James Chapter 1:1-8
Patience and Wisdom
Let's turn to James chapter one.
Saul, a quite, shy Israelite was asked to be king of Israel. He reigned over the country a year before his real character showed. The Philistine Army had gathered at the borders of Israel to attacked them. The people of Israel, having given up there blacksmithing manufacturing, because the Philistines could do it cheaper, now had no swords, spears, or other weapons to defend themselves. Therefore the people were in greater fear. Samuel told Saul to go an prepare and that he would be there in 7 days to bring an offering to the Lord on Israel’s behalf.
But Samuel did not show up on the 7th day and the people began to leave. So Saul became frightened that he was going to loose his ragged army, who had no weapons. He panic, Saul, instead of waiting on Samuel, offered up and offering to the Lord. No sooner had he done so then Samuel walks up.
1Sa 13:13,14 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly: You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you: for the LORD would have established your kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now your kingdom shall not continue: the LORD has sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because you have not kept [that] which the LORD commanded you.
Patience is an incredible virtue. People that do not cultivate the virtue of patience live a life of misery. Saul was given an incredible opportunity, to be King over Israel, but lost it due to the lack of patience.
No one wants to wait for anything. We live in a microwave society. I want it and I want it now. But that is not how the world works. Good things take time.
The best time to cultivate patience is when you are a child, because teenage hood brings a great need for it. All the stress of life seems to hit teens all at once.
• School becomes difficult and you have to start focusing
• You start noticing the opposite sex and hormones kick in.
• You do not want to start making those difficult decisions of life, but it is time
Then Adulthood kicks in with all its struggles to be patient.
• With you wife,
• with you children,
• with your boss,
• with your parents, with your you name it.
Is there anyone here that does not have a need for patience?
Jam 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Jam 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Jam 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all [men] liberally, and upbraids (rebuke) not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.
Who is James that he has the right to tell us how to live and to be part of the scriptures of the Bible?
James introduces himself as the bondslave of God and of Jesus Christ.
It's a title most of the apostles delighted to take and we see through the New Testament.
• They renouncing any claim for any rights,
• They turning their lives totally over to God and to the lordship of Jesus Christ,
• They do not consider their lives their own.
• They were bereft of ambitions in a personal way.
• They lived solely to serve the Lord and to please Him.
A bondslave was just that, one who lived completely for his master.
• He had no rights of ownership,
• could not hold title to anything,
• everything he had belonged to his master.
• He was there only to serve.
There are 3 possibilities:
• James, the brother of John, but he was martyred in AD 44
• James the half brother of Jesus and the early Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem
• James, someone, no one today knows about.
He is considered by most the half brother of Jesus/ Bishop of the church at Jerusalem.
Mar 6:3 states he has brothers by the name of “James, Joses, Juda, and Simon and sisters
John 7 states his brothers often made fun of him, not believing in him until after the resurrection. But then James, like Paul later had a great conversion, becoming a great Christian leader.
His brother James was also martyred in AD 62 when he was thrown from the Top of the Temple, but did not die and way then beaten to death with a laundry club.
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greetings (Jam 1:1).
So, James addressing the twelve tribes scattered abroad because of the great persecution that had begun.
• The Jews hunted down Christians and killed them
• The Romans hunted down Christians and killed them
His greeting. He uses the typical Greek greeting here which actually is the same word for Grace or Rejoice.
My brethren count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations (Jam 1:2);
The Christian is constantly faced with temptations. It's part of life.
Each temptation there has to be a decision on our part, whether or not we are going to walk in the flesh or to walk in the Spirit. You have a choice to make.
• Will I walk after the flesh?
• Will I walk after the Spirit?
Jesus dealt with this human issue the first 40 days after Baptism.
• Lust of the Flesh
• Lust of the Eyes
• Pride of Life
Temptations that come because of our possessions. Something happening to my possession because we try to possess our possessions. We so often find ourselves angered, responding in the flesh because something has happened to my prized possession.
Temptations that come because of interpersonal relationships. Temptations that come from so many areas. Divers temptations where I am prone to respond after the flesh. I want to respond after the flesh.
We are told to count it all joy! It is a very strange response to temptations.
• I don't like to be tested. I would rather everything went very smoothly.
• I would rather no one got in my way.
• I would rather no one cross me.
• I would rather no one cut in front of me.
• I would rather no, half dressed, beautiful women, cross my path.
• I would rather all my physical needs be totally taken care of so that money did not tempt me.
• I would rather have someone just make me president of there company so that I don’t have the temptation to climb the corporate ladder.
What is it that tempts you?
But that is not the way it is. Life is a temptation. Life is filled with disappointments.
