JAMES THE JUST

To begin with, I want to ask us with a question, then answer that question. Why did James the Just write this epistle? The answer is simply, the Jewish Christians were having some serious problems in their personal lives, and then in their church fellowship.There were a list of problems that James the Just addressed.

1. Church members were going through difficult testings.

2. They were also facing temptations.

3. Some of the church member were catering to the rich, “but that’s not all”, because it’s one thing to cater to the rich, and it’s an entirely different thing that some folk were being robbed by the rich. Y’all know the statement the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer.James didn’t care too much for the rich.

4.James the Just addressed how church members were competing for offices in the church, particularly teaching offices.The thing I learned about that is that your gift will make room for you.

5.A major problem in James’ church was the members didn’t live up to what they professed to believe in. In other words they talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk.

6. Furthermore the tongue was a serious problem. In other words they couldn’t keep their mouth off of people. Because all that talk on the hellaphone created wars and divisions in the assembly. The the talk was about worldliness not holiness. And that will always cause major problems.

7. James addressed that some of the members were getting sick physically because of their disobeying hearts and disobedient spirit, some people are just hard headed and God has to whoop the hell of them to get them straight!!!! Let me raise my hand first!! Some of what’s going wrong with some of us is our own disobedience.

8. Some members were straying away from the Lord and the Church. And today it’s got people practicing voo doo and hoo doo in the name oof the Lord and I can see it!!! I walked in a room and a witch saw me and walked out of the room..

James the Just had a lot of problems to address. And James’ book is relevant to 2022 issues. We can see today’s problems in James’s writings, which was normal because every New Testament letter or epistle was written with its own special theme its own special purpose and its own special destination.

For instance: Paul wrote the book of Romans to prepare the Roman Christians for his first intended visit. Paul wrote 1st Corinthians to help correct certain problems. Galatians was written to a group of churches to warn them against legalism and false teaching. Colossians and Ephesians all had unique problems specific to their situations. And James the Just is no different.And He’s addressing problems.

And listen saints when you hear that the pastor is ringing your doorbell, it’s because oftentimes the Holy Ghost ( Which is the greatest teacher) informs him/her of the current problems and then the preacher, teacher, leader, is responsible to deliver the message in love.

And so here in James 1:we found out that Lust is Taylor made for each one of us and it brings about sin and that Sin corrupts, Sin corrodes, and Sin creates catastrophes. and when sin is finished it brings about DEATH!

Then the bible says James 1:16  Do not err, my beloved brethren. Brothers and sisters, If you ask people to be honest about How much their sin cost them. Many of us will answer, Pastor, the price was too high I almost didn’t make it out in time, and Pastor it all started with a simple thought of lust. And the bible warns us that there are three enemies to mankind The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.

Let’s read that same verse from the NCV JAMES 1: 16 My dear brothers and sisters, do not be fooled about this. Don’t be fooled 2x in other words do not err now, don’t get caught up now, don’t get trapped in the snare now.

James is giving us a fair warning Type in there

“ That’s the fair warning”!!!! I’d rather James the Just, or any other honest preacher telling me the truth in love. Yeah 3x Don’t be a lying deceiving preacher that tell me what I want to hear so that you don’t want to offend me.. nah! and then I bust hell wide open. My Pastor The late great Rev Samuel Singleton, Jr taught me Ray I’m not here to pick on nobody but I sure don’t want to leave nobody out either. and here’s what I know now that I’m older. I have to give an account of every message to every believer that I deliver so that I may be found blameless before God where your souls are concerned, because I’m duty bound to watch for your souls!!!

From the KJV James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

And now from the ( NCV ), Jas 1:17–18. 17 Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows. 18 God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.

God is the Creator the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth. And since God made me who I am I was marvellously and wonderfully made in the image of God. Because God said in Genesis “Let us make man in our own image. And James 1 verses 17&18 are telling us that, There is no shifting or turning or shadows of turning there’s no two faced actions from God

and here’s what I mean When God gives us a gift, it’s perfect and we don’t have to ask for that gift over and over. If God give you a voice to sing and that’s your gift, you don’t have to ask God for that gift over and over and over. No No No.

I don’t have to ask God to give me the gift of teaching and preaching God gave me that and now that I know it’s His gift to me, I practice perfecting that gift. Everyday

So, I’ll be ready to receive His message and deliver His message to His people. That’s why I always say thank God for the message that meets the needs of the masses on behalf of the Master.

And I don’t have to worry about the authenticity of the source of my gift because every good and perfect gift comes from God. When God gives you a gift you don’t have to beg for that gift over and over.

Listening to God

19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily,

Sometimes its better just not to say nothing. It’s better to be slow to speak. To all of the young pastors you don’t always have to have an answer, sometimes you can rightly say I don’t know let me get back to you on that matter. Just because I’ve been to college and graduated and got seminary degrees doesn’t mean that I always have the wisdom to answer all the time. SOMETIMES JUST SHUT UP.. Then verse 19 says don’t get mad fast. don’t have a Short fused, and don’t be hot headed, Let cooler heads prevail....

20 because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants.If you’re mad as all out doors you can’t think right you can’t live right you can’t love right.. anger will cause you to sin.

Anger is what made me lose my first church. They didn’t put me out I walked out!!! And if I could go back and tell my younger self something, I would have said “boy you take your self too serious”… It ain’t none of your church!!!! it’s God Church…It ain’t none of their church either!!!, it’s God’s church.. I found out something about that “!God will deal with who so ever trys to assume the role of God Almighty in that church”. I’d rather be right with God that to assume a position of power and try to throw my weight around so ya’ll can know that I’m HNIC in charge. Listen to me, more and more now I don’t play with God’s Church.... and why look at verse

21 So put out of your life every evil thing and every kind of wrong.

We know that some of the things we’re doing is dead wrong, we know it!! and the word of power says Put it out your life! “Then in gentleness accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts, which can save you. James give a powerful closing to a hard and harsh statement. You have to accept God’s teaching, accept hearing life changing, life altering, and a life rearranging word that transforms our way of thinking So that we can honestly say what James 1:22 says be ye doers of the word and hearers only.

NCV says in the same verse in 22 Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves.

It’s got people who will say Amen amen amen to the sermon, to the bible study and to the lesson but will not commit to God’s teachings. It would be better if you played the ignorance card than to hear what God say and then not obey.

In seminary I learned that it is a sin to hear God’s word and to disbelieve and disobey any word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God’s word is His Mouthpiece. It’s not the preacher’s word, it’s God’s word. And to deliberately disobey that word, means to deliberately Disobey God Himself, and we will be held accountable.

23 Those who hear God’s teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. 24 They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. 25 But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy. Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.

Well I’m out of time and it’s not a rush through bible study session, because we’re going to be in James for a while. Keep studying keep praying keep praising and keep worshipping God and everything will be alright. And Ya’ll come back now you hear.