This exposition of James 1:1-12 by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, February 17, 2019.
Intro:
I’m just curious, show of hands, do any of you have to go out and look for trouble or heartache? Any who can say, “It’s been years since I’ve seen any difficult days. I don’t remember the last time anything went wrong in my world.” Anyone?
[sections collapse="always"][section title="Read More"]
I was going to suggest a nice quiet hospital so you could get some help. We live in a fallen world. We left Eden a long time ago. Bill Webb, was a deacon and our song leader at Masham Baptist Church. Bill was, by profession, a pig farmer. Bill used to say, “I farm from crisis to crisis.” I wasn’t a farmer but I knew what he was saying. It is part of the human condition. Such is life in this fallen, sin-cursed world. It was that great philosopher Charlie Brown who said, “Life is like an ice cream cone. You gotta lick it one day at a time.” Problems, difficulties and trials are part of life. Webster defines a problem as, “Something difficult to deal with; a source of perplexity or vexation.” A trial is defined as, “The action or process of putting to the proof.” While a test is, “A critical examination given to prove the adequacy or the genuineness of something.” Together these give a fairly good description of what we face on a daily basis. Life is full of problems, trials and testing times and being a child of God does not give you a pass. An honest reading of Scripture makes it clear, God’s people have always faced difficult times. From the fall in Eden to entering into the new heavens and the new earth at the end of the age, God’s people have and will face troublesome times. It is not a matter of “if” but “when?”
Why do we face trials and temptations and how do we face trials and temptations? That is the focus of the first chapter of the letter from James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus to Jewish believers scattered from Jerusalem in the first decade after the resurrection and ascension of our Lord. Tonight we begin a study of James’ letter to the church scattered.
Text: James 1:1-12
This letter is likely one of the if not the earliest of the New Testament writings. Written by James the half-brother of our Lord (son of Mary and Joseph born after Jesus) and the leader of the church in Jerusalem. If is obvious that the James writing this letter has some authority and is known among these Jewish believers. It is written to, “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” The Dispersion is reference to Jewish believers driven out of Jerusalem following the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1, mid 30’s). James, the leader of the Jerusalem church is writing to the saints scattered. Josephus tells us James was martyred in AD 62 but there is reason to believe this letter was written much earlier than the 60’s.
Most scholars date the letter around AD 47.
The letter is a very practical letter dealing with the working out of true faith in daily life. Some refer to James as the “Proverbs of the New Testament” due to its practical insight and rapid change in subject. Others call it the “Amos of the New Testament” due to its call for equity and its dealing with social injustice. Because there is so much pact into such a short book it is difficult to outline or structure it.
As we work through this first section, we discover that…
Thesis: Joy, in the midst of trials demands a radically God-centered approach to life.
What is clear from these opening words is that trials/troubles/temptations are inevitable. Notice, count it all joy “when” not “if.” These things are going to come, how are we to respond? What is to be understanding of these troublesome times?
Are we to run? Are we to despair? What are we to do? James says, “Count it all joy!” That is a command, it is in the imperative. You can read verse 2, “Count it an occasion of pure joy when you are ambushed by life’s troubles.”
There are three things I want to note in this regard.
- A radically God-centered approach to life remains focused on the ultimate goal. (1:1-4, 12)
- A radically God-centered approach to life prizes wisdom over temporal ease. (1:5-8)
- A radically God-centered approach to life understands the transient nature of this world’s goods and the absolute folly of trusting in the resources of this life. (1:9-11)
[/section][/sections]