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From Skeptic to ServantThis morning we are going to begin a series of new studies, we will begin an in depth study though the book of James. On Wednesday evenings we will consider the Old Testament books of first and second Chronicles. So I encourage you to read ahead, this week maybe you would like to read through James and pray about your involvement on Wednesday evenings where I guarantee that it is more edifying than anything on TV. Speaking about TV, I heard a story. An elderly gentleman who had serious hearing problem would turn the TV volume so loud it was driving his family crazy. So they sent him to the doctor and the doctor was able to fit him with a set of hearing aids that allowed him to almost normally, but once at home, he continued to blast the TV. So his family sent him back to the doctor to find the problem. When the doctor examined him he found his corrected hearing was excellent. So doctor asked him “Why is your family still concerned about your hearing, when it’s just fine?” To which the old man replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family about the hearing aids.” “I just sit around and listen to their conversations, and - I've changed my will three times!" Just like that old man had selective hearing, so James the writer of this great epistle, one of my favorite books of the bible, also at one time in his life had selective hearing, at one time, like all of us here today, he was unable to hear and see Jesus for who he was. But something changed in his life, so today as we consider just the first verse from the book of James we will see the heart of the author of this great epistle. He is a servant of the Lord. But it was not always that way, there was a time when all the truth was right before him and he did not see it, he even fought against it, so we will see what takes James from “Skeptic to Servant.” JAMES 1:1-1 FROM SKEPTIC TO SERVANT Back in the 1800s, there was a group of poor Brazilian goat headers who decided to make a long journey to California in search of gold. They took all the needed supplies for their journey, the only luxury they took with them bags of rocks they used in a gambling game. Unfortunately, most of them died on the long and dangerous journey. Only one young man made it to San Francisco with nothing but his bag of rocks. When in the city, it was discovered his rocks were actually diamonds. Of course he grew rich and led a group back to Brazil to find more diamonds. Many people spend their whole lives searching for something of value when all along it is closer than they could ever imagine. Like our Brazilian goat header, James was such a man - he needed to discover what he already knew. So this morning as we begin our studies in James, and we are only considering this one simple verse. Yet within it, we gain an insight and understanding to the author of this book and with his opening greeting, we will consider the background of this wonderful book of James. James has been called the “Proverbs of the New Testament”, it is very practical in application of Christian living, and a daily walk of faith. Like Proverbs, James gives us great wisdom, and like Proverbs, this book covers many different subjects. From the practical of when to keep a tight reign on your tongue, to the more spiritual of how faith and deeds work together. James’ writing style is very different then other New Testament writers, he uses short, abrupt paragraphs that have been likened to a string of pearls- each is a separate entity and value in itself, and yet strung together they are priceless. Because of the style of the book of James, it is hard to come up with just one central theme for the book, although it clearly focuses on the “daily walk as a Christian.” The book of James is the book that says, “Faith is something you do.” The Apostle Paul wrote, and all the bible teaches clearly that “The Just shall live by faith.” Well- in a very practical way, James is telling us “just how the Just live by faith.” In our text today, I would like you to see three things. #1. Author. #2. Audience. #3. Application. 1. THE AUTHOR.The book was obviously written by James. But which James wrote it? There are several James’ mentioned in the New Testament. This question has become a huge argument that divides churches to this day. Some churches, including the Roman Catholic Church say the Author is the Apostle James, the brother of John, the son of Zebedee. You remember James, as in Peter James and John, the inner circle that the Lord chose to be his closest men. They were with him at the mount of transfiguration. When the Lord was glorified and appeared with Moses and Elijah. James was with the Lord when Peter’s mother-in-law was healed, he was there in the inner room of the home of Jairus who’s little daughter was raised from the dead, and he was with the Lord in the garden as he prayed and agonized the night he was arrested. This James along with his brother John were also the ones who had their mother come and ask if they could sit beside the Lord in the kingdom. And perhaps you remember in Luke 9, when the Samaritans would not receive Jesus, James and John his brother wanted to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans, from then on they were called the “Sons of thunder.” But the Apostle James becomes could not have written this epistle, as there is a large amount of data to support that he was martyred for the faith around the year, 44 AD, and we read about that in Acts 12. All the evidence points to the writing of this book of James around 61-62 AD. Almost twenty years after