Real Faith for Real Life: An Overview of James

Well, if you're new with us and you do not have a Bible, feel free to use the Bible in front of you.

And you can take that home as a gift from us to you to make sure everyone has a copy of God's Word.

Now we concluded the book of Ephesians last week, and we are starting a new series in the book of James.

So if you're new with us, our normal diet is we just move verse by verse through books of the Bible.

But this morning, I'm gonna do something a little bit differently.

Colin read that long passage because I think that is a great picture of James's heart behind the entire letter of his of the letter of James.

But what I'm gonna do this morning is essentially do a survey of the entire book of James.

So pray for me because a lot the last time I preached an entire book in one sermon, I was convinced it was the worst sermon I've ever preached.

So let's pray that doesn't happen twice.

But before we start getting into verse by verse, chapter by chapter in the book of James, I think it's helpful to just start with a uh so some of you might be familiar with like a Bible survey book.

It gives you a survey of the Old Testament and the New Testament over each book, kind of a 30,000-foot approach.

And so that's what I hope to do this morning so that when we move forward through James, we have a better appreciation for who the author is, why he's writing what he's writing, and who he's writing to.

Now, the book of James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament.

It's short, it's no nonsense, it's only five chapters, so very short, no nonsense, and it's very piercing.

James doesn't spend much time unpacking any new doctrines.

Rather, he's reminding Christians of doctrines they are already familiar with, but urging them to actually live out what they believe.

So he's exhorting Christians to live faithfully, to walk in God's wisdom, and to let their faith be seen practically in everyday life, which is why some would refer to it as the Proverbs of the New Testament, because Proverbs for a Hebrew culture was skillful living, taking academic knowledge of God's law, but living it out to the glory of God.

So my goal this morning is simple.

I would like to do three things.

Number one, to help us see who James is.

Secondly, why he wrote this specific letter, and third, how this book fits in the overall story of redemption.

And as we begin this series, I want you guys to walk away with a sense of why the book of James matters and how it should shape the way we study the book in the weeks ahead, and how you should approach studying and interpreting God's word in the book of James.

The book of James has been a source of controversy throughout the centuries.

The great reformer Martin Luther thought it shouldn't be included in scripture because he said it had very little of Jesus in it, and he later changed that view.

Others uh have issues over this debate between, well, does James contradict Paul when they talk about justification by faith?

James seems legalistic because he's talking about all these works and deeds you have to do.

And Paul says the exact opposite.

So it's a great book.

It's it's it's a one of the, I would say, you know, one of those most neglected New Testament books.

But as we'll see in the weeks ahead, it is filled with God's wisdom for us today.

But let me just highlight a few things about James the man.

James is an interesting character because he goes from a skeptic to a servant of Christ.

Those of you might already be familiar, but James was the half-brother of Jesus.

We see this in Matthew 13, for example, when Jesus is in his hometown and he's teaching, he's he's preaching parables, and some of the people in his hometown gave this response.

They say, Isn't this the carpenter's son?

Isn't his mother called Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

And his sisters, aren't they all with us?

So where does he get all these things?

So even in his community, people were familiar with who James and Jesus' entire family was.

And yet during Jesus' earthly ministry, James was not a believer.

James, his brothers and sisters did not believe that Jesus was who he said he was.

In John chapter 7, verse 5, it says plainly, for not even his brothers believed in him.

John 7:5

Now, when you read that, I wonder, well, did the sisters believe?

I mean, it's normally the women who I'm just saying.

But not even his brothers believed in him.

However, something happened.

The Bible doesn't give us James's conversion story, but we do, when we look at the biblical data, he clearly starts out as an unbeliever.

And now let me just back up.

Imagine growing up as Jesus' sibling.

Like, just think about that.

Think about the pressure.

Mary believed, right?

I wonder, because Mary was human just like me and you.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph were tempted to say, why can't y'all be more like Jesus?

Why do you constantly get on our nerves and disobey?

But imagine growing up, and your brother is considered to be the Messiah.

You're a Jew.

You know, you're you're from a young age, you're learning the Old Testament, you know who the Messiah is, and you're being told your brother is that Messiah.

