I would like to have you turn to the book of
James. Martin Luther called this little letter "a right strawy epistle." But
with all respect to him I believe the book is a right substantial epistle. The
theme of this book is genuine, honest faith. As far as James is concerned,
honesty is not the best policy; it's the only policy. The book of James is
basically a cry of outrage against hypocrisy. James speaks against some of the
great social ills of his day and ours -- racism and oppression and warmongering.
But he also speaks out against the secret sins that we all cherish, the sins
that we cover up and are never quite willing to judge and put away, the inner
sins of pride and defensiveness and jealousy. I get the very uncomfortable
feeling when I read through this book that James has been reading my mail, or
worse yet, my mind. He puts his finger on some areas that really hurt. There are
54 imperatives in the 108 verses of this book. James believes that the Word is
something to obey.
Today let's look at the first paragraph, verses 1
through 8. Verse 1 is a brief introduction:
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the dispersion: Greeting.
It is not clear from the letter itself who the
author is, except that his name is James. There are a number of men in the New
Testament who bore that name. There were two apostles -- James the son of
Alphaeus and James the son of Zebedee -- who are well known to us since they
were part of the apostolic band. But we are quite sure that neither of these men
wrote this book. There was another James, James the son of Joseph and Mary, who
was the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the early church in Jerusalem. I
believe it is this James who is the author.
I wonder if you have ever
thought what it must have been like to have Jesus as an older brother. We know
from the Scriptures that he developed as a normal child. He grew intellectually,
socially, physically, and spiritually. He was like any other child, with one
very crucial exception: he never sinned. And you can imagine what it would be
like to have an older brother who never sinned. Jesus always did what his mother
told him -- the first time. He always picked up his socks. He always washed the
ring out of the bathtub. He did everything right, and I'm sure that,
inadvertently, Mary must have favored him, because she knew who he was. It must
have been very difficult for her not to have a very special feeling for this
boy.
I think the consequence is predictable. His brothers and sisters
began to resent him. They did not believe in him. In fact, they thought he was
insane and on one occasion tried forcibly to take him and put him
away. He
was a constant source of embarrassment to the family. He was always saying
things that put them on the spot, and they grew up to despise him. But in the
fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians Paul refers to the resurrection of Jesus and
recounts the appearances of Jesus to various individuals. He appeared to Cepheus
(i.e., Peter), and then to 500 brethren at one time, and then he appeared to
James. I think this must have been a very emotional meeting, for when
James saw the risen Jesus he realized that he had lived all of his life with the
Lord of glory. He realized personally what the name Emmanuel meant: God with
us.
The introduction to this letter is very significant. If I were
writing it, this would be a great opportunity to do a bit of cosmic name
dropping: "James, the brother of Jesus." That would have been very impressive.
But not to James. Because he realized that his unique relationship to Jesus came
through supernatural descent, not through any natural descent. It wasn't his
relationship to Jesus through Mary that counted; it was the relationship that he
sustained after Jesus became Lord in his life.
We know something about
James from early church historians. We know they called him James the Just,
which gives us some indication of his character. They called him "Camel-knees,"
because he had acquired heavy calluses on his knees from hours in prayer. He has
a great deal to say about prayer in this book. He was martyred by being thrown
from the pinnacle of the temple, and his body was stoned beyond recognition. He
gave up his life for what he believed. One indication of the strength of a man's
belief is whether or not he is willing to die for it.
Then we have a word
about the recipients of this letter:
"To the twelve tribes in the dispersion."
The 12 tribes are the 12 tribes of Israel. James
is a thoroughly Jewish book. These are Christian Jews to whom he is writing, who
were dispersed throughout the world. The Greek word "diaspora" means "to sow
throughout." These were Jews God had sown throughout the world as the result of
many scatterings and captivities and persecutions. These people had received
Jesus as their Messiah. Perhaps Jews who were in Jerusalem on the day of
Pentecost had spread the gospel to them. And now James is writing to them to
encourage them and instruct them.
These were people who were suffering.
This is a constant note throughout the book. They were suffering because they
were Christians. Businessmen had lost their jobs, and their shops were being
boycotted. Young people had been thrown out of their homes. Children were mocked
and turned out of the Jewish schools. They were hated and despised. The Gentiles
hated them because they were Jews, and the Jews hated them be cause they were
Christians. They had no place to go. Life was indeed grim.
The third
aspect of the introduction is a brief salutation: "Greeting." But "greeting" is
a very poor translation of the Greek term. The word is not "greeting" but
"Rejoice!" "Be satisfied!" What a strange word to address to these persecuted
people. How could they rejoice in their present circumstances? Well, James
answers that question in the next paragraph.
