James - Part 1 (Perseverance)

This episode launches our summer sermon series, James: Wisdom from a Little Brother. Pastor Mike introduces the author of the letter, exploring who James is and the key themes woven throughout this New Testament book. The message also highlights perseverance as a pathway to spiritual maturity and deeper faith.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

He has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. In the shadow of his hand, he hid me. He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, You are my servant Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. But I said, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God. And now the Lord says, He who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself. For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has been my strength. He says, It is too small a thing for you to be my servant and restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

And I'll be reading from the uh Romans chapter five, verse one through five. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God, not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

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So we'll be in James chapter one.

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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations, greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. The relationship uh between followers of Jesus is described often as brothers and sisters in scripture. Psychologist Michelle von Volcum says, Besides your parents, for many, there's only one person who's been there from the beginning. Not my friends, not my spouse, not anybody but my sibling. Volcum goes on to say, and because every enduring relationship can be frustrating, layered with decades of misunderstandings and baggage, sibling bonds have their own complexity. How's your relationship with your siblings? Would that open up a can of worms? Some of us would call our siblings some of our closest friends. Uh uh, others not so much. Uh maybe we're estranged. And then there's some in between where it's like on again, off again, on again, off again. According to research, 82% of American kids have a sibling. Who are our firstborn in the room? Any firstborns? Oh, oh yes, okay, nice. All right. Any babies of the family in the room? All right, okay, nice. I'm a baby of the family. I uh um I'm the youngest of five. There's 12 years between me and my oldest brother. Uh, and they say that our family dynamics change as you go from the oldest to the youngest. Um I am I forgetting anyone? Uh-huh. Oh, middle child. Yes. Oh, let's not forget you. Yes, middle children. Just kidding. I did not forget you. Uh you are loved. Uh, and um in the late 1920s, psychiatrist Alfred Adler he theorized that firstborns feel dethroned by the younger ones that follow after, which would make them neurotic and self-centered, but prone to leadership. Um he goes on to write, the youngest the oldest are gonna attest to this. The youngest would be spoiled, outgoing, and immature. Uh while the middle child can be independent and rebellious and relatively healthier. Um that psychiatrist was a middle child, so we know that he's like showing some favoritism. Uh that studies though show that birth order does not have any effect on our personalities. Um anyone disagree with that? Okay, we got some hands. Uh so my wife, she loves sending uh Molly Larson, who uh isn't here today, but Molly and Josh have three boys, and uh she loves sending this clip that represents the oldest, middle, and youngest, kind of one guy playing all three. Um, and it's believed that the firstborn might think, Oh, I am a natural leader. Um, the youngest might think, everyone does love me. Um the middle might say, I am a bit of a rebel, aren't I? Um and that tends to be the thing, but psychologists don't believe they believe that's a myth. They believe that that all gets just projected on us, and that's not a natural thing that actually happens uh in the family dynamics. But there are there are a lot of examples of siblings in scripture. Uh we have this uh uh Cain and Abel who exemplify extreme sibling rivalry, uh showcasing this image here uh of the two brothers. Um Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, they may show a little bit healthier relationship, kind of like Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Um then we have Joseph and his brothers. Lots of favoritism, then some bullying, and then eventually some reconciliation happening. Um we have Peter and Andrew, two fishermen brothers that jump out of a boat and they begin to follow Jesus together. The scriptures say Jesus also had siblings, but he had half brothers and half-sisters. Imagine the complexity of that relationship. Some of us would say that our siblings have a God complex. Um maybe these siblings felt the same about Jesus. And so there are a few passages of scripture that talk about his siblings. Matthew chapter uh 15 is one of them, or 13 is one of them. It says, Isn't this the carpenter's son? These are the neighbors, they're all seeing Jesus and they're noticing him, but then they recognize him. Isn't he his isn't his mother's name Mary? And aren't his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things? It's almost this dig at Jesus and his siblings, like, where did Jesus get all of these giftings? Because his siblings certainly don't have them, right? There's there's this wondering, and then it makes it hard for his brothers to believe that Jesus is who he claims to be. In John chapter 7, it says, if you'll read the yellow with me, for even his own brothers did not believe in him. But then something remarkable happens with one of them. Something changes for one of them. After Jesus' death, his younger half-brother James becomes a leader of the movement of the way. He actually becomes a leader in the church of Jesus. What would change this guy's mind? What would, I mean, if anybody is to know the authenticity of a person, it would be a sibling, right? Sometimes parents have this kind of rose-colored glasses for some of us, but a sibling would really know the authenticity of someone and who they are. And here we have James going from not believing to being a leader in the church of Jesus. And Paul would comment this is how, this is why the resurrected Jesus appeared to James and among many other people. Jesus died, he was buried, and the resurrected Jesus appears to James. So who is this guy, James, that writes a letter to a scattered church all throughout that area. He becomes one of the first church leaders in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus was crucified and buried and rose again. Paul calls him a pillar of the church. Danny sometimes references some of those who were leaders in this church years ago who've gone before us. He'll point to those pillars out front. He's like, they were like that. James was called this among the church. He was like a pillar of the church. He's described as a wise man and a man of peace. So when we read through the James, I want you to pay attention that wisdom and peace tend to go hand in hand according to James. And James also calls himself a servant of Jesus. He only mentions Jesus twice in this past in his letter, but he does call him Lord, which is interesting for a half-brother to do for his older brother. He calls him Lord, which means I pledge allegiance to you. Second century historian Hegissippus, can you say that with me? Hegissippus? There you go. He describes James as one whose knees grew hard because of his constant worship of God, kneeling and asking forgiveness for the people. Do you know anybody who's just a prayer lawyer, who goes before the throne of God on behalf of so many people that their knees end up becoming callous because of how much they pray? Can you think of that person? So James is described as this, as someone who prays. So we're going to begin this study. It's beautifully demanding study of a letter written to the church, a letter that pulls no punches. In fact, many throughout church history dislike this letter. Some of them actually disagree with this letter. Have you ever read something in scripture where you just felt the tension? Like, do I believe this? Have you ever felt that tension? Or how do I feel about this? And so many feel that way about the book of James. So, what does this little brother have to say to Christian brothers and sisters in the first century? What kind of wisdom can we impart in 2026? So there are a lot of themes throughout the book, like testing and faith, wisdom and anger, compassion, relationship between the poor and the rich, what does sin do to us, and praying for the sick. Then he talks about the tongue. Anyone have an issue with their tongue? Nobody raised their hands on that one. Oh, I can always count on you, Richie. Thank you. Yeah. Yes. Oh. Sometimes this letter is called the Proverbs of the New Testament. But here, James, he's not simply offering advice. He believes the themes he's talking about are really a matter of life and death. A matter of flourishing in this life or languishing in this life. And so he's taking these words seriously as he writes them to the church. And his intention is that he would form a community who actually embodies what they believe. That when we see this community, we could say, oh, I see what they believe. They don't have to just tell me. They actually embody it together as a people. They're going to embody it in any kind of circumstance, any kind of community, in any kind of culture. They are going to embody the way of Jesus. They are going to reflect King Jesus. And right out of the gate, James is going to focus on an important word found 32 times throughout Scripture. I want you to see it in verse 4 in chapter 1. We just read it a few minutes ago. It says, and again, if you'll read in yellow, let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. He's going to use this word perseverance a few times. And it's defined as an enduring of affliction, a persistent, constant, patient frame of mind, a steadfast faith. He tells us this perseverance is going to lead us to maturity and completeness. It is born often out of suffering, it's born often out of testing. The Apostle Paul will say that perseverance produces character, and character will produce hope. James will encourage the church to persevere together, that we could become mature in our faith.

