Introduction
The book of James is the
most practical New Testament epistle. This letter remains
as relevant today as it was when it was written. Why?
Because the themes that James addressed are timeless.
What
is the first thing we do when we receive a letter? Most
of us look at the bottom of the page to see who signed
it before we read it. In ancient days the author would
sign his name at the top. verse 1
"
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ"
The
opening words of this
epistle are perfectly straightforward and yet powerfully
significant.
Straightforward-
--because they follow the common practice at the time
which was to commence with the signature of the writer.
Significant—
because they tell us a number of things about the Author—even
more important because this signature is part of the
inspired word of God which lives and abides forever.
We must ever be mindful of this wonderful truth! It
is James who is writing! It is God who is speaking.
Illustration. The
Puritan Preacher Thomas Watson gave this advice concerning
the Bible. —"Read the scriptures not only
as history but as a love letter sent from God to you".
If
we take this approach we will never fail to reap rich
dividends in our study of the Word. Let us, by way of
introduction, take a look at the author.
His Description
of Himself
"James
a Servant—
James—
who is this James? Traditionally the authorship
has been ascribed to the Lord’s half brother.
Mary
and Joseph did have other children! I want you to
see them and their reaction to their half brother Jesus
in the early days of His Ministry. Mark 6: v 3—6
Mark
6:3 is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the
brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us? And they were
offended at him.
We
can see that Jesus was the big brother in the family;
but he was a source of embarrassment to them! They were
offended at Him.
Mark
6:4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without
honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin,
and in his own house.
I
think that this is one of the saddest things that Jesus
ever said. Jesus, the Son of God, lived in Nazareth
with His own earthly family but they did not believe
in Him.
Mark
6:5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that
he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
Mark
6:6 and he marveled because of their unbelief.
It
is clear that James and the rest of the family did not
believe in Christ during His earthly ministry. But,
after the Lord’s death on the Cross-and after His
resurrection, some thing wonderful happened to James.
1
Cor. 15—The Apostle Paul speaking of the witness’s
resurrection of Jesus
-v
5 And that he was seen
of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After
that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at
once after that, he was seen of James then of all the
apostles.
James
came to know Jesus, not only as his earthly brother
but also as His Saviour and Lord. The living Christ
became real in his heart.
James
grew to such stature in Faith that he became the undisputed
leader of the Church in Jerusalem and the moderator
of the Jerusalem council.
When
Paul --came to Jerusalem he consulted with James,
for, he considered him to be a pillar of the Church.
Tradition tells us that James became a great man of
Prayer—
In
fact he is referred to as "Camel Knees|, because
of the calluses formed by spending so many hours on
his knees before God. I do not think that there is one
of us who has knees like James because of the time spent
in Prayer.
What
a transformation the Grace of God in Salvation made
on his life. Tradition also tells us that James was
stoned to death for his faith in Jesus.
Having
met the Man let us take a closer look at how
he introduces himself.
"James
a Servant--
Now,
because of his rich heritage – some might have
expected James to introduce himself—as an Apostle-
as the Leader of the big Jerusalem Church, as a pillar
of the Church, or as James the brother of Jesus.
This
is James speaking—you cannot do without me--
look at the impression I have made in the Church. You
could not get along without me
If
you should ever be foolish enough to feel that you are
indispensable to the work of the Lord, just, get a bucket
of water and place your finger in it, and then draw
it out and see what impression you have really made.
James
simply refers to himself as
"James a Servant"
The
word means, "Slave".
James says, "I am
a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus" Slavery was
a common social feature in Biblical times.
Under
the influence of Roman law—a Slave was considered
to be a person who was owned by another! One without
any rights whatsoever!
A personal piece
of property, which belonged to another, and his owner
could dispose of him, as and when he so desired. A Slave
was one who was in subjection to the ownership and the
authority of his master.
This, alone, makes
it remarkable that James should introduce himself as
a slave! Not as an Apostle and the half brother of Jesus.
I am James-- a Slave.
In describing
himself as such, he chose to use the Greek word " Doulos
A Doulos
– was a slave,
who had completed his term of service and could have
been set free by his master’s control.