Always, there will be those whose lives are going crosscurrent to yours.
There will always be those who will be irritants to you.
You cannot control everything and mostly nothing.
People who have everything there way become spoiled and rotten and pompous.
They want everybody to bow, everybody to yield, everybody to submit.
Life doesn't happen that way. So for my growth, for my development, temptation is necessary. It's a part of the testing and that's what we are told here.
the trying of our faith (Jam 1:3)
The another word for this is the proving of our faith.
You say you believe God? The Devils does also. He just won’t do what he says.
Now the proving of the faith is never really for God's benefit. God knows the truth about you the whole while.
You say, "Oh, I'm afraid I've disappointed God."
"No, no, no, it's impossible to disappoint God.
You've disappointed yourself. God knew all the time you were going to fail.
You didn't and so you disappointed yourself.
You didn't disappoint God. He knew that was there. He knew that that would be your response. He wasn't at all disappointed."
We disappoint ourselves because we oftentimes think we are further down the road than we really are. I thought I was over that hump. I thought I had conquered that area. And here comes the situation where I'm tested and golly, I blow it. You know I'm so disappointed. Why did I say that? Why did I do that? But I shouldn't feel condemned like "Oh, I've let God down," or "I disappointed God." No, God knew it the whole while. But I needed to know it.
So God allowed the situation so I could find it out. And so temptation, something that is common to all men. Count it all joy because temptation is the testing of our faith and this testing of our faith develops patience, or
works patience (Jam 1:3).
So often our failure is in waiting upon God. So God works into our life troubles that teach us patience.
As we discussed earlier, it is true throughout the Bible. Many within the Scriptures received trouble because they didn't wait upon God. They failed in the test of patience.
Abraham followed God’s instruction and left, yet failed in the birth of Isaac.
When God promised to give him a son. He wasn't patient. Sarah finally came and said, oh, come on, Abraham; it's not going to work. You take my handmaid and you have a son by her. And when the child is born, I'll take it on my lap and it will be as my child. But I'm just not going to be able to bear a child, Abraham. Now let's be reasonable about this. Failure of faith. They didn't wait upon God until God responded or answered. The testing of our faith develops patience.
Like Abraham, whenever I do not wait upon God, I'm always botching things up. Creating problems for myself. And so it's important that I'm tested. That I learn to wait upon God. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.
Like Saul, we receive orders from God, but fail to carry them out due to inpatients and reap a whirlwind.
But let patience have her complete (perfect) work that you might be fully mature complete, wanting nothing. (Jam 1:4), That word again we see so often, telios.
And that's the whole purpose of God is to bring you into a maturity.
• That we quit acting and responding like little children to the disappointments.
• That we quit throwing our little tantrums at God, stomping our foot and walking away and saying, I'm not going to talk to you anymore.
• But that we grow up and become mature.
Now, if any of you lack in wisdom (Jam 1:5)
I don't suppose that's addressed to this crowd tonight. We always know exactly what to do, don't we? But if there happens to be one out there that lacks in wisdom,
let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally (Jam 1:5),
We have an issue with asking God for things. Mostly because we do not believe he will answer. Maybe you do not have the faith to believe that can heal you, but how about for wisdom? For God there is no difference in ability to do either, but in our mind there might be.
The wisdom James is speaking of here is a supernatural ability to deal with the issues of life. It is not knowledge or human wisdom, but a creative, God devised answer to a problem that does not appear to have one.
Example: Solomon and the two mothers or Jesus and the Woman caught in adultery
and He upbraids (rebukes) not and it shall be given him (Jam 1:5);
He's not going to say,
• "Oh, come on, how stupid can you get?
• What's the matter with you?
• Dumbbell!
God does not question your need for wisdom He does not “upbraid” you.
He gives to us freely. “Upbraids not”
Now when I ask, it's important that I,
ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like the wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed (Jam 1:6).
A stormy sea seem to be rolling back and forth. It is tossed by the wind and currents caused by the pull of the moons gravitation.
A man of unbelief is the same: Today he is up tomorrow he is down. Tossed to and fro, lacking stability, never receiving, because of unbelief.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. For he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways (Jam 1:7,8).
Your Faith in God needs to be a complete and unwavering.
I'm not really to ask for wisdom and then do my own thing.
It isn't asking for wisdom and then making up my mind whether or not I want to follow it.
I am not to ask God to reveal His will so I can determine whether or not I want to yield to it.
Patience is needed to survive in this life.
Wisdom is needed to cultivate patience.
Asking God and then patiently waiting for the answer will cultivate more patience and more wisdom.
What is your need today? God is here ready to answer.
Are you ready to receive that answer?
Pray with faith, believing you will receive it and you will.
