Studies in James

1. Studies in James Presentation 05

2. The Structure of the Book Introduction and Trials in the Christian Life (1: 1-8) Happiness in our Circumstances(1: 9-11) Trial, Temptation and Gift (1: 12-18) Hindrances to Fruitfulness(1: 19-21) Doers and Hearers (1: 22-25) True Religion (1: 26-27) Favouritism (2: 1-7) The Royal Law (2: 8-12a) Showing Mercy (2.12b-13] Faith and Works (2:14-26) Teachers and the Tongue (3: 1-12) True and False Wisdom, (3: 13-17) Peacemakers (3: 18) Defeat Through Lack of Submission(4: 1-6) Victory Through Submission(4: 7—10) Judging One Another (4: 11-12) Boasting of Tomorrow (4: 13-17) The Misuse of Wealth(5: 1-6) The Need of Patience (5: 7-12) Appropriate Responses (5:13-16) Restoring the Wanderer (5:17-20) Presentation 05

3. Doers and Hearers Chap 1v 22-25 Presentation 05

4. Introduction James’ shares the concern of the Lord Jesus who, at the close of the Sermon on the Mount, [Matt .7 24-29] tells the story of the wise and foolish builder. The foolish man built his house on the sand. He thought knew better than his neighbour who built on the rock. Perhaps he believed he had a better understanding of soil mechanics and structural engineering than those who tried to tutor him. Most likely he was just too lazy to put in any real effort. The rain came down, the floods came up and his house collapsed. Only when it was too late did he discover that the worst kind of security to possess is a false security. Presentation 05

5. The Bible is a Dangerous Book James deals with the issue of false security by drawing attention to - a mirror! There are two ways of looking in a mirror. We can take a hasty glance, or we can make a careful examination of the face before us. The ‘quick glance man’ makes a lightening tour of the bathroom. He tickles his chin with a razor, slaps his face with a damp cloth, runs his wet fingers through his hair before setting off for work. On route, he can't remember what he saw in the mirror. Is there still soap on his face? Is his hair sticking up at the back? What benefit has his mirror been to him if he can't remember these things? James says, some people, treat God's Word like that. They read a few Bible verses before jumping into the merry-go-round of daily life. And they do not remember what they read. Presentation 05

6. The Bible is a Dangerous Book James describes this person as self-deceived. They engage in false reasoning, thinking, "A few Bible verses read every day will ensure my spiritual progress". That is dangerous reasoning! It is not enough to read about the great truths of salvation. We need to be able to say, “These truths have entered into the bloodstream of my life and are completely transforming it”. There is a difference between reading a menu and eating a meal. There is a difference between reading a prescription and taking the medicine. There is a difference between reading the Bible and growing in grace. It is extremely easy to deceive ourselves on this issue. Presentation 05

7. The Bible is a Dangerous Book One reason God’s Word fails to enter the bloodstream of our life is that we do not remember what we have read. The man in James' illustration immediately forgot what he saw in the mirror. Some time ago a watch advert on TV began by asking two questions. 1. “Are the numerals on your watch, Roman, Arabic or some other kind?” 2. “Without looking at your watch again can you say what time it is?” A staggering 9 out of 10 people couldn't. Having glanced at their watch-face they had failed to see the most important thing that it was telling them, the time of day. So too, in casual Bible reading, we can look at the Bible long enough to see the words but not long enough for them to register and to discover what they are saying to us. Presentation 05

8. The Bible is a Dangerous Book James next asks what is the point of reading our Bibles if we fail to act upon what we read? It’s like looking a mirror seeing that you have egg on your face and doing nothing about it. In what sense is God’s word a mirror? ‘Mercy’ a character in Bunyan's ‘Pilgrim's Progress’ is described holding a two-sided mirror. On one side she saw all her character flaws while on the other she saw a portrait Jesus. Two likenesses because the mirror of God's Word has two functions. First, it reveals our true moral and spiritual state. Secondly, it describes the Christlikeness of character that God wants us to own. Concerning the first someone has said, ‘A real book is not one which we read but one which reads us’. God’s word exposes those things which are morally and spiritually harmful in order that we might eject them from our lives. Presentation 05

9. The Bible is a Dangerous Book The reverse side of the mirror shows us a picture of Christ, a portrait of the kind of people God wants us to be. And the reason God has given his Spirit to the church is that we might be empowered to display more and more of the family likeness. Now what is the point of reading God's Word his mirror, and of hearing God speak, if we do not act upon what we see and hear? We are reduced to no more than mere HEARERS OF THE WORD. Presentation 05

10. The Bible is a Dangerous Book It is possible be an armchair gardener and watch every gardening programme on TV while owning a garden that resembles a weed infested jungle. More seriously it is possible be an armchair Christian; to read one’s Bible and listen to it being read in church BUT then fail to act upon the truth you hear. We are accumulating Bible knowledge which does us no good if not acted upon. What did Jesus say of such people? "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down the streams rose and the winds blew against the house and it fell with a great crash". Mat.7.26 Such a man is a self-deceived man. Presentation 05

11. The Bible:Gateway to Blessing The wise man looks intently into God's word. His is a careful examination of God's word. He goes to great lengths to mine spiritual treasure. A T.V. documentary described the mining of lapis lazuli in the mountains of Northern Afghanistan. The reporter trekked through dangerous and rugged terrain to interview miners. They removed tons of rock using only a cold chisel and hammer, in order to gain access to this rare mineral. Their effort challenges Christians to ask, “how deeply am I prepared to dig in order to lay hold of the precious truths of God's word?” Martin Luther encouraged his students to pause after reading each verse of scripture and shake it as they might shake the bough of a fruit tree when they wanted to enjoy its fruit. God's word rewards attentive reading Presentation 05

12. The Bible:Gateway to Blessing Secondly, James' describes the discipline of the wise man’s approach v25 ‘he continued to look intently’. This addition is important. It’s not enough to read our Bibles in an occasional burst of enthusiasm followed by months of neglect. The Bible is bread for daily use, not just cake for special occasions. “Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be. Whatever engages my attention when I should be meditating upon God and things eternal does injury to my soul ... let me accept anything else instead of the scriptures and I have been cheated and robbed to my eternal confusion.” A. W. TOZER. We must never think that after many years of Christian discipleship we know the Bible well enough to allow us to neglect reading it. Presentation 05

13. The Bible:Gateway to Blessing Thirdly, blessing does not come in proportion to the amount of Bible knowledge we possess BUT rather from our obedience to the truth that God has revealed to us. The wise man "does not forget what he has heard but does it." This is the key! There is a real relationship between obedience and blessing in the Bible. We are not told how the obedient man will be blessed. It might be in his home, in his family life, in his work, in his Christian service, and in his innermost being. If we take this seriously then we will discover that the greatest blessing of all does not come after obedience but during it. In the mysterious chemistry of God's mercy, a man's very obedience is made a blessing to him. The best way to enjoy God is to obey him. To be hearers and doers of the Word. Presentation 05

14. Conclusion God has placed a mirror in our hands. We must decide how to use it. Our decision will determine both our enjoyment of God and our usefulness to him. Are you enjoying God? Do you delight in him? God does not want us to be armchair Christians, foolish builders, or self-deceived individuals. The cross reminds us of the sacrificial obedience given by Jesus to secure our salvation. What greater encouragement can we have to be more than mere hearers but doers of God’s Word? Presentation 05