Augustine
said “Where Scripture speaks, God speaks.”
It’s easy to
draw huge crowds by preaching soft topics… Preaching (if you call it that) fun
and exciting or trending topics….
Jumping from one thing to another talking about the things that make us
feel better about ourselves we might eventually get around to a few important doctrines
here or there…
But when we
do that, when we find ourselves focusing on the parts of the Bible that we
like, tailoring it to what we want to hear… we begin to ignore the passages that
are difficult to understand, likewise the passages which confront our
sinfulness begin to be left out that or we twist them to fit the context of our
lifestyle… The result is we create a Christianity that appeals to us…
This is why we
must commit ourselves to the teaching the entirety of God’s Word. Just because we
don’t like what a verse says doesn’t mean we get to remove it from God’s Word…
There is
true value found in God’s word and there is a great need for the competent and
complete teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Not simply to tickle the ears of the
people but to lead them to repentance and to eternal life.
James is one
of those tough books. There will be times as we go through this series in which
you are going to feel uncomfortable. And to that I say GOOD! Don’t shirk from
that discomfort, embrace it. Embrace the message which God is whispering in
your ears through His words and don’t look back!
So a little
context of the author, audience, and purpose as we get started –
Who is James?
James was a
Pastor in the early church (Acts 15 & 21). He is most likely the
half-brother to Jesus…
Who is James writing to?
We see this
in verse 1: James is writing
predominately to the Jewish Christians who had been a part of the church in
Jerusalem. We know that according to Acts 8 following Stephen’s martyrdom the
believers from Jerusalem had been scattered due to intense persecution.
What is James all about?
The book of
James focuses heavily on the central theme obedience. James’ premise is that
the way we live, the things we do, our responses to trials, all is a direct
result of our faith.
What we do = What we really believe…
The book is
comprised of 108 verses and out of those we find 59 different commands.
Obedience is cover to cover…
In today’s
culture no one wants to hear about obedience, following Biblical commands and
laws are ridiculed as outmoded archaic practices… Start talking about living Biblical
principles and people start to whine and cry about legalism and run away….
In James 1 we are looking at facing trials in life. How
do you face your trials? Do you face them under your own strength and
understanding? Living in that constant state of anxiety and frustration?
Or do you allow the Sovereign God of the Universe to guide you in His wisdom, trusting in his resources and his reward, drawing closer to him, growing more Christ-like until you reach the finish line and are crowned with eternal life?
Or do you allow the Sovereign God of the Universe to guide you in His wisdom, trusting in his resources and his reward, drawing closer to him, growing more Christ-like until you reach the finish line and are crowned with eternal life?
Living a James Life requires a radical commitment to a God centered life.
Join us over
the next 12 weeks as we explore the commands for Christian living found in the
book of James and apply them to our lives.
If you miss
a week be sure to log on to the church website and listen to that week’s
message!
See you
Sunday!
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