They did not believe his whole family.

But after Jesus' resurrection, everything changed.

We don't know when he came to faith, but what we do know is he didn't believe, but then later it's clear that he did.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that the risen Christ appeared to James.

It says in verse 15, uh, chapter 15, verse 7 in 1 Corinthians, Paul gives this beautiful articulation of the gospel, and he says, and that he appeared to Caiphus, then to the 12, then he appeared to over 500 brothers and sisters at one time, most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

So if you grew up with your brother, who once he hit age 30, starts saying radical stuff, he's teaching radical things, he's performing miracles, he dies, resurrects, appears to over 500 people, and then you, I would assume that would affect you in some kind of way.

Was that the point he came to faith?

We don't know, but we do know he turned from skeptic to servant because by Acts chapter one, James, the brother of Jesus, is with all the disciples praying together after the resurrection.

So how does he go from a skeptic who was an unbeliever to now being among the disciples praying for God's will to be done?

Paul later names James in Galatians chapter 2, he names him a pillar of the church.

Galatians 2 · chapter mention

Think about that.

He goes from an unbeliever to being referred to by an apostle as a pillar of the first generation of the church.

The next time James comes on the scene is in Acts chapter 15, at what is referred to as the Jerusalem Council.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

This is a very pivotal moment in the birth of the church.

So remember, in Acts we have Pentecost, where the promised Holy Spirit comes and the disciples are proclaiming the gospel in different dialects of the people there in Jerusalem.

And over after Peter preaches the gospel, over 3,000 people come to faith in Christ.

Keep in mind James is present for all of these things.

But then there was this debate that happens that led to the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

And the question dividing the church was simple but massive.

Must Gentiles obey the law of Moses to be saved and fully belong among God's people?

That was the debate.

Paul was preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, and those who remained in Jerusalem were primarily ministering the gospel to Jews.

Then arose this gospel crisis.

Is salvation in Christ alone by faith alone, or is it Christ plus keep the law of Moses?

This was huge.

Think about this.

This was at the birth of the church.

So this was a pivotal moment in the new church.

The future of the church was on the line.

Would it become a Jewish sect, or will the people of God be made up of every people, every tribe, every nation, as we see in Scripture?

Turn over to Acts chapter 15.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

This this is worth looking at for yourselves.

Acts chapter 15, verses 1 through 18, and we'll see James's pivotal role in this debate.

Acts 15:1–18

Acts chapter 15, beginning in verse 1, highlights the tension that was going on.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

It says, Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers this.

Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.

Now that is heresy.

That is a false gospel.

That is Jesus plus something else.

So that's the debate.

Verse 2 After Paul and Bar Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.

When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

So here's the tension: Paul and Barnabas and Paul being a Pharisee, a Jew of Jews, he is preaching the gospel primarily to Gentiles.

The Gentiles are responding in faith.

They're coming to faith in Jesus Christ, and yet these Judaizers are coming in, coming in and saying, Well, no, no, no, no, no.

They can't be saved unless they also are circumcised and keep the law of Moses.

Paul, a Jew, is saying, No, you're saved by faith in Christ alone, which then led them to go to the elders in Jerusalem and the apostles to get this matter settled.

So, verse four.

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

Quick sidebar.

Look at verse 4.

There's elders, plural.

The pattern in the New Testament has always been a plurality of pastors serving a congregation.

That's a sermon for another day, verse 5.

But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Now notice it says, But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.

Verse 6, it's always those in the church causing strife, isn't it?

The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter, and after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.

And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.

He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples' necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?

On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.

Keep in mind, Peter formerly struggled with what he's preaching right now.

And by God's grace he came to understand the true grace of God for all.

Verse 12, the whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Now pause.

Now here's the pivotal moment.

James, who is a former unbeliever in his own brother as a Messiah, is now an elder in the church in Jerusalem.

Some would say the lead pastor of this church in Jerusalem.

And here's his feedback in verse 13.

After they stopped speaking, James responded, Brothers, listen to me.

Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for his name.

And the words of the prophets agree with this as it is written.

