The Book of James

Hey this is Jim Graham from the masculine dirty podcast where we explore relationship instead a religion every week their chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds to enjoy it. Sure, but most of all, thank you for listening you for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network hey all you awesome truth talk listeners you're going to hear a great exchange next with Dr. Sam Horn, professor at Bob Jones University seminary pastor and man of God.

He and I are talking head-to-head Toto about one of the most powerful books in the New Testament that almost did make a Canon. The book of James. So stay tuned, be encouraged. This is from an earlier live show. I did this week just hosting for my friend Steve. No one is national broadcaster Steve Noble show its full frontal attack on the book of James, next next right here on truth. Talk the book of James is front and center today and we have an awesome man of God who is going to guide us through.

He is our navigator and by the way he has two things in common with the book of James and the author of the book of James. The word enjoy talking to him right here, right now I'm waiving all my histogram and Facebook friends who are watching me because I'm I got attacked by poison oak in my face is swollen and I'm so glad that I am on the radio right now because I indeed have a face for radio right so thank you for all your prayers. God bless you and a lot of folks that although social media channels are they just said students to put a warning that your face is okay.

I get stop Brad stop Betty right I would oversee my dad today said put a mask on my pops 30 feet away like I would look at that mug with all that swollen this with me is a man of God upper esteem professor at Bob Jones University.

Their wonderful seminary.

There are the partners here on theology Thursday and he's also pastor local churches also been a mentor to me all these years we finally had a chance to hang out on the radio Dr. Sanborn God bless you sir a God like you to do and I wish I could see your face. I think I would pay money to see that.

I don't know if you would expect overlapping as you were describing it. What a blessing to be on the air with you in and what you why I think back to the many years we've had together and just the way God worked our paths over the years where we cross and serve together and God taught us together. I remember early on in our friendship we were studying and talking and memorizing the book of James together so it really fitting that all these years later were together on the air talking about that, but, well not really, as I really love your passion for teaching the word of God, both in a pastoral capacity but also instilling God's word in teaching God's word to to young people who are your equipping them for the ministry right there at Bob Jones University and and Dr. Horn. When you bring up the book of James man evokes all kinds of the of emotions from people and there's all kinds of controversy with there's a lot of rubber meets the road. It's five chapters in were honored to be visiting with you today to help us literally flush that out if you have a question about the book of James Dr. Horn as our guest all hour long call this number 86634 truth toll-free 866-34-TRUTH 87884.

Maybe there's a question about the healing part in chapter 5, maybe the question about faith without works is dead. Hearing the word not just a doing or not. Just hearing it is. It's fraught with all kinds of rich minerals were in a mind today.

Dr. Horn, what is it you have in common with the author of James. The book of James. Well, you know, I don't know that out a lot in common with James, but I sure have a lot in common with his readers and I pastor a church that that's really my heart my my soul. Actually, I love pastor got people and I began thinking about time six months ago we were getting into the new year just kind of thinking kind of where we are as a culture where we are the church. Our own little church, what's going on in our body. Where would we spend time for about four or five months in the word of God, where hardware are to be encouraged. Vision could be reset and our focus could be redirected and I landed on the book again and you asked what I have in common. I I have a lot in common with the readers but I'm super impressed with James that the book give you a couple of things that that really set out to make it. Probably the earliest book in the New Testament written somewhere 45 to 49 A.D. so really were talking about 15 years after the events of the life of Christ that the birth of Christ. Obviously, right around the beginning of the first century is is is the after his resurrection somewhere between 30 and 33 A.D. which puts us right at 15 years into the life of the church right after the events of Pentecost. And so we are talking about one of the first letters in our New Testament to a new church that was was young it was warming up how to live out of state and James writes that the church that was written by pastor James wasn't just writing as a theologian. He was writing at the pastor and look what stood out to me is that he didn't always believe in Jesus, we know from history that he was one of the Lord's brothers back. He was the next brother after Jesus. Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters, and so a family of seven. At least counting Mary and Joseph, and years of James. The oldest brother and perch, even entire life. James refused to believe the claims that you making about his true identity and after the resurrection. He appeared to James, and James became a full on believer in fact he was so respected by the early church that he became the first pastor of the first church of the followers of Jesus Christ. So he knew what it would like to be someone who was skeptical and someone who rejected the claims and then to become a convert. He knew exactly what the readers were facing it, and then he loved his book with theology. I mean literally talk to them about the underpinnings of their faith.

What is it what it looked like to have a faith that is real of faith that goes way beyond just what you say what you claim what kind of faith is actually going to be a difference making kind of faith in a world full of skeptics and James talk that way and that's why the book is so practical because it meets us where we are not world we live it. You know we are a group of people who have embraced claims about Jesus Christ change his older brother and we had to struggle to come to grips with who Jesus asked that he not just someone we added our lives really the Lord of our lives well to those claims for itself, but we live in a world that boxes that really had a hard with how to make everything health were talking about this rich book of the Bible right now with an old friend of mine just as he just have me on the calendar and Steve have to be desperate for just a terrible just toasty guy who's never done this before and he did. I walk up exist to neuron here with Sam Horn who is really one of my long-time friends loves Jesus. He's mentored me him and Beth is awesome kids and he's a professor at the seminary at Bob Jones University.

Her wonderful partner on theology Thursday also pastor a church in Greenville South Carolina near the upstate of South Carolina, Dr. Horn. This book of James man I tell you, the intro is perfect a song happy. We need to be happy. But God is given us this this book it.

