Basic Sermon Outline

Faith for real life: Encountering God in the book of James

Pastoral Moment<= o:p>

Hey guys, it is so good to be back here this morning. This past week at the Clash was so= so rich but I found myself thinking continually throughout the week about you = all and what God is doing in our midst. My prayer is that any and all benefit we received this past week we could pass on to you guys that we together might more fully and joyfully glorify God and enjoy his goodness.

Sermon Introduct= ion

We are starting a series from the book of James that wi= ll take us into the holidays. I = am very jazzed about this series and believe God is going to bless us greatly = as we spend time encountering him through his word. What I want to do this morning is provide an overview to this great book.&nb= sp; I picture the book of James as a large Victorian house with many different rooms each with a particular character but all part of the same h= ouse and all built on the same foundation. What I want to do this morning is to be kinda like a realtor who tak= es you on a tour of the home. Th= rough this overview I want to help you familiarize yourself with the house and, by God’s grace, experience the excitement, desire and faith to actually = move in and occupy the home and fully enjoy its benefits. So this morning is the tour of the= home and in the following weeks we will move in and occupy the house and spend t= ime in each room enjoying its particular blessings. So, as we prepare for our t= our of James this morning, let’s pray.

1.&n= bsp; Meet Pastor James

James starts out in verse 1 with the following: &= #8220;James, a servant of God and of the= Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.R= 21; So right away we meet James and ri= ght away we see he is corresponding with a group he calls the twelve tribes in = the Dispersion. Well, let’s= take time to get to know these folks a little bit so we can better understand the conversation they are having and therefore, what we can learn from it. First, let’s get to know Jam= es.

1.1. Acts

James is first mentioned in Matthew when the people of = Nazareth, his home= town, are doubting the authority of Jesus, they say about Jesus, “Is not this the carpenter’s = son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and S= imon and Judas?" (Matthew 13:55) So we learn that James was actually Jesus’ brother or, should we say, half brother. It seems that at first, when Jesus= ’ ministry was occurring James along with his other brothers doubted the legitimacy or full implications of Jesus as Christ and Lord. In John 7:3-5 it says, “So his brothers said to him, “Le= ave here and go to Judea, that your disciple= s also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to = be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him.” Later on, however, we see J= ames as a key and even central lea= der in the Jerusalem church, serving as a senior elder alongside the apostles. When Peter is imprisoned and then miraculously released he says, “Tell these things to James and to the brother,” = (Acts 12:17). We learn from= 1 Cor. 15:7 that after his resurrection Jesus himself appeared to his brother= James. I suspect that was the point of repentance for James. Can you imagine what that must have been like for James? I imagine it was a lot like Paul&#= 8217;s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. James, the mocker, the doubter of = his older brother, watching him crucified in great shame for himself and his wh= ole family wondering what in the world his brother was thinking, only to encoun= ter him alive and risen from the dead in his glorious new body. Can you imagine what he did at that moment? I wonder if it was like Thomas’ encounter with the risen Chri= st after his doubting, a poignant mix of gentle rebuke from the savior and hum= ble repentant worship from James. It looks like, just like Paul, James life was turned upside down and around through encountering the risen Christ.&nbs= p; (By the way, the Lord is still doing this!) Not only does the Lord rescue his = brother from doubt and sin but he raises him up in time to be a key leader, even the central elder in the Jerusalem= church. So James says with po= ignant meaning in verse 1, “James, a servant [literally a slave] of God and of the Lord Jesus Chris= t”.

Later in Acts 15 we see that James was used significant= ly to bring understanding and wisdom in how to deal with the new influx of Gentil= es into the church God was bringing, especially related to whether they should observe the law. He really is= the one who encapsulates how the church should deal with this issue. He is serving as probably the seni= or elder of the church in Jerusal= em. And as such his words are the clim= ax of the first council of the church at Jerusalem. Because of his gifted leadership t= he Jewish believers are willing to release the Gentiles from the requirements = of the Mosaic covenant and they are fully received as full members into the church, a huge watershed event in the church.

What I want us to understand from all this is that he i= s a man who understood the gospel and understood God’s amazing sovereign = grace, for he was a doubter and mocker until the Lord in his mercy appeared to him= and won him to the truth. James understands grace. And in all= that he has to say to us in the book of James grace is assumed. We will find in the book of James = a lot of instruction about Christian living. Some have made the mistake of doubti= ng the validity of this book of the bible because of the sparseness of explicit references to the gospel and grace. Luther said himself earlier in his mini= stry that the book of James was an “epist= le of straw.” = Later he retracted this statement but this sentiment has prevailed in the church. Folks, this is no epi= stle of straw!! These are the very= words of God that you and I need to hear. James is solidly part of the canon of scripture, it solidly squares = with the rest of scripture and provides a necessary part of the healthy diet for every believer. So, let us ea= t of God’s word in James gladly and without reservation, full of faith and expectancy.