After these things, I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.

I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord.

Even all the Gentiles who are called by my name declares the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.

This is pivotal.

So when the council gets together and they're arguing and they're debating, James, the brother of Jesus, stands up and just quotes the Bible.

He's quoting the Old Testament, specifically the book of Amos, showing, friends, this is no new revelation.

God has always had a plan to redeem people from all places and tribes and tongues and nations to make one new people called the children of God.

So James, the brother of Jesus, who was a skeptic, is now defending his brother's gospel, saying, No, no, no, you guys got it wrong.

We are saved by grace through faith.

And my bro.

Paul took the gospel to the Gentile world, preaching, planting churches, raising up elders, and then moving on.

But James had a very unique ministry because after Pentecost, guess what?

James stayed.

He stayed in Jerusalem.

This is significant to understand and appreciate this book.

So Paul is traveling around primarily to Gentile areas, helping Gentiles come to faith in Christ.

He would establish a church, set up elders, and then move on to proclaim the gospel somewhere else.

But James is in a primarily Jewish context.

So he's feeling this tension of the Jews in the community who are like, well, we're okay, we're kind of rocking with the gospel, but wait a minute, James, you're a Jew.

Are you just, are you just throwing off the law of Moses?

This is what James had to combat on a weekly, daily basis as an elder in the church of Jerusalem.

So that's why what he says here is important.

So there's tension from Paul and Barnabas' ministry arising all the way to the point where they decide we need to get this settled.

Let's send them to the church in Jerusalem where the apostles are and the elders, so that they can bring clarity to what is the true gospel.

And James, as the lead pastor of the church in Jerusalem, speaks with authority and says, Brothers, this is no new revelation.

When you look down at Acts 15, 16 through 17, when he quotes Amos, listen to God's word there.

He says, So that the rest of humanity, verse 17, the rest of humanity, that isn't to say the rest of the Jewish nation, the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name declares the Lord.

It can't get more clear than that, can it?

God has always had a plan to build a church that encompassed all people across the globe.

But let's also look at James' humility.

So if you go back to James chapter one, look at how James starts his letter with his greeting.

He says, James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad, greetings.

Anything stand out to you?

If anyone could play a card of favoritism, certainly it could be James.

He could write with authority and say, James, the little brother of Jesus, the Messiah.

Listen up.

He doesn't say that.

But think about this, friends.

He went from an unbeliever to referring to himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's no longer his big brother, he's my Lord and Savior.

We see this brother's humility.

He doesn't say James, a lead pastor of the Jerusalem church, or James, a brother of Jesus.

It's James a servant of God and a servant of my brother, who is now my savior and my Lord.

If James, a very brother of Jesus, humbled himself as a servant, how much more should we?

Maybe some of you have been close to the things of Christ, near Christ, near to church, but have never truly, like James, repented and come across the line to identify Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

If there was ever an illustration of being close to Jesus, but not actually with Jesus, it's Jesus' relatives.

They grew up with him, didn't believe in him, they were near him all the time, but they didn't believe.

Cross on over.

The risen Christ, think about this.

The risen Christ still takes skeptics into his family.

Jesus, y'all should be grateful that God did not make me the savior.

There'd be like three people in heaven.

Those who were like the most loyal to me, who I felt really loved me.

But Jesus is like, even those who grew up with me and didn't even believe in me, even when I'm performing miracles, when I brought Lazarus back to life and they still didn't believe, now he's the lead pastor in the church in Jerusalem, defending the faith.

So just know, Jesus isn't looking for people to clean up their life until they're worthy of his love and salvation.

Jesus is like, no, you're you're far more messed up than you even imagine.

And yet I can still use you and your brokenness for my glory.

That's James the man.

Now let's look at James the pastor and what he actually wrote briefly to the church.

Uh the church is scattered abroad.

Now, James, he in the greeting there, he says, to the 12 tribes dispersed abroad greetings.

There's a little bit of debate about is he writing specifically to Jews?

Is he writing to a specific church, or is he writing a general letter that would have been circulated among various churches?

