James 1:1-11 (Teaching)

[0:00] We'll start in verse one of chapter one of James says James a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes Which are scattered abroad Greeting my brethren count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations Knowing this at the trying of your faith work with patience We'll let patience have her perfect work that she may be perfect and entire Wanting nothing these first four verses. We have the introduction of James He says James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ We have who this is written to to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad Greeting so this is obviously written to a mainly Jewish audience business written to the 12 tribes Which are scattered abroad, but even more so than that James here says a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ James was the half-brother of Jesus Christ And this had been me or you for that matter. That's probably how we would have introduced this letter

[1:06] James were Spencer or Vernon or whoever the half-brother of Jesus Christ. I'm important Jesus was my half-brother James don't begin like that He says he says the servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ He says to the 12 crowds which are scattered abroad this would be the Jews of the the diaspora a lot of people think the diaspora was a time That's not it at all the diaspora was the region's roundabout What we refer to nowadays is Palestine. There was the region's roundabout Jerusalem and that general area that was referred to as the diaspora and he's talking to the 12 tribes or the Jews the Sons of Jacob or the children of Jacob which are scattered around those different regions there Which we commonly

[2:08] Refer to now as the diaspora. He says my brethren in verse verse 2 He says my brethren now remember in verse 1 we said that James describes himself as the servant of God And I'm the Lord Jesus Christ. He says nothing about being the half-brother of Jesus Christ But here he's tickled to pieces It seems to refer to himself as a brother to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad reading He's writing to fellow believers here. He's not writing to people which are still called up in jewelry or Judaism He's running to those that have a locked faith as he has and he refers to him as brethren Never once does he mention in these five chapters that he's the half-brother of Jesus Christ But it refers to fellow believers as his brother And I think I think that states volumes But he says count all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Now, what kind of statement is that?

[3:08] If I were to ask Everybody in here this morning How your day was going how you felt when you got up more than likely everybody in here is gonna have a complaint Of some kind well my knee was locked up my head hurt Something's going on with our body something's going on with our minds everyone I was with myself included Miss you testify the first thing I usually say when I wake up in the morning as I ate it Hey, why getting up?

[3:38] Hey waking up a lot my sleep But he says count all joy when you fall into diverse temptations How hard slash how easy is it for us to do that as a child of God?

[3:53] It should be easy for us and for these Jews that James would have been writing to these converted Jews I should say They would have had a better understanding of what he was saying Then then what we do now we've gotten so spoiled in the society that we live in now And in the time of the age that we live in now not playing a lot of it on microwaves and drive-throughs We've become spoiled. We expect everything liquidity split at our at our own win we want everything as fast as possible and And you know if we don't get it then we'll pitch a fit and shame on us for having that attitude But he says Count it all joy Kind of joy kind of happiness kind of a blessing man when you fall in the diverse temptations not just a temptation, but a multitude of temptations Many colors of temptations kind of joy when you fall into these things. Why is that? Well?

[4:58] He goes on throughout there really throughout the entire first chapter of explaining that It's a kind of all joy when you fall into diverse temptations knowing this the trying of your faith work with patience What's the trying of our faith? Well these These converted Jews he would have been writing to it would have had a very good understanding of this The trying of your faith work with patience. There was a lot of persecution going on But it wasn't just the persecution it wasn't just persecution of Pharisees and Sadducees and scribes come against believing Jews Jews that believed in Jesus Christ. It wasn't just that but that would that would have been a big part of it But it's any temptation that comes their way This would have been a trial not a temptation to do evil that James was talking about It was a trial that they were facing a trial that is testing their faith He said he says knowing this that the trying of your faith work with patience

[6:01] That's why we should join That's why we should join trials when they come our way Because God can use that trial or that test God can use that temptation to work patience in our lives and And patience is something that we always need I've heard people say they're going to pray for patience I'm like, well, that's a really bad idea Let God give that patience as he sees fit because if you're praying for patience chances are there's going to be a trial Come your way and ain't none of us wants that Myself included but when they do come our way let God use those things to To strengthen our patience to strengthen our endurance under these things and we'll read more about that On through the first chapter of James here, but the trying of our faith works patience in our lives And it says but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire Wanting nothing so when these trials and these temptations when these when persecution when any of these things come our way

