"The Prayer of Faith" -- James 5:12-20

The Eleventh (and final) in a Series of Sermons on the Book of James

What is the most important thing that a persecuted and suffering church can do?  The answer is so obvious that we easily overlook it.  Pray!  In the final verses of his epistle, James wraps up with an exhortation to the suffering Christians of the Dispersion to seek the power of God through prayer.  James reminds them that prayer is the means through God sustains his people, especially during times of great trial.  Sadly, many in our day have turned James’ exhortation to pray for healing into a mantra through which God will supposedly heal all of our diseases–if only we dare claim what I rightfully ours.  Instead of seeing James’ exhortation to pray as the means through which God sustains us in the midst of our trials, faith-healers have turned James’ words into the magical “abracadabra” enabling us to “claim our miracle.”  It always amazes me that persecuted Jewish Christians to whom James is writing never understood James in this way, yet prosperous Americans, who have never known a moment of persecution in their lives, take James to be promising them health and wealth.  What James is doing is reminding persecuted Christians that God has heard their cries, and he stands ever ready to help in time of need.  All they need do is ask.

We now come to the conclusion of our series on the Book of James, as we make our way through the final verses of chapter five.  I hope this series has been as helpful and interesting to you as it has been to me.  There is much here for us and I hope you now feel as at home in the Book of James as you do in the letters of Paul.

While some have thought that the Book of James is nothing more than warmed over Jewish legalism, we have seen how that sentiment could not be further from the truth.  James does not contradict Paul when it comes to justification, and when interpreted correctly, James reminds us of the importance of good works, as well as the need for us to be more than mere “hearers” of the word.  In fact, James has taught us that it is God who brings us forth (from death to life) through the preached word, then implants that word with in us, thereby ensuring that we hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  James exhorts struggling Christians to draw near to God, because James knows God’s promise that God will draw near to us whenever we seek his face.  James reminds that when we humble ourselves, God responds by exalting us.  James tells us that whenever we seek God’s grace, God is willing to give us even more grace.  James is very clear that from beginning to end, the Christian life is grounded in the grace of God, who has promised to see us through all of the trials of life.  And the way in which God sees us through the trials of life is through prayer, the subject of this sermon.

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"Until the Coming of the Lord" -- James 5:1-12

The Tenth in a Series of Sermons on the Book of James

Throughout the decade or so after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, Jewish Christians who lived in Palestine and Syria faced very difficult circumstances.  In the Palestine of James’ day (the mid-forties of the first century) the act of confessing that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah would have been a costly one.  Many Jews living in Jerusalem became Christians.  But many more sided with the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious leadership) and saw in Jesus a messianic pretender who diverted the nation’s attention away from the pressing issue of the day–overthrowing Rome’s occupation of their homeland.  James is writing to Christians who have paid a great price to profess their faith in Jesus.  Many of his readers had been driven out of the Jerusalem area into the surrounding countryside.  In the opening verse of this letter, James addressed them as “the Dispersion.”  As religious refugees, these people were often at the mercy of wealthy landowners, who were exploiting them for personal gain.  It was a difficult time and place to be a Christian.  James writes both to offer them words of encouragement and to exhort them not to mere hearers of the word.  James reminds his audience that there is a day of judgment yet to come when all of these wrongs will be made right.  But until that day comes, God’s people must be patient.

We return to our series on the Epistle of James.  We are quickly coming to the end of this series as we make our way into the fifth and closing chapter.  We now take up the first half of chapter five (verses 1-12), while next time, Lord willing, we’ll take up the final section of this letter (verses 13-20).
 
As we have seen throughout our study of James, James attributes the salvation of his hearers/readers to the grace of God, who has brought them forth (to new life) through the preached word.  James has told of how God implanted that word within them, and how these same Christians hold fast to their faith in Jesus, “the Lord of glory.”  James has told us how the law of God exposes us to be law-breakers, but then goes on to describe how for a Christian, the law of God is a law of liberty.  Having been justified by the merits of Christ, the law now serves as our guide for living the Christian life and doing good works.

