And what James' goal is, is for believers to become wise. And how do you become wise? You have a single-minded, whole-hearted commitment to seeking God and growing in maturity and wisdom. Don't live in your sinful, carnal desires, but live a life that is committed to the Lord. Live a life that seeks wisdom from above. James is like a spiritual heart surgeon who cuts deep into our heart, and he exposes those desires in our heart that have a love for the world and a love for God. And he's saying, here's what a wise person is. They are making choices in their life, not based on their sinful emotions, but based on their whole-hearted, single-minded commitment to following and serving God.
And that's what it takes for you to be a wise person. Welcome to The Daily Platform, a radio program featuring chapel messages from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. You just heard evangelist Steve Pettit, who will be leading us in a study series in the book of James called Wisdom from Above. Today, Steve will walk us through an introduction to the book of James. I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles this morning and turn with me please to the book of James, James chapter one today. How many of you have ever found yourself in a situation, a very difficult place in your life, and you had to make a decision, and you didn't know what to do? How many of you have ever found yourself in that situation?
All right, I would suspect all of us. Well, it's at those moments of your life that you recognize that you need help beyond yourself, and as a Christian, you recognize that you need wisdom from above. Our study this semester is going to take us through the heart of the book of James. Our study begins in James 3 and verse 13, and we'll run down through James chapter 4 and verse 10, which is actually the heart, or you could say the thematic peak of the book. So we're going to look at the verses. We're going to study them very carefully, and as we begin, I think it's important this morning to grasp a few introductory thoughts about the letter of James before we launch into the theme of wisdom from above, and so this morning we're going to spend most of our time just trying to understand the big picture or the purpose of this book that will actually help us understand the theme that we will be studying this semester.
So first of all, let's begin by asking, let's look at five questions this morning. First of all, who is the author of the book of James? His name is James.
Well, we're doing good so far. But notice what James chapter 1 and verse 1 says. It says, James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The real question is which James is the author of this book, because in the New Testament we have at least three Jameses. The first is James, the brother of John, one of the 12 disciples, one of the inner group of Peter, James, and John, who was one of the sons of Zebedee. Then there's James the Less, or James the son of Alphaeus. He is also one of the 12 disciples, but not very well known, so he had the title James the Less. How would you like to have that title?
How you doing, Less? Anyway, then there's a third brother, and that's James the half brother of Jesus. So which one was it? Well, we know who it's not. We know it's not James the brother of John, because he was the second martyr in the church after Stephen. He was killed by Herod. You can read about it in Acts chapter 12, and this book was written after his death. We're pretty sure it's not the other James, the James the Less, who was not well known, and so history says he was most likely not the author. And so that really leaves us to one person, and tradition tells us that the writer was Jesus' half brother. Now it's very interesting that actually Jesus had four brothers. Do you know who they are? Most people don't. We know James.
That's one of them. We know another guy who was an author of one of the New Testament letters. What was his name? His name was Jude, so you got James and Jude. Then you have a brother of Jesus named after his father.
His name was Joseph, and then a fourth brother named Simon. This is found in the New Testament. But what I think is very interesting, at least in the case of James, we were pretty sure that James did not become a believer in Jesus as the Son of God until after the Lord's resurrection. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 7, the Bible tells us that in one of the three personal appearances of Christ to an individual, he appeared to his brother James. And when James saw him in his resurrected form, that's when he became a believer. But it was not long after that before James became a great leader in the Jerusalem church. The fact is he was the lead pastor, the head elder of the church. And as time went along, he became very noted for his righteousness. He was called James the Just. But I think what's very interesting here is when he writes his letter, he does not view himself so much as the brother of Jesus, but he calls himself the bond slave of Jesus Christ.
That is, his life like every other believer was committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. That leads me to the second question. That is, who were the recipients? Who were the ones that received this letter? Look at verse 1. It says, to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad.
Now who's that referring to? Well 12 tribes would refer to Jews, the tribes of Israel. And since this is being written to Christians, then these are Jewish believers who had been scattered abroad. That is that they had been driven out of the country in what is known as a dispersion. And I think this takes place in Acts chapter 8 and verse 1 when it says there was a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem and the believers were scattered abroad. So, who are these 12 tribes that are being scattered abroad?
These are Jewish believers who because of their faith were under persecution. And they were living as refugees in a foreign land. Now, can you think of any refugees today? Have you watched the news lately? Where there are literally thousands of people who have fled Syria and now they have moved up into Europe and they're trying to get into countries, whether it's Germany or Austria or other countries and some of them have died in the process.
Well it's very similar, same type thing. And these are people who are without jobs, without homes, and in many cases without money to live on, so life was very difficult. And James deeply loves these people. He calls them his brethren or his beloved brethren, some 11 times. And James is writing them for a purpose. And that is to help them understand their trials spiritually. Some have entitled the book of James the first century 101 manual for Christian living.
That is, it's very simple and straightforward. That's the style of his writing. It's very much like the book of Proverbs. And James is one who doesn't mess around.
