A Study of the Letter of James
James 1:1-8
August 21, 2013
Last week we learned a little about the background and history of the book of James. During this past week I asked you to read the ENTIRE book of James once every day… how many did that?
Tonight we are going to begin our study in chapter 1, so let’s take the leap and begin to focus in on the verses and learn what God has for us in this wonderful letter!
Read v1 here: 1James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the 12 tribes in the Dispersion.
v.1 – This is a greeting and/or introduction from James to his readers. We can see that the letter is FROM James (whom we believe is James the Just, brother of Jesus).
We see that James reveals his mindset and attitude immediately in his greeting. He says, “this letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God and Jesus mentioned together like this equates Christ WITH God, just as Jesus had said, “I and the Father are one!” James believed Jesus was God!
Not only do we see the mindset and attitude of James being a slave (obedient) follower of Christ, whom he believed was God, but we see to whom James is focusing his teaching… the Jewish believers scattered abroad!
To the 12 tribes ‘scattered’ could represent the fact that because of the many times the Jews had been taken into captivity that there were Jews living all over the known world.
Coupled with those of foreign lands who had converted to Judaism… there were Jews in every country around the Promised Land.
Remember the book of Acts… especially chapter 2… When the Holy Spirit showed up and those in the upper room were speaking in tongues… it was not a heavenly language but it was the language of the many different countries represented by Jewish pilgrims coming to worship in Jerusalem…
But this reference by James could have also been a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70 when Rome put down a Jewish rebellion and totally destroyed Jerusalem… and because of that the Jews were forced to move to other countries to survive.
Both situations could apply, but either way James is speaking specifically TO Jewish believers and followers of Jesus Christ!
HOWEVER, even tho’ his words are focused toward Jewish believers, the principles we can learn from James applies to ALL believers, Jew AND Gentile!
v2-4 – What is coming OR What can we expect?
Read v2-4 here:
2Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
In v2-4 James paints what many may consider a grim picture for believers.
When people come to Christ as Savior, they hear the message of being saved, redeemed and eternally promised to God… these images produce within our mind a thought that when we come to know Christ that our problems and troubles are OVER!
However, these thoughts could NOT be further from the truth. Thoughts like that are from the enemy attempting to discredit the Savior in which you claim your deliverance!
We ARE delivered and redeemed when we come to Christ and we ARE promised eternal life and heaven with God… BUT even tho’ we know Christ and have been saved, we still live in a broken, sinful world!
The life of the believer is NOT removed from life in this world. We are NOT removed from the brokenness and sinful nature that surrounds us…
We have been redeemed from this evil and we will one day be delivered FROM it, but IN this world we will always face hurt, heartache and the brokenness of sin!
So what James is telling believers here is that this is what we MUST expect! We cannot mistakenly believe that all things will go well because we have accepted Christ. James is seeing life for what it is… unfair and hard!
The fact James is getting across here is that for those who know Christ, while they are in this world, will ALWAYS face a brokenness and sinful world, each and everyday!
What James is basically saying here is that it is NOT a matter of “IF” we face trouble, but it is the fact of “when” trouble comes to our door!
How often do you shake your fist at God over trouble in your life? You get mad at God and say or think, “God I am serving You, why are you allowing this to happen?”
James is clarifying to all believers here that even when we rec’v Christ in our lives, we still live in a broken world… and in a broken world we will ALWAYS face trouble, trial and pain!
James instructs believers to count it a joy to face this trouble… so often we don’t count it joy instead we hang our heads and complain to God! We miss out on the opportunity that James says is there to grow in Christ and develop a stronger spiritual presence and character…
What James is describing is basically what you do when you work out in the gym… you put your body under stress and pain, but as you do it and work thru it, your body begins to adapt, grow and change to meet the challenges you have put to it!
The more we work out, the more our body adjusts… that is what James is saying here! The more trouble, trial and difficulty that comes your way, the more opportunity you have to grow in Christ!
James clarifies what we can expect as a believer living in a broken world, but we can also see
v.5-8 – James instructs believers on how to deal with the coming troubles!
Read v5-8 here:
5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.
Now that James has shared what we can expect as believers, he begins to share and instruct on how believers can deal with the coming troubles!
James tells us that tough times are coming, they are a reality we cannot escape, so HOW does a believer deal with trouble, trial and difficulty? How does a believer deal with trouble in general?
Well when we read these 4 verses we can see that James puts forth several principles that help us to deal with the trouble that we KNOW is coming… let’s look at those principles James shares!
The 1st principle is very simple and basic, but it is so very foundational that EVERY believer must understand it! This first principle is that the believer’s initial focus must be on God, not the problem!
For the believer, God is our refuge and deliverer and when life brings us trouble (and it WILL) our first action must be to turn to God! Our focus MUST be on God first in all things… that is the first principle!
This principle matches up with the teachings of Jesus. We can see Jesus saying this in the Sermon on the Mount when He said in Matt 6:33… ‘seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness…’ the 1st principle is that we focus on God!