James has told us that the faith which justifies us, is a faith which manifests itself in good works.  True religion can be seen through very specific actions–the taming of our tongues, the care of widows and orphans, avoiding worldliness (thinking and acting like a pagan), and through treating rich and poor with equal respect.  James has warned us about our sinful passions at war within us.  He has told us how these sinful passions produce jealousy and quarreling, how these passions lead us to seek our own way so as to exalt ourselves over others.  James has warned us that because our lives are short, we should not boast about tomorrow.  He has comforted us with the reminder that if we draw near to God, God will draw near to us, and that if we seek grace, God is willing to give us more grace.  James has told us to seek wisdom from above, because if we do so, we will experience a harvest of righteousness.  Indeed, if we humble ourselves before God, God will exalt us.  James’ emphasis upon humility continues into chapter 5.

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"If the Lord Wills" -- James 4:13-17

The Ninth in a Series of Sermons on the Book of James

We live in an age of remarkable technological advance.  At the touch of a keystroke, the world is at our finger tips via the world-wide web.  When we launch men and women into space, we hardly even pay attention, because it is now so common place.  We live in a country which has more wealth, and greater prosperity than any country the earth has ever known.  On average, we live longer than our forbears, we are taller, stronger, and medical science can cure much of what ails us.  We have cracked the human genome, and advances in DNA research hold out great hope for curing disease and extending life.  As Americans, we are proud, confident, self-sufficient, and beholden to no one.  We live at a time when fifty is the new forty, youth culture dominates, and we act like we’ll live forever.  Yet behind the facade of life in modern America is the stark reality found in the end of the fourth chapter of James.  As James dares to remind us, when viewed from the perspective of eternity, our lives are nothing but a mist (a vapor).  We appear for but a short time and then we quickly disappear.  While some may take James’ assertion as an expression of the futility of life, nothing could be further from the truth.  James is poking a very large hole in sinful human pride, and is continuing his exhortation that Christians must humble themselves before God.  None of us will seek grace, unless and until we see our need for grace.  This is James’ point in the final verses of James chapter 4.  The surest way to be humbled is to consider the precarious nature of human life and be reminded that God determines our future and that we do not.

As we continue our series on the Book of James, we now wrap-up chapter four, as we cover verses 13-17, which is actually part of a larger section which runs all the way to James 5:11.  Although there is a good case to be made for treating this entire section of James at one time, the point James makes about the fleeting nature of human life in the final verses of chapter 4, is one which is especially important given the fact that we’ve recently lost a beloved member of our congregation, and we have been reminded yet again of just how short life can be.  While we don’t like to talk about it, all of this forces to face our own death and to realize that the sovereign God controls our future.  More to the point, it is good to be reminded that we must live each day in the light of eternity.  That is what James is doing here.  James is giving us the best possible reason to humble ourselves–in light of eternity, our lives are very short.  The truth is that we do not control our destinies, God does.

Even though there is great temptation for us to allow our great technological advances and material prosperity to hide the fact that we will not live forever, James reminds us of the stark reality that life can be very short, and that God holds our destinies in the palm of his eternal hand.  People who think they control their own destinies will have a very hard time humbling themselves, or seeing their need to draw near to God.  To use James’ terminology, people who think they control their own future will very easily become friends with the world.  They are well-satisfied with the wisdom of this age.  These are people who like to hear, but they never quite get around to doing.  Such people do not seek grace from God, and remain enslaved to their sinful passions.  They see no need to change anything.  They have heard, professed, and are remarkably self-sufficient.  What more do they need to do?

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"Draw Near to God" -- James 4:4-12

The Eighth in a Series of Sermons on the Book of James

When people cite verses from the Book of James, often times they cite them from our text–the middle portion of James chapter 4.  Not only do we often hear the words of James 4:8, “draw near to God and he will draw near to you,” used as an evangelistic appeal (incorrectly, I might add), but many Christians are familiar with the verses, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6) and “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).  It is remarkable how often these verses are lifted from their context and used in ways in which James likely did not intend.  Therefore, it is important to treat these verses in the overall context of James’ epistle, so as to understand them correctly, because these verses not only warn us of the danger of allying ourselves with the world, and judging others, but these same verses also direct us to seek the grace of God, which he has freely promised to give us in the person of his son.