[7:09] Let God use these things much like he did with Joseph over in the book of Genesis My goodness Joseph his brothers hated him. He was thrown into prison. Well first he was sold into slavery Then he was thrown into prison and he stayed in prison But when he came out God used those things God use those things while while he was going through and through But when he came out Joseph basically became vice president of planet earth President being Pharaoh he was second in command of the most powerful Country most powerful regime regime the most powerful army the most powerful everything on planet earth He was second in command of that Well, what did God use to train him for that?

[7:59] He used trial To use trial after trial after trial and Joseph's life But when Joseph finally rose to that power in the book of Genesis God had used those trials to train him so that Joseph would know what to do when the time came That's what that's how that's why we can Rejoice we can count it all joy as the scripture here says when we fall into diverse temptations Knowing that God is not only able but for his children. He will use those trials to to Help us get closer to the perfection that we're to be striving for to get closer to being molded in the image of his son to To be more like Jesus Christ more like the scriptures command us to be So instead of saying why me lord?

[8:59] Whenever these diverse temptations Come upon us instead of saying why me why this why now Count it all joy Count it all joy and folks that preach is to me just like it does you I ain't sitting there telling you I do that you're in every temptation or every trial that I face because I don't I don't act very cross like when temptations come my way or when trials come my way But I should according to the scriptures and the more I the more I do and the more trials I face That's the patience that we're talking about That's the endurance that we're talking about I say well. God brought me through this two or three months ago Why don't I believe that he'll bring it bring me through this right now that's going on in my life We tend to forget that and once again I blame that a lot Uh on the the times that we live in Because we're spoiled. We are spoiled. We're spoiled as a nation

[10:02] True to be known we're spoiled as believers in Christ We're spoiled on so many different levels To think that we are beyond Troubles and to think that God has something against us if a trial comes our way. That's the way the jews believed That's the really wasn't even just the jews. It was a near east belief The whole region over there whether you were jewish or not back in the old testament days If a woman had no children that the the gods or god himself had an issue with her She had sinned against god and this was her punishment to not have children And that's why women without children were looked down upon Back then they had nothing to do with Had nothing at all to do with that was that was just another trial for those that believe like him For those that believed it was a trial that they faced and what do those trials do it work patients in their lives

[11:02] And it drove them to god that they would pray the more earnestly for his favor in their lives And by saying favor i'm not talking about riches and cars and houses and all these other things I want the favor of god And i've got the favor of god through jesus christ I as a new testament believer have the favor of god, but it is only through him through jesus christ that i have that If any of you would burst five If any of you lack wisdom let them ask of god to give it to all men liberally and up brave if not and they shall be giving him But let them ask him faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and toss Verse five that's a very important statement there in the first line of verse five if any of you lack wisdom If any of you lack wisdom if any of whom I've heard this verse in this quoted so many times It's misquoted people say well the bible says if any man lacks wisdom no that ain't what it says

[12:09] It says if any of you who's he writing to believers in christ So what is wisdom? It's not knowledge Of course, I knew this book better than most professing christians that I knew before I was saved I knew the historical aspect of it. I knew who the jews were. I knew where the jews came from I knew I knew the kings of jude. I knew the kings of the northern and southern kingdoms I knew all kinds of things about this book that was knowledge, but I didn't have wisdom I didn't know jesus christ I didn't know god so there is a vast difference between having knowledge and having wisdom Wisdom is something that is given by god The bible plainly tells us that here If any of you if any of you who believe Remember he's writing to believers if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of god I have to pray that prayer every time I stand to teach or every time I stand to preach

[13:11] And that prayer is what gets me through any lesson or any sermon that I preach God I lack wisdom and I need it from you I need wisdom from you to interpret your scripture to understand your scripture So that I can feed others with your scripture whether I'm teaching or preaching I pray that prayer every time before I stand to teach or preach either one Because I lack wisdom and I realize that I lack wisdom What do you think of what what?

