“Show me what you got!” is a phrase that we often hear in both fun and all seriousness when a challenge is laid down by one person or group to another person or group to back up their claims of some kind of prowess or ability with action. A well-known church version of “show me what you got” is “walk the walk don’t just talk the talk.”
The book of James in the New Testament is a book about “showing me what you got” when it comes to “walking the Christian walk and not just talking the Christian talk.” We are going to spend four of the next of eight Sundays walking through this important book.
We begin this morning with an overview of the book as well as a study of our main text.
One of the ways that scholars have helped us to better study the Bible is by classifying the books into literary categories. For example, there are the historical books of the Old Testament such as 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The Psalms are classified as poetry. In the New Testament, Acts is considered an historical book and Romans as a doctrinal book. What kind of a book is James?
James has traditionally been placed in the category of “general epistle.” Another name for ‘epistle’ is letter. ‘General’ refers to the fact that the audience to whom the book is written is a wider and more ‘general’ audience that compared to the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, and such that were written to specific audiences (namely, the churches in the cities from which the books got their name.)
It is also interesting to note that Martin Luther felt that the book of James along with the books of Jude, Hebrews, and Revelation lacked what has been called ‘apostolic authority’ and were doctrinally of “secondary value.” Luther placed these four books at the end of his Bible in 1522 “to form,” wrote RVG Tasker, “a kind of supplement” to the rest of his version. However, later versions of the Bible placed James within the ‘canon’ or ‘accepted books’ of scripture and placed it as it appears in our Bibles today. (Luther did not forbid the reading of the book and said, “There is many a good saying in it.”)
Now the reason that Luther, and others, struggled with the ‘canonicity’ of James was due to what our main text speaks of: the relationship of works and faith. Luther felt that it went against the Biblical truth of ‘justification’ (or being made right with God) by faith’ and instead promoted ‘justification by works.’ Given Luther’s views that led him to start what we now call the Protestant Reformation this concern is understandable because the Reformation focused on being made right with God by faith in Christ alone and anything or anyone that said or spoke of the need for ‘good works’ was viewed with suspicion.
One of the things about James you notice as you read is that it jumps around from topic to topic, which can make reading it a challenge. It is a practical book and it forces the reader to reflect on whether or not one’s faith is being expressed in some important and practical ways.
In the introduction to his commentary on James, Tasker recalled a sermon with James 1:27 as the text and a memorable line that he never forgot, “The Epistle (or letter),” said the preacher, “of James is a collection of sermon notes.” I think seeing this Epistle, as a ‘collection of sermon notes’ is a great way to navigate this book in a meaningful way. For example, in any given week, a pastor (yours truly included) will deal with a variety of issues and situations that people bring via the phone, e-mail, or through face-to-face conversations.
They are situations in which a large theological discourse will not necessarily help the situation. What is called for is a practical application of the faith.
This book has that practical application. It cuts through the ‘red tape’ and ‘churchy words’ and gets to the heart of ‘showing what you’ve got’ that our text illustrates.
There are also other important questions to ask when we study scripture that will help us to understand better what is said. One question, that is important but can be overemphasized is, ‘Who is the author of the book?’
Again, there has been much discussion over the centuries about who ‘James’ is. Common consensus indicates that it was the half-brother of Christ.
In his sermon “Jet Tour Through James,” Pastor Travis Moore points out some important facts about James. (OVERHEAD 1)
He was…
1. The oldest of Jesus’ brothers. (Mark 6:3)
2. An unbeliever prior to the resurrection. (John 7:3-10)
3. Among those Jesus appeared to after the resurrection, resulting in his conversion. (1 Cor 15:7)
(OVERHEAD 2)
4. With the disciples in the upper room awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. (Acts 1:14)
5. The 1st pastor of the Jerusalem Church. (Acts 12:17, 15:13, 19; Gal 2:1, 9, 10, 12)
(OVERHEAD 3)
6. Married. (1 Cor 9:5)
7. Humble; referring to himself not as “brother” of Jesus, but rather as a “servant” of Jesus. (Jas 1:1)
8. Traditionally regarded as an “unusually good man”.
9. Given the nickname “the Just”.
10. Said to have had calluses on his knees from spending so much time in prayer.
(No wonder Tasker’s preacher called the book a ‘collection of sermon notes!’)
Another thing that Biblical scholars try to determine (which also can be overemphasized) is when the book was written. The date of around 60 AD (or 1,945 years ago) is the commonly accepted date of composition.
Now some of you might be thinking, ‘Jim, why is all of this important? Let’s cut to the chase and look at the book itself!’
Let me share with you what was going on in 60 AD. Paul was in Rome, as a prisoner awaiting trial. His missionary journeys were done. He was facing death.
By mid 62 AD, James dies for his faith. The church would begin to face greater challenges to its beliefs from both within the church and outside from society. Christianity would begin to be mocked and ridiculed in an even greater way that would include public displays of persecution.