We continue our series on the Book of James and we are working our way through James chapter 4.  Since we have much ground to cover–even though there are only nine verses in our passage–I want to briefly put this section of James into context before we get started.  If you were not here for the first sermon in this series, I would encourage you to pick up a copy in the bookstore.  With the Book of James context is everything.  It is very important that we understand the background to this letter as we work through it.  We need to keep in mind the purpose for which this letter was written, as well as the date and background of the author, who in this case, is the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who is writing to persecuted Jewish Christians scattered throughout Palestine and Syria. 

Based upon the various exhortations we find in the Book of James, we can see some of the issues which were troubling the congregations to which he is writing.  James recounts how professing Christians were discriminating against the poor, and showing favoritism to the rich.  James tells us why it is so important for us to tame our tongues (because our words can be so destructive), as well as explaining why we must seek wisdom from above (so that we do not rely upon the wisdom of this age).  James has warned us of the dangers of worldliness, which is thinking and acting like those non-Christians who were persecuting the churches.  In chapter 4, James addresses the question of Christian behavior in terms of considering our fundamental alliance with God and his saving purposes in Jesus Christ.  If we are allied with God through faith in Christ, we cannot behave as though we were allied with those who hate the gospel.

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"Wisdom from Above" -- James 3:13-4:3

The Seventh in a Series of Sermons on The Book of James

In the opening chapter of his epistle, James exhorts us to be “doers” of the word and not to remain mere hearers only.  In the second chapter, James tells us that good works are the necessary fruit of a justifying faith.  But that, of course, raises the question, “just what, exactly, does it mean to be a “doer of the word?”  What kind of good works give evidence of a justifying faith?  In the third chapter of his epistle, James addresses a number of specific issues which were plaguing the churches to which he is writing.  When James exhorts Christians to act in line with their profession of faith in Christ, James is actually informing his reader what it means to “do.”  James also describes some of the good works which should stem from our faith in Christ.  Doing the word means taming our tongues (control our speech), because our words can be so destructive.  Doing the word means seeking true wisdom from above, because this wisdom enables us to live in peace with one another, and will help us in the struggle to get our sinful natures under control.  In doing these things, we demonstrate that we are not “mere” hearers of the word, and we will also manifest those good works which James says are the sign of saving faith.

We are continuing our series on the Book of James, as we move into the last part of chapter 3 and the opening verses of James chapter 4, where James directs his readers to the importance of seeking heavenly wisdom from above.  In order to “do” we need to know what to do, as well as “how” to do it.  As James will explain to his audience, when Christians live in light of God’s wisdom–and stop relying upon our own passions–we will live in such a way that our lives will be characterized by what James calls a harvest of righteousness.  We will be at peace with our brothers and sisters, and God will help us to keep our sinful passions in check.  But should we insist upon following our own sinful passions, our behavior will remain unchecked, and our churches will suffer the consequences–quarrels, disputes, and chaos.

As James spells out some of the specific issues facing the churches to which he is writing, the brother of our Lord identifies one of the chief culprits for their troubles as earthly ways of thinking and doing (worldliness).  From the circumstances to which James alludes, apparently, the churches of the dispersion were facing great internal disorder and chaos, they were quarreling and fighting with each other, there was jealousy among the members, there was discrimination against the poor, and favoritism shown toward the rich–and this in addition to a number of other things catalogued by James.  So, while James will identify jealousy, ambition, boasting, along with a number of other sinful human actions as stemming from that which is earthly (worldliness), it is not a stretch to see that all of the sinful behavior which James describes, and which Christians must strive to correct, stems from a reliance upon that which seems to be right to us (and therefore based upon our own wisdom), but which conflicts with the law of God (in which the wisdom of God is on display).

