James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that gives to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering, for he that wavers is like the wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

God allows trials to expose what we lack — so we will turn to Him as our all-sufficiency.

A Powerful, Practical Book

The book of James is an intensely powerful book, filled with very practical exhortation. It kind of smacks you around, so if at the end of the service you feel a little beat up, I apologize at the onset — because God is going to speak to us very clearly through this book, a book that dealt with many of the problems the early church was facing.

The Apostle James was the half-brother of Jesus and the overseer, or bishop, of the church at Jerusalem. In his later years he earned the nickname "Camel Knees," because he was a great and mighty man of prayer. He spent much of his time at the temple on his knees before God, and developed thick calluses on his knees from falling upon them so often.

Last week we saw that 26 times in this five-chapter letter he refers to Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7). There are also 45 references to the Old Testament. So you can see the early church was focused primarily upon the Old Testament Scriptures and the teaching of Jesus, applying those things very practically to their lives.

The Martyrdom of James

James was martyred for his faith in about A.D. 62. Even the Jewish Sanhedrin regarded him as a highly spiritual man. Tradition holds that they asked him to stand on a high point of the Temple Mount at Passover and declare to the people that Jesus is not the Messiah. That was a bad thing to ask of a man who had seen the risen Lord. James stood and proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

So they pushed him off that high point of the temple. He fell but did not die. They began to stone him, and he got to his knees and called out, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." His life was ended when a fuller struck him in the head with a club, killing him for his profession of faith in Jesus.

To the Scattered Twelve Tribes

In verse 1, James writes "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad." The church started in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, but by Acts 8 and 9 they were being driven from Jerusalem by persecution. By the end of Acts 11, not only had persecution driven them from their homes, but a famine had also struck the land. The people were expelled and dispersed into the regions of Judea and Samaria. It is during this period that James is believed to have written this letter as an encouragement and exhortation from one of the church's primary leaders.

Count It All Joy

He says in verse 2, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations." The word in the original can be translated either "temptations" or "trials" — they are one and the same here. The context matters. These believers had been expelled from their homes, traveling like refugees, able to carry only what was on their backs. People who once had riches and homes in Jerusalem now found themselves in the midst of trial. The whole city was going through what you could call a depression — fairly similar to what is happening in our own nation today.

The only way you can count it joy when you fall into trials is if you understand verse 3: "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience, but let patience have its perfect work in you, that you may be perfect or complete, lacking nothing." When God allows a trial, it is brought into our lives for a purpose. The enemy wants to capitalize on it, using it as a temptation to seduce us away from the Lord — toward ourselves and our own resources, or toward the things of this world. But God is using those trials to direct our attention to Him, sanctifying, cleansing, and transforming us. There can be no maturity without trials. Faith grows in the midst of trials.

Trials Expose Our Lack

Trials have a very interesting effect. Verse 5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." In the midst of a trial is often where we recognize that we are lacking. If your car broke down and you had $100,000 in the bank, you probably wouldn't view it as a trial. But if you have nothing in the bank, that same event exposes the lack in your life — whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Every one of us is lacking, but a lot of times we think ourselves self-sufficient.

Paul, after years of following the Lord, came to the point in 2 Corinthians where he said, "I am not sufficient of myself to think anything as being of myself; my sufficiency is of God." God wants to bring us to the place where we recognize He is our all-sufficiency. This is why Jesus said it is very hard — not impossible — for a rich man to enter the kingdom. The rich tend to rely upon their resources instead of recognizing God as the giver. So sometimes God must strip a person completely until they recognize their need.

The proper response in a trial is to recognize my lack and ask, "God, would you help me?" Just as Abraham called Him in Genesis 22, He is Jehovah Jireh — God the Provider. God desires that we would turn to Him and recognize that He is Abba Father.

