James (W. 1) - James 1:1-11
Notes
Transcript
Something Real
Something Real
Good morning friends, and welcome to Fbs Upstate Church! We’re kicking off a brand new series through the book of James this morning, so if you have your copy of Gods Word, I want to invite you to open it up with me to James 1.
James is a great book in the New Testament, full of practical wisdom and Simple instructions for believers to follow
in fact, in just 108 verses, James issues 59 commands.
One of the key purposes of the author is to encourage these suffering Christians in the midst of these difficulties, reminding them of the righteous judgment of God (5:7-11) that is coming and exhorting them to maintain their piety in the midst of their trials (1:2-4,12).- Moo
JAMES is interested in us as believers not only knowing what we believe, but truly LIVING it out
If we could sum up this letter, you could say this is all about AUTHENTIC FAITH
Real faith
isnt authenticity, genuineness, truth
arent these things that the culture us craving?
in an age of artifcilial, James calls Christian’s to authenticity
how though?
the first way is how we deal with trials.
In the book of James, there are 59 commands in 108 verses.
I
it is crucial to understand that James begins this challenge displaying an authentic Christian in an artificial culture. He begins it with trials ‘
Warren Wiersbe said, “When God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess. Trials not only reveal our faith; they also develop our faith and Christian character.”
Truths about trials:
Truths about trials:
1. You, even as a follower of Jesus, can expect trials in this life.
1. You, even as a follower of Jesus, can expect trials in this life.
In fact, the Bible said:
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
let’s be clear about this… we are going to see is that trials can include:
Cancer to church hurt
persecution to
Loneliness to losing your soul mate
From Slander to SICKNESS
Car troubles to
Real faith influences our response to trials.
Real faith influences our response to trials.
As a matter of fact, much of the Christian life is about reaction.
Reacting to
2. Trials are used for a divine purpose. Let me double down here… they are always, and I mean always, used for the purpose of molding believers into the image of Jesus.
2. Trials are used for a divine purpose. Let me double down here… they are always, and I mean always, used for the purpose of molding believers into the image of Jesus.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
what’s the biggest trial you’ve ever faced?
what’s the biggest trial you’ve ever faced?
Gods heart for you in the midst of that trial was to make you more like Jesus
Gods heart for you in the midst of that trial was to make you more like Jesus
Story here about a trial
I tell you that because I
Bottom line: Trials in our life reveal God’s kindness to us.
Bottom line: Trials in our life reveal God’s kindness to us.
Y’all join me in James 1:1-11
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
2 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. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
James cuts to the chase in his letter. For the rest of our time, I want to show you three truths that James lays out about trials:
1. Trials Grow Our Faith.
1. Trials Grow Our Faith.
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 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.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Benchmark test.
God wants you to grow, man! And long
You must KNOW WHO you are in Christ for this to be helpful.
I just want it to be over.
You may be wondering
The question becomes: How can I best position myself to grow during a trial?
Growth in trials happens by first knowing who you are in Christ.
Growth in trials happens by first knowing who you are in Christ.
notice how James introduces himself
a servant, a bond servant or bond slave.
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
The crowds asked if Jesus was a part of a specific family. Who was included in this family? None other than James.
For not even his brothers believed in him.
His brothers didn’t believe in Jesus, though.
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.
Please get this… when James saw and experienced the resurrected Jesus, everything changed.
His life completely changed!
Thus, even in own identity, he was able to
Like James, we too must experience the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
At that point, we can then say, “It’s not about me anymore!” I’m a servant.
You aren’t the main character.
You play an important role in this mission and this story. Your work is important, yes. But you aren’t the main character.
its like Tom Hardy’s role in the dark knight rises as Bane
or dory’s role in finding Nemo
There’s freedom in that, friends!
Growing during a trial continues when you count the trial as a good thing.
Growing during a trial continues when you count the trial as a good thing.
Twice James said “rejoice” in the first two verses.
How in the world can i rejoice or consider trials joyous??
How can i regard this… this trial… as a joy?
Knowing who we are in Christ.
However, lets get this straight… this does not mean to pretend that everything is pleasant.
Hailey and I were in a wreck.
The next day, as people checked in on us, I couldn’t help but say, “Yeah man we’re doing great! Super duper, man! Never better.”
My Hailey spirit reminded me, “Hayden. we aren’t good right now. We’re safe and whole, praise God, but we’re hurting and got beat up pretty bad.”
So, how do we handle trials?
In the midst of them be (1) honest about how you’re doing, and also (2) ASK THE LORD, “WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU DOING HERE, LORD?”
No matter what, I trust that You are good, God. I trust this is going to be for my good and Your glory.
Remember result of trials leads to endurance and maturity!
Remember result of trials leads to endurance and maturity!
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
this testing.. the benchmark if you will, produces steadfastness.
If you have an authentic faith when things begin to fall apart, testing will prove it.
Steadfastness - holding on.
What do we hold onto? - The Word and the Lord.
The effect of steadfastness is maturity, perfection, complete.
Lacking in nothing.
Joseph.
2. Trials Show us Who God is.
2. Trials Show us Who God is.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Like a child asking, “are we there yet?” on a road trip, believers are called to ask the Lord over and over again for wisdom.
God is most interested in you becoming more like Jesus.
Warren Wiersbe said, “What is God’s purpose in trials? It is perfection of Christian character in His children.”
Notice this invitation from James in verse 5.
James reminds believers to ask God for wisdom!
This request has two expectations:
Repetitive requests
Full trust.
Why ask God?
Wisdom helps us understand how trials fit into God’s plan.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
What is wisdom? Ultimately, wisdom is Jesus.
So we are asking God to help us be like Jesus in this situation.
4 Facts about God:
God is a giving God
God gives generously
He does so without reproach
This is a prayer He answers
You may be wondering, if God really loves me, why would He not just change my circumstances?
God is more interested in changing His children in the midst of their circumstances, than He is changing the circumstances His children are in the midst of.
God is more interested in changing His children in the midst of their circumstances, than He is changing the circumstances His children are in the midst of.
Unstable means uncontrolled.
3. Trials Remind us Who We Are.
3. Trials Remind us Who We Are.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
One risk we face in trials is looking at our material wealth and basing our hope on what we have...
For poor people, this would lead to a deeper depression and missing the point of trials.
While rich people, they could look at their trials and then think, “Ahhh, it’s not that bad… we’ve got money in the bank.”
Either way, we need to remember that what Jesus said and what Jesus has made us goes way farther than our feelings and desires.
Look at the promise in verse 12:
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
All of this is so easy for you to say, James.
You lived with Jesus.
You saw Him rise.
You were placed as the leader of the Church in Jerusalem.
This is so easy for you to say!
We may all be thinking that, all the while thinking in our minds, “It’s easy for him to say, but he has NO idea what I’m walking through. And the nerve of this pastor to mention something like this with everything I’m dealing with. No idea.”
James, a bondservant.
5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.