He gets to his point very quickly. He doesn't bypass doctrinal truth, but his main purpose is to emphasize practical Christian living. And that's why he has, in 108 verses of this book, 50 definitive commands, very direct imperatives of what we're to be doing as a Christian. Because the Christian life is not just about doctrine, but it's also about the way that we live, our lifestyle, and being practical as a Christian.
And that leads me to the third question, and that is this. What is the main purpose of the book of James? Why did James write this letter?
Well, we know who he was writing the letter to, but what was his point? Well, what's very interesting is as far as I know that this is the first New Testament letter. That is out of the 27 books in the New Testament, this was number one.
It was probably written between 40 and 45 AD. That's about 10 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. And James's overall goal is to help believers mature into wise men and wise women.
That's his goal. That Christians would mature into wisdom. And I think it's very interesting that when you compare what James has written to what Paul has written, it appears that on the surface their purposes are different. For example, James's goal, as I mentioned, is for believers to be wise. But what is Paul's purposes in his writing?
His purpose is for believers to become like Jesus Christ. So the question you have to ask is, do they have different purposes or are they saying, in essence, the same thing with a slight different emphasis? For example, James tells us in chapter one, verses two through five, that Christians go through trials and those trials produce endurance and that endurance produces spiritual maturity, all for the purpose of them becoming wise. But when you read Paul in Romans five in verses three through five, he says almost the exact same thing. Trials produce endurance, endurance produces proven character, all for the purpose of making us like Christ.
And so I'd like to submit to you this morning that though it seems like in wording the purpose is different in essence or in reality, it's the same thing. For example, listen to how Paul uses the word wisdom in his own letters. He says in Colossians 1-9, he prays that believers will be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. In Colossians 1-28, Paul says that they warn every man and they teach everyone with all wisdom that everyone would be presented mature in Jesus Christ. In Colossians 2-3, he says that in Jesus are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He writes in Colossians 3-16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. And then in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 30, he says but of him are you in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom. So, through Paul's primary focus on Christ's likeness, he does bring into his point the matter of God's wisdom. So, James's goal overall is like Paul's goal. Paul's goal is to make us into Christ's likeness. James's goal is for believers to mature into wisdom as wise men and women and in essence, I believe the goals are one in the same.
So that leads me to the fourth question. And that is what is the process towards gaining wisdom? How do you become a wise person? Well let me ask you a question, do you want to be a wise person? Well nobody wants to be considered an unwise person. How many of you have ever done something and somebody looked at you and said that was not very wise? Or maybe they use slightly crass language like you're a real idiot.
Well that was bonehead or that was stupid. So, what is the process by which we get wisdom? Well let me first of all say that it doesn't come automatically. And I want you to know that wisdom and intellect are not one in the same. Have you ever known somebody that was really smart that did something really dumb?
Have you ever noticed that? Wisdom and being intellectual have nothing to do with one another. Wisdom is not something that you get in a classroom, although the classroom is important.
It's not something that you get by gaining knowledge or even gaining understanding. In other words, a person could be very, very smart but not necessarily wise. But wisdom is something much more. And the scriptures make it clear that wisdom is something that only God can give you. For example, James 1 and verse 5 says, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. We read in Proverbs 2 and verse 6, it says for the Lord giveth wisdom. So wisdom is something you have to get from God and if you don't seek God, you're never going to get wisdom. So when would you seek wisdom or what would motivate you to seek wisdom? And that's what brings us to James 1 and verse 2.
Notice what he says. He says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations or literally various trials. He says, for the trying of your faith is working patience but let patience have a perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. Verse 5, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. When is it that you and I seek wisdom?
Here's when. When you come under unexpected, unavoidable and unwanted trials. Or if I could put it this way, pressures. Things that cause stress.
Things that cause tension or things that create difficulty. And you come under these pressures and you have to think properly and respond correctly in a way that will honor God and fulfill his will. When do you seek wisdom? It's when you're under pressure and you have to think right and you have to respond right in a way that will honor and fulfill God's will. Or let me put it this way, wisdom is the ability to make a connection.
All right, follow me carefully. It's the ability to make a connection between your pressures, your trials and the purpose and the character of God. So, you're going through a trial, things are difficult, something happens, something blew you away. Your emotions rise to the surface. A decision has to be made.
What do I do at that moment? Well, human nature is you live by your feelings. You react. But wisdom gets on your knees and says, Lord, reactions are wrong.
This kind of response is not what you want. What is the wise way for me to respond in a way that will honor you and fulfill your will? Wisdom is having the right response and making the right choices at the right time.
Wisdom is skillful living or becoming skillful in godly wisdom and righteousness. And what James is communicating in the beginning of this letter is this is my goal for you. That throughout your life as you go through multifaceted trials, physical trials, emotional trials, relational trials, financial trials, governmental trials, spiritual trials, dormitory life trials. As you go through these multifaceted trials, as God puts the squeeze on you, as you come under pressure, as you're facing stress, God does not want you to run from your trials. He doesn't want you necessarily to try to get out of your trials, but God is using this.
It is designed to grow and expand your faith, to understand God in His ways and His purposes. And therefore, when we come into a trial, how should we respond? We should be patient. We should hang in there. We should stick it out.