the Apostle James died. So who else could have written it? When we consider the external and internal evidence of the writing, we come to the conclusion that the author is a man referred to as “James the less, (NIV= James the Younger).” He is called James the less, in Mark chapter 15:40 at the cross where he is also called the son of Mary. See the writer of this epistle of James is none other then James - the brother of Jesus Christ. Actually we should call him the half brother of Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph. Were Jesus is the Son of God, born though Mary. Suddenly you can see why the Roman Catholic Church insists that the author is the other James, because this view tends to fly in the face of Mary being a perpetual virgin. But of course scripture teaches that Mary had other children. Matt 13:55-56 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? So James the less, the brother of the Lord, who went on to be the leader of the early church, is the author of this letter. You might be thinking to yourself, “Ok Rich, what’s the big deal? “ Why are you going on and on about who wrote the book?” Good question, and as usual you guys always ask the best questions. Its important to understand the background of the book because even as we consider his opening salutation, we see the work of the Lord in this mans life. James writes this letter as the central leader of the church in Jerusalem. But in writing it although he carries credentials that are impressive, and authentic, he is not writing this letter from the position of one who he is a relative of the Lord. Rather he is writing from the position he has earned as one who is a servant of Jesus Christ. He begins his epistle, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He calls Jesus “his Lord” Jesus is his master, his savior, and James is a man in whom the Lord has done a great work. Christ has taken James from an unbeliever to a humble servant. When we first see James in the scriptures we see him as an unbeliever. Mark 3:21 When his family heard about (things Jesus was doing), they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." Jesus has just appointed his Apostles, he has given them the power over demons, the religious leaders are accusing him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons and his brothers are there to haul him off, they think he is crazy. “Get the straight jacket.” “Hey he was always a good brother, but who does he think he is -“The Messiah?” They could not believe in him, they thought he was out of his mind. James had so many opportunities to believe in Jesus, most likely he was there when Jesus performed His first miracle in changing the water into wine. He was probably there when Jesus taught that great Sermon on the Mount. What better circumstances to come to salvation, as he watched Jesus work, as he listened to his teachings, and yet James, and all his brothers still did not believe. TURN TO JOHN 7:1-10 James and the rest of Jesus brothers are there and they are mocking him by telling him what to do. “Go and perform your miracles in front of the crowds, then you will become popular.” But the bible teaches us the “Lord’s ways are not man’s ways” and Jesus would not be manipulated by even his own brothers. The said commentary that John leaves us with is that his own brothers did not believe in him. Then Jesus goes to the feast but not on the suggestion of James his unbelieving brother. Maybe you have found it hard to minister to your own family, often times that is the toughest place to witness for the Lord. Jesus once said. Matt 13:57…."Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." Maybe you like Jesus have felt rejected and without respect among your immediate family. I have experienced that in my life. But I have found that those who are closest to you are watching you, and just like Jesus brother James was watching him, and eventually he came to see him as Lord, so your family and friends are watching you. Often those who have known you the longest - have trouble accepting what God is doing in your life. I can remember over twenty years ago when my grandmother told me “I will never be a Christian, then just a few years ago when she broke her hip a couple years ago, she wanted me to pray for her and be with her. What happened? What changed, she saw with time and a consistent walk with the Lord that Jesus Christ is real in my life. Its not just some passing fad, the seed has fallen on good soil and so it is with those who are closest to many of us, it is by consistency in your walk with the Lord you will show all the world and even your family that there is something to this faith stuff. They will see the changes that the Lord makes, they will noticed how your faith will act and react in times of trouble, when problems arise they are watching all the more. What they see will speak to them of the work that Christ does, and it will speak louder than our words. Your life is a witness that says by faith in Jesus Christ, we are new creations, old things are passed away. Here in our text James goes from a skeptic to a servant of the Lord. But what changed him? 1st. HE SAW HIS NEED. James came to the understanding that although he and Jesus grew up in the same home, they really were not brothers. That in a sense in the same understanding all of us need to come to, that we have a need for a savior, we need to be born again. Mark 3:31-35 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." James came to that understanding - that a brother of Jesus is the man/ the woman who does the will of God. There are no Christians by birth - only