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8 Nov:  

DEEPER Into James

James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The first teaching point we see in James is how we can and should handle the difficulties and struggles that we encounter in life.

You will notice, as I stipulated last week, that James does not say “feel” all kinds of joy with your trials but “count it” / reckon it, think through your trials and find the joy or comfort you need to endure your difficulties. Numerous other passages speak to having struggles in our lives:         Rom 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulations brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”   

Rom 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” 

And in Philippians we see a similar teaching Philippians 4:6,7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Notice, these passages indicate that these “trials of many kinds”   will   come.                                    It’s not a maybe. It’s a matter of when and how often. And what purpose can these trials serve? James says, “Consider” or “Count” it pure joy. See it as a plus!, not a negative. Not because of what I feel, but because of what I know. I know the test I undergo now produces something in the future if I overcome. To overcome – to persevere – we must have the proper mindset.

Perseverance: Hupermone – staying power. Patient endurance . Literally the word means staying under – and not cracking, not running away. When I do that, we are producing spiritual strength, tenacious faith. Just as muscles grow under weight and pressure – James says the testing, the pressure we are under produces perseverance and   if   we let it do its work—that will lead to growth/maturity. So, when we persevere under pressure the trials prove our faith.

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubt, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”  

Remember from last week this double-mindedness is a person who is not “unsure” but one who is divided – one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the world. Jesus Himself condemned such a person – Mtt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters …. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The kingdom answer here is found in the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ assurance to us that God knows our needs; we are not to worry about the cares of tomorrow (Mtt 6:25) but trust in the Lord. When we look to ourselves and our abilities and our own planning to provide for the future, we are not in unison with the Lord. So James tells us to gain the wisdom we need to make the right decisions and to have the right mindset. – and in order to have that wisdom we must ask God for the direction and understanding we need.

Consider the story of the Orkney fisherman who raged against God as he watched his little boat being destroyed in the storm but had no knowledge that this same storm was also destroying a third of what was called the “Invincible Spanish Armada,” thus saving England from invasion.

I can   think   I know what’s happening from my perspective and blame God—or I can ask him for wisdom and grow in faith to trust Him with my future. Only in this way can we fulfill Paul’s instructions:    Phil 4:6,7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So how should we pray? First and foremost, ask for the peace of mind to deal with your present day trial. Remember the Lord’s Prayer and pray that He guide us into doing what His will is in that situation. Pray for the Lord to give us the wisdom and strength to understand, to accept and follow. So how should I pray? For comfort—for God’s presence and His wisdom!   

And know this - praying for wisdom may not get us what we want, but what we need.       Hebrews 12:5-6, 11 “And have you forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son. … No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  

I am not saying that all trials and struggles come as discipline but in many of our struggles there are going to be lessons that we can learn to become more like our Lord and Savior. Ultimately, that is the desire that should be at the heart of our lives. Jesus Himself prayed in John 17 that we would be united with one another and with the Father/Son.

If we are able to submit and commit ourselves to trusting and faithfully following the will of the Lord then we will be rewarded:  James 1:12 “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Staying faithful through trials, growing in faith and understanding, trusting in the Lord for our future – these will all ensure that our future will see us in eternity with the Father and all His faithful children.

This promise is so important for us to believe that it is given to us in a number of passages:    Romans 3:22 “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe”.        Rom 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”     2 Tim 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.”    Luke 14:13,14  “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the cripple, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Remember – this is the Lord telling, promising us this.      Gal 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”      John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”        1 Peter: 5:4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”     Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

This is how   ALL   our trials will eventually come to an end – with a reward;

this is how   OUR   story will end!!!

Praise the Lord!!!

 

 

1 Nov: JAMES: A BOOK OF WISDOM  Taken from:  “10 Things You Should Know About the Book of James”      www.crossway.org 8/23/’26 David Gibson

The book of James can and should have an impact on our lives because it has a grand central them: the undivided life of God’s people. James writes to show us what the person wholly devoted to God believes and how to display what they think, live, speak, and pray.

The first of Jame’s instructions is one of the most counterintuitive things in the New Testament: James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds”.

James does not say  “feel”  it all joy. He says count it—reckon it, think it through with a clear mind. The logic is this: testing produces steadfastness, and steadfastness produces an undivided life. God uses the furnace (think of three young men in a furnace) of suffering not to destroy us but to refine us, to kill off the dividedness inside us, to press the two halves of our souls back into one. Paul echoes this: Rom 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulations brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out withing our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”    The road to growth and maturity is often times the path of pain. This is not a comfort that removes suffering; it is a framework that explains it. C. S. Lewis captured the grand scale of what God is doing in our pain—he is not renovating a cottage; he is building us into a palace.

A R E     O U R     S T R U G G L E S    D E E P E N I N G    

O U R     F A I T H      &       T R U S T ???

An additional point which Jame’s addresses is the error of “double-mindedness. For example, “You adulterous people” (James 4:4) is a dramatic and powerful pictorial description of a believer who is divided and is therefore two-timing God.

