The Book of James: A Gut Punch for Christian Hypocrisy

I’ve heard the book of James described as a gut punch to Christians. I like that. The book of James, written by Jesus’ brother, somebody who grew up with Jesus, and saw Jesus’ during his whole ministry, writes to us, challenging us to really practice what we believe. That is one of the main themes of James.

Theologians and historians believe James was written at about AD 50. So about 50 years after death and resurrection of Jesus. This letter is not directed to a particular ancient church, but seems to be more generally written to Jewish Christians who are suffering persecution across the ancient world. The opening of James focuses in on the concept of suffering, and how we should view suffering as a gift in our lives that is making us more like Jesus. 

Then we see the theme of living what we say, in James 1:22-25 which says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:22-25

This is one of those things that keeps me up at night, about each of you. I always wonder to myself, are they living the faith during the week. Are they really praying everyday? Are they really reading their bibles everyday? Are they really helping others and loving others? It drives me crazy because there’s just no way for me to know. Unless I followed you around all day. That wouldn’t work though. So, live it.

We all as humans struggle with this, the concept of consistency. We struggle to take the list of things we believe and then live that way. This is easy to see in others right. If someone is talking about how much they love Jesus, but they’re insanely drunk as they do, we think, ok, there’s a problem here, they aren’t being consistent. If someone claims to love Jesus, but then treats people rudely, is rude to the waiter at the restaurant, or if they’re neglectful of their family, or friends. We think to ourselves, they’re a hypocrite. They aren’t consistent. 

But guess what, as much as we judge others, which we shouldn’t do, it’s hardest to see ourselves, and where we’re being inconsistent in our lives. So as we’re going through James, I want you to keep that in your mind: How can I make my faith life more consistent?

So in Chapter 2, we find the next concept that James wants us to understand about being a Jesus follower: Don’t show favoritism. Keep equal balances. I have scales of justice up at my house, to remind me to treat people equally. 

James 2:1-4 says, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

This is harder than it sounds. How do I treat someone who can’t help me in anyway? How do I treat someone who doesn’t have a car or a job or any money or any way to do good for me? What about someone who has money, influence, power, and can help me? I have to treat them equally. And not give special attention or time to someone with greater influence or power or wealth.

Also, I can’t give special privileges or special attention to someone just because they are poor, or because they are oppressed, or something. That’s becoming more common in our society today, where we give special privileges, special legal rights, special attention to people who were oppressed or harmed in the past, almost as a sort of revenge for the past, and that is also wrong according to scripture.

We can’t give special favoritism to the rich or the poor, to the sick or to the healthy, to the oppressed or to the favored. The biblical standard is equal treatment. Remember that.

Now does this mean that I legalistically spend exactly the same amount of time with everyone in my life? No. If I’m married obviously I’m going to spend more time with my wife, if I have kids, I’m going to spend more time with them than others, if I have close friends, I’m going to spend more time with them than others, but generally within the body of Christ, I treat everyone equally.

James 2:12-13 says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Another concept James focuses in on is mercy. Once again this is an issue of being consistent as a believer. God has shown me huge mercy by forgiving all my sins. That’s amazing grace. And what God tells me in response is that I need to show mercy to people around me.

So What if I owe somebody $500.00. And they come to me one day and say Justin about this $500, don’t even worry about it. We’re good. I’ll be super happy about that. But what if I then go to someone who owes me 20 bucks and start yelling at them saying where's my money, screaming at them yelling at them. That’s hypocrisy!

Your sins have been forgiven in Christ. So you’ve gotta forgive people who have done terrible things to you. Who haven’t you forgiven in your heart? Forgive them right now. I dare ya. Do it right now, in your mind, pause for a second, and forgive them. Family? Mom, dad, brother, sister? Friends? Enemies? They all must be forgiven in your heart.

If you’ve not been merciful in your life, and you’ve held grudges and condemned people in your heart, you’ll be judged as a lawbreaker on judgment day. So please be cautious to be quick to show mercy and quick to forgive.

Alright, ready for a punch in the gut? In chapter 4 we get a big punch in the gut from James.

It says in James 4:4-10, “4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Pride is of the this world, worldly pride, all pride is sin. Constantly the Bible commands us to stay humble, stay humble, be submissive to God, submit to God.

We talked about this in recovery group a few weeks back, but the answer to any trial or temptation we’re going through is to turn to God and submit ourselves to God. Sounds simple doesn’t it?

But often during a trial or struggle we’re angry, confused, upset, complaining, hurting, and we’re under demonic attack, and instead of resisting the devil and submitting to God, we start questioning God, and trying to figure it all out instead of simply trusting God, and submitting to Him. Stop the philosophizing in your mind, stop the questioning God, and simply trust Him and submit to Him.