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What does a mature faith look like? If we are to grow, what do you say? What did you say, Duane? Loving.

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Like John would describe, right? Like this hey, if you love your brother, then you must love God, right?

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Any other what what does a mature faith look like? Patient? Is that was that you, Tammy? Patient.

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Like this, just this patient. Anybody, anybody pray for patience today? Come on. Yeah. All right. How that when we see you, it would be like, oh, I see that person embodying who Jesus is. Mature and complete. A faith that goes beyond information and actually forms us. A faith that is not only about going to heaven after we die, but one that is lived out on earth in the ordinary, the day-to-day, the things, the interactions with our family, the interactions with our brothers and sisters, the interactions with our neighbors and in our workplaces. And then James describes some circumstances that will challenge us in this. And he'll share some of the ways that persevering is about not assimilating to culture, but actually living differently than what culture will tell us. Like light and salt in our community. So one of my favorites, Eugene Peterson, he calls perseverance a stick to itiveness. He says this is an inelegant word, but it just says it, right? Like he says, perseverance does not mean perfection. It means that we keep going. We do not quit when we find that we are not yet mature and there's a long journey still before us. Perseverance is not resignation where we're putting up with things the way they are. Staying in the same old rut year after year after year. Or being a doormat for people to wipe their feet on. Endurance is not a desperate hanging on, but a traveling from strength to strength. Perseverance is triumphant and alive. So, Victoria, I know I brag a lot on my kids. Um, Victoria ran an ultra marathon a couple weeks ago. Um, and she was sick while doing it. Dawn and I were talking about this last night. She was sick, and then we just learned her brother ran with her, and uh we just learned last night he ran on a fallen arch. His arch had fallen just the week before, I guess, and now he's flat footed on the one side. And they both ran this ultra marathon 31 miles together uh through this through the forest. And at one point she describes this point, and he described it too. Uh that I think they're about at mile mark or 20 or something, one of those. And uh, and it was the furthest distance both of them have ever run. And it was the the point where it's like, can I keep going? I am struggling, I feel the suffering for for both of them. Blisters were starting to form on their feet, and it was the question of do I keep going? Can I finish this race? Can I persevere? This is what uh James is telling a church. You can keep going even when this is the furthest you've been, and it's starting to you're starting to form blisters. You're you want to you just keep going, and he's encouraging them to do so.