I think what's most plausible from the biblical data is he certainly has a group of Christians he has in mind that he loves and wants to encourage, but he is intentionally writing a little bit in a general sense so that this letter could be circulated throughout various churches.

So it's pretty clear throughout scholastic history that James is very likely the first New Testament book of the Bible.

So James was written before any of the gospels, any of Paul's writings.

This this was the first New Testament book.

So that's that's key to keep that in mind.

He's writing to Christians who are scattered, who are living as strangers in a world that wasn't their home.

And, you know, that's a familiar storyline in scripture, isn't it?

If you just start with the nation of Israel, they are constantly exiles in a foreign land, sometimes through self-inflicted suffering and God punishing them, or just by being a sinned against by evil, wicked nations who oppress them.

But this is a theme throughout scripture, even for those of us who come to faith in Christ.

We are elect exiles, according to Peter.

This is not our home.

We are sojourners on this land, a longing for our Savior to return and to bring the new heaven onto the new earth.

But the nation of Israel spent years in exile, far from their land, feeling like foreigners.

Abraham lived in tents in the land of promise, never fully at home, according to Hebrews 11.

As I said, Peter called believers and new covenant believers, exiles and sojourners.

God's people have always been strangers in this world, but never without a shepherd.

Now, here's something, a point of application.

It would do us so much joy, believers, if you truly were convinced that you are an elect exile in a foreign land.

What do I mean by that?

Well, when things go haywire in our nation, and when you see something crazy happening in another country, maybe we wouldn't be so freaked out if we truly believe this is not my home.

I, hey, I'm proud, I'm a proud American, but my allegiance is to Christ and the kingdom of God, not this land that will one day be all burnt up and restored when Christ returns.

This is not my home.

I'm here to win people to faith in Christ, exemplify Christ to the world so more people will see the treasure of the gospel and also become elect exiles.

But this has been nothing new.

God's people have always been strangers in a strange world, but never without a shepherd.

And here James reminds his group of Christians, though you are scattered, you are not forgotten.

Though you feel like outsiders, you are still insiders in God's family.

The promises of God are yours in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, gathered or scattered, you all belong to the Father.

Feel as a Christian, or how you're a minority, if God's on your side, you're always a majority.

No matter what the context, sometimes having a God center perspective changes everything.

But being a scattered people who are all abroad, but we're all part of one family is a refreshing reminder.

It's a bit like a family living all over the country.

We live in a day and age where it's common for kids to move off to college or us to take jobs and move away from family and friends.

But whenever you pull out your phone and you open up Google Photos or Apple Photos and you start looking at pictures of your family, it's almost like you feel that warmth all over again of like, yeah, even though we're scattered, that love and affection is still there.

So you don't forget who you are because you're God's family, even when you're scattered.

Many of you might feel that way today, whether it's in your household, your workplace, your family.

Some of you came to faith in Christ, and your family, extended family, doesn't share your faith.

And that might make you feel exiled or scattered a little bit as an outcast.

But James reminds us you may be in exile here, but you are certainly no orphan.

You belong to God, you are shepherded by his very words, and you are secure in his promises and united to his son.

That's a comforting truth, isn't it?

That no matter what circumstance you might find yourself here on this side of heaven, you can always bank on, but I have a father in heaven who loves me and is for my good, no matter what.

That changes things.

But throughout the letter of James, which is just five chapters, he captures a few things.

Now, many, I would assume, when you think of the book of James, your mind might go straight to the passage Colin read, which refers to trials and suffering, right?

Count it all joy.

I think that's probably the most popular passage in the book of James.

But James is actually rich with all sorts of practical wisdom on various categories.

But speaking of trials, he does in his book encompass how God uses trials to produce maturity.

When have you, Christian, ever said this?

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials.

Who's the last person in this room to go through a serious trial and you say, God, thank you?

I am so grateful that you caused me to lose my job or gave me that diagnosis so I can look more like Jesus.

I mean, maybe you're holier than me.

That's not my response typically when trials come.

But James wants his audience to understand that trials are not detours from God's plan, but rather they're a part of God's plan.

They're the very road he uses to grow you into the image of Jesus.

