James
James • Sermon • Submitted
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James 1:1-18
James 1:1-18
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
James identfies as a slave (bought by Christ) of both God and Christ. He identifies so much as a slave that he referes to Christ as Lord (someone with authority) over him.
How often do we identify as a slave to God and Christ?
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Really!!! Joy in trials? What kind of trials is James talking about? This is a trial of a person’s integrity. This makes more sense if one inserts “...when you encounter various trails of your integrity...”
It is a means to prove your honest, commited attitude towards what you belive in faith. In other words do you really belive and act like a slave to God and Christ.
Perfection and completness only comes through endurance. Think of atheltes. You endure because of your integrity. If you do not have integrity then you are going to give in and not endure. When you standfast in your integrity be joyful, because you know the result is perfection and completness.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you.
Does this make more sense than “your sufering but need to be joyful?”
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
So how does one accomplish verses 1-4? Using wisodm. Wisdom comes from God and requires faith. This is not a verse about asking for anything. This is specific regarding wisdom to hold to your integrity.
James 1:9–11 (NASB 2020)
Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; but the rich person is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.
I think that James is saying that integrity is easier to hold to when one has less. This is becasue all that is left is your integrity.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. No one is to 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 sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death.
Let’s work backwards. Spritual death comes from unchecked sin. Sin is a result of giving in to our own lust. God has no lust and thus cannot be tempted by lust. Salvation is the result of holding firm to your integrity.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
Remeber the Lord’s Prayer study? How God breathed His name into us at birth. His name is the word of truth so again it comes up God breathing His name into us at birth.
The thing to remember is that only good things comes from God. It takes wisdom (back to verses 5-8) to know for sure if that promotion or raise is from God. It might look good but it also might be a test of your integrity.
APPLICATION:
How well do we hold to our integrity? Are we prepared to successfully pass a test of our integrity?