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"It Boasts of Great Things" -- James 3:1-12

The Sixth in a Series of Sermons on the Book of James

Living in Southern California, we are all far too familiar with frightening scenes of wind-driven brush fires consuming everything in their path. When a brush fire strikes, vital watershed, expensive properties and homes are destroyed in minutes. People and animals are displaced, the skies turn black, and panic is the rule of the day. And yet as James reminds us, a more painful kind of damage can be done almost instantaneously by the human tongue. The words which we speak are capable of great destruction. Just as a small spark can create a horrific fire, our words can inflict great personal pain, or even destroy someone’s reputation which they’ve worked a lifetime to build. And then there is the fact that our words reveal how deeply and thoroughly sin resides in our hearts. The words which we speak reveal to everyone our deepest thoughts, they reveal our true character, and they expose how wise we may or may not be. A brush fire causes great havoc and damage. But the damage done by a fire, often pales in comparison to the damage which can be done by the human tongue.

We resume our series on the Book of James. When we left off last time, we discussed one of the most controversial passages in all the Bible–James 2:14-26. In that passage, James makes his case that a living faith (i.e., a justifying faith) is a faith which inevitably manifests itself in good works. James has carefully set out the cause and effect relationship between regeneration, faith, and good works. In James 1:18, our Lord’s brother told us that God has brought us forth (regeneration) through the word of truth (the gospel). In verse 21, James speaks of how that same word has been implanted in our souls, giving rise to faith (James 2:1). Believers are to receive that word with meekness and humility. And that same word, which is able to save our souls, is also to be obeyed. Says James in verse 22 of chapter one, “be doers of the word and not mere hearers only.”

Then in James 2:10, James has told us that the law of God exposes all us to be sinners, since if we break but a single commandment, we are as guilty as though we had broken every commandment. Sin but a single time and God regards us as a law-breakers. And yet, since Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law through his own perfect obedience to the Lord’s commandments, and because Jesus Christ has died for all of those times we have failed to keep the law, for the Christian, the law is now described as a “law of liberty.” As James puts it, the Christian who gazes upon the law preservers during trials. Such a person is a doer who acts. But the one who only hears, but does not do, is like someone who looks at himself in a mirror and then immediately forgets what he looks like. The law exposes sin, reckons people law-breakers, and smokes out those who are mere hearers of the word only. When such people make a profession of faith in Christ, that profession is not accompanied by good works. They may claim to follow Christ, but give no hint of actually following him. They “hear” but they do not “do.”

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"Faith Apart from Works Is Dead" -- James 2:14-24

The Fifth in a Series of Sermons on the Epistle of James

It would be hard to find a passage of Scripture which is more controversial than James 2:14-26. The reason for the controversy is James’ assertion in verse 24 that “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” On its face, this seems to fly in the face of a number of passages in Paul’s letters where Paul appears to be saying the exact opposite thing. Take, for example, Galatians 2:16. “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Those who believe that the justification of sinners is a process which is not complete until death (Rome), view James’ assertion here as a classic proof-text which supports this view. But those who see justification as an instantaneous declaration made about the sinner because the merits of Christ are imputed to them through the means of faith, seem to stumble all over James’ declaration that works are somehow tied to justification, and that we are not justified by faith alone. But as we will see, James and Paul do not contradict each other. In fact, when James’ assertion is put in its proper context, there is nothing whatsoever in James 2 which conflicts with the doctrine of justification sola fide.

As we have been making our way through the Epistle of James, we come the second half of James chapter 2. I have mentioned throughout our series that this section of James is somewhat of a sore spot to confessional Protestants who champion Paul’s doctrine of justification. One reason for this is because when addressing justification, the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (Canon X)–Rome’s official response to the Protestant Reformation–teach that justification is a day to day process, depending upon how effectively people submit themselves to God’s grace, so that they increase their justification over time, and hopefully, attain final justification. James 2:24 is cited by the Council of Trent as a proof-text supporting Rome’s view that justification is a process connected to the merit of our good works.