[13:43] Scriptures or accounts and scriptures or stories and scriptures do you think of when you think of wisdom? I always think of solomon every time the word wisdom pops up. He's the first one that I think of God asked him In a dream in a dream that Solomon had God asked him you know, what do you want? He said yeah, I'll give you whatever it is that you want And Solomon asked for wisdom to do what to lead God's people And that's what I think of every time the word wisdom pops up in scripture Every time I hear it out in the world. I always think of solomon I always think I need to be more like that. I need to be I know we shouldn't model ourselves after men But as far as that goes, I need to be more like Solomon. I need to ask God for wisdom To not only lead God's people but to lead other people to God Amen to lead people to the scriptures that can save them and to lead people to the scriptures that shows that they are saved

[14:46] Saved or lost. I need wisdom to lead people And we all need that but if any of you like wisdom, let them ask of God to give it to all men liberally Hope she ain't stingy with his wisdom If we want it now remember I'm talking about believers in Christ if we want wisdom God will give it to us Liberally, he will dump it out on us. He'll dump it into us He will give us as much wisdom as we are earnestly seeking it But it says let him ask of God How many of us are asking of God for that wisdom?

[15:26] Or how many of us just expected? had a text conversation with brother Bern not too long ago and It's all burned and then Open up my mouth and I will feel it doesn't mean what most people think that means If you think that a teacher or preacher just wakes up Sunday morning With knowledge that they didn't have the night before that ain't how it works Not how it works If any teacher or preacher of God's word doesn't keep his nose in this book And his nose to the grind and not only reading the pages of scripture, but in prayer asking God for wisdom He's not doing those things. They ain't gonna be much mouth-filling happen If we if we don't spend time with God in his word and in prayer They bet, man, you know, if we have anything in our mouth, my brother Bern said it was likely to be our foot

[16:29] And that's happened to me before It's a very haughty and prodigal thing to think for any preacher to stand up and think I've got this They bet I've got I've got this Let them ask him let them ask him faith nothing wavering Let them ask him faith folks if we ask God for wisdom, but we ain't got faith that he's going to give it to us He might as well not be asking And the same goes with anything with any prayer that we've got to God if we go to God And we're asking God to help us get the bills paid. We're asking God for healing for a family member or for ourselves We're asking God for anything and we don't have the faith that he's going to come through with where we're wasting our breath We're wasting our time We ask these things in faith Nothing wavering Nothing wavering not me wavering not my faith wavering nothing about me wavering me going to God Knowing that he is creator of this universe knowing that he put breath in my body

[17:33] Knowing that he has gotten me x amount of time through my life knowing he's gotten me this far I can go in faith to God And ask him for this wisdom. Remember we're still we're still on that subject matter here And ask him for wisdom and he will give it to me He will dump out as much wisdom as I want as long as I'm asking it in faith It's nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with a wind and tossed Who is one that wavers?

[18:08] Generally speaking The next few verses generally speaking one that wavers Is one that when everything is going good in their life All the bills are paid kids are healthy Grandkids are doing good and mom and dad's great Everything's going good job is wonderful making 120k a year Got a house got eight cars Got a yacht everything's going great in this life. That's somebody that's just Right up there on top of the mountain with God They give him God all the praise They're gonna have what happens the next day they lose their 120k a year job They blame God that's someone that waivers That's someone if you ask me my personal opinion, they're not even setting the faith. They're not even a true believer That's somebody You know, they're they're grading their salvation on what blessings they've received folks

