HOFC Sermon Archive: Book of James Part 1: Introduction

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SERMON TIMELINE

1. Introduction to the Book of James

INTRODUCTION

Today is Sunday. May 5^th, 2024

We have spent the last 16 months breaking down Christianity and our part in the Body of Christ in five consecutive sermon series, including What is a Christian, Fruits of the Spirit, The Full Armor of God, Spiritual Gifts, and Serving the Lord.

Now that we have defined the essence, we can delve even deeper into the word to glean meaning and purpose in our Christian walk.

I am currently working on an article, which I may have to break into a series of articles, on examining ourselves to see if we are in the faith, as we are instructed to do in 2 Corinthians 13:5.

The one test we DO NOT want to fail!

So it seemed fitting to get into one of my favorite books of the bible. The Epistle of James.

Here, we will find encouragement in a trial, instruction for wisdom in living out our faith, and solid ground for our moral stand.

It is a short book of less than 1800 words that can be read in about 20 minutes!

However, close examination and thought must be used to understand what the Holy Spirit wants us to get from it. It is easy to read but profound.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

James 1:1 The Humble Greeting

“James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,”

I. OVERVIEW OF THE EPISTLE OF JAMES

a. The basic facts

i. James is the 20^th book in the New Testament, found between Hebrews and 1^st Peter.

ii. It contains five chapters, written between 44-49AD.

iii. The Keywords in this General Epistle are “Faith” (mentioned 12 times) and “Works” or “Doers” (mentioned 18 times).

iv. The overall message, and one of the reasons I love the Epistle of James so much, is because the message is “Faith Shown by Works.”

1. A call to believers to be proactive and take action

2. Live out your faith

3. Take your belief and live it

b. Who is the author?

i. Most scholars agree that it is James, the half-brother of Jesus.

1. Of course, in scripture, he is just referred to as;

a. The Brother of Jesus

b. James the Just

ii. I have mentioned before how some of Jesus’ family opposed Him early on.

1. When His mother and brothers showed up to see Him, Jesus replied to the disciples in Mark 3:33-35 “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

iii. James opposed the earthly ministry of Jesus but converted after Jesus appeared to him after the crucifixion in I Corinthians 15:7.

1. James became a man of prayer.

2. And was made Overseer of the Jerusalem church, and unlike the other apostles, never left Jerusalem.

a. Acts 15:13-21; Galatians 2:9

iv. According to the writings of Josephus (Flavius Josephus was a Roman-Jewish scholar and historian who was also an overseer of the Pharisees and Sadducees), James was martyred around 62AD.

1. This happened during Josephus’s life, so he is a good source of information.

2. Josephus makes it very simple. Ananus gathered the Sanhedrin, accused James of violating the Law along with some others, and had them all stoned. Consequently, Albinus removed Ananus from his position of high priest upon his arrival.

3. I own a copy of the complete works of Josephus, and it comes in handy occasionally for historical reference from a non-Christian perspective.

c. Purpose of the Epistle

i. We are told in James 1:2 that it is written to the twelve tribes of Israel who have been scattered abroad.

ii. Though the Epistle of James does not contain much doctrine, it is still widely loved for its instruction and wisdom.

iii. It is even called “the proverbs of the New Testament” by some.

II. VIEWS ON FAITH

a. The Father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther

i. Once considered the Epistle of James a “disputed book” and only included it in an appendix in his biblical canon.

ii. Luther even called it the “epistle of straw.”

iii. Why? Luther failed to grasp the description of faith and works and thought them to be incompatible with justification.

iv. Luther later published a collection of Christian Conical texts in 1529 for clergy, which included the Epistle of James. Luther not only changed his view of it but also treated it as the authoritative word of God.

1. A good note to remember for those who think they have obtained a full understanding of text and can no longer learn anything from it

2. Luther is the father of the protestant movement, writing his Ninety-Five Thesis in 1517, beginning the official break from Catholicism for Christians, yet did not understand the Epistle of James until nearly twelve years later.

v. We must never stop our study and never assume we understand everything.

vi. God’s word is alive, and we can always learn from it if we find understanding more critical than personal views, emotions, feelings, or personal experiences.

1. NOTHING trumps the word of God.

b. Trials and Tribulations and the Need for Faith with Action

i. Jewish Christians were suffering many trials and tribulations and tests of their faith at this time

1. James is writing to both comfort and encourage them.

ii. Christianity was a “new” faith then, and James writes to correct grave disorders in the early assemblies.

1. James wanted to “marry” faith and works.

2. At the time, justification by faith caused many to abandon works altogether.

iii. This Epistle is truly a compliment to Paul's writings.

iv. i.e. The PROOF that I am justified by my faith is seen in my works.

c. How easy it is to overlook this book

i. It is a small book, only five chapters, and can be read in a very short time.

ii. Though little actual doctrine is found within it, much practice and much about morals are here.

iii. James is a very practical work on how to live what you preach.

iv. A Book of Holy Living, if you will

v. Though some see James as fragmented and broken in thought, you will find a beautiful order and divine inspiration when closely studying.

III. THE FIVE CHAPTERS

a. The Five Chapters

i. The first chapter looks at handling trials and the differences between listening to the word and doing it.

ii. The second addresses favoritism, faith, and deeds.

iii. The third speaks of the problems with our tongues, bitter envy, and selfish ambition.

iv. The fourth chapter of James is about humility, submission, and God’s Will.

v. Lastly, a warning to the rich, some verses about patience in suffering, and the prayer of faith.

b. Practices and morals; work, and doing

i. James covers many things in this short book.

ii. How our faith is tested and presented to others by our temptations

iii. How our faith is shown by our works

iv. How our faith is shown by our words

v. How our faith is shown by how we are not worldly

vi. How our faith is shown while we are under cruel and unjust treatment

vii. And how our faith is shown by our believing and effectual prayers

c. We see James’ Character in this book

i. And we, too, should be inspired!

ii. Encouraged!

CONCLUSION

Though this Epistle was written to the Jewish Christians of the first century, we face many of the same trials today, especially around the world, where follower's lives are in constant danger just for believing.

We are so blessed to live in a country where we can worship, own a bible, pray, and serve the Lord in so many ways. Are you taking advantage of that freedom that young men and women have literally died for?

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