Granted, James seems to be saying something quite different than Paul. And those who oppose the Reformation doctrine of justification often seize upon comments made by James in this chapter to prove that we are not justified by faith alone, but that we are justified by faith plus continual inward transformation, and the performance of good works which merit (earn) a reward from God.

Let me be clear here. Yes, James is saying something quite different from Paul is saying. But James is not contradicting Paul. The two men are addressing two completely different issues. And this is the critical point we need to keep in mind as we proceed. Recall that in our first sermon on James, I labored to establish the fact that James wrote this epistle sometime in the mid 40's of the first century. If you’ve not heard that first sermon, I would encourage you to get a copy because the date of writing of this epistle, understanding the context in which it was written, and then keeping in mind the specific issue which James is addressing, is the key to understanding James’ teaching on justification. When these factors are in place, the supposed controversy between James and Paul, and the apparent contradiction between James 2:24 and passages like Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:28, is easily resolved. In fact, there is no contradiction, since James is addressing a completely different matter than Paul is addressing.

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"A Transgressor of the Law" -- James 2:1-13

The Fourth in a Series of Sermons on the Epistle of James

Christianity is a revolutionary religion which utterly confounds those who do not have faith in Christ. Sinful human nature tells us that good people go to heaven and that bad people go to hell. But Christianity teaches that God justifies the wicked. Sinful human nature tells us that the standard by which we judge people is external: beauty, fame, accomplishments, power, and fortune. But Christianity teaches that God’s standard of judgment is the Ten Commandments.

In the first-century world in which the Epistle of James was written, society was dominated by social castes and wealthy land-owners. But James tells his audience that Christians must show no partiality, either to the rich, or to the poor. Furthermore, James points out how flawed human judgment can be when it comes to matters of sin and salvation. Sinful human nature tells us that people who have more good deeds than bad deeds somehow make it to heaven. But James tells us that God is not going to grade the final exam for eternal life on a curve–God’s passing mark is 100% perfect obedience. In fact, as James will point out, commit but a single sin, and God regards you as a law-breaker, guilty of breaking all of his commandments.

In this sense, Christianity is an utterly revolutionary religion because it completely levels the human playing field. All of us are sinners who deserve to be punished. This is why we have no business judging anyone else. God saves sinners based not upon their merits, but upon the merits of Christ. And once saved by the merits of Christ, all manner of good works spring forth. Non-Christians simply cannot understand this because this is so contrary to sinful human nature.

As we continue our series on the Epistle of James we now make our way into the first thirteen verses of James chapter 2. In this section of his epistle, James takes up a discussion of the evils of discrimination, in particular the way in which wealthy land-owners and merchants throughout Palestine and Syria were exploiting those in James’ audience who were suffering this persecution and hardship because of their loyalty to Christ. Many of those to whom this epistle is addressed–the twelve tribes of the diaspora (persecuted Jewish Christians)–had been cut off from all ties to family, work, and both the temple and the synagogue, because they became followers of Jesus. Evicted from the synagogue and rejected by their families, many joined newly formed house-churches, but were being looked down upon in these assemblies because of their poverty, an important pastoral matter James now addresses head-on.

In many ways, this section of James amounts to the author fleshing out several of the comments he made at the end of the first chapter. In verse 22, James exhorted his audience to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” In verse 27, James spoke of the need to show compassion to the poor. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Therefore, the theme of this next section of James–a theme to which James will return in chapter five–is that discrimination against the poor is a violation of the law of God. In fact, based upon what James has said in chapter one about those who hear the word but do not do the word, it is not a stretch to conclude that those who use worldly standards to judge each other in self-righteousness are actually self-deceived. The standard of measurement which counts is not someone’s opinion, or their sinful prejudices. The standard of measurement that God uses is his law. And when we are measured against that standard, all of us quickly realize that we are sinners.