However, after
considering everything in the world with all its opportunities,
the slave concluded that he was better off with his
master, and became a doulos, by choice.
He chose to serve the one who first chose him. His ear
was then pierced to signify his new standing.
This mark was
called in the Greek—"Stigmata"
The
Apostle Paul—used
this word in Gal 6:17, when he said Gal 6:17
From
henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body
the marks of the Lord Jesus.
( the stigmata) of Jesus.
When people saw the Duolos
walking down the
street, they would note the mark on his ear and say
"What a wonderful master he must have!"
"He
could have been free", but he has chosen to stay
with his master. James considered himself to be a slave
of the Lord Jesus. Having been bought with a price,
he could never say no to his Master.
The
secret of success in the Christian life is to find our
position as Slave, as a doulos,
to be servants of Jesus Christ, for we are His possession.
1
Cor 6:20 for ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's.
Illustration--- An
incident occurred one day at the slave market in Southland
during the days of Slavery. A fine young man
was placed in the block for sale. Among the many bidders
there was an English man who outbid the rest of the
interested bidders.
When
the deal was complete, the young slave was very angry
with his new master for buying him as a slave, when
slavery had already been abolished in England.
Then
his new owner turned to him and said "Son I have
not bought you to be my slave I have bought you to set
you free".
Overcome
with emotion the young man said
"Sir
I will be your willing slave forever".
James
was content to be a servant- a slave. The Apostle Paul
writes in ---
Rom
12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.
1. We are owned
by God
He
has bought us from the slave market of sin—He has
chosen us; a slave cannot choose his master- Jesus said—
John
15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
He goes on to say I have chosen you for service and
ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit,
and that your fruit should remain:
It was C.T.
Studd—the
famous missionary who said, " I had known about
Jesus dying for me—but I had never understood that
if he died for me, then I did not belong to myself.
When I came to see this truth it did not seem so difficult
to give up all for Him".
2. We Owe
to God.
1
Cor 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another?
And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
When
we consider what we owe to God,
the list is endless.
Life,
Liberty, Gifts, abilities, the joy of sins forgiven,
the hope of heaven, and new blessing morning and evening
from the unchanging God.
All
that we have has been given to us form the storehouse
of the Grace of God. Naught have I gotten but what I’ve
received by Grace.
Not
your own to Him you owe
All
your life and all your love
Live that you
His praise might show
Who is yet all
praise above
Every
day and every hour
Every
gift and every power
Consecrate
to Him alone
Who
hath claimed you for His own.
His Description
of Himself "James a Servant--
His Conception
of His Saviour.
"James
a servant of God and of Jesus Christ"
Though
James was content
to call himself a slave; he did have a high conception
of his Master. As a true servant of Christ, he testifies
to the deity of Jesus as the Son of God.
Thomas
Manton says in his
commentary—"that even as they stand these
words show Jesus as an object of equal honour with the
Father—And as the Father is Lord so Jesus Christ
is God". James no longer sees Jesus as his half
brother! He sees Jesus as the Christ and co-equal with
God.
John 5:23 That all men should honour the
Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth
not the Son honoureth not the Father, which hath sent
him. They are not of God
who denies the Deity of Jesus Christ and His equality
with the Father.
1) James
refers to Jesus as Lord.
He acknowledges
the Lordship of His Saviour—We do not make Jesus
Lord—God made him Lord. Rom
10 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
When
you received Christ as your Saviour, you received Him
as Lord of your life--
If
Jesus is your Lord, then you have no right to set up
the rules for your conduct.
If
He is absolute Lord and Master of your life, then He
is the One who sets the agenda for your life.
This word Lord
was not just a courtesy title,
which James used, for it is the same Greek word (Kurios)--
which Thomas used when he saw the Risen Christ-
Jesus said—Thomas
put forth your hand and put it into my side, and be
not faithless but believing. And Thomas answered and
said"
"My
Lord and my God"
1.
James refers to Jesus as Lord.
2.
James refers to the Lord as Jesus.
Now,
if the word Lord points
us to Deity—the name Jesus points us to His humanity.
The name Jesus—means Saviour.