The 2nd principle we can see that James sets forward for the believer in dealing with the troubles this life WILL throw our way is put forth in a rhetorical question in v5
“…if you need wisdom, ask our generous God…”
This question is an obvious step toward dealing with the trouble coming our way… how do we deal with it? Do you need wisdom in dealing with it?
Well of course we do… we don’t know everything and we need guidance in dealing with trouble! For wisdom in dealing with life’s troubles, we should ask God!
But that sounds a lot like the 1st principle Bro Bobby? Well it is, but James goes further. We must turn to God for His wisdom, but we do this because God created us with a mind and a freedom of will… we will have to make choices in dealing with the trouble that comes our way!
Our choices will reflect our walk with Christ! Our choices will reflect to the world how we deal with the troubles of this life!
Our choices therefore should be based on God’s wisdom and not our own… but the point here is that we must seek His wisdom so that we can make decisions that reflect Christ in our lives!
People we are NOT robots programmed by God! We are individuals who must make willful choices to serve and be obedient to God’s calling on our lives! God’s wisdom is needed for us make the right decisions!
Principle one is we MUST rely on God when we face troubles in this life…
Principle two is that we have free will and must choose Him/make the choice to seek His wisdom and use it when we face troubles…
Principle three is an extension of both one and two…
The 3rd principle here is a principle of FOCUS… we are called to focus on God and then make decisions based on the wisdom God provides for us…
But principle 3 emphasizes that focus… James tells us that when we ask for wisdom that our faith must be in, “…God alone…”
How often do we seek God’s wisdom only to listen to someone else… when we do this James says we are double minded and unsettled as a believer!
People God’s wisdom can be found in prayer and in His word… You are NOT going to get direct revelation from God thru any other source!
God does speak to us through other people or through sources OTHER than the Bible, but here is the difference!
When God speaks TO us thru other people or sources other than the Bible… it is to confirm or affirm what He has been speaking to us thru His word… through our prayer time with Him!
If you are NOT in the Word or praying, you can be deceived and misled! People can make their case sound spiritual and the right way… but when we focus on people and human wisdom, we will be like a wave on the ocean… subject to the winds of culture or fads or the most current ‘thing’.
When we focus on God, and seek HIS wisdom, we are going to make decisions that reveal to the world that we are His followers and that He is working THRU our lives!
When we focus on things OTHER than God… we will NOT be the witness He desires and we will be susceptible to being tossed to and fro… focus on God ensures stability in our decisions AND in our witness!
Principle one is we MUST rely on God when we face troubles in this life…
Principle two is that we have free will and must choose Him/make the choice to seek His wisdom and use it when we face troubles…
Principle three we must focus on God alone and reveal faith in His decisions… we cannot be distracted by sources outside of God’s wisdom!
Finally we can see a 4th principle that James sets forward is that those who refuse to focus on God for wisdom in their decisions should not expect God’s blessing!
This principle seems simple, but yet we see MANY people who profess to be believers violate this principle all the time!
They will focus on anything BUT God and they will use their own wisdom… allowing others or their own desires to distract them from focusing on God alone… and then we hear them say things like:
“God why do you do things like this to me?” OR
“God why did you allow this to happen?” OR
“This is not fair, I serve God, I should not be facing or experiencing this sort of trouble…WHY GOD?”
Even when we focus on God and seek ONLY His wisdom, the troubles of this life will come and haunt our lives!
But the difference is when we seek God 1st and His wisdom only for our decisions… we will be able to grow in our faith as James indicates in v4.
However, if we do NOT focus on God, James tells us in v7 that we should NOT expect to receive ANY help from the Lord! If we are not focused on God alone, our loyalty is divided and we are unstable and we should not expect to receive wisdom or help from the Lord!
Now this does not mean we cannot receive God’s help, but before we can we must refocus onto HIM and rid ourselves of the distractions that have made us unstable… THEN we can hear His wisdom and make the wise choices in our times of trouble!
Then we can realize the promise of v4 that says, “…when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing…” This does not mean we no longer need God, but that when we are focusing on God, we need not look anywhere else!
It also means that the longer we focus on God the more accustomed to His way we become and the more familiar we become with His wisdom, the more mature we become in our walk with Him…
And to the outside world it may SEEM that we are in need of nothing, but we know that our focus in on God and that we NEED Him and His wisdom… so we focus on Him alone!
So where are you today? Are you under the mistaken belief that since you are a believer that your troubles will disappear? Do you understand that you live in a broken/sinful world?
Where is your focus today? These four principles will help us to deal with the troubles that James assures us are coming our way… we don’t have to wonder IF they are coming but we know that they WILL come…
When they DO come, James says that our focus must be on God and God alone, and he will provide us with the wisdom to make the choices we need to make to glorify Him and strengthen our walk in Him!
Troubles are coming… how are YOU going to deal with them?