Folks, I believe God wants us to learn from James over = the next few months. We are not j= ust randomly choosing books of the bible to go through. Our choice of preaching series has= been the subject of prayer and counsel and much reflection. As we come into this series I beli= eve there is something of God in and through all this. I believe that God himself speaks through his word and that God himself is eagerly anticipating speaking to us and speaking to you and your life through this series. These are the very words of God an= d they are powerful for God’s glory and our good, folks!

Let’s take some time to tour this house we call t= he book of James. Let’s ta= ke some time to see what James is talking about and what we can expect as we s= pend the next months occupying this house and exploring its blessings.

In verse 1 it says " To the twelve tribes in= the Dispersion: Greetings." (James 1:1). An important part of understanding scripture is understanding not only the author who originally penned it but= the audience who originally received the writing. When we do this we are more rightl= y and fully able to understand the Author with a capital A behind the scriptures = and the intended affect on the broader audience, God’s people, which incl= udes you and me. The term is “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” = The “twelve tribes” speaks of the twelve tribes of Israel, the people of God and probably for= James this means the believing Jews, the Jewish part of true Israel.= James is really the leader of the = Jerusalem church a= nd a key leader over the Jewish section of the church. Now True Israel in scripture is al= l of God’s people, all believers, Jew and Gentile, throughout all time. But James is writing to the Jewish Christians. And they are those in the Dispersion – that is those who = are dwelling outside of Jerusalem, probably throughout the greater Palesti= ne area.

And we learn from Acts 11 and elsewhere that the church= in and around Palestine was experiencing famine, economic trials and persecution from non-believing Jews. James was the senior el= der over a church undergoing some pretty serious trials and subject to some significant pressures. This i= s the context for this wonderful letter. I believe when we understand this we start to see how James’ counsel in this letter fits together and answers the problems of a tempted = and tried people. And as such, sp= eaks to all of God’s people, for to be follower of Christ in this world is= to experience trial. And we must= learn how to walk with Christ and his people amidst trials. We must learn how to take the prom= ises and power of the gospel and experience victory even amidst what might seem = like failure by the world’s standard.&nbs= p; This past week at the clash we enj= oyed a wonderful lecture on the evolution of jazz and its Christian roots, the speaker, William Edgar of Westminster seminary taught about how the roots of some of the very best music came from the suffering and trials of African American Christians during and following slavery. As they learned how to face trials honestly while holding on to Christ God birthed fresh faith and joy amidst sorrows that resulted in such musical blessings as ragtime, the blues and jazz. May God birth so= me treasures as we continue to learn how to follow him amidst trials. James is a great book for this pur= pose.

Now the way James comes at trials in the context of the gospel is more of a Jewish way than a Greek way. Most of us have been trained to th= ink like a Greek. That is, when we encounter a trial or an issue of some sort we think in terms of principles = and systems. We like to see how t= he parts fit into the whole and we are often unwilling to deal with an issue u= ntil we can understand it and see how it fits into the greater system. Once we figure it out then we are = ready to deal with it. The Jewish m= ind didn’t quite work this way. They were trained not so much in bringing vigorous intellectual discipline to issues but merely taking the revealed will of God and applyin= g it directly to the concern.

Brad Young, an expert in this area says, “The Hebrew mind viewed God quite differently from the systematic theological thinking of the West, which defines God and his work with creation in linear manner. The Western-style treatment of the divine character attempts to exp= lain inconsistencies and harmonize contradictions systematically. The Hebrew mind was filled with wonder at the mystery of God. The vastness of God and his inscrutable [uninvestigatible] ways left them awestruck. Inconsistencies and contradictions are intimately related to human, finite understanding of the infinite God. He is beyond human comprehension. First-century Jews approach= ed God through an interactive associative mentality. The fact that God is incomprehensible is very much a part of Jewish thought processes. The Weste= rn mind, however, explains everything but understands so little of the divine nature. The Hebrew mind, on the other hand, is overpowered by a sense of wonder and amazement. It thrives on the [seeming] inconsistencies and contradictions o= f the one awe-inspiring God.”[2]