Important questions are asked in such times, ‘How do we stand strong? How do we follow Jesus and let people know that we follow Jesus? How is, to quote our closing hymn, ‘the beauty of Jesus’ seen in we who say we are Christian’ by some very practical ways that some times challenge our customs and practices?’
Let’s put ourselves in James’ shoes for a moment. He has been a follower of Jesus for nearly 30 years. He has watched the faith spread outward from Jerusalem to ‘Judea, Samaria, and the outward parts of the world.’ He has heard Paul’s reports of conversions, baptisms, and the establishment of sister congregations throughout the world of that day.
He has experienced and seen persecution take place. People that he has loved and pastored have been perhaps killed or at the least mocked, ridiculed, and imprisoned for their faith. He has seen some walk away from their faith commitment.
He has experienced the highs and the lows that come through caring for souls as a pastor. He is concerned about the state of the church and the state of the faith. He puts quill to paper and begins to write, ‘Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions?’
Moore’s outline of James reminds us of the importance of ‘show me your faith’ (OVERHEAD 4)
A. By the way you react to trials (1:1-12)
B. By the way you handle temptation (1:13-18)
C. By doing, not merely hearing, the Word (1:19-25)
D. By how you care for the destitute (1:26-27)
(OVERHEAD 5)
E. By not showing favoritism (2:1-13)
F. By letting your faith work (2:14-26)
G. By controlling your tongue (3:1-12)
H. By exhibiting godly wisdom (3:13-18)
I. By submitting to God (4:1-12)
(OVERHEAD 6)
J. By living one day at a time (4:13-17)
K. By developing a proper attitude toward wealth (5:1-6)
L. By suffering patiently (5:7-12)
M. By fervent prayer (5:13-18)
N. By converting sinners (5:19-20)
(How do you, how do we measure up?)
Our main text for this morning is like a central distribution terminal for Wal-Mart. (We have one over in Garrett. It is big and it serves a very important purpose.)
Trucks bring in products from suppliers and businesses into the terminal to be shipped by other trucks to the various Wal-Mart stores that are served by the Garrett facility.
Though this verse appears in the second chapter, it is a flow-through verse because it takes James’ words of encouragement and challenge in the opening verses of chapter 1 and sends them through the terminal of 2:14 for the purpose of sending them out into the minds and hearts of other believers so that they will practice what they have proclaimed and taught.
I believe that a case can be made that verses 14 through 26 serve as bridge from the pastoral encouragement and challenge of 1:1 through 2:13 to the practical application of 3:1 through the rest of the book. In a nutshell, this is what Pastor James is saying, ‘Be encouraged and watch what is going on inside of you so that you will grow strong in your faith. Support and respect one another especially those who have the greatest needs. Watch what you say to one another. Back up your claims with your actions. By the way, here are some things to prove your faith….’
Dr. Thom Rainier and a team of researchers spent two years asking unchurched men and women numerous questions. A key issue in their research was the level of receptivity to the gospel. They developed a classification system U1 through U5. U1’s were unchurched but determined to be highly receptive to the Christian faith. U5’s were considered highly unreceptive to the faith.
The article I read on their research, entitled, ‘Examining the Unchurched: The World of the U4’s,’ contained excerpts from several individuals in this category. It was interesting to note that all of those whose comments are printed have had church attendance in their background. Some have gone from Christianity to Buddhism to Agnosticism. A common thread emerged from their comments: They bristled when asked about Jesus being the only way of salvation. Words like ‘intolerance,’ ‘narrow mindedness,’ and others were used.
I thought about that article as I reflected on the passages and phrases used by James and I wondered what part such behavior had to play in the attitudes and feelings of Rainier’s subjects about the Christian faith and the church.
What is the source of quarrels and fights among you?
The tongue is a small thing but what enormous damage it can do…
Don’t speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters…
James, however, also has some good things to say that we can put into practice and that can make a difference in our relationships with one another and with others and make Christ more credible to our community:
Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry…
If you need wisdom- if you want to know what God wants you to do- ask him, and he will gladly tell you…
Humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.
Any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it.
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church…
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other….
I am not sure how the Lord will lead me in preparing the messages for this sermon, but I will be handing out a part of the overview that Travis Moore developed and encourage you to use it as personal study guide during our series. I will be using it to give shape to my four messages.
Our concluding hymn this morning is a hymn I think is important for us to think about as we sing. Is the ‘beauty of Jesus’ seen in our lives day in and day out? As followers of Jesus Christ, let’s show the world, “what we got!” Amen.
Sources:
RVG Tasker, Commentary on the Epistle of James. Part of the Tyndale New Testament Commentary Series © Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Travis Moore, A Jet Tour Through James, www.sermoncentral.com
‘Examining the Unchurched: The World of the U4’s,’ by Dr. Thom S. Rainier. Located at www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/missions/articles/052505.html
Overheads of this sermon (in PowerPoint) are available. Please email me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and ask for 071005svgs)
