Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- James
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. And ⁓ we are continuing our journey through Scripture. ⁓ we're going to be looking at the book of James. So I encourage you to read the book of James. ⁓ this ⁓ book was was written by none other than James. Now there is ⁓ some ⁓ disagreement on exactly which James this is. ⁓ traditionally this is ⁓ seen as ⁓ James, the brother of Jesus. We know that ⁓ he became ⁓ a a mainstay in the early church. Paul mentions ⁓ how ⁓ Jesus' brother James ⁓ became a leader in the church. ⁓ it kind of seems as when Peter left Jerusalem, ⁓ James kind of took his place in a sense, ⁓ in leadership in the church, ⁓ there in Jerusalem. So so James, Jesus' brother had a ⁓ a big influence. you know You can make some ⁓ arguments that this may not be him, but obviously it was a James that ⁓ was very involved in the in the church. ⁓ that there's, you know, a little bit of debate like there is with everything in the in the Bible, exactly when it was written. we have lots of very ancient documents, but you can it's hard to tell exactly when the original ⁓ would have been ⁓ written. ⁓ but this doesn't really talk about ⁓ some of the controversy ⁓ of the circumcision and things like that. So so many people put that really early before those controversies had happened. ⁓ some think it's later. It ultimately it doesn't doesn't really matter. ⁓ James is an interesting book though, ⁓ because there has been other controversy on it. For example, Martin Luther, ⁓ who if you know your church history, Martin Luther ⁓ was Catholic, but he is the one who broke away from the Catholics ⁓ and started what we know as ⁓ the Protestant movement. And one of his biggest things was being saved by grace alone. ⁓ right, the he he was seeing all of these other things being added that you had to do, ⁓ w ⁓ that the church was requiring people to do in order to to have salvation and he was like l reading in scripture and he like, No, it's by by faith ⁓ alone, right? By having faith that G God has ⁓ redeemed you and saved you from your sin. So so that was his big push. Well, James is a lot about action. It says faith without works is dead. ⁓ and so ⁓ Martin Luther did not like it. He called it an epistle of straw, right? And a letter of straw. He w he didn't think it should even be in. but I I think it that was because of his perspective of what he was pushing back against at the time. the reality is is our our faith, our salvation, ⁓ comes ⁓ from faith alone. It is a belief in Christ. We can do nothing to earn our salvation. We can there's no actions that we can take that will bring us to salvation. ⁓ however, also true is faith, our faith without works is dead. So if If our faith is not changing us, is not producing fruit within us, that it doesn't impact the way that we live our life, then it's not really true faith at all. Right? So it's both of those things. And you know, this has been argued argued so long, it really just just step back, think about it, it makes sense. If you say that you believe in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. And that you accept his forgiveness, then you are saved. If you do that, that will lead to a change in action, a change in the way that you live your life, that you will start striving to live your life as ⁓ Christ calls us to live that life. Right? That that only makes sense. So if you're not doing one of those, then may maybe you need to think, d do I really believe. ⁓ in who Jesus is. Because Jesus has saved you from your sins, yes, but he's also called you to live a life in him. So James, you ⁓ i is dealing a lot with kind of the the rich and the poor. not a lot, I I mean but he does mention that quite a bit, which makes sense. ⁓ especially in that ⁓ time, you either had or you had nothing. ⁓ there was basically no middle class. ⁓ most of the people who were becoming Christians were poor. ⁓ and so it was learning how do we deal with that, how how do we ⁓ handle that. And guess what? These words are for whether you are rich or poor. ⁓ you know, the the the the truths in here apply to both. And this is not to elevate the poor above the rich, ⁓ or vice versa. ⁓ it is ⁓ these are these are words that are true into how we practically live out our faith, ⁓ especially ⁓ in relation to one another. So as you go through James, it talks a lot about trials of how to to deal with difficult circumstances. Cause again, most of the people, they were going through very difficult times. And guess what? Whether you are rich or poor, you are going to go through those times. And so it starts off, ⁓ I I encourage you to read through all of the book of James. Sometimes it's kind of like ⁓ Proverbs in a sense, ⁓ right? Here's another wisdom. ⁓ kind of moves in in a different way throughout the letter. ⁓ but it starts off ⁓ it says, ⁓ my brethren, this is verse two, ⁓ count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁓ so again, changing your perspective. Once you have faith in Jesus Christ, your perspective on things should change. So now we should view trials as ⁓ as opportunities that God will use those ⁓ to bring us closer to Him. Says verse 4, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁓ if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to ⁓ all To all liberally and without reproach. So ask God for wisdom as we go through the difficulties and the unfairness and the injustice of life. ⁓ down to verse twelve Blessed is the man who endures temptation. ⁓ for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life. Right? ⁓ and then it says, Do not say that God is tempting me. That does not come from God. ⁓ verse 14. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ⁓ then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown, gives b ⁓ birth brings forth death. So again, this is goes back to the garden, right? That ⁓ it starts with something small and then it grows to become sin and because it turns into action and then it leads to death. ⁓ we are all Subject to certain desires. Now it's different within each person. There are some that are fairly common amongst ⁓ most of us as humans. ⁓ but ⁓ each of us are gonna have different temptations. ⁓ and those temptations do not come from God. ⁓ so so do not say that God is tempting you to sin. God does not tempt you to sin. but but rather Are we going to turn to God when we start experiencing those temptations, or are we going to start exploring them? Which if we do that, that will lead to sin, ⁓ which ultimately leads to death. verse sixteen, do not be deceived. Every good and perfect gift is from above. Comes down for the Father of lights, with whom there is no ⁓ variation, no changing or shadow of turning of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. That we might be the kind of first fruits of his creation. Ken, how often do you see, just through all of scripture, truth that God is truth? And here we are living in this stupid time where we we are arguing whether there is truth or all these multiple truths and everyone can have their own truth. Listen, we may disagree with what is true. I that is very normal and that is human, but there is obviously one truth. ⁓ ⁓ James continues, talks about kind of the different qualities that you need whenever you're going through t trials, whenever you're going through difficult times. Verse 19 says, ⁓ so then, let every man be swift to hear, so quick to listen, right, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the ⁓ wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Right? What if we all just took that advice? Be quick to listen, slow to speak. Right, slow to get angry. ⁓ man that that would certainly help how you handle the challenges that you face. ⁓ so it talks about being doers and not hearers only, right? We need to be active, we need to live out our faith. Verse twenty two, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror. He observed, goes away, and then forgets what he looks like. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, right? The living the according to the following the law of God actually is what brings freedom. ⁓ and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. ⁓ so again, how important it is that we are doers ⁓ of the word. ⁓ verse twenty seven pure and undefiled religion before God. ⁓ and the father is this, to visit orphans, widows and their trouble, to keep oneself unspotted from the world. ⁓ so to to go and to care about ⁓ those less fortunate and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. So in other words, we're not allowing ourselves to fall in to the false ⁓ truth that the world spews. ⁓ that that is part of what it means to be following God. All right, ⁓ he goes in ⁓ chapter twelve, ⁓ excuse me, chapter two, ⁓ it talks about ⁓ being very aware of personal favoritism, that you do not show favoritism ⁓ to those who have a lot. ⁓ and guess what we also see in the old testament stuff, you also do not so show favoritism to the poor. ⁓ you just don't show favoritism. It's ⁓ it shouldn't be that ⁓ difficult, but it is. ⁓ verse twelve of chapter two, so speak, and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. ⁓ for judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. then ⁓ then the ⁓ famous section with ⁓ faith without works is dead. Excuse me. Says ⁓ verse eighteen, but someone will say, You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my ⁓ my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God, you do well, even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Right? So again, that goes hand in hand. It's not the works that save you, right? But if you have faith, it