There is one problem that
those of us who work on college campuses face, over and over again. It is the
problem of the justice of God: "Why do the innocent suffer?" James picks up this
issue immediately, because it is one that was on the minds of these people as
well. The problem of suffering was not a theoretical problem to them. They were
suffering, and they needed to know what relationship this had to their Christian
life. James does not provide a complete explanation to the dilemma but he does
tell them how they can utilize suffering in their lives. James
writes,
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Now there are at least two things that James
says about suffering in this paragraph. The first is that suffering is
inevitable. He does not say, "Count it all joy, my brethren, if you meet
trials," he says, "Count it all joy when you meet trials." Trials are not
optional. Peter writes, "Don't think it strange concerning the fiery trial which
is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened unto you. But rejoice,
inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; so that when he is
revealed in his glory you will be revealed also." Suffering is a normal part of
the process God uses to bring us to glory. It is not something strange.
Christians will suffer. We must not ignore the inevitability of that
suffering.
Recently I heard a story of a man who was riding on a subway.
It was quite crowded and he had to face the door. He was prone to motion
sickness and he began to get quite sick. The train raced into the station, the
door opened, and the man became violently ill. The doors closed and the train
sped on into the night. There happened to be a man standing on the platform
waiting to get on the train at this particular door. In utter dismay he turned
to the man behind him in line and said, "Why me?" I think that is sometimes the
way we feel. "Why me, Lord?" But we shouldn't be surprised. Suffering is no
accident. It is the normal experience of every believer.
James writes,
"Count it all joy when you meet various trials . . . " The word
translated "various" comes from the Greek word on which our word "polka dot" is
based. It means variegated or diversified. The point seems to be that we suffer
in different ways. But everyone suffers in some way. That is the first thing
James wants us to know. Suffering is inevitable. Don't be surprised when it
comes.
The second thing he says is that suffering is purposeful: " . . .
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let
steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
in nothing." The process begins with suffering, which leads to steadfastness or
endurance and this results in a perfect and complete man. The word "perfect"
means mature; the word "complete" refers to all our component parts. God's goal
is to make you perfect and complete, mature in every part, lacking in nothing.
What a strong expression -- lacking nothing! God wants you to be a complete
person who is able to face any situation. God's desire is to fulfill you now, to
give you every resource that you need in order to live the kind of life for
which you are looking. He wants to make you mature and complete. And there is
only one way he can get you there: through the route of suffering. Suffering
will drive you to God, or it will drive you to despair. If it drives you to God,
and you lay hold of his resources, then he makes his power available to you and
you are able to endure.
The Greek word used for "endurance" is the word
"hupomone," meaning to remain under, to hang in there, to persevere in any
situation. Vince Lombardi had a plaque on the wall of the Packers dressing room:
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." This is a description of God's
man or woman. They can be tough, they can stand fast, they can endure, no matter
what the pressure may be. And when endurance has its perfect work, i.e., if we
continue to endure, then God begins to round us out and fulfill us and complete
us.
God looks at your life and mine, and he sees inadequacies and areas
of disconformity to Jesus Christ. So he moves to complete us in those areas. And
he does so by bringing suffering into the very area that he wants to build.
Suppose he sees lovelessness there. Do you know what he will do? He will bring
you into contact with the most irascible, unloving, difficult person you ever
met. And you will learn to love him by counting on Jesus Christ. Or suppose
there is an area of defensiveness, or maybe there is jealousy, or an unforgiving
spirit. He will bring something into your life that will reveal what you're
really like, and you'll need to lay hold of the resources of Jesus Christ. By so
doing you will become mature in that area. And so the Lord will go right through
your life from A to Z, and he will mature you in every area.
The only
thing that impairs the process is our refusal to yield. If we do not allow
endurance to have its perfect work, if we resist and struggle against God, then
he can't achieve his desired end and we fail to mature. You see, Jesus wants to
make us into good wine. So he takes the grape and squeezes it between his
fingers. And if we be come unyielding and resist his fingers, then he cannot do
his work. But if we yield, he makes us sweet wine.
The problem is that we
do not like the fingers that God uses. Do you realize that the people who are
squeezing you right now, the circumstances that are pressing in on you, are the
fingers of God? They are simply extensions of the hand of God. That is why Peter
says, "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in
due time." God is behind those fingers. The suffering you are experiencing now
was determined from eternity to perfect you. And so James says, "If you let
steadfastness have its full effect, you will be perfect and complete, lacking in
nothing."