God never wastes a tear, he never wastes a trial, he never wastes a season of suffering.

And that promise, friends, is only for the believer.

To this day, I have no idea how unbelievers suffer because they don't have the promises of scripture that this is hard, but it first came through my sovereign hand, therefore I willed it, and I'm forcing it to make you look more like my son and to teach you more about my love for you.

That's a promise to believers that he will never waste a tear and never waste any of his children's pain.

Charles Spurgeon once said, God's people are never so safe as when they are in the furnace.

Their master is the refiner, and he will not leave them until the silver is purified.

So the next time you're in a trial and it's weighty and you're longing for it to end, maybe your prayer should be, Father, finish refining me.

Not take the pain away because it hurts, but rather finish refining me, Lord, into the image of your son.

John Piper once said, occasion speaking of how we should view our trials, he said, occasionally weep deeply over the life you hoped it would be, grieve the losses, then wash your face, trust God and embrace the life you have.

Occasionally weep deeply over the life you hope for, grieve the losses, then wash your face, trust God, and embrace the life that you have.

Some of you this morning, I'm sure, are weary under trials.

James will remind you: suffering for the Christian is never meaningless.

God is shaping you into Christ's likeness.

Like my man John Newton once said, I quote this all the time: God most often sanctifies us through the school of suffering.

And you don't get to choose whether to enroll.

God enrolled you already.

You do get to choose what grade you get.

But in the book of James, there's also this balance of faith and work.

So here's here's the first controversial part of the book of James.

So there's this debate throughout the centuries of is James contradicting Paul?

Are they giving a different gospel?

Is James works-based faith and righteousness?

And is Paul all about grace?

Well, here's where the tension lies.

In James chapter 2, verse 17, James says, faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

James 2:17

Then in Romans 3.28, Paul says, a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Now, so some don't understand the context of what James is writing about and what Paul is writing about, and they just take the words works and faith and they intermingle them and think, wait, they're contradicting each other.

Well, I won't get into this too much in depth because, again, this is an overview.

But at first glance, these do seem contradictory.

However, the Bible is inspired by God.

There's a reason why all 66 books can be written by different authors, some who didn't even know each other, and yet nothing contradicts each other because it's this author is divine, God, not man.

So if we think we see a contradiction, we just need to study our Bibles a little bit better and see what I am missing, what's going on here?

Here's my attempt to clarify this tension in an overview overview sermon.

Paul is writing to the church in Rome, who are Christians, that's clear in chapter one.

He's writing to a group of believers, and he's seeking to nail down how sinners, Jew and Gentile, are made right with God in salvation, which is by grace through faith apart from works of the law.

He's tearing, Paul specifically, is tearing down every ladder of self-righteousness and uniting the church around the gospel.

That's Paul's angle.

James is also writing to professing believers who might be struggling with their faith just sitting in their lips or academic knowledge, and he's exhorting his audience to actually live out their faith, their evidence, give evidence to their justification.

He's insisting that the kind of faith that justifies is the kind of faith that works.

So Paul is answering the question, how is a sinner, whether Jew or Gentile, how is a sinner reconciled to God through salvation?

And the answer, according to Paul, is by faith alone, not by works.

James is answering the question, what does justifying faith look like in a believer's life?

And the answer is it bears fruit.

So a way to simplify this, think of root and fruit.

Paul is guarding the root of salvation, which is faith alone.

James is guarding the fruit, faith that isn't alone.

Same gospel, different angles.

So for example, what James is getting at is, Cam, if you say you love playing basketball, but you never step on a basketball court, you never shoot a jump shot or take a free throw, how are you calling yourself a basketball player?

That's what James is getting at.

If you profess to be saved by grace through faith alone, it should be evident in the fruit of your life.

Which is in step with his brother, Jesus, who taught very clearly that even those who profess Jesus as their savior aren't all gonna be with Jesus as their savior.

There are those who give lip service to, I'm a Christian, I'm a disciple of Christ, I attend a church, I got baptized as a kid, I walked down an aisle, and their life shows no fruit of actually walking with Jesus and joyfully obeying him.

And Jesus was very clear, if you love me, you will what?

