue

2) the people – most of whom have watched Jesus grow up – are astonished at the things he says and does

“and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:54–58, ESV)

3) now, did you catch v. 55? — the people asked isn’t this the carpenter’s son ... are aren’t his brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas ... with us?

4) so we know from the Scriptures that Jesus had half-brothers, and at least two half-sisters

5) these are not cousins as the Roman Catholic Church maintains

ILLUS. The RCC goes to great lengths to keep Mary a perpetual virgin — including denying the obvious truth of these verses in Matthew. Matthew 1:24-25 clearly tells us that Joseph did not sexually know Mary until after the birth of Jesus. Once Jesus was born they began intimate relations, and the result was at least six more children. It was a typical large Jewish household. There is no biblical or historical evidence that persuades us that Mary was the second wife of a much older Joseph who was a widower.

a) when you have unbiblical traditions you have to defend, unfortunately you have to manipulate the clear teaching of other Scriptures

6) if you’re James (or any of the other siblings) Jesus would be a hard act to follow – maybe that’s why our Lord said: A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house, (Matthew 13:57)

c. they other tragic information on James is that he and the rest of the family were scandalized by his teachings and behavior

1) during his earthly ministry his siblings did not believe his Messianic claims

a) in John’s Gospel we hear them taunting him

“After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him.” (John 7:1–5, ESV)

b) in Mark’s Gospel we see them attempting to restrain him

“Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”” (Mark 3:20–21, ESV)

5. over the years there have been several candidates for the authorship of this powerful epistle

a. but almost all conservative scholars agree that the author of this letter was James the half-brother of Jesus

1) after his conversion, James would ultimately become the primary leader in the Christian community in Jerusalem

2) the Apostle Paul tells of meeting with him after his own conversion and call to ministry

“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.” (Galatians 1:18–19, ESV)

6. James initially was a skeptic, but the resurrection changed everything

B. THE SIN THAT CONDEMNS THE SINNER IS THE SIN OF UNBELIEF

John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” NIV

ILLUS. Billy Sunday, a famous evangelist of the 1920s, was one never to mince words. He once told his audience, “If man ever appears as a consummate ass, it's when he denies the existence of God.”

1. we need to remember that it is not any one sin that condemns a man to eternity in hell without God

a. it’s not the adulterer’s adultery that condemns him . . .

b. it’s not theie promiscuous lifestyle that condemns the homosexual ...

c. it’s not the murderer’s homicidal act that condemn them . . .

d. it’s not the robber’s thievery that condemns him . . .

2. what does condemn them is their rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

a. this rejection also condemns the upright to the very same flames

ILLUS. The lesson of the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is that both sons are equally lost. The younger son is lost in his wonton licentiousness, and the older son is lost in his self-righteousness. Both are equally lost and need the father’s love and forgiveness.

3. James was a good man, with good intentions, who lived a good life

a. James, however, was a good man doomed to spend eternity in a bad place unless he made a decision for the Savior

II. JAMES BOUND HIMSELF TO CHRIST THROUGH THE NEW BIRTH

“ ... a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.” (James 1:1, ESV)

ILLUS. One of the great hymns of the Christian faith is He Lives.

The first stanza rings out:

I serve a risen savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that he is living, whatever men may say;

I see his hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me, and talks with me;

Along lif’s narrow way;

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart;

You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart

1. James discovered that great truth

A. THE RISEN SAVIOR MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF JAMES

1. according to each of the gospels, Jesus had been tried, crucified, buried and had risen from the dead

2. then, for a period of 40 days, He appeared to many of his disciples before ascended up into heaven

a. one of those appearances was to James

b. in defending the Gospel message to the believers at Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:1–7, ESV)

3. it is faith in this great truth — that Jesus Christ is the risen Son of the living God and that he died for you — that saves a man

a. the appearance of the risen Christ turns James from a skeptic to a saint — but not just him

1) according to Acts 1:14 the rest of his brothers

B. JAMES BECAME A SERVANT OF GOD AND CHRIST

1. James was already a religious man but now he was a righteous man

a. at his conversion he became a true servant of God

2. in becoming a servant of God and Christ, he became a leader in the early New Testament Church

ILLUS. In Acts 15 we see James presiding over the Jerusalem Counsel. That counsel is the meeting of the early church when they are attempting to decide the “Gentile question.” Do gentiles have to be circumcised, celebrate Jewish feats days, and eat Kosher food to be Christians? It’s James who makes the final decision.

“Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:19–20, ESV)

a. his decisions were so filled with wisdom and his leadership so full of grace that the church came to know him as James the Just

b. he lived such a righteous life that even the Jewish people respected him

c. the Apostle Paul would describe him, a Pillar of the Church

3. he was a prayer warrior

ILLUS. It is said that James spent so much time on his knees in prayer that they became hard and calloused. It even earned him a nickname – Camel Knees.

4. ultimately, he was a martyr – dying for his faith in A.D. 62

a. tradition says that, at the instigation of Ananus, the Jewish High Priest, James was taken to the highest point of the wall surrounding the temple and throne off

b. when that didn’t kill him they stoned to death

III. JAMES BECAME A MAN OF FAITH WHO PRACTICED HIS FAITH

1. the little epistle of James is a letter about practical Christianity

a. it’s entire theme is wrapped up in one short verse:

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26, NIV)

2. this will be the theme for all of my sermons through this series

The point for this evening is this: Christ in a person’s life makes a difference. Has Jesus made a difference in your life?