Ask in Faith, Nothing Wavering

But the enemy seeks to keep us from turning to God. So James says in verse 6, "Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed." There are times we come into a difficulty and say, "Lord, would you help me?" — while at the same moment we're pulling out the MasterCard to handle the disaster ourselves. There is a wavering, a tossed-to-and-fro lifestyle, in which many within the church find themselves: wanting to trust God, yet wondering if He's trustworthy. God says this person is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the Rich and the Poor Rejoice

In verse 9 James seems to jump topics, but it rolls right out of what he's been saying: "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that he is made low." Perhaps the biggest thing we account as a trial in the United States today is finances. The Israelites of old had the Philistines; Americans in 2009 have finances.

Remember the context. James writes to Christians who had gone through recession and famine. Many had lost everything. The body of Christ in Antioch raised an offering and sent it by the hands of Paul and Barnabas to help them (Acts 11). It is humbling for the rich individual — and I use that word relatively, because in reality we are among the richest people in all the world — to receive what they might consider charity. The poor person simply rejoices over any gift; the rich person, in his pride, may decline.

So James says the rich can rejoice in being made low because "as the flower of the grass, he shall pass away." The riches the rich of this world have are not going into eternity. In Luke 16, the rich man had everything and Lazarus had nothing, but in eternity things were completely reversed. Death is the great equalizer. "Naked came we into this world," said Job, "naked shall we go out." If we can, with Job, say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord," we can rejoice.

The Trial of Job

Job was one of the wealthiest men of his time, and God, through a trial, took everything away, allowing the enemy to do so. In heaven, Satan said Job only served God because God blessed him — a mercenary who would curse God if stripped. So God permitted the test. Satan took Job's servants, possessions, children, and health, leaving only his wife, who told him, "Curse God and die." His three friends came and insisted his suffering came because he was a sinner. But that wasn't the case. It was a trial God introduced, which the enemy sought to use as a temptation to get Job to curse God. Job would not.

In the midst of his despair, scraping the ooze from his sores with a shard of clay, Job said, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and I shall see Him on that day." He understood that the grass withers and the flower fades.

Content in Whatever State

This reminds me of Philippians 4. Paul writes, "I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last your care of me has flourished again... Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and how to abound... I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." The church at Philippi had sent an offering, and Paul thanks them — but he no longer needed it to be content, because his strength to be content in any state came from the Lord.

Part of the rejoicing James speaks of is the recognition that one day we will be with the Lord in eternity. The rich and the poor of this earth enter a level playing field when we enter the kingdom of God. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:20, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The Crown of Life

Verse 12: "Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love Him." James refocuses our attention on the eternal. The trial is temporary, but it carries eternal rewards if we endure. There are several crowns mentioned in the New Testament — the crown of rejoicing, the crown of life, the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4), and various crowns in Revelation. I'm not entirely sure what these will look like, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

Romans 8:18 says, "The sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." Years ago our church had a brother named Mike Callahan, an usher who ministered on school campuses with the 1-800-HIT-HOME hotline. He carried his MRIs showing a brain tumor the size of a bar of soap; his doctor said he'd be dead in six months. Seven-plus years later the Lord took him home. He never had self-pity, and he constantly reminded me of Romans 8:18. Remember Jesus, who, "for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross" (Hebrews 12). If we can see the joy of being with the Lord forever, we can go through any trial.

God Does Not Tempt with Evil

Verse 13: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man." Some are confused because James just said God introduces trials. The key word is evil. God does not dangle the carrot of immorality before you to see if you'll fall. Some people think God works that way, but the enemy does.

God sees that we are lacking — self-control, faith, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness. So the Lord allows a trial on the 15 freeway: someone cuts you off. That may seem trivial, but it can derail your whole day, revealing a lack of self-control. The enemy immediately says, "Honk at them, yell at them, cut them off." God intends these things to help us grow, to prepare us for today and for eternity.

For Your Good at the Latter End

In Deuteronomy 8, Moses rehearses what God did for Israel. Verse 15 speaks of leading them through the great and terrible wilderness with serpents, scorpions, and drought, bringing water out of flint and feeding them with manna. Why? "That He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end."

At the Red Sea, Israel was trapped — mountains on each side, Pharaoh's army behind. There was the temptation to give up and the opportunity to trust God. With little faith, they saw God split the sea. Three days later they cried out for water; God provided. Soon after, they cried for food; God fed them with manna for forty years. Why? To humble them, that they wouldn't look to their own resources or to this world, but to God — and ultimately for their good in the latter end. The trial you're going through has been introduced into your life that you might trust Him completely, for your latter end.