Keep my commandments.

So Paul is addressing, no, we are not saved through works, through the law of Moses, by checking boxes and doing the right things.

You're saved solely by the grace of Jesus Christ.

We saw that in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

You were dead in your sins and trespasses, but God, who was rich and mercy, right?

And he concludes, you are saved by grace alone.

So both are committed to the same gospel, but they're addressing it from different angles.

So when you understand that, you realize there's no contradiction.

They're just focusing on two different aspects of salvation, and both are right.

But we also see in the letter of James the power of the tongue.

The tongue, according to James, reveals your heart.

James 3 compares the tongue to a spark that could be set on fire and destroy an entire forest.

Proverbs says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue.

And Jesus warned, we will give an account for every careless word we speak.

One Christian rapper KB said, keep your words sweet, because you may have to eat them.

This is where we all get in trouble the most, don't we?

Especially if you grow up like me, if you have the spiritual gift of sarcasm and sarcasm in your humor, you get rebuked often in your household about the power of the tongue.

James uses very strong language, the tongue being set on fire from hell.

My goodness.

But he's right.

He says we at one point can encourage somebody made in God's image, and then in the very next breath, tear down someone made in God's image.

Power, death, and life are in the power of the tongue.

According to Jesus, what comes out of your mouth reveals who sits on the throne of your hearts.

Sometimes we can be guilty of saying, Well, I didn't really mean that.

Well, there's some truth to everything you say.

That didn't just come out of the ether.

You said that specific statement for a reason.

So let's get to the heart of why that came out.

And normally that's me getting rebuked with that, but praise God.

But in the book of James, we also see this comparison of earthly wisdom and God's heavenly wisdom.

James 3, 17, he writes, the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy, and good fruits.

In contrast, worldly wisdom is selfish and divisive.

And what's interesting in the book of James, if just for your curiosity, remember this is the first New Testament book.

None of the Gospels were written yet.

And yet, when you read James, I would encourage everyone, go this week, read the whole book of James in one sitting.

It's only five chapters, it won't take a long time.

But what's interesting is you'll see some connections to the Sermon on the Mount, and you'll see some connections to the Gospel of Matthew, even though Matthew hadn't been written yet, which is really interesting.

But notice how he says in James 3:17, the wisdom, the wisdom from above, God's wisdom, is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy, and good fruits.

James 3:17

Now take that to what I just said about what James says about the power of the tongue.

And let's just ask ourselves how do Christians, how good of a job are we doing in conducting ourselves on things like social media?

Are we exemplifying this kind of wisdom?

Are we using our tongues to exemplify this type of God-centeredness?

I it grieves my heart sometimes to see influential pastors online who I would say have disqualified themselves from the pastorate and just how they conduct their words over social media.

It seems for some reason, as Christians, we have like this disconnect where what I say online isn't real, like that's a gray area.

Like if I type it and post it, like scripture has no implications.

I could, I could slander people, I can demean people, and it's okay because I'm a defender of the faith, right?

No, the wisdom from above is pure.

Our speech and thought should be pure, peace-loving, gentle, full of mercy, and good fruits.

The world calls its wisdom when you put yourself first.

The world says that's wise.

Seek your own interests first.

God says wisdom is when you put Christ first.

What is the greatest commandment in the Bible?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, my soul, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.

Which makes me wonder.

Do we lead our lives with that at the forefront?

Do we vote with that at the forefront?

Or do we think what will best better me in my wallet rather than what would bring God glory and serve my neighbor well?

Earthly wisdom asks the question, what's in it for me?

But heavenly wisdom asks, What brings God glory and does others good?

Imagine church communities that were always asking that question.

Let's use marriage as an illustration.

How do you have a healthy marriage?

Well, hopefully, both spouses being committed to what would bring God the most glory and my spouse the most good.

And if your spouse is committed to that same thing, well, guess what?

It kind of just balances out, doesn't it?

Imagine churches with that type of community.

What would bring God the most glory and my neighbor the most good?

In Scripture, wisdom is not referred to primarily as, I think, how we think about it here in America, as head knowledge.

