The Bible Series James

Father’s Day… a day to honor fathers. I am grateful for the many fathers out there who have invested in their children, who have set an example to follow.

I am extremely thankful for the fathers and men who have put forth the effort to lead their families according to the scriptures… those who have lived out their FAITH! Those who have gone beyond lip service…

We step into a new area of the New Testament… we have finished the Pauline Epistles and now transition into the non-Pauline epistles. Various authors, lengths and style. We transition from the letters being named or designated by the recipient church or individual to being designated by the writer.

The book of Hebrews would be next in our study and for the first time in this series I am deviating from the set order and flip-flopping Hebrews and James.

I felt James would be far more fitting for a Father’s Day message.

A book that speaks to Faith being lived out, demonstrated, FAITH THAT TAKES ACTION!!!

“You teach what you know, but you reproduce what you are.”- Howard G. Hendricks

The need in our nation for Fathers, Husbands, and Men in general to be men of action has never been greater.

Our study of the letter James writes will challenge men and women alike to BOLDLY live out their faith in a powerful way… we will be challenged to put our FAITH INTO ACTION…

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

Who is this man James…

James

The gospels record multiple accounts of Jesus with his brothers, James being one of them…

Here is the family tree of Jesus…

Joseph was the step father of Jesus not his father

God is the Father of Jesus!

Mary, His mother, had other children…

Scripture states that Jesus was her “firstborn”

Matt. 1:25 states Joseph kept her a virgin until Jesus was born

Scripture uses the phrase “the Son of Mary”… Not the son of Joseph

Jesus prior to the cross and Resurrection has no honor with his family!

Consider what it must have been like to have Jesus as an older brother?

His siblings did not believe initially

I want to draw out a crucial point here…

Proximity Does Not Equate To Faith…

Being a disciple (Judas) doesn’t ensure faith

Being in a family doesn’t ensure faith

Being an attendee of church, event, or activity doesn’t ensure faith

James himself writes in this letter James 2:19

James 2:19 NASB95

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

James did not believe prior to cross… his siblings simply wanted to be entertained, amused

Entertain us Jesus, sadly that is still what people want… to be entertained

People want “TED Talks” with some scripture thrown in

So what happened? What changed in this half-brother of Jesus? FAITH!!!

Faith Changes a Person!

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ Impacted the life of James forever!… 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NASB95

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

In the book of Acts we see James soon take the leadership of the church in Jerusalem!

In Galatians we see the Apostle Paul call him one of the pillars of the church!

James gets the Nickname “Camel Knees” because of the unusual amounts of time he spent on his knees in prayer before God!

James is martyred in 66AD for his faith in Jesus as the Christ!

James did NOT allow his past with Christ to dictate his relationship with Christ moving forward! Don’t allow what your walk with Christ has been to dictate where you allow Christ to take you as we look at this powerful book…

James Letter Info

Salvation is by Faith Alone!

It is imperative to know and understand this as we look at the letter of James.

He took a bold stand at the Jerusalem Council that Salvation is not found in keeping the law, rather Faith in the One who kept the whole law.

Our study in James is nuts and bolts Christianity, but be sure of this James knows our salvation comes through Faith and he is going to CHALLENGE us to LIVE IT!

It is one of the earlier books written (45-46 AD), meant to be spread to Jewish believers spread by persecution

It references 22 Old Testament books with many of the wisdom references correlating to and with Proverbs

James is very direct… he does not mince words

You will find in this brief letter 54 Imperative statements in just 108 verses!

Yet… it is seasoned and tempered with the compassion and care referencing those he writes numerous times as brothers or dearly loved brothers

This book is more PRACTICAL than it is doctrinal or formal theology teaching...

He assumes the knowledge of these doctrines by his readers

Christianity practically lived out is the emphasis

Been called by many the Most Practical book in the New Testament!!!

Let’s look practically at this powerful book…

James Overview

Wilkinson summarizes James well…

Faith without works cannot be called faith. Faith without works is dead, and a dead faith is worse than no faith at all. Faith must work; it must produce; it must be visible. Verbal faith is not enough; mental faith is insufficient. … It must inspire action. Throughout his epistle to Jewish believers, James integrates true faith and everyday practical experience by stressing that true faith must manifest itself in works of faith.

Trials and Temptation… all of us face these on a regular basis!

These readers were suffering hardship, trials, persecution… Can you relate?

James 1:2-3 declares that these trials are producing something in them that is GREATLY needed… JOY and ENDURANCE

James 1:2–3 NASB95

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

These TRIALS stretch and build our FAITH muscle, and it produces strength in our FAITH

Joy is a perspective NOT an emotion (Biblical worldview)

Endurance is a choice and it is produced in us

A strong faith allows you and I to face TEMPTATION with understanding and wisdom… James 1:13-15

James 1:13–15 NASB95

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

A FAITH that is Tested and made strong produces a faith that has defining characteristics…

Faith obeys God's Word

We go from being hearers to does

Our actions are from obedience

Faith produces doers

Faith lived out James 2:14-20 which is the premise for his whole letter…

James 2:14–20 NASB95

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

If there is nothing seen there… then there is nothing there. It is worthless

James is not saying that salvation comes as a result of our works, rather the works come a result of genuine faith!

My children behave a certain way because they are my child in my home

Their actions do not make them my children, being my child determines their actions

If we say we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, why doesn’t your life show it?

Faith harbors no prejudice

Faith shows no favoritism

Due to status, ability to repay, influence

Faith and favoritism CANNOT coexist together!!!

Faith shows in works

It is MORE than knowledge, MORE than words spoken

It is demonstrated by our obedience

Faith controls our tongues

The power of the tongue and yet our faith harnesses such a powerful vice

“The true test of a man’s spirituality is not his ability to speak, as we are apt to think, but rather his ability to bridle his tongue.” — R. Kent Hughes

Faith holds our tongues in check

Faith acts wisely

Faith produces wisdom

Wisdom from above vs worldly wisdom

“God gives us wisdom generously!” James 1:5

Faith separates from the world

There is a CONTRAST in how we live, act, speak

Faith is single minded

A biblical worldview focus

Living for him rather than self

Faith submits to God

It presents with humility

Faith enables to resist devil

Faith allows one near God

Faith waits patiently for God

Looking forward and trusting God’s promises

Faith looks for Christ return

Faith empowers our Prayers

Oswald Chambers stated … “It is possible to move men through God by prayer alone.”

James says in 5:16 “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much!”

As James declared in his letter to the people in 1:22  “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

JUST LIVE IT!

“Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” – D. L. Moody

If your life is not a life that lives out your faith on display… what kind of FAITH do you have?

If placed on the stand to defend your faith in a courtroom… would there be any evidence to convict you?

Or… would it be mere hearsay… lip service?

James wrote this practical catalog of the characteristics of true faith to exhort his Hebrew-Christian readers to examine the reality of their own faith.

We must do the same… There needs to be a HEART CHECK… “LORD SHOW ME”

IF… our faith does not produce a qualitative change in character or control in our lives,

THEN... its genuineness must be questioned.

James rebukes those who succumb to the pursuit of worldly pleasure and wealth rather than God,

He encourages believers to be patient… to endurance in light of the coming of the Lord.

We need men and women, we need fathers and mothers, we need husbands and wives, we need BELIEVERS IN CHRIST to live out their FAITH for a watching world…

IMAGINE the IMPACT GOD COULD HAVE THROUGH A CHURCH LIVING OUT THEIR FAITH!!!