And Marvin Wilson says,= “…. the Hebrews often m= ade use of block logic. That is, concepts were expressed in self-contained unit= s or blocks of thought. These blocks did not necessarily fit together in any obviously rational or harmonious pattern, particularly when one block represented the human perspective on truth and the other represented the di= vine. This way of thinking created a propensity for paradox, antinomy, or apparent contradiction, as one block stood in tension—often illogical relation—to the other.”^{^[3]}⁼

So, when we= read the book of James we need to think like a Hebrew. James is not going to satisfy us i= f we expect him to give us a systematic theology every time he calls us to some action. If we insist that Jam= es explains how these actions emanate from gospel centered living and how the doctrine = of the trinity, man, the atonement, sancitification and the doctrine of eschatology or end times all fit together in light of his exhortation. Now, James does indeed bring some = very profound truths related to these different areas of theology but he doesn’t bring it like a Greek scholar.

You know what, James brings his truth a lot like life c= omes at us. Life doesn’t com= e at us always in a systematic and seemingly logical ways. We don’t get a syllabus for = life and watch a coherent and progressive course of life proceed just according = to plan. Some of us would like l= ife to be like this. Life comes at u= s in a very different way. We get hi= t by stuff, sometimes out of the blue – both blessings and trials.
It doesn’t always make sense. It can seem disconnected. The brand new car gets a ding in it in the parking lot. You are ready to start = your vacation and suddenly your youngest catches the flu. You are planning to spend the rest= of your life with the wife of your youth and one of you gets cancer unexpected= ly. On the flip side, you are unemploy= ed and a friend of a friend is looking for someone to work for them in their new company and you get launched in a new career that is a blessing the rest of your life. A relative decides to cover your son’s school tuition. You study for years to be a resear= ch engineer and God calls you to pastor!

Folks, life doesn’t come at us systematically but= often in what seems a chaotic sporadic way. And so the book of James comes at us a lot like life. James seemingly jumps from one topic to another fairly quickly and if we are not observant = we may think it is entirely chaotic and disjointed. And if we are unwise we may think = life is entirely chaotic and disjointed. It can certainly feel like that.&nb= sp; But behind all these topics going on in James is the anchor of the absolute nature of the transcendent all-wise God and his infallible word and the amazing gospel of God’s grace and truth. And we must learn to take these se= emingly disparate issues and bring them to the word of the Sovereign and all-powerf= ul God, not requiring that we first figure it all out before we live according to h= is word but simply knowing that He is who he is and He has revealed himself to= us in Christ. Nothing wrong with understanding God’s truth systematicall= y but, let us never require intellectual satisfaction as a prerequisite for our ob= edience. James doesn’t, God doesn’t, we shouldn’t. His word alone revealing Christ to us is sufficient!

2.&n= bsp;     James – Faith for Real Life.

So, let’s take a look at what James brings.

2.1.       Trials and Testing

Right off the bat James jumps into the issue of trials.= Many of you know this verse alread= y, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..” And in many ways the entir= e rest of the book of James is about dealing with trials and experiencing success = as we live in Christ. So in chap= ter 1 is James direct address towards trials but then he jumps into economic disparity and the trial of money – something that is both a trial for those who have and a trial for those who don’t have. Isn’t it so funny how we dea= l with the trial of money? The poor = pretty much always think if they just were rich they would be happy. And the rich are unhappy because t= hey are always worrying about money and measuring their life by what they have. Have you seen that guys= ? I have. So James brings much to= bear in relationship to the trial of money, a very real and present crisis for greater Palestine<= /st1:City> at the time and for us as wealthy westerners. So in James 1:9-10, “<= /i>Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰and the rich in his humiliation, b= ecause like a flower of the grass he will pass away.” And James 2:1-4, = 220;My brothers, show no partiality as= you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ²For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “= ;You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” ⁴have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges = with evil thoughts?” and James 2:15-17, ”If a brother or sister is poorly c= lothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶= and one of you says to them, ̶= 0;Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed f= or the body, what good is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it doe= s not have works, is dead.” And James 4:1-4, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights = among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ²You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain,= so you fight and quarrel. “ And James 4:13, “Come now, you who say, “Toda= y or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and tr= ade and make a profit” And also James 5:1, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl = for the miseries that are coming upon you.” This book has a lot to say about the trial of money.

2.2.       Relationships

James goes on to address the trial of interpersonal conflict. He has so much good= to bring to bear on interpersonal conflict money related or otherwise. So in James 3:9-10 it speaks about= our speech with one another saying about the tongue “= With it we bless our Lord and Fath= er, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” And later speaking about true wisdom James 3:17 says <= i>“But the wisdom from above is first= pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” And then in one of the mo= st insightful passages on the whole bible on the doctrine of indwelling sin and its effect on relationship he says in James 4:1-2, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights = among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ²You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain,= so you fight and quarrel.” That passage has helped me personally in dealing with conflict in my own life and the lives of my fami= ly and other believers. Boy, wha= t a life changing gem these two verses are!