The Greek word for double-minded (James 1:8) is dipsychos—literally “two-souled”—and it appears to be James’s own coinage; a term he invented to name the precise malady he sees in the churches he is addressing. The double-minded person is not the ordinary Christian who wrestles with doubt or struggles to obey; it is the person who is fundamentally divided in their loves. Jesus Himself speaks to this in Mtt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The person trying to serve two masters has one foot is planted with God while the other is still touching down in the world. They love Jesus on Sunday and the world’s way of thinking by Tuesday. Their speech, their treatment of the poor, their attitude toward money, their planning and their praying—all of it reveals a fractured self, a soul going in two directions at once. James wants to name this disease before he prescribes the cure which is found in James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” It is so critical that we follow the instructions in Col. 3:1,2,3 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, NOT on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

A R E   W E    T R Y I N G   TO    S E R V E   T W O    M A S T E R S ?

A third point which James brings to our attention is the problem with a life which is void of evidence that God dwells within us. James 2:24 “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”    This seems to be a contradiction with Paul – Rom 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” But the two apostles are answering different questions. Paul is addressing the anxious sinner, asking, How can I be accepted before a holy God? His answer: by faith and faith alone. James is addressing the complacent believer, asking, Does it matter whether my belief changes anything? His answer: YES! It matters.

A faith that produces no fruit is not a saving faith at all. Paul and James are not contradicting each other; they are complementing each other. James drives this point home – James 2:21,22 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was operating with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected”. This point is clearly illustrated in the parable of the sheep who are invited to inherit the kingdom that was provide for those whose lives were lived according to Jesus – “love your neighbor”.

ARE   W E   R E L Y I N G    O N    “F A I T H  A L O N E”    T O    S A V E    U S ?

A fourth point found in James is his diagnosis of the tongue which goes deeper than speech. The vivid images of James 3—the bit in the horse’s mouth, the ship’s rudder, the forest fire from a single spark—might suggest that James’s answer is simply to speak more carefully. But that is exactly what James says we cannot do. “No human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). His point is not that we need to try harder with our words; his point is that the tongue is the heart’s publisher. What the mouth produces is in perfect harmony with what lies at the bottom of the well. Angry words, gossip, blessing mixed with cursing from the same mouth—these are symptoms, not the disease itself. You don’t correct the symptom –  you change the source. Jesus Himself affirms this:  Luke 6:45 “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”   How we spend our time; what we spend our finances on; what do we do for entertainment; and how we speak to family, friends and loved one speaks volumes on the condition of our heart!

W H A T    F I L L S    Y O U R    H E A R T    A N D

O V E R F L O W S    F R O M    Y O U R    H E A R T ???

 

The vivid images of James 3—the bit in the horse’s mouth, the ship’s rudder, the forest fire from a single spark—might suggest that James’s answer is simply to speak more carefully. But that is exactly what James says we cannot do. “No human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). His point is not that we need to try harder with our words; his point is that the tongue is the heart’s publisher. What the mouth produces is in perfect harmony with what lies at the bottom of the well. Angry words, gossip, blessing mixed with cursing from the same mouth—these are symptoms, not the disease itself. You don’t fix the symptom; you change the source.

James ends where he begins: with the preciousness of God’s people to one another.         The final two verses might appear to be a throwaway addition, but they are in fact the emotional climax of the letter. “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death” (James 5:19–20). After chapters of diagnosis and prescription, James finishes with this: we are worth so much to each other that we must go after one another when we wander. Part of what divides us is our conception of ourselves as islands. The undivided (spirit filled) life is not a solo achievement. It can't be. The second greatest commandment tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Therefore our Christian life is a shared mission. We are healed, in part, by the faithfulness of brothers and sisters who love us enough to come and find us when we are lost. Heb 10:23,24 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

If we are holding fast to our confession, our faith, and if we are putting our faith “to work” then it is impossible that we are not fulfilling the role prescribed in Hebrews and Phil 2:3,4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” And here is some glorious news: James presents a God who is eager to welcome back His wandering people.

At the heart of James 4 is one of the most startling divine responses in all of Scripture. James has just called his readers “adulterous people”—they have been unfaithful to God, in bed with the world, two-timing the one who loves them. Isn’t this at the heart of the parable of the “Prodigal Son”. A son who disrespects his father and squanders his inheritance and then comes back to his father wanting forgiveness and help.

Any normal jilted lover would respond with cold anger, withdrawal, rejection. Instead, God says: “Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you” (James 4:8). The Prodigal Father, with open arms unconditionally welcomes his son back with full status. God chooses to fully welcome back those who have betrayed Him. He calls back the ones who have gone elsewhere  as the “Lost Sheep” parable illustrates. God offers grace (James 4:6).

The truth of this is superbly illustrated time and again in Israel’s history of unfaithfulness, repentance and forgiveness/restoration:  Ezek 11:17,19,20 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, ‘I will gather you from the peoples (which I sent you into) and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”  “And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.”

H O W    I S     Y O U R     H E A R T?

A R E     Y O U     G R O W I N G    I N     K N O W L E D G E,

T R U T H    A N D    L O V E???