should lead to works. It's ridiculous how complicated we have made this over the years. ⁓ chapter three talks about the tongue, how powerful the tongue is. It ⁓ it it says, Let not many of you become teachers. knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment that terrifies me. ⁓ and I I do recognize that the things that I say, sometimes people actually listen to. ⁓ and I am responsible for what I am saying. But guess what? That goes for all of us. ⁓ the the way that we use our tongue ⁓ is ⁓ is so important and it and if you ⁓ read through that ⁓ chapter you'll see pretty cool illustrations of of how it talks about the tongue. ⁓ verse five, even so the tongue is a little member and boast great things. ⁓ So so powerful. We can bless and we can curse. The the tongue, our voice, the words that we say make a huge difference, which is it is very important. Don't just say things to get along or to to to comply. ⁓ we need to to make sure that we recognize how how important the words that we say are. ⁓ talks about wisdom, ⁓ heavenly versus demonic wisdom. Says ⁓ verse thirteen, Who who is wise and un understanding among you, let him show by good conduct That his works are done in the meekness of wisdom, but if you have bitter envy and self seeking in your hearts, so if you're envious and that's motivating your actions, or if you're self seeking, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom it does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where envy and self seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are. But wisdom that is from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ⁓ you know, that's the wisdom that we should be seeking. ⁓ and that is wisdom that comes from above. We need to be careful of the self self interest, whenever that is driving ⁓ our our motivation. ⁓ or envy or jealousy, those things are not from above. Now chapter four talks about ⁓ pride. ⁓ it says ⁓ adulterers and adulteresses verse four of chapter four, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God? Or do you not think that Scripture says in vain, the spirit who dwells in us yearns jealousy? God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Again, following God is not easy. It usually goes against the world. And we need to be willing to do that. Now he kind of gets into a lot of short little wisdom sayings. ⁓ it talks about humility, verse seven of chapter four. Therefore submit to God, resist the devil, he will flee from you, draw near to God, he will draw near to you. ⁓ humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, he will lift you up. Ten. It's just talking about humility of recognizing how much we need the Lord. ⁓ it talks about do not judge. ⁓ and again, this is not does it doesn't mean that we don't acknowledge what is sin and what is not, but we are not judging the eternal salvation of people. that is up to to God. ⁓ but we've misused this so much that basically w it's kind of come to, well, don't don't critique any behavior, right? The no behavior. ⁓ w we shouldn't judge anybody's behavior. Well, we're not judging that person and and their soul and the eternity of their soul, but we can say here is sinfulness And this is not sinfulness, because how how can someone come into a relationship with God ⁓ if they do not know what sin is? ⁓ and so just because we talk about what sin is, that doesn't mean that we are judging people who are participating in that sin. ⁓ verse thirteen, do not boast about tomorrow. ⁓ this is again just a bigger perspective. This doesn't mean don't plan for to the future or things like that, but just know ⁓ that ⁓ we are not in control, ⁓ that we do not know what comes tomorrow. ⁓ and so again, where are you putting your trust? Are you putting your trust in your own planning and your own strength ⁓ that could be completely gone tomorrow, or are you putting your trust ⁓ in God? ⁓ chapter five talks about ⁓ those who oppress will be judged. ⁓ it says in verse seven, talks about being patient, ⁓ again and and persevering. ⁓ be be patient until the coming of the Lord. ⁓ and you know do not grumble against one another. ⁓ you know, you just be patient. And then it just continue on and it ends with ⁓ bringing back the one who is ⁓ erred. Says, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns his back, let him know that he who turns is a sinner from the error of his ways will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. So obviously that means that you're not judging whenever you are calling out sinfulness, because our goal should be to bring people back into fellowship with God. All right, so that is James. we're gonna be looking at Acts. ⁓ probably going From chapter fifteen through eighteen. So Acts chapters fifteen through eighteen, that's Paul's second ministry, missionary journey. All right, we'll see you on.