Real Faith Grows In Hard Times Series

Real Faith Grows in Hard Times

Series: Real Faith (in the Book of James)

Brad Bailey – Sept. 13, 2020

Intro

Hey everybody. I’m so glad you’re a part of this gathering. I’m excited to launch our new Fall series and focus today. As I shared last week...I believe this season of changes and challenges... is one in which we will become worse versions of ourselves...or better versions of ourselves. And today we are beginning a series that provides a guide to becoming the better version of ourselves... becoming bigger and better people.

There's a book in the Bible that remarkably relevant to this season in our lives. It's called the book of James. James is one of the smaller "books" in the New Testament... that you will find after the four Gospels...towards the end of the Bible. It’s written by James....who was a half-brother of Jesus himself. It’s fascinating that James and the other brothers weren’t a part of the initial team that followed Jesus... it’s doesn’t appear that they even recognized Jesus to be the Messiah...and their savior. Their lack of belief wasn’t because of what they saw in Jesus...but because of what their religious culture had come to expect about the Messiah. Like so many others...they were likely amazed by what Jesus said and did... but he wasn’t seeking to be a new king like they had expected.

But then we are told in the Gospel accounts, that after Jesus was raised from the dead... that among the many that Jesus came to... James is one of the few who is mentioned by name. When James saw him raised from the dead...everything became clear. James realized that God had said through the prophets that the Messiah would suffer and be sacrificed... to save all people from the consequences of death. And James became one of the leaders in the early church in Jerusalem. In fact history suggests that he was one of the most respected of all leaders. [1a]

And James introduces his letter this way...

James 1:1 (NLT)

This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings! - James 1:1 (NLT)

He now identifies as being a slave...or servant bound to God and to Jesus...who he now refers to as his Lord...and as the "Christ"... which means the anointed one of God. It’s really remarkable when you think about it. He is acknowledging that the one he had been raised with... was indeed from God. Do you think that you could convince one of your siblings into believing that you’re the special son and savior of God? James knew the behind the scenes life of Jesus. And he knows he is the holy one of God. He is so confident that he accepts the same harsh fate in helping to lead the church in Jerusalem... despite the cost. And we know that he would ultimately accept even death... when he refused to recount his faith. [1b]

And in this introduction, he notes the nature of this writing. He is writing to all those who were now scattered. [2] The people to whom James wrote were those experiencing very real troubles and trials. James is writing primarily to Christian Jews in the first century. They were scattered from their homeland. In addition, when a Jew began to follow Christ in the first century, their families disowned them. They not only lost their inheritance but they were ostracized from family and friends. Most of them lost their good jobs and had to take the lowest paying jobs because they would not bow to the pagan gods of the Roman cities. These people James is talking to are experiencing enormous hardship.

And James now speaks into their experience...and speaks about how real faith is discovered and developed in the real world of challenges they face. I imagine most of us have a sense that the word “faith” can be hard to define or grasp. Sometimes the word “faith” is used to refer to a set of beliefs... in the way we might speak of the Christian Faith. But when we hear the Scriptures speak...when we hear Jesus speak about faith... we hear something that is more than something that lives in our heads. It’s something that we step into... a reality that we choose among the versions... the operating system for all that we do.

And when we understand that faith is not just what we say we believe...but is what is actualized in how we actually live... we can begin to see that real faith is about real change in the real world. James understands that it’s during times of crisis... that real faith is forged. He knows that the enemy of our souls will use such times to try and tear us down into the worst versions of ourselves...while God will use the challenges to develop a better version of ourselves. And James provides a guide to becoming the best versions of ourselves.