Spring Valley Congregational Church Podcast

The frailty and the shortness of life are or should be sobering and humble thoughts to us all. So many spend our lives working and preparing for the future; whether we are saving for retirement, a vacation or socking money away in case of an emergency we want to be assured that we have enough resources to help us get by in the future. As Christians what should our mindset be when it comes to preparing for the future?

Some churches divide over communion, where the pulpit should be placed, should there be a pulpit at all? We don’t want to change something because we might not like the end result even if it is from God. Plus it doesn’t really matter if God is behind something, I don’t like it. I have never heard someone say that but I have sure seen someone do it.

In today’s text we will be looking once again at the topic of wisdom and more specifically what true wisdom does and does not look like, and we will look primarily at wisdom that comes from God. If you recall back in James 1:5 the author encourages his readers to ask God for wisdom if they lack it and He will give it generously.

Words have been responsible for starting wars, abusing people, breaking up marriages, devaluing people and destroying countless lifelong relationships. The tongue of a human is considered one of the smallest muscles in the body, but it has the potential to cause a world of damage and destruction if left unchecked and unfiltered.

Today’s text may be considered one of the most controversial, if not (to some) the most contradictory passages in all the New Testament. This is mainly due to James’ ideas that at first glance seem to contradict the teachings of the Apostle Paul. My goal for today is to look at the text and clarify what James is trying to convey and ultimately show that his message is not contradictory and is in fact on the same page as the Apostle Paul’s.

For those of us who believe and are fully committed to Jesus Christ we do not approach this day so casually. In fact we put all of our stock in the truth that Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose from the dead. We have placed all of our cards on the table in hope and anticipation of the resurrection of Jesus and our future resurrection.

The argument James introduces in the passage is that a general carefree or verbal faith with a few good works added in is sufficient to save individuals. Instead he argues that genuine faith of a true believer is clearly evidenced by his good works or deeds. You see one cannot just tack on good works to any old empty or dead faith and think it is sufficient. This kind of faith (as James states) is futile or useless.

James introduces this new topic in chapter 2 and he gives much space in his letter in regards to the topic of prejudice or partiality so we can assume this was a big issue that was being dealt with. The topic or theme he introduces for verses 1 – 13 is discrimination against the poor and showing partiality or favoritism to the rich in this Christian community.

Pure and undefiled/clean/untainted religion (or worship) is evidenced by caring for widows and orphans and keeping oneself unstained from the world. Here James is not defining religion as being only these things he is reminding the recipients of this letter that if they are practicing followers of Jesus they have a responsibility to care for those who are less fortunate AND not walk in the ways of the world.

In today’s passage James reminds his readers the importance of being men and women with controlled tongues and attentive ears. Plain and simply human anger does not lead to behavior that is pleasing to God.

There are countless stories of temptation overtaking Kings and rulers who were deceived into believing they were entitled to more or whatever they want by compromising their morals or beliefs. Even our Lord Jesus was tempted to sin by the devil and resisted by the Word of God.

We have a problem (and I think we all struggle with this at one point or another) with allowing status, material possessions, and social circles to define who we are. However we are told throughout scripture that we will be reviled, hated and persecuted solely for the company we keep (Jesus Christ).

Last week I talked about trials and persecution and how God uses them to make us complete, whole and mature. We need to keep this context in mind as James writes in verses 5 – 8. It seems apparent that in this passage James is continuing to exhort his readers by telling them to seek wisdom in the midst of trials. The way a person should seek and receive wisdom is through prayer.

Holding on in the hard times or persevering is the theme for today’s message. The passage we will look at in James deals specifically with our attitudes and actions when faced with hardship and trials. Many consider this passage a jagged little pill which is painful to swallow, while others find it completely impossible to hold onto in their lives.

When I first became a Christian back in the early nineties (1991 to be specific) one of the first things I did as a new believer was consume the Bible every moment I could get. I spent hours at home reading and feasting off the Word of God (I think this is rather common among new believers). In fact one of the books that I consider my favorite even to this day is the Epistle of James.

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