Sermon Tone Analysis

Author

“James” occurs 42 times in the NT and refers to 4 different men

Acts 1:13 (ESV)

And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.

Author: 4 Options

James, the father of Judas

only mentioned here and in Luke 6:16 to distinguish this Judas from the more known Judas Iscariot.

We can rule out this James as the author of this epistle.

James the son of Alphaeus

obscure.

Appears in the list of the other disciples.

Unlikely that he was known enough to have written an authoritative letter.

(Matt.

3:18; 10:3 & Luke 6:15)

John & James (sons of Zebedee)

This James was one of the more prominent apostles in the gospel narratives.

But, this particular James was put to death by Herod Agrippa I around 44 AD.

While James is among the earliest, if not the earliest NT books written, we probably should not date it before 44 AD.

James the brother of our Lord

Perhaps the best-known James in the gospels, but we should note that James did not become one of Jesus’ followers until after His resurrection

But after Jesus rose, before he appeared to all the apostles, He appeared to His brother James.

James became a leader in the church

Observation: We can’t assume genuine faith because of association and it’s never too late.

None of the other Jameses mentioned in the NT lived long enough or was prominent enough to write the letter we have before us without identifying himself any further than he does.

Date

Consider the timing of the martyrdom of James, the brother of our Lord.

Since we are suggesting that James the brother of our Lord is the author of this epistle, we know he wrote it before his martyrdom, which took place in A.D. 62.

Consider the timing of the Jerusalem Council

We think it was written well before his death because of another event that took place in A.D. 49.

The Jerusalem Council:

Question: Why can we safely assume that James wrote this letter before the Jerusalem Council?

If James had written this epistle after the Jerusalem Council meeting had taken place, we would have expected him to mention this meeting because he was writing to the 12 tribes in the dispersion.

In other words, he would have mentioned a significant discussion about whether or not the Apostles would require gentile converts to get circumcised in order to have peace with God and be part of His people to a bunch of scattered Jews who are contending with significant hardship and trying to understand what’s happening with all these gentile Christians coming on the scene.

There are some other factors we could mention to support our conclusion, but all this to suggest the date of writing this epistle is between 44-49 A.D.

Recipients & Occasion

The Recipients

Consider the meeting place of the recipients

Jewish

They meet in a synagogue

the word assembly is the word synagogue

Consider recipients’ conviction about God.

their conviction that monotheism is foundational

Consider the place the law possessed in the lives of the recipients.

The law was central to life

Consider how James describes the recipients.

They were dispersed

forced to live away from their home country

lived in poverty and under oppression

It was common for them to be taken advantage of

They were accustomed to unjust treatment and ridicule because of their faith.

James aims to encourage these suffering Christians through this letter

But also to exhort them to remain faithful to God in the midst of their trials.

The Occasion

Difficult to distill

Making the point that faith is active

What the poor and the rich have in common helps us to understand the occasion of this letter.

Question: Let’s read James 1:9-10 and then consider what the poor and the rich have in common.

More specifically, what need do the poor and rich have in common?

For example, whether you are poor or rich, genuine faith is an active faith

Both poor and rich were part of the community of faith to which James was writing.

But neither their poverty or their wealth are to be thought of as the defining factors of their identities.

And faith must have an impact on our decisions, ambitions and reactions

So for example, when it comes to the rich, consider

Question: In what ways are our ambitions, plans and reactions to the ups and downs of life impacted by a faith that is an active faith, that is, genuine faith?

The ambitions, plans, reactions all should be impacted, in fact shaped by faith.

Faith must be active

But back to James 1 to consider the poor

Question: How does active or genuine faith help us to understand why it makes sense for James to encourage the lowly (poor) by claiming they are objects of God’s exaltation?

To issue such a command (and boast is an imperative here), points to the thrust of the epistle’s message, that faith is active.

Holiness is practical.

It shapes how we respond to being in want.

That even if we are without the comforts of this world, we are not defeated.

We in fact are to boast in that we belong to Christ and therefore can know that we are in the upper class of heaven despite that we might be considered the lower class on earth.

Faith, is active, and must therefore shape our perspective about everything.

This, I suggest is at least a significant component of the occasion of this epistle.

Theological Themes

Trials

They are a cause for joy for God’s people

Question: What must be clear in our minds and hearts regarding the trials we face for them to be a cause of joy?

They remind us of our dependence on God

Question: What’s the connection between experiencing our trials in a God-honoring way and asking God for wisdom without doubt?

They emphasize the temporal nature of this world.

Question: What’s important for us to remain steadfast during our trials?

Trials reinforce our calling to a diligent pursuit of holiness

2. Eschatology

Future judgement as motivation to adopt right attitudes and behavior

See also James 5:1-6, 9, 12

Question: In what ways can we convey the sobriety with which we are to live in light if the law of liberty?

Encouragement available to us because of the certain fulfillment of God’s promises

Question: The encouragement that exists in the knowledge of future relief and rescue upon the return of Jesus is clear enough, but what about these glorious promises provides us encouragement for today?

A promise for the future

But also a reality that applies to the present as well.

“royal” is a reference to the fact the the law is of or from the kingdom of God

basilikos = royal & basilea = kingdom

suggests that the kingdom is not just a promised inheritance for the future, but a present inheritance of those who are chosen by God as they live according to the kingdom law now.

3. Wisdom

Insight into God’s purposes

wisdom to understand and respond properly to the trials they are experiencing.

Possessing it leads to spiritual maturity (1:4)

Connected to behavior