The
Name Jesus means, "The
Lord is Salvation" The
angelic message to Joseph
concerning Mary –was, that she would bring forth
a son and His name would be called Jesus for He would
save His people from their sin.
This
great Truth links Bethlehem to Calvary with an unbreakable
link. The Lord of heaven, the eternal son Phil 2:6-8
Every
redeemed soul worships and praises Him.
Jesus
is the Name we Treasure
Name
beyond what words can tell
Name
of Gladness Name of pleasure
Ear
and heart delighting well
Name
of sweetness passing measure
Saving
us from sin and hell
1.
James refers to Jesus as Lord.
2.
James refers to the Lord as Jesus.
3.
James refers to Jesus as Christ.
The
Messiah, the anointed One.
For a period of 400 years the Prophets had been silent—but
in the person of Christ, the prophetic jigsaw fell into
place.
The
whole of the New Testament endorses the cry of Andrew
"We have found the Christ"
Through
His Birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and His
ascension—Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecy and
promises, which God had made through the Old Testament
revelation.
It was Walter
Chalmers Smith who
penned the lovely words
"Earth for
Him had groaned and travailed
Since the Ages
first began
For in Him was
his the secret
That through all
the ages ran
Son of Mary, Son
of David
Son of God and
Son of Man"
This was James’
Conception of Jesus! It was a high and
a lofty one.
Friends—when
we lift the Saviour high, then like James, we bring
ourselves low as a slave in obedience to Him, and in
appreciation of, who he is, and what he has done for
us.
Thus the book James
is the most practical letter in the New Testament in
relation to Christian living today. Let us keep in mind
that James was well qualified to write this book on
Christian behaviour, for he had the privilege of living
in the same home as Jesus for almost thirty years.
He had seen Christianity
lived out before his very eyes—he had observed
the life of Jesus and, when we read his book, we find
that Jesus is reflected on every page.
James is saying,
"I saw the life lived and here is the way the Lord
wants us to live. f some of our family were to write
a book, which was based on the way we lived Christianity,
I wonder what the book would be like.
His Description
of Himself
"James
a Servant--
His Conception
of His Saviour.
"James
a servant of God and of Jesus Christ"
His Compassion
for the Saints
to
the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Who
are these Tribes? Well
this is a reference to Israel to the Jews! For the early
Church primarily consisted of Jews. These Jews had been
scattered abroad because of their Faith in Christ. This
word-scattered means that they were scattered like seed.
After
Stephen was stoned to death outside of the lions
gate of the city of Jerusalem, Christians were scattered
throughout the Roman world. Act 8:1-3
God
permitted this test of the Jerusalem Church for
a purpose. Had there been no scattering, the Christians
would have stayed in Jerusalem and growth in the Church
would have been hindered. Instead in one generation
the gospel spread rapidly throughout the then known
world—all the way to the heart of Rome itself.
James
wrote this letter to Christians who had been dispersed.
He wrote to those who had to leave their homes, and
loved ones.
However under the inspiration of God the
Holy Spirit he was also writing to us, because in one
sense all Christians are dispersed and scattered as
seed among the Nations. We are living today as exiles
from our heavenly home.
Thus
the letter of James is directly from God to us, for
behind the hand of James is the hand of God.
James
wrote his letter to those who were under persecution
in order to teach them how to deal with stress and the
pressure of difficulties.
There
were Saints who were wrestling with how to live out
what they believed.
Christians
today, also face stress and trials. We can learn form
the book of James how to react. These Saints—had
felt—
The
Pressure of the hand of Satan
They were aliens
and strangers on earth. Jesus was their Saviour and
Satan was their Enemy. So it is with us today. Every
attack on the believer and on the Church comes from
the hand of Satan.
The
Preserving hand of God
James
1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of
life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him.
John
16:33 In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Scattered
and hard-pressed they might have been!
But they were held in the loving preserving hand of
their God and Saviour.
So
it is with every believer.
With
My Saviour ever near to guide me
I am safe whatever betides me
From the storm and tempest He will hide me
In the Hallow of His hand
In the Hollow of His hand
I am safe whatever may betide me
In the Hollow of His hand.
|