The Snare of Temptation

Verse 14: "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed." Every man is tempted — and ladies, that includes you. Even Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. You may say no one understands your temptation, but Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." The three categories are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

The very next thing Paul says is crucial: "But God is faithful." When our faith is tested, we find not that our faith is great but that our God is great. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

The word "drawn away" is used only here in the New Testament; it means to lure forth as a hunter, to set a snare. Our adversary is personified as a lion seeking whom he may devour. Last week at the beach baptism, some youth-group guys tried to snare a seagull — Brandon laid under a towel with food on top, motionless, waiting. After ten or fifteen minutes I signaled Christian and Nick to fill a trash can with water and throw it on him. I know, not very nice. But that's the picture: the enemy sets a snare to lure you, and he has a great selection of lures to get at whatever you desire.

Temptation in itself is not sin. But the moment we turn toward it and pursue it, in that nanosecond sin is conceived, and it brings forth death. A financial trial comes; God desires you to know Him as Jehovah Jireh, but the enemy reminds you there are casinos within a half hour, or says, "Just check out — buy a 12-pack, get a dime bag, the problem will go away." But the problem doesn't go away.

Every Good Gift Comes from Above

Verse 16: "Do not err, my beloved brethren." The word means to be led astray. The lure grabs your attention, the trial exposes your lack, and the enemy begins the temptation process. You're lacking strength, and he says, "Just give in." You're lacking finances, and he says, "Just charge it on the MasterCard, you're worth it."

Then verse 17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." If you wait upon the Lord and trust Him, you will find He truly is the God who provides. Consider the single person who longs for companionship and marriage. God says, "I gave you that desire; wait on Me, be patient." The enemy says, "Go find yourself a girlfriend, live with her." But the Lord will prove Himself faithful, for "he who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord" — it's the gift of God.

Swift to Hear, Slow to Wrath

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." The temptation is to get angry — even angry at God: "Where are You? Don't You understand my need?" Studies show the number-one cause of strife in marriage is finances. But that anger will never manifest the righteousness of God. We're great at manifesting our own righteousness, which is filthy, stinky rags. That's why unbelievers complain the church is full of hypocrites — we talk about God's righteousness but display our own. God created us with two ears and one mouth; the question is whether we get the drift.

"Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." Lay aside the old life, put on the new. There are dozens of fleshly tendencies we must lay aside because none of them produce the righteousness of God. He has given us the ability by His Holy Spirit, but we must make a decision of the will to exercise it. And exercise isn't easy.

Exercise Yourself Toward Godliness

In 1 Timothy 4:7, Paul writes, "Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Godliness is profitable for life right now and for eternity. Many Christians aren't experiencing the abundant life and are about ready to check out — and I'd suggest it's because they haven't done what James says next.

Be Doers of the Word

Verse 22: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Church is great, but if all you ever do is come for ninety minutes — enjoy the worship, slave through the message — and leave unchanged, you deceive yourself. We must apply what we learn. When Paul tells the Ephesians to stop lying and speak the truth, it means: if you're a liar, stop lying. Stop stealing, get a job, give to those in need. Don't use dirty language; speak what glorifies Christ. It's that simple. In our flesh it's easier to check out and keep talking the way we always have, but it's an exercise toward godliness in His strength — as if the Holy Spirit is spotting you and actually holding the weight.

The hearer-only is "like a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." We look in a mirror for a reason — to see what needs to be fixed. The word of God is a mirror, but it also has power to transform. In the tabernacle the bronze laver was a polished basin of water; the priests looked into it to see what was disordered, and the water was there to cleanse. So the word reveals the thoughts and intents of the heart — not so we walk away unchanged, but so we are cleansed. "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein... this man shall be blessed in his deed."