[19:08] I was blessed when I was lost out in the world I was blessed to be alive and not be in hell Because that's what I deserve I received blessing from God before I was ever saved and so did you Everyone else did everyone that is alive right now on planet earth that does not know Jesus Christ as their savior is blessed of God The Bible teaches that it rains on the just and it rains on the unjust Everyone everyone received blessings of God whatever savior that are lost Now favor with God's a whole different story The lost don't have God's favor You're reading John 17 Jesus said himself. He said I pray not for the world Jesus doesn't make intercession for the lost at the right hand of the father He makes intercession for those which belong to him So I pray not for the world I'm not praying I'm not up there making intercession for the lost his intercession for the lost has already been made on across the

[20:12] Calvary, but now in the life that he lives now according to Romans chapter 5 His current life his present life make an intercession be a mediator for whom for the saints of God for those that believe So yes, I have favor with God that the world doesn't have But the entire world lost her safe. They've all got the blessings of God But he that way birth is like a wave of the sea I Never know how high those waves are going to be you never know exactly how far up on the shore They're going to go or how far back on the shore they might go You don't know how strong they're going to be or how weak they're going to be the sea is is a very Mystic thing to us humans Not only the waves that we're talking about here, but everything that lies underneath Underneath the surface of the sea. It's a very mystic mystic thing for us Including the waves that crash on the shoreline

[21:13] We don't we know very little about those waves, but there's one thing that we do know We're going to come and they're going to go they're going to come up. They're going to hit the shore Sometimes a high tide it's further up in the sand low tide it's further back in the sand, but we know that they're going to come But that's not what James is talking about here what we know about he's talking about what we don't call about Those that waver like a wave of the sea we don't know much about For letting out that man think that he shall receive anything Of the Lord What's that the strong mistake?

[21:54] Letting out that man think that he shall receive anything Of the Lord if we go to God and we're wavering we're wavering in our faith We're wavering in in our belief We're wavering here wavering there and we're wavering as I said before we don't think that We'll go to God and ask for something not thinking that he's going to grant it to us He's not we're not going to receive anything from God Why is that because we're not going in faith as the scripture said just a couple of verses ago We've got to go to God in faith We've got to go to God in faith that he will heal that he'll deliver that he'll heal That he'll nurture that he'll grow that he'll do all all these things that that we as Christians We should expect these things of God because it's promised right here in his word everything that I just listed Is promised in the word of God, but we go to God in faith because of the promises in this book

[22:55] We can have faith that God will deliver those things and God will pour out those blessings And we will have the favor of God because it's all right here So when we go and we don't believe it That kind of indicates to me How little I believe of the word of God or how little someone else believes of the word of God Folks, I've been just as guilty of it as you all have Everyone of us have been guilty of it. We'll go to God and ask for something or ask him to work in a certain life or in a certain way or whatever the case is and Get up from that prayer get up off of our knees or from our prayer closet or prayer position Wherever we're at and walk off thinking God ain't going to do that for me I've done it and you have too everyone else that I've done it and you have to do that We need no waiver like that. Not when we've got God's promises right here That should give us the boldness that we need to go before the throne of grace

[24:01] To obtain mercy in the time of need A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways A double-minded man, one thing is unstable in all of his ways Multiple things Double-minded Christians should be the least double-minded people of anyone out there But once again, we get that way sometimes like in prayer like we were just not talking about Although we know what God's word says We know what he's promised. We'll still go to him With wavering faith and ask him to do things for us I ain't saying God hates you for doing that. I'm just telling you that the Bible says not to do it God don't hate his own God doesn't hate those and his sons blood and died for That's that's not what I'm saying at all But he or a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways

[25:05] Most of word if a double-minded man is unstable in all of his all of his ways Does that include Christians I don't think he was James was talking about Christians in this statement here I think James was saying you believers out there in the DS forum You twelve tribes which are scattered abroad whom this letter had written to If there are those amongst you in your congregation And the synagogue that you're meeting in that's where they were meeting according to James chapter two When you read that if there would be anyone coming in their assembly The same word used there for assemblies or the word used for assembly in James two is the same one used for synagogue throughout the rest of the New Testament So the church was still was meeting in synagogues at this point. They hadn't built their own buildings Or anything along those lines But when you meet in your synagogue and there's one

