Sermon Tone Analysis

James 1:1

(NLT)

I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Greetings!

James opens his letter by introducing himself and addressing his audience.

With a little research, were able to know how to read this book of the Bible.

We know who it’s from, James.

We know who it was written to, “the twelve tribes scattered abroad.”

With that information, we’re able to approximate the date it was written, the late 40s.

We know it was written some where in Israel, to Jewish Believers dispersed from Israel.

The one thing left is the why question.

You remember the 5 Ws in school.

who, what, where, when, why.

Who was involved?

What happened?

Where did it take place?

When did it take place?

Why did that happen?

Knowing and understanding the background of any book in the Bible is the best place to start a study.

We gain a better understanding of the original audience, their culture, and the authors original intended meaning.

In turn, helping us accurately apply his teaching to our lives some 2,000 years later.

This greeting from James is interesting for a few reasons.

First, he doesn't take use his half-brother status to gain authority.

James, the Lords brother could have shared his credentials of being Jesus brother to boost his credibility.

He calls himself, "a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."

No name dropping.

No, "hey, listen to me, Jesus is my brother."

Just a simple, "slave of God," and slave of "the Lord Jesus the Messiah."

He sets the thematic role for the entire letter, true worth behind status and position, or better know as humility.

It seems in todays age we don’t quite understand this word humility.

We’re taught that people who are humble are weak.

To get anywhere in life you must be aggressive and assertive.

I once heard it said this way and it helped me understand the true idea behind the word humility.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

You might even say it like this.

Humility is putting others first; taking care of your neighbor as you take care of yourself.

I believe a famous Jewish teacher said something like that a couple thousand years ago.

The second interesting point is how he addresses his recipients.

"Twelve Tribes" refers to the historical origins of Israel, the twelve patriarchs that one day became the people of Israel.

After years of Assyrian and Babylonian exile, the people of Israel were scattered across the nations.

God's chosen people without a country to call home.

The people of Israel we waiting for God to send his promised Messiah to restore Israel to its former glory.

Jesus was that promised Messiah, except he didn't restore Israel they way they expected or wanted him to.

Instead of being a great warrior king that destroys all the other nations and rescues his people.

He humbles himself to a criminals death on a cross and dies for them.

What a bummer.

But God had promised to restore Israel.

Were they mistaken about Jesus being the Messiah?

Or, were they incorrect about their interpretation of the Scriptures?

(NLT)

20 “Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.

21 And give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations.

I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered.

22 I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel.

One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms.

(NLT)

to bring back the remnant of his people—

those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt;

in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam;

in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.

12 He will raise a flag among the nations

and assemble the exiles of Israel.

He will gather the scattered people of Judah

from the ends of the earth.

And here in Isaiah is speaking about the coming Messiah;

5 And now the Lord speaks—

the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,

who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.

The Lord has honored me,

and my God has given me strength.

6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.

I will make you a light to the Gentiles,

and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

James was familiar with these texts and I believe his introduction was proclaiming Jesus is the Messiah and that they misinterpreted the Scriptures.

They thought that the Messiah was going to come as a Lion and restore Israel.

But that doesn’t happen until his second coming.

The first coming he was to come as a Lamb.

The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

That seems to be the metaphorical language James was using when referring to the Twelve Tribes.

I believe he was also referring literally to the Jews that were recently scattered from the persecution of Saul as recorded in Acts.

(NLT)

19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria.

They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.

4

Maturity

Life’s trials produce endurance and can make us perfect

Life’s trials produce endurance and can make us perfect

(NLT)

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

It's not natural for one to be filled with joy when going through troubles and trials, or temptation.

James is calling for his listeners to do something supernatural here, he's calling them to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

Something we cannot do fully on our own.

He is also reminding them that trials are not some form of punishment.

The reason we're to consider it an opportunity for joy is that trials play a vital role in our spiritual growth.

We need them.

We might not like them, but we need them.

Just like when a bodybuilder hits the gym to build muscles.

Here is what happens to one who lifts weights.

“After you workout, your body repairs or replaces damaged muscle fibers through a cellular process where it fuses muscle fibers together to form new muscle protein strands.

These repaired protein strands increase in thickness and number to create muscle growth.

This adaption, however, does not happen while you actually lift the weights.