Pure Religion Before God

"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue... this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Our nation esteems people who seem religious — figures like the Dalai Lama or the Pope have pure religion before man. But even if a billion people marvel at your religion and God says it's vain, it's worth nothing. I want my devotion to be undefiled before Him, so He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Notice these aren't three new points to start your own religion. They are applications of God's law. Visiting the fatherless and widows is the law of love toward neighbor; keeping oneself unspotted from the world is the application of loving God above all. This is someone who is a doer of God's word, and God looks at that and calls it pure and undefiled religion.

God Is Not a Respecter of Persons

In chapter 2, James addresses partiality — treating people on different levels based on appearance. We are partial; God is not, praise the Lord. From childhood, picking teams for kickball, we're partial. We waste time trying to impress people who don't care about us, while neglecting those who genuinely need us. James reminds us, "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom?" There's a perception, 2,000 years ago and today, that if you're rich you must be blessed of God. But He has chosen rich and poor, of every skin color and language, to be His children. Some of the poorest in this world will prove rich toward God.

The Whole Law

"Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." We like to divide the law into the parts we keep and the ones we'd rather not discuss. On the street, ask someone if they're a good person and they'll say, "I've never committed adultery, I've never murdered." That's why Jesus addressed those laws specifically in the Sermon on the Mount — He knew man's heart.

Just a couple days ago they launched the space shuttle, delayed all week. In mission control, every person gets a "go / no-go." If one person says, "I've got a problem," they scrub the whole thing — it's too valuable to risk even the smallest fault. An O-ring destroyed Challenger; a single tile destroyed Columbia. "It's just one small thing" — no, it's life and death. We're partial not only in how we treat one another, but in our partiality toward certain laws, saying, "I've kept that one." God says, "I'm not partial."

Mercy Rejoices Against Judgment

"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." God judges according to His entire law; He doesn't say, "You kept eight, we'll let the last two slide." The god of Islam is like that — more good than bad. Just about every other god in every other religion is like that. But the one true God says, "You broke it all." And we cry, "Lord, I'm lacking" — yes, that's the point. So God provided a way through His Son. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness, because I have none apart from His.

When you recognize God judges with His entire law, you begin to love His mercy like never before. "He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7). Do we mirror God's mercy to this world? In Luke 6, before the famous verse "give, and it shall be given unto you," Jesus says, "Be ye therefore merciful... judge not... condemn not... forgive." He's speaking about mercy and forgiveness: it has been given to you freely, so freely give.

A Faith That Works

Verse 14: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?" If you tell a brother who is naked and hungry, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but give him nothing, what does it profit? "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead." You believe there is one God? You do well — even the demons believe and tremble. But the demons have no works that accompany faith.

In the 16th century, Martin Luther struggled with this passage, since Paul in Romans and Galatians says Abraham was justified by faith. Luther called James "the epistle of straw." But James says nothing different than Paul. In verse 23 James makes clear that Abraham was justified by faith — "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." His faith was proved real in Genesis 22, perhaps fifty years later, when he was willing to offer Isaac. God stayed his hand and said, "Now I know that thou withholdest nothing from Me." Abraham's work in Genesis 22 proved that his faith in Genesis 15 was a reality.

It's not faith and works, nor faith or works — it's a faith that works. If you tell me you can fly, I'll say, "Let's go up on the Coronado Bridge and see." Then your faith is tested. Warren Wiersbe said, "A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted."

Closing Exhortation

These people were going through trials, and the temptation was to trust their own self-sufficiency or the things of this world. James wrote to strengthen their hand in God, and 2,000 years later we still study it to strengthen our hands in God. When you trust Him, you will find Him faithful. Sometimes He waits; He's often the God of the eleventh hour, but He is never late.

I've heard it said, "Don't pray for patience, or you'll get trials." But you're going to get trials anyway. The question is whether you'll learn patience in the midst of them. When we leave these doors, we'll walk into trials. May we learn to exercise godliness in the midst of them — because bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of life that now is, and that which is to come.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your word. I pray that You would help us to apply it to our lives. Lord, I know that this letter, this book, really is kind of like a holy spanking. Lord, I pray that we would learn from it, be exercised by it, and as a result be more like You as we leave from here. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.