SPEAKER_03 17:45

Ah, brothers and sisters. I know along the way our faith gets challenged. I know we experience hardship and trials and temptations and loss. We get hurt by the very church that's supposed to love us and care for us.

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We become frustrated with the institution of church. We witness actions and abuses of church leaders and we become disillusioned. Some begin to deconstruct their faith at points in their life and wonder, do I want to even keep going with this? Do I really believe what I've been taught from my childhood? And none of these things are new to the church. When you and I, when we read letters like this to the first church, we we find just, oh, that resonates with me. Oh, I recognize that. Oh, that's familiar. And the writers of the church keep encouraging the church, keep going, continue on, don't give up, press forward, finish this race. And some of you in this room might be struggling with this.

SPEAKER_03 18:59

Wondering if you could keep going. Wondering if the way of Jesus is really worth it. So just for a moment, will you allow me to join in the course of these great writers? Keep going. Keep going. I and many others are running with you.

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Even when if even if you don't feel like it, you may be exhausted and you may feel depleted, and you may even be thirsty. Drink from the living water who call who who says, I am with you.

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I am with you. Keep going.

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But Peterson reminds us that perseverance is not a result of our determination. It's not a result, it is the result of God's faithfulness. We survive in the way of faith, not because we have this extraordinary stamina, but because God is righteous, because God sticks with us.

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So throughout the summer, we're going to learn from James the Wise about this faith that requires perseverance. What does it mean to live our faith out today from day to day?

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In 2026, in this context, what does it mean to be encouraged to, oh no, this is what pure religion is. This is what it looks like. James will say things like, hey, faith without works is dead. So how do we embody the faith that we claim to believe? Like, how? So James, he's gonna say, like I said, he's not gonna pull punches, he's gonna say some tough things, but it's gonna be an encouragement. Because he was writing originally to a church that was being persecuted for the very faith that they claimed to have. And so they were in a very real, persecuted way, like actually seeing their brothers and sisters die because of the way they believed. And so he writes this for or to them, but it is also written for us today. But where does James get this kind of like idea of perseverance? Where would James, what example does James have that he can point to that says, this is what perseverance is? His big brother Jesus. One New Testament writer describes Jesus as being our big brother as well in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 11. It says, Both the one who makes people holy, being Jesus, and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. Jesus, our older brother, embody perseverance.

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He is our example of enduring this for the sake of one another, for the sake of the world.

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In uh in Hebrews chapter 12. Uh it's a familiar passage. We uh uh if you grew up in church, you memorized a lot of different passages. Um and uh and maybe they stuck with you as an adult. Um Hebrews chapter 12 is one that tends to. Hebrews 11 is about of this list of all of these people who of faith who like did hard things and they worked and persevered through tough things, and and that's what Hebrews 11 is. And then that's just gonna like pour right into Hebrews 12. I'm gonna read it from the message translation because sometimes familiarity, it just doesn't like things kind of drop uh if it's too familiar. And so I want to read it out of the message translation, Hebrews 12, verses 1 uh 1 through 3.

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Do you see what this means? All these pioneers who blazed the way?

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All these veterans cheering us on. It means we better get on with it. Strip down, start running, and never quit. No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who began and finished this race that we're in. Study how he did it, because he never lost sight of where he was headed. That exhilarating finish in and with God. He could put up with anything along the way, the cross and shame, whatever.

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And now he's there in the place of honor, right alongside God. So when you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again. The story of Jesus. Item by item. That long litany of hostility that Jesus ploughed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your soul. Jesus. Our Savior, our redeemer, our big brother. You are a God who's with us, and you are a God who has suffered in every way. And you persevered. And so you call us into a way that is like yours. You are the way. So as we study this, would you prepare us to um to learn from James? To be encouraged to persevere.