by second birth, they become children of God. The bible says. John 1:12-13…. to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. Relatives of God are those who receive Jesus Christ, those who believe in his name, those who are born again, by the Spirit of God. Not those born into a family tree, or into a particular home. It’s the same today, no one gets to heaven because of the faith of their mother, or brother, or any relative, each person as an individual must receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. James came to that understanding and he is forever changed. You can see it clearly even in his opening salutation. “James a servant, of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word for servant is the Greek word: (doo'-los); with literally means a slave by choice. Or a Bondslave. The servant, or slave who knew that he had a good life in his masters home and choose to stay with his master for life. The master would mark that slave by piercing his ear and giving him a gold earring. Placing his ear against the door post, he would pierce it with an ail and mark him with gold. James calls himself a “bondslave”, of Jesus Christ. It’s very significant to see that he does not call himself, James “Brother of Jesus”, “Son of Mary”, “related to the Lord.” I think I might have addressed myself that way just to get their attention. “Don’t you see who I am, look at my credentials.” No, James just like Paul, and John, and Peter no longer sees any importance in titles or identifications, but only sees himself as a slave to and for Jesus Christ. So with the right understanding of who Jesus is, and the fact that only those who receive Jesus are the Lord’s brothers, James is changed, because he saw his need. But I wonder what happened, was there some event that changed him? Was it a gradual change, or a immediate dramatic turn around? We may never know the process but somewhere along the way James goes from being a skeptic to a believer, a doubter to a follower of Jesus - and not only a follower but a leader in the church. So what happened to him? It’s the same thing that will change a man/ a woman today. It was the power of the cross and the resurrection. 2nd. THE CROSS/ RESURRECTION. The last time we see James in the Gospels is in Mark 15 where he is called James the less. How would you like to have a title like that? The world likes titles like “Alexander the great” you’re “your highness”, or “your majesty”, or “Excellency”, in scripture we see titles like, “Simon the leper”, “James the less”, or “Bond slave for Jesus”, humble titles just like Jesus said. Matt 23:12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. James is called “the less/ the younger” at the cross, there in Mark 15. James witnessed Jesus die, and he saw the Lord after he rose from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15:7 Paul tells us that the resurrected Lord appeared to over 500 men and he went out of his way to appear to James. This is important because that is what still brings men/ still brings woman to faith in Jesus Christ today. When James saw Jesus die, he heard about the curtain of the temple and how it was torn in two, when he heard the words Jesus spoke from the cross, when he heard the centurion cry out, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" Then Jesus appears to him after the resurrection, James at some point comes to faith he goes from a skeptic to a servant of Jesus Christ. He pens out this letter from the position of a bond slave and from that place he has become the leader of the early church. When Peter is arrested after the other James is killed in Acts 12, the Lord miraculously removes from prison, Peter sends the news to this James. Later when Paul and Barnabas come to the church leaders for a ruling on what requirements should be of the Gentiles it is not Peter but James who makes the declaration that says. Acts 15:19-20 It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. Then in Acts 21 Paul returns again to Jerusalem and he sees James. James goes from skeptic to church leader not because he was related to the Lord, but rater because he was changed by the Lord. So that is point one, the Author. Next we see: 2. THE AUDIENCE.Or who James is addressing with his letter. He is addressing the Jewish believes that were scattered among the nations. The early church was mostly Jews, but by the time of this letter, the non-Jewish believes were beginning to outnumber the Jewish. And because of the political problems in Jerusalem the Jews were scattered all around the known world. But God was doing a great work among the Gentiles of those days, Gentile means anyone who is not Jewish, or as they called us, “Goyums.” In this book although it was addressed specifically to Jewish believers, there is much for all of us to glean from this rich book. We will see the application of the Christian life is given to us in this book like no other. What was the reason for this letter, that was sent to many different churches? Specifically the as the church was growing there had been no model before them. They did not know how to live for the Lord in their daily lives. For the Jewish believers it was a constant battle between the keeping of the law of Moses that would command them to do many things, and the balance of living by Grace that says, Jesus did it all for us. For the non-Jews it was the problem of leaving the old pagan practices behind then how to live morally and spiritual, upright. So James as the servant leader of the church in Jerusalem, makes sure that these practical applications for daily life are given to all churches. One