We don’t like the idea of submission in our society. But it’s biblical. We should be totally submitted to God. And submitting to one another in love. Once again, consistency, do I live what I say I believe? Easy to say, to submit, but harder to do, right?

More wisdom we find in James chapter 5. Really everything James is teaching us is essentially how to live a wise life by, living consistently between our faith and our lifestyle.


James 5:7-9 says, “7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”

Patience is a virtue, as they say, right? I’m not a particularly patient person. But I’m learning to be more and more patient. God teaches us so much through waiting. He teaches us all about ourselves when we wait, weeks, months, years, I’ve waited almost 9 years now, praying everyday for something special, and I’m waiting still. So be it. Are you learning to be a good waiter? Hope so. God likes to make us wait.


Meanwhile, as you wait, can you take massive amounts of lemons, bad luck, difficulties, trials whatever you wanna call it, and turn them into lemonade? And do it with a smile on your face? Now that’s tough.

And our final point today from the conclusion of James chapter 5:13-20, “13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Are you in trouble? Then pray! Are you happy? Sing worship songs to God! Are you sick? Get prayer from church members. Have you sinned? Confess it to someone you trust. Tell someone. Tell a friend. Tell your pastor. Get it out, and you’ll be blessed, as you repent and turn away from that sin, to have success. Pray for each other, because those prayers are powerful and effective. Prayer really does change things. Remember that. 

Now, should you see someone drifting away from the truth, a Christian who is going astray, falling away, backsliding, whatever you want to call it, go after them. Go talk to them. Encourage them to return. Pray for them. Talk to them. Love them. Spent time with them (but be careful to not be tempted by whatever sins they may be in) Why? Because if you are able by God’s help to bring them back from their error, as they turn again to Jesus, it will cover over all those sins, and they’ll be saved from hell. And that’s a big deal. God loves that. That is beautiful to God.

Why? Because that’s what Jesus did for us. Me, I was the black sheep, who left the 99, and went out on a ledge and got stuck in a rocky crevice, and Jesus came, found me, jumped down on the ledge, grabbed me, pulled me out, and brought me back to safety. And how beautiful it is indeed if we mimic Jesus in that way, by going after someone who has drifted away? It’s lovely to God.

So in conclusion today, we return to the prime question: How can I be more consistent in my faith walk? That is the question I leave you with today. The book of James is all about consistency, practicing what we preach, faith without works is dead, am I living it? That is true wisdom brothers and sisters, if you really want to be a wise Christian in this life, you must learn to take what you believe in your heart and mind, and live it on a daily basis. If you aren’t able to do that, then you’ll be a fool, like proverbs says, but if you can learn to practice what you preach, you’ll be a wise man, a wise woman, who builds their life on the rock of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, what will it matter at all if we claimed to have faith in Jesus, but we never really lived it in our lives? Is God going to accept that faith? No. That faith is dead. It doesn’t exist, because it wasn’t lived. Therefore, live out your faith, that’s the only way for your faith to be truly alive and active in the world. Amen.

Must Watch for Christian Thinkers: Add a Depth to your Faith through Reason

There is one resource that every single solitary Christian on the planet ought to view immediately, it's called "The Truth Project" created by Del Tackett. It's simply the most important resource you can view. View it immediately. Spend as much money as you possibly can to get it immediately. Watch it over and over and memorize it if you can.  

Here are some other resources to check out as soon as possible:

1. Francis Schaeffer's "How shall we then Live?" DVD Series

Available on Youtube free, click here. 

2. Icons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells DVD Documentary

3. Is Genesis History? with Del Tackett

4. William Lane Craig on the Ben Shapiro Show

5. Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator DVD documentaries

6. The God Who Speaks by various 2018

The Body of Christ Today: Fighting a Delaying Action in Severe Testing

It feels like the battle of Hoth out here.  We as the body of Christ are fighting a delaying action against the enemy, who appear to be advancing on all fronts.  I feel the desperation. I sense the walls closing in.  The last year has burned like a cold fire in my heart. The battles have been many. The trials have been difficult. The refinery of the Lord burns brilliantly. That is as it should be. 

The last year has revealed to me who I truly am, and I do not like what I see. But what that means is, the Lord is removing the impurities, and turning me to pure gold. Is he doing the same for you?  If so, be pleased. 

The battle seems to have turned against us in the west.  Many of us believe it is only a matter of time until we are defeated. The enemy has the power of hell on it's side and hell's time is nearing, that time we all dread. 

But we continue fighting. We continue to fight our delaying action.  The world has fallen to the mass madness, for the most part, though there do remain pockets of resistance here and there.  The indoctrination to secular progressivism has been rather complete, but there are still some hold outs. The largest hold out region seems to be the United States, most of Europe has already fallen to the madness. But a heroic resistance still remains. 