How many facts do you know about something?

But rather it's skillful living, living out God's truth in everyday life.

Proverbs 19, 9:10 says, The fear of the Lord is beginning, is the beginning of wisdom.

And James stands in this rich tradition, urging believers to live wisely in trials, to live wisely and faithfully in a fallen, broken world that they're exiles in, in their speech, in their relationships, and how they pray.

Hebrews 5.14 speaks of maturity as those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

So, friends, just be encouraged.

You are not wise primarily by what you know.

There are a lot, I used to go do street evangelism back in Cali, and I'll never forget evangelizing a homeless man on the doorsteps of an old school church downtown.

And I'm convinced that man knew more Bible than I did at that time.

I'm giving him scripture and he's like, Yeah, that's here.

And I'm like, dang.

And the conversation ended with, hey man, I know the gospel.

I'm a drunk, I don't care.

I don't want to give up my lifestyle.

I'm good.

I don't want your Jesus.

So there's an example.

He had more head knowledge than I did at that time in my faith, and yet he wasn't living it out.

Therefore, that knowledge only condemned that brother.

True wisdom, friends, is skillful living, practical theology, not just orthodoxy, right beliefs, but orthopraxy, right living, in light of what you say you believe.

So James carries this wisdom of the Old Testament forward by bringing that Old Testament tradition in the letter of James and the teaching of Jesus.

And he incorporates some elements of the sermon on the mount.

I love this quote from one pastor who says, Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

To know is not to be wise.

Many men know a great deal and are all the greater fools for it.

But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

And I would just add in there, and to use that wisdom in a persuasive, loving, Christ-exalting way.

Because let's be honest, there's some who have a lot of wisdom and they wield it in a very non-persuasive, unloving way that condemns and makes them look self-righteous, which is not the wisdom of God.

Also, we see in the book of James an emphasis on humility, prayer, and patience.

James urges in chapter four for people to submit to God, to pray in all seasons, and to patiently wait for the Lord's return in chapter five.

He exhorts his audience that pride, prayerlessness, and impatience are marks of unbelief.

James calls us instead to bow low, to pray much, and to wait well.

If you've been a Christian for a decent period of time, I hope that the Lord has been softening your heart and mind to come to the understanding that how much of your faith might be influenced by your Americanism, of wanting a pain-free life, wanting things to happen quickly, but the more you study the scriptures, it's like, man, there's a lot of waiting, trusting, fighting for a God-centered perspective in the midst of difficult times rather than prioritizing difficult times being removed from you.

When you look at one of the greatest, if not yet the greatest, event in uh Israel's time in the Old Testament was the Exodus.

Well, guess what?

400 years of them as a nation praying to God to be delivered from their oppressor.

That's a long time.

That's four centuries.

And but God answered, didn't he?

And he delivered them by a mighty hand.

So James's message is wisdom for the scattered people of God.

But where does this letter fit in God's big story of Scripture?

This is why I would encourage you to read the whole book in one sitting and try to ask that question: how does this book shape the rest of Scripture?

Where is it in its place in God's story?

Because James is not, even though it's referred to sometimes as the proverb of the New Testament, it's not just moral advice.

So if you approach the book of James as, I just want some practical wisdom and some boxes I could check on how to follow God better, it's not less than that, but it is certainly more than that.

Well, let me give a few thoughts here.

James in redemptive history.

As I said, James is the first New Testament book.

If you want to date it, is written in the early 40s AD.

So before, again, Romans, John, Revelation, James was already calling believers to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ into practice.

James shows us the gospel is not just proclaimed but applied to life.

And that a faith without love, humility, and endurance and obedience is deeply concerning.

I mean, James is very blunt.

If you have faith that isn't matched with the works that gives evidence that you have tasted faith, your faith is dead.

And he gets very practical.

If you have someone who's in poverty and in need, and you just say, Well, God be with you, and you don't serve that brother to meet his need, to live out your faith, what is your faith then?

He gets very practical.

It's the gospel is not just proclaimed, it should shape how we live.

Which means the gospel isn't only, friends, about your final destination in eternity.