2.3.       Humility, Repentance & Faith

There is a= life changing passage on repentance in chapter 4. So often we ask, “how can I change?” and “what does repentance from sin look like?” Check out James 4:4-10. “You adulterous people! Do you not = know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes= to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealo= usly over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶But he g= ives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grac= e to the humble.” ⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God= . Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ^{8 =}Draw near to God, and he will draw= near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-mi= nded. ⁹Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning= and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰<= i>Humble yourselves before the Lord,= and he will exalt you.” Wow, that passage is jam packed with truth about repentance and what repentance looks like and what God calls us to. Next time we struggle with temptation it would serve us so well to camp out in this passage and medita= te on God’s truth. This is= one to memorize if we are struggling with sin.= Anyone here ever struggle with sinful desires and temptation? Anyone here ever find themselves c= aught in sin and wanting to escape? Run to these truths! Let the Spir= it of God blow on these words and bring conviction, repentance and life to you!

2.4.       Faith Works

James is also very famous for his passage on faith and works. Oh boy, this has been = a hot topic for a few millennia or more. The book of James has been misused and misunderstood, with some usin= g to state that works are necessary to obtain salvation and others rejecting the book because they misunderstand James and think it teaches works-righteousn= ess. We will get to this in time. For now, trust me that James never= says that works are necessary for salvation.&nb= sp; Only that genuine faith is inseparable from works. If you have real faith you will ha= ve real works. As he says in Jam= es 2:17 “= So also faith by itself, if it doe= s not have works, is dead.” Faith without works is not real faith and therefore not effective for receiving the righteousness of Christ= and validating its reality through sincere love for God and others.

2.5.       Christ’s Return

As James brings all these truths to a people rocked by = trials and dissension he keeps the Kingship of Jesus in full view and the immanent reality of the fulfillment of his reign. The return of Jesus is an ever pre= sent theme for James. So in James 1:12 it says ”Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has s= tood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those= who love him.” And later on in James 5:7-8, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, u= ntil the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rai= ns. ⁸You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord= is at hand.”

That’s just a little bit about James. The house of James, so to speak, is painted throughout with the theme of walking out our faith amidst the trial= s of life. There are various topic= s or rooms where he addresses specific issues where these trials play out. We can drop in on living out our f= aith in light of economic trials, both trials of adversity and trials of prosperity. We can visit the = room on living out our faith in relationships with each other in our speech and = our conduct and our character. We= can drop in on the issue of dealing with indwelling sin. We can drop in on learning to humb= le ourselves and repent form our sin. We can drop in on living in light of the Lord’s return. We can drop in on the relationship= of works to living out our faith. The house of James is full of very nitty gritty examples of just how we walk out the truth of the gospel in light of trials and temptations. Now James does not go into detail = about the gospel. James is assuming= that his audience has believed and received the good news of Jesus Christ and now lives as the people of God. S= o he mentions implicitly three times in chapter one the power of the gospel, in verse 18, “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we shoul= d be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” Verse 21, = “Therefor= e put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” And verse 25, “= ;But the one who looks into the per= fect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a = doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James concern in this book isn’t as much to explain the gospel but to help = his people walk out the gospel. He wants to help them live our their faith in real life. So we have entitled this series, “Faith for Real Life: Encountering God in the Book of James.” <= o:p>

3.&n= bsp;     Our Prayer & Expectation.

I trust = through this series that God is going to do some major work in our lives in teachin= g us how to walk out the truths of the gospel in the nitty gritty of our lives.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I trust he will teach us that alth= ough grace, the free gift of righteousness and life in Christ is free, it is not cheap. That the result of the= grace we have received is the call and the power to live holy lives, zealous for = good works and applying truth. Christianity is a life of grace but not of laziness. Neither legalism nor laziness is to characterize God’s people but a vibrant, free and zealous pursuit of = the love of God and the love of others.

I trust = God will use this series to better equip us to deal with trial and temptation in our lives. This, I believe, is the purpose of this letter and the intent of James and God in writing it. I believe there are areas of our l= ives right now that God has in his Holy Spirit crosshairs and through this serie= s he is going to fire a bullet of truth and grace and take that area for himself. Get ready for some k= nock out blows from James.

I am ver= y excited and I ask you all to approach this time prayerfully and expectantly as God continues to do his wonderful work through his life giving work.=

Let’s pray!