Does it feel like the people around you are increasingly brainwashed by the media and the academic establishment? The world seems more and more radicalized and programmed by those who control the flow of information. That is the battle of our age. The battle for the mind's of humanity. Yet we keep fighting. We keep hoping. We keep sharing the truth. Will it be enough?

It would take a miracle, but we all hope for one as we gather around our campfires, wearied and jaded. But we haven't given up.  We're still hoping for a better future. We're still desperately holding up our torches into the fading light.

Yes, we've been through the wringer. We look back at past series of traumatic events; they make us wince. Wince because of the destruction and hopelessness around us, but double-wince because of our own sins and failures in the midst of critical moments in history. What a sad state we are in, yet what incredible hope remains in our infinite God. 

Has your love grown cold? You must not let it grow cold, somehow, someway. You must keep your lamps burning, like the five wise virgins, who stored up extra oil. Do not let your love grow cold, somehow, someway, in Christ, all things are possible. Don't give up.

These are the times that try men's souls.  So we must take refuge in the Lord.  The Lord is my strong tower. I will not be shaken. Though he wounds, he also binds (Job 5:18). 

It is never fun when the Lord rebukes us, and corrects us, but when we come out the other side, weeks, months later, we find ourselves stronger, spiritual muscles bulging.  That is our lot for our time on Earth, correction, growth, carrying of our crosses, and following Jesus. It is infinitely worth it. 

The love of God, and His presence in this room with me is worth it. To know the creator of the universe, and be reconciled to Him is everything. I don't have to run anymore. I don't have to scream anymore. I don't have to dump pills into my stomach hoping to wipe away the sorrow for a few hours. I don't have to throw myself into empty encounter after empty encounter desperately seeking pleasure. I don't have to walk out on highways wishing for death anymore. I've found life everlasting. 

And riding my bike, at midnight, in the darkness across the Shiawassee river, under the dark skies, I realized that though these times are so very dark, the truth is, these burdens are light and temporary.  Light and temporary. Light and temporary.

The man twisting in agony right now, his sins popping before his eyes, one by one, minute by awful minute, hour by unbearable hour, seeing the memories of every time he had a chance to receive Jesus as savior, and yet refused, before his eyes, in pain, skin burning, mouth dry as the desert, laughed at and mocked by demons surrounding him, his agony will never end, in a week, it will continue, a month, a year, a thousand years, a million years, it will never end. These present difficulties are nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed. And it's nothing compared to the hell that we've escaped, assuming we continue in our belief to the end (Matthew 24:13). 

Don't give up brothers and sisters. Hold fast to the Lord.  Seek His face on a daily basis. Follow Him. Do His will and not your own.  Share the gospel everywhere. Fight tooth and nail.  Yes, we are fighting a delaying action right now.  We're slowly retreating. We're like the rebels on Hoth, with the AT-ATs closing in, barely holding them off as the transports escape off the surface one by one into hyperspace.  We may be like Luke Skywalker on Cloud City, fighting a losing battle to Darth Vader, but after our great fall, comes a great rise.  We may now be fighting a retreating action, but in the future we may yet find ourselves gathering around Sullust for our counter-attack, our last great victory, before the calling away. 

Be zealous now, and live a lifestyle of repentance. Take an inventory of your ways. Live out your faith on a daily basis. For these are the last days friends. Imagine it brothers and sisters! Of all the people in history, we get to be the ones who live to see the last great harvest, and the calling away of the church. Who would've thought it would be us?

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you.[a] For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance. 4 Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. 5 Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice,[b] because the riches of the sea will become yours and the wealth of the nations will come to you." -Isaiah 60:1-5 HCSB

Endurance through Struggles: The Final Victories of Paul's Ministry

“In ancient Rome, crowds by the tens of thousands would gather in the Colosseum to watch as Christians were torn apart by wild animals. Paul Rader, commenting on his visit to this famous landmark, said, "I stood uncovered to the heavens above, where He sits for whom they gladly died, and asked myself, 'Would I, could I, die for Him tonight to get this gospel to the ends of the earth?'" Rader continued, "I prayed most fervently in that Roman arena for the spirit of a martyr, and for the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart, as He worked in Paul's heart when He brought him on his handcuffed way to Rome." Those early Christians "lived on the threshold of heaven, within a heartbeat of home, no possessions to hold them back." -Our Daily Bread.

The Apostle Paul lived on the edge of death, that’s for sure. As he traveled from here to there, throughout his ministry he planted many churches. Some say he planted up to 20 churches in different cities. We know for certain that he planted the church at Ephesus. He faced constant difficulties and persecution. And today we focus in on Paul’s final, grand trial, in which he would glorify God in numerous ways.