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"The Law of Liberty" -- James 1:19-37

The Third in a Series of Sermons on the Book of James

In the most direct and pointed of terms, the Book of James exhorts Christians to do good works. According to James–the brother of Jesus–God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. One of these good and perfect gifts is the fact that God has brought us forth from death to life through the means of his word (the preaching of the gospel). But James goes on to point out that since believers have been brought to life through the preached word, believers are therefore to obey that same word which has given them life. James directs us not only to hear the word, but do the word, which simply means that we are to obey the commandments given by God to his people. We are to do this not to become Christians, but because we already are Christians. We will obey the commandments of God as revealed in the perfect law of liberty, because God has given us a living faith, which not only hears, but does.

As we continue our series on the Book of James, we now move into the last half of the first chapter (verses 19-27). In these verses, James makes the point that those who have been brought forth by God, need to obey the word which has given them life. To put it yet another way, true, genuine, saving faith, necessarily leads to the production of good works. The relationship between the new birth and good works–an important theme in the Book of James—is an essential aspect of Christian doctrine. But this is also a topic about which many Christians are woefully confused. So we’ll begin by taking up the subject of the relationship between regeneration and good works as the means to prepare us to make our way through verses 19-27 of the first chapter of James, where persecuted Jewish Christians are exhorted by James to be doers of the word and not mere hearers only.

I have been attempting to make the case that the proper way to interpret the Book of James is to place this book in its historical context. With this book, context is everything. If you were not here for the first sermon in this series, I would strongly encourage you to pick up a copy from the bookstore. I have been arguing that James was quite likely the first book written in our New Testament, and that this epistle was written at some point in the mid 40's of the first century. As we saw last time, the original audience was persecuted Jewish Christians who were scattered throughout Palestine. Written before the controversy over justification broke out between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Asia Minor in A.D. 48, James is writing to exhort Jewish believers to live in a manner which is consistent with their profession of faith.

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"Ask in Faith" -- James 1:1-18

The Second in a Series of Sermons on the Epistle of James

I wish I could stand here and promise you that God will not call you to suffer. I wish that I could tell you that living the Christian life is a very easy thing. But I can’t do that. The reason is simple. Neither of these things are true. As many of you know first-hand, God does indeed call us to suffer–some of us much more than others. And all of us who place our trust in Jesus know full-well that the Christian life often includes difficult trials designed to test our faith. Suffering, trials, temptations, and the testing of our faith, are all realities of the Christian life. And all of these difficult issues are raised in the opening chapter of the Book of James, a letter written to persecuted Christians living during the most trying of times.

This morning, we’ll jump right in and make our way through the first eighteen verses of the opening chapter of James. Last time, we spent a great deal of time on introductory matters–which are very important when it comes to interpreting this book correctly. In the introductory sermon, I attempted to make my case that we can best interpret this epistle by looking carefully at James’ role in apostolic history, which, I think, serves to eliminate many of the difficulties which are often raised by those who seek to pit James against Paul, and who see this book as nothing more than Jewish legalism. So, if you were not here last time, I strongly encourage you pick up a copy of last week’s sermon in the bookstore, because much of what we’ll be doing in the coming weeks grows directly out of the historical context which I labored to establish in the opening sermon.

To briefly recap, if the Book of James was written before the Jerusalem Council in A.D. 48 as recounted in Acts 15, this means that James is writing before the controversy between Jewish and Gentile Christians over justification broke out in the Galatian churches. An early date for the Book of James is an important key to resolving the supposed controversy between James and Paul over the doctrine of justification. James’ Epistle was very likely written before any of the gospels were written, and during that time in the mid-40's when Christianity was rapidly spreading throughout Jerusalem, Palestine, and Syria. This time frame helps us to identify James’ original audience (persecuted Jewish Christians), as well as the purpose for which this epistle was written–to exhort these persecuted Christians, to put their faith in Christ into action. James does not contradict Paul. Paul is dealing with a controversy between Jewish and Gentile Christians over the doctrine of justification, while James is writing to exhort struggling Jewish Christians not to be satisfied with being mere hearers of the word only. James is exhorting his reader to be a doer of the word, which is important counsel to persecuted Christians.

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