It is about your daily direction and how you are leading your life to follow Jesus.

The gospel is not just how do I escape hell.

It's not just where you'll spend eternity, but how you walk through the ordinary Tuesdays and Thursdays of life when you wake up.

James presses the good news into the grind of life, whether it's your trials, your words, your relationships, your pocketbooks, your waiting in the midst of trials, all of it, he says, is connected to your faith in Jesus Christ.

I remember in undergrad having to read an excellent book by Nancy Pearcy.

She's a Christian apologist.

The book is called Total Truth.

And in there, she is trying to help Christians build a solid worldview founded on scripture.

And she gives some really good illustrations on there of the danger of Christians who say, I have faith, but I detach my private quote unquote life from my faith.

So when I go to church and when I'm with my church family, that's my Christianity.

We'll talk about Jesus, I'll study the Bible, but when I clock into work, when I With uh co-workers, or I'm outside of church, that's different.

That's a gray area.

I kind of just move how I want to move.

And one of the most stunning examples she gives in that book is two women who were members of the same church, friends, professing believers, and they were nurses at an abortion clinic.

And these women had no connection to does my faith speak to my vocation?

What I choose to do for a living.

And by the grace of God, through some faithful Bible study, these women came to a more faithful understanding of the word and they realized what we are doing is evil.

Our faith should shape where we choose to earn an income.

And this contradicts God's word.

Therefore, I cannot glorify God and kill babies in the womb.

But you would be surprised how common that is.

People who profess the name of Christ, but then lead their lives in ways of, well, the music I listen to, how I spend my time, how I spend my money, who I hang out with, who I choose to pursue a romantic relationship with.

Like those are great areas.

I kind of do what I want.

I go to the Bible in church to like stir me up for the week.

Like give me some proverbs, like some fortune cookie Christianity, so I can, you know, kind of be close to the Lord.

So when I pray, maybe He'll answer my prayer so that I get a great parking space at Costco, or I get the job I want, or I get a good offer on the house I'm looking for.

And that's to treat God as a genie in a sky rather than a father who has redeemed you from your sins and reconciled you to himself.

So James in his letter is very practical.

He is saying, if you have tasted the gift of salvation, it should be demonstrated in your life.

And if you're here this morning and you struggle with that, if you feel the Lord convicting you even now of, you know what, I say I'm a follower of Christ.

I'm not sure if my life is matching up with the fruit.

That is the best knowledge you could have this morning, is to be honest about where you're at with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as I say with my man James, James was a skeptic who grew up with Jesus and didn't even believe in him and ended up coming to faith and becoming a leader in a church.

That is the grace of Jesus Christ.

If that's not a good example of anyone can be saved, I don't know what is.

And do you know how James' story ends?

The Bible doesn't record it, but what's clear in church history is James was ultimately killed for the faith.

So keep this in mind.

Started as a brother growing up in the same household as Jesus, didn't believe, according to John, comes to faith, and he wasn't just a Christian who was like, Yeah, I'm just gonna join the church in Jerusalem.

Like the Lord used him to be a leader in the church of Jerusalem, ended up writing a letter that we're gonna study to encourage Christians abroad, and then ultimately was stoned to death.

According to church history, he might have been first thrown off the temple, survived, and then was stoned brutally to death.

And he did it because he became convinced that the man he grew up with was not his brother, he was the savior of the world.

James the man was a skeptic, turned servant, leading God's people with humility, strong defender of the gospel of grace.

So, friends, I would encourage you as we study this book, don't just listen to James, live out James' words.

Let me give you three three things to take away.

Number one, the gospel isn't just for your eternity, it's for your everyday.

Number two, faith that saves is faith that works.

Be doers of the word, not just hearers.

And third, remember, God's wisdom leads to life, while the world's wisdom, your wisdom, only leads to ruin and self-inflicted suffering.

As we begin this series, James sets the tone in James 1:22.

James 1:22

If we wanted to take one thing from the book of James, it would be this be doers of the word and not hearers only.

Let us not only study James merely for head knowledge, but man, let's ask for God's help to study the book of James for transformation that reflects the glory of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Let's pray, friends.