The last seven chapters of the book of Acts, about one fourth of the entire book of Acts is dedicated to documenting the great spiritual struggle that Paul faces at the conclusion of his journey in serving Jesus.

He has already faced incredible levels of persecution and suffering for the cause of Christ. More than any of us could dream of. But now he faces his last great struggle, which is a wild and incredible series of events, to say the least.

Each of our lives will one day tell a great story. The ups, the downs, the victories, the defeats, it’s all there. And the Lord whispered to me a few weeks back, that my victories and my defeats, over the last few years, have been shared by more than I know. Heaven’s forces care about our lives and what we go through. That’s comforting I think.

On judgment day, when you stand alone before a loving, holy God who is about to judge your life, what will the pages of your book say? How did you glorify God in your trials and in your journeys? Did you really live for Him or did you live for yourself, with Him tagged on the side? For some of us, judgment day may be the worst day of our lives, when we find out we never really knew Jesus, and that sitting in church just wasn’t enough. And we’ll be sent to hell.

For some of us, that day when we’re judged, will be the best day of our lives, because it will confirm at last that yes, we followed Jesus, yes, we believed in Jesus, and yes we knew Jesus and He knew us. And we will be welcomed into paradise, with the words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

That has been on my heart lately. Judgment day, that one day, is the one day we should all be preparing for. It should be on our minds, that we will one day have to give an account. And we should prepare carefully by living close with Jesus, with great faith in Jesus, serving God with fear and trembling.

It’s interesting, as Paul went about his mission year after year, eventually the Holy Spirit began to speak to him about the coming great trial he would face. It says in Acts 20:23, Paul speaking, ““I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.” -Acts 20:23

And again in Acts 21, a prophet spoke to Paul, from Acts 21:10-11, “While we were staying there many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into Gentile hands.’”

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will tell us that something is coming our way, whether good or bad, whether trial or victory. Watch for that.

Paul knows he has to return to Jerusalem.

His fellow believers urge him not to go, since he knows that trouble awaits him there. But he knows that it’s God’s will, so he goes.

He returns home. This is his home city, Jerusalem. He grew up there, from what we can tell, and he’s now an outsider, because of the Jesus movement he’s joined. But he’s determined to win as many Jews as he can to Christ.

In Acts chapter 21:27-28 it says, “When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”

It says that the entire city was aroused against Paul, you’ve got serious spiritual warfare going on here. Hundreds and thousands of people are growing into a mob against Paul and the other believers.

Eventually some Roman troops come and arrest Paul. But Paul requests permission to address the mob. And the commander gives permission.

And this gave Paul permission to share his testimony about how Jesus changed his life. And he does. He shares about the Damascus road when he saw the vision of Jesus and how Ananias came and baptized him. Then he gets to the part of his story when God called him to preach the gospel to non-Jews. And this makes the crowd go crazy, remember these are all Jews who think of gentiles as evil and unclean. So the mob goes totally out of control again.

So the Romans take Paul away, and then order the assembly of the leaders of Israel, the Sanhedrin, and bring Paul before them. And once again, this is the Holy Spirit using persecution to bring forward the gospel. So once again, Paul has the opportunity to speak to the Jewish leaders. A great dispute results in the Sanhedrin between the Sadducees and Pharisees, and once again Paul is taken away by the Romans.

It says in Act 22:11, "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

A plot is formed in Jerusalem to murder Paul, but it’s stopped before it can be carried out. So the Roman commander sends Paul to Caesarea to be examined by governor Felix. This begins two years of Paul being imprisoned by the Romans, and brought before various leaders and kings and judges, where Paul gets the chance to speak for Jesus again and again. Finally after all this mischief, Paul appeals to Caesar himself to get justice in his imprisonment.

So Paul is sent to Rome. On his journey, they are shipwrecked, and all sorts of crazy stuff happens, they end up on the island of Malta, then travel by ship 3 months later, and finally arrive at Rome. In Acts 28, we hear about how Paul is under house arrest in Rome, but is having many opportunities to preach the gospel to the people around the city who are curious about him and his situation.

Now during this time, and the years Paul would spend in prison and house arrest, Paul would write many of the new testament letters, like Romans, Ephesians, Galatians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians and so on. And these today are our love letters from the Lord, inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by Paul himself. Many were probably written while he languished in prison, and he might’ve wondered, what good am I able to do locked away in prison? Little did he know he was writing the new testament that we study today to know God! Amazing! He was reaching billions for Christ, but he didn’t even know it at the time. Sometimes our circumstances can be deceiving.

Who knows if Paul knew that his death was near? We don’t really know. But we do know that God guided him safely into the heavenly kingdom. Paul died, he was probably martyred for the faith. But he came safely into paradise. That is our goal as well.