[26:08] Amongst you or there's many amongst you that are double-minded He is unstable in all of his ways All of his way The Bible and the Bible folks the word all means all In Scripture all means all Anyone means anyone everyone means everyone who so ever means who so ever That's something that many people in the churches nowadays have I've gotten I've gotten mixed up Scripture says what Scripture says double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways I don't think he's talking about Christians there Christians especially those that have been through many trials Many temptations that he was talking about here at the beginning of this chapter, especially those Most of more trials we we face the more we face the more stable our walk with God should be

[27:11] Because as I said before he's brought us through one trial. Why do we not have faith? He would bring us through and out of them and we're guilty of thinking the opposite Yes, but we hold fast to faith that God will bring us through God will get us through this one no matter what this is God will get us through this because he's done it so many times in the past We're quick to forget when we go through a season of Good plenty when when the dry season comes along when the famine comes along we forget about all the plenty that we've had Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted But the rich and that he is made low because as a flower as the flower that grass He shall pass away from the sun is no sooner risen than ever He shall pass away from the sun as no sooner risen than ever He shall pass away from the sun as no sooner risen with a burning heat but a winter through grass and the flower there I follow Then the grace of the fashion grace of the fashion of it perish it

[28:14] So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. I got just a couple minutes here Let the brother of low degree rejoice And that he is exalted well if he's in low low degree how is he exalted?

[28:29] It almost seems contradictory what James is saying here, but it's not I am exalted It don't matter if I'm making a thousand dollars a year a hundred thousand dollars a year if I belong to Jesus Christ I am exalted And I thank God for that but the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is Exalted that's present tense He is exalted I'm currently exalted. What's the Bible teach?

[29:00] What Peter said put yourself under the mighty hand of God and he shall exalt you in due time But there's commandment in that For us to put ourselves under the mighty hand of God Not to allow God to cover us but for us to put ourselves In the mighty hand of God And if we're doing that and we're in the hand of God Like so I'm trying to hold my Bible We're in the hand of God We're depending on him for everything If we're in God's hand He's got us covered with his other hand for shelter For protection and if that's the case we're depending on him to slide food in there To slide healing in There and anything else that we need put yourself under the mighty In the mighty hand of God And he shall exalt you in due time humble yourself I've got the commandment in the scripture is humble yourself not let God humble you folks

[30:04] I would 10 times rather humble myself as to have God Almighty humble me I guarantee it's a whole lot easier for me to do it myself as it is for God To do it But the rich and that he is made low because as the flower that grass He shall pass away James is not saying here if you're rich or going to hell No more so than Jesus said that In the gospel Jesus just said that it was easier for a camera go through the eye of a needle than it was for a rich man to go to heaven He didn't say it was impossible for a rich man to go And it's not a good thing And it's not there's plenty of people with the whole lot more money and what I got that's in heaven right now and going to heaven Plenty of people like that. What's the dangers though?

[30:56] The more we have not just money, but the more positions we have the more material things we have the more friends We have the more means that we have the less we depend on God That's the danger That's the danger for the sun is no sin or risen with a burning heat, but it withered the grass and the flower there are falling What are you talking about the sun is the weather the weather the grass and the flower there are falling We're talking about the Beauty of a flower, but the sun rises up and it scorches that flower How does the how would the rich view themselves as opposed to something that looks more like a weed there in the grass?

[31:39] That's the brother of low degree That jay you've grown up just a versatility before this the brother of low degrees seen as a weed for those that are That are above him in class or in cast However, you want to phrase that This is the flower thereof falleth in the grace of the fashion of the parish It so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways The rich men will fade away in his ways not in the ways of God Therefore confirming that it's not it's not impossible for a rich person to go to him It's not impossible for a rich man to be saved but if that rich man stays in his ways He will fade He'll fade off into nothingness and the blackness what the bible refers to is outer darkness He'll fade off into hell is exactly where he'll fade off into if he sticks with his ways But first it is no different. It is no different than a poor man that rejects Jesus Christ. They will fade off as well

[32:42] I appreciate your time your attention