That expression is so encouraging to me. Lacking in
nothing. The Bible tells us that strength comes out of weakness. When you
learn to yield to suffering and accept your weakness and allow Christ to
have his way in your life, then you are strong; but it is only when you are weak
that you can learn this principle, and you can become a mature, complete
individual, lacking nothing.
James now begins to consider some of the
things that impede this process in our life. The first of these impediments is
found in verses 5 through 8. If you have a Revised Standard Version it appears
that these verses have no connection with the preceding paragraph. But in the
Greek verse 5 starts with a connecting word which should be translated "But."
James says,
[But] if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.
We have all counted upon this passage at times
when we have needed wisdom. We discover that God gives wisdom with no strings
attached, as he promises here. He is the God who gives, and he delights to pour
out his wisdom. He gives it abundantly and fully. We've learned to count on this
verse in that way. But that is not the primary application of the verse. The
basic application is to times of suffering. When you suffer and don't know what
to do--ask God, and he will give you wisdom.
Wisdom is applied knowledge;
it is knowledge put to use. Many of us know the principle that is spelled
out in verses 2, 3, and 4. We know that suffering comes to perfect us. But how
do we put that knowledge into practice in a specific situation of suffering?
What do we do? Do we stay where we are, do we move elsewhere, do we look for
release, or do we expect God to fulfill us where we are? What do we do? "Well,"
James says, "in a situation like that, ask God. He will let you know what to do.
He will let you know how to react in that particular situation. He will not fail
you."
But there is one proviso: we must ask in faith. Now, James is not
talking about the initial faith that places us in Christ, or even the faith that
sustains our relationship with Christ. To James, faith is utter abandonment to
the will of God. James is saying that we can have wisdom if we are willing to do
anything that God wants us to do. If we are willing to stay in that hard place,
if we are willing to go, if we are willing to lose our job, if we are willing to
give up our girl friend or our boyfriend, if we are willing to let our child go,
if we're willing to do anything God wants, then he will give us wisdom. He will
let us know what to do.
But if we are double-minded, if we want what God
wants . . . but we also want what we want, then, says James, "Let not
that man think he'll receive anything from the Lord." To restate the principle:
the basis on which God gives his wisdom is our willingness to do anything that
God tells us to do. If we abandon ourselves to his will, James says, God will
give us his wisdom. Do you see that?
I've learned one aspect of this
truth recently. Some time ago one of my Christian brothers, who really loves me,
came to me and told me about a problem in my life. He told me that I appear to
be afraid to look foolish. He began to cite some examples in my campus ministry.
And he was right. He really skewered me. And I saw it. I'm willing to do
anything except look like a fool. I hate to look like a fool. I don't mind if
people disagree with me, but it kills me when they laugh at me and I look
foolish. I wasn't willing to be what Paul says the apostles were -- the
off-scouring of all the world, the garbage of the world. That offends me. I
don't like to look like a fool.
Monday morning I walked onto the campus
and there was a front page spread in the Stanford Daily on our college ministry
at Stanford. I had spent about an hour with one of the men on the editorial
staff of The Daily two weeks earlier, telling him about our program. I was very
careful about how I said things, and I went away from the interview convinced
that he was going to write that article well. But when it appeared, the article
ripped us to shreds. They misquoted me, and I looked like a fool. People all
over the campus were laughing, and I knew they were.
My first thought
was,"I'm going to write a letter to the editor, and I'm going to defend myself."
And God said, "No, you aren't." Then I thought, "Well, I'll write a letter to
all the brothers and sisters on the campus." And God said, "No, you won't." And
for a week I squirmed. We went in to see the Dean of the Chapel on Wednesday,
and I blew it again. And the man who was with me very lovingly pointed out,
again, that I was still trying to look good. I was defending myself. Finally I
had to come to the place where I was willing to say, "Okay, God. I'll look like
a fool." And it is only by the grace of God that I can say that. But I'm willing
now to look foolish. And you know, the result of this decision is a tremendous
sense of release and peace over this issue. I can genuinely do what James says.
I can rejoice in suffering, because I know that God is dealing with an area of
my life that needs to be corrected, and I'm willing now to let God do whatever
he wants.
Prayer:
Thank you, Father, for your Word that cuts so cleanly and speaks so pointedly to our need. It will not let us get away with shoddiness and indifference, but deals with us in every area of our life. We thank you for this in Jesus' name, Amen.
Catalog #047l
Series: A Belief That
Behaves
Message #1
April 25, 1971
David H. Roper
Updated
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