bible teacher likened the book of James to buying a product that has the words “Some assembly required written on the box.” That means it needs some help to make it work properly. So it was for the first century church, they had the goods, salvation was theirs but how did it all go together? They needed some instructions. I can remember when I had some Christmas gifts I bought for the kids, and being a man, my first thought was “who needs these instructions.” Of course later I had to dig them out of the trash, to put it together properly. James is that instructions manual, sometimes dealing with specific events, other times dealing with having the right heart attitude. We have considered the author, and the audience, finally we will see: 3. THE APPLICATIONTo open this letter James, simply says, “Greetings.” The Greek word he uses is (khah'-ee-ro) which means more than howdy, it means “be cheerful", “have joy”, “rejoice”, and it is a salutation of “God’s speed.” James is about to give them real practical instructions for daily life, and living for Christ. He is about to tell them some hard truths, but in those truths, they, and we. can rejoice. In fact the first truth that he will share is having joy in the middle of trouble. Joy in trials. The application for us today is the same, along with this greeting of “rejoice”, comes the understanding that God is in control of all situations and we need only live by faith. That is the underlying message of James, faith that begins to move into works is the only faith that works. Some scholars have said there is no central theme to the book of James, that it is just haphazardly strings together a bunch of random thoughts. Martin Luther even labeled the book as “unimportant and in contradiction” to the teachings of the rest of the Bible. I think that as we study this book, we will see just how unfortunate that opinion is, because James does have a very strong underlying theme, it is a book of incredible strength and insight. The theme that ties all of James’ is “faith that works.” In very practical application we see about Christian living, and a daily walk of faith. James is saying to us all, “Practice what you preach,” then he provides us with the understanding so we can examine and measure the faith we profess. James, goes on to be known by his contemporaries as “James the Just”, he never used his pedigree as a means to notoriety. One ancient historian recorded that James, “used to enter alone into the temple and be found kneeling and praying for forgiveness for the people, so that his knees grew hard like a camel’s because of his constant worship of God. So, from that heart of a servant leader he goes from James the less, to James the just. He is a real leader, and a real servant to the Lord and the church. And servants are what the Lord desires all of us to be. John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, illustrates the devotion of a servant when he tells the story of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family’s housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. “Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.” “He is sleeping, Mr. President, and He said not to disturb him” said the housekeeper. “Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.” “No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.” When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. “Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.” James is a servant- he is devoted-and that is what the Lord is looking for in us. Servants who are devoted. This letter from James is so practical because his writing is a reflection of his own life. His letter was born out of a love for God, and a love for God’s people. James, as a young man denied that Jesus was God in the flesh, but ultimately he defended the deity of Christ to the point of death. The Christian historian, Eusebius, tells us that James was martyred for his faith shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Annas, the high priest, ordered James to publicly denounce his faith. Many Jews were coming to faith in Jesus Christ and the religious leaders were not happy about that. Annas expected James to return to his skepticism but James refused to deny the Lord. So they marched him up to the pinnacle of the temple wall and through him off. When he hit the ground about one hundred feet below, other religious leaders were there to stone him to death. James did not die for an ideal, he did not die for a cause. He died for the Truth - the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ. James knew that Jesus first loved him enough to die for his sins. James knew that because of his faith in Christ, his place in heaven was secure for all eternity, and like Paul who could say. Phil 1:21-22 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. The Book of James, as we will see, is incredibly practical. The book addresses so many issues that are relevant to life in today’s society. But the first thing we see is the man James himself, how he is changed by his relationship with Jesus. James goes from Skeptic, to Servant, from servant to saint. He is now with the Lord in heaven, not because he was related to him by genealogy, but because he was related to him by blood. It is Christ’s blood that purchases all men/ all women who come to him by faith. Have you come trusted in Jesus Christ today? Are you a skeptic or a servant? There are no other options. You are ether a follower of Jesus like James, or you are against him like James was. PRAY INVITE. BENEDICTION. SING. Series: James -Through the Bible |
(C) High Sierra Fellowship 2008 |