Let me tell you something. The worst thing for some of you to do is to quit and get out of here, cut bait and run. As if somehow running away solves all my problems.
No, they just make your problems worse. But what the Lord wants you to do is to stay under the trial, but don't be passive in the trial, but seek the Lord. God is growing you up. In fact, as you know what the Lord is doing, the Lord is moving you from a very emotionally immature person. Who is an emotionally immature person? It's someone who is controlled by their feelings. They're controlled by fear, by anger. They're controlled by depression and discouragement.
They're controlled by confusion and self-pity. And God is trying to move you from an emotionally immature person to a person who is spiritually mature and able to rejoice in the Lord as they see God at work in their life through their trials. So how do I get wisdom?
Here's how you get it. If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God. All of these trials are just building blocks, just steps. As you go through these difficulties you seek the Lord. God's process of maturing Christians into spiritually wise men and women is through a process where he breaks us over our self-centeredness through trials and he brings us into a greater God dependence through prayer. So this is what's happening. You're maturing. You're growing. I've already seen this after one year of being here, the amazing difference between a freshman and a senior.
It's like, wow. It's not putting a freshman down or lifting the senior up. It's the reality of what happens when you grow and you mature in your faith and you learn to make right responses and right choices at the right time when you go through pressure-packed situations in your life. What is God doing? He's growing us up to be mature, wise people. Now one last question. What is James' overall big picture concern then for his people?
And that is this. He is concerned that Christians undervalue their trials by making wrong responses. And fact is he's concerned that you have a wrong point of view. And James does something very interesting. He creates a word for us that's not used in the normal Greek language to express his concern.
What is that word he uses? It's used twice in the book of James. Look at James chapter one and notice what he says in verse eight.
He says, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. What is Paul's concern? James' concern, excuse me. His concern is a believer being double-minded. Look at James chapter four and note if you will please verse eight. Draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your heart you double-minded.
Alright? That's the only time that word is used in the New Testament, those two passages. So the question is what does the word mean? Well, the two words in the Greek are this. Di, di, and the word sukas.
Di is two, sukas, from which we get the word psychology, is the word soul. So you could say it this way, two souls, a double mind. The idea is this that James is describing a condition that all believers have.
All of us have this. We are all by nature double-minded. I think Paul describes it in his letters as the battle between the flesh and the spirit, that inner conflict we have between right and wrong.
Here's what he is saying. We have as a believer a heart for God, a soul for God. And as a believer we have a heart for our own desires to be satisfied in this world.
John Bunyan described this person as Mr. Facing Both Ways. This way we're facing for God, this way we're facing for the world. I want to be godly and actually I want to be worldly. And the one word that James uses to describe our sinful desires, one of the key words he uses, excuse me, is found in James 4 verse 1 and 3.
And we're not going to look at it, we're going to look at it later on. But the Greek word is the word hedon. From that word we get the word hedonism. And what is a hedonist? It's a person who wants to live a pleasure-filled, pain-free life.
Maybe you call it the American dream. They would like life to be filled with pleasure and a life to be free from pain. And so what James is saying is, as a believer I am concerned that you stay in an immature, double-minded state where instead of you living all out for God, you actually live, you give in to your selfish carnalities and your selfish inconsistencies. And what James' goal is, is for believers to become wise. And how do you become wise? You have a single-minded, whole-hearted commitment to seeking God and growing in maturity and wisdom. Don't live in your sinful, carnal desires, but live a life that is committed to the Lord, live a life that seeks wisdom from above. And so to be honest with you, James is like a spiritual heart surgeon who cuts deep into our heart and he exposes those desires in our heart that have a love for the world and a love for God. And he's saying, here's what a wise person is, they are making choices in their life not based on their sinful emotions, but based on their whole-hearted, single-minded commitment to following and serving God. And that's what it takes for you to be a wise person. I hope this semester that the Lord will give all of us wisdom from above. You've been listening to a sermon from the book of James by evangelist Dr. Steve Pettit.
My name is Wyatt Smith. I'm a senior here at Bob Jones University studying multimedia journalism and I want to tell you a little about my experience here at BJU. I've been here a little over three years and I truly cannot say enough about the community here at BJU. Whether it has been in the halls of the dorms, in my incredible society, or even in the classroom, I have always felt a very strong sense of community around me that has aided in my growth as a person and as a Christian. BJU's commitment to academic excellence has also pushed me to discover and refine the skills and talents needed to succeed in life after school, such as communication, critical thinking, and problem solving.
My time in the classroom has allowed me to gain hands-on experience in my field of study, all while giving me the freedom to think creatively and build my skills. One aspect of BJU that I have really appreciated is that I have been continuously challenged to develop and grow my faith in Christ through the preaching of God's Word in chapel and the daily discipleship of those in community around me. I have truly loved my time here at BJU and I hope others will be able to share the experience I have had. If you or someone you know is interested in an experience such as mine, I would encourage you to check us out online at our website bju.edu and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at bju.edu. For any further information, please feel free to give us a call at 800-252-6363. Thanks for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue the study in the book of James from Bob Jones University Chapel Services in Greenville, South Carolina.