Here's the question I would ask you point-blank as we talk about James. If you have a question.

By the way, Dr. Horn about this book. If anything's ever puzzled you about James or maybe one of the tough text in the book that you struggle. We would love to talk to you. The toll-free numbers 866-34-TRUTH 866-34-TRUTH 87884, Dr. Horn. How could someone I'll James you told us a little bit about his background grow up lives so close in proximity and family. In life with Jesus Christ the Lord of the universe, the creator. How could a guy grow up with Jesus and yet never really follow him until after the resurrection could be word that a lot of folks here in my voice right now your voice or listing in the Bible Belt. We got churches in every core, but we have thousands of churchgoing people have never been transferred by Jesus there exposed with air around it like James around Jesus, but they've never truly followed him. How can that be Doc, you may think what you and is a great question because actually that's exactly where a lot of people are.

You know, we've grown up in church, many people we hear the same thing Bible we know all stories and yet we walk away knowing we start we start requesting it and then you know when were 1819 20 we walk away and we never come back.

And that is just, you know what happens out, you know, in a place where the gospel isn't that actually happens a lot of Christian home where you can have kids growing up in a Christian home to even go to a Christian school. Sunday school very good churches are our youth groups. They heard everything about Jesus just like James had heard everything about and he saw everything about any answer that I come back to you is what Paul talked about in Ephesians 2 when he talked about how we really are people with a fall in the trees that were dead in our trespasses and sins, and later on to describe us as blind. So when we see and hear truth about Jesus until God resolves our deadness problem, and until God resolves her blindness problem were to be just like James and God had to do a working James so what happened is Jesus Christ appeared to James and he quickened his heart and he opened his heart. His eyes and James believe and that's exactly what David got talk about in this book talk about the fact that it's the word of God that implanted in you that dreams for like that's what he talks about in chapter 1 verse 18 and verse 19 of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures, so everyone that the Christian in many ways is a modern-day James and so as we talk about this that's really how I would add to that question is really great question.

Well, Dr. Horn, we we live in a world that's especially the younger generations of the millennial's in the actions e.g. an older whatever initial distilled in their with their looking for something that's real.

They're looking they're tired of hearing are words they're looking for action in so many people of called the book of James. The shoe leather of the Christian faith. Talk about will you how the book of James, just there's there's this this very system which is justice active book from chapter 1 all the way through chapter 5, you start off by describing these writing to you and said that they are the 12 tribes who have been scattered talking about the fact that these are believers in the Messiah. His brother was the Messiah I James is saying there's a bunch of people come to believe the truth about Jesus.

He actually is Messiah and they been scattered and you know from reading the book of acts in chapter 8, there was a massive persecution that drove these early believers all over the ancient world and they found themselves having to be true. Jesus in a culture that had no idea who he was.

He absolutely made zero cents to the people they were living around when they started talking about Jesus and about being Messiah and all these things if they were talking to others using obsidian and they started talking about the Reds are about the crucifixion. Actually it was a horrific event and then if they started talking to their non-Jews neighbors about Jesus and they started talking about the death and resurrection, and with absolute scandal.

It was a mockery. So here they are in their outdated pagan darkness or in religious darkness Jewish darkness or pagan darkness, and they have this faith and James said you have to you have to live that faith out in such a way that it is going to rescue people from that darkness. In other words, you have to have a living faith for a dying world. And that's why the book of James is so hard-hitting because it it really doesn't ß and just enjoy the truth you go to church and we hear these great messages and we walk away like man. Our pastor knocked it out of the park today that was awesome more that we come back the next day we get this nugget and we fill up our journal and manner study Bible just highlighted and will get all of his true and James is saying no, wait a minute you need to do something with that true in other words he can elect you said and enjoy what you got on Sunday morning thing that you need to take that out to the deepest darkest places in the kingdom of darkness and you need to live in such a way that the gospel becomes credible and attractive to people who desperately need well to the rubber really does meet the road and he used a very interesting word because you know if you're a believer in our modern day word religion is kind of a bad word.

It's about relationship, not religion, but James in chapter 1, Dr. Horn talked about what sure or true religion is. So we want you to help us defang that dilemma for people when we come back we got take a quick break.

Our special guest is Dr. Sanborn. If ever there was a book in the Bible that will challenge you and stretch you and encourage you, especially in your walk with Christ. I'm Stu Epperson on the Steve Noble show just dosing for my good pal Steve, which is another good pal going way back.

One of my mentors in the faith honored that to be the guest dose today that he's on on this theology. Thursday is Dr. Sanborn and were talked with him about the book of James is also Prof. Bob Jones University are theology Thursday partner Dave a great college.

They were great university. A great seminary and some brilliant wonderful things are happening and you know someone says the minute the blessed man is the one who delights in God's word and doesn't sit at the feet of the ungodly, so moms and dads, you know, do you know give it some thought, distilled legitimately send your kid to a place like Bob Jones University were there going to get an amazing education to get a great job out of school.

But most importantly there to get a brilliant Christian worldview sitting at the feet of people like Dr. Sanborn whose toddlers right now about the book of James. So I said Jeff Dorn in the break Dr. Ward with this whole notion of what your James talks about pure religion. So what you to get into that specifically before you do. Could you give us a brief overview of the book just a like a 5000 foot view of her folks have never studied James never heard it taught never even read the five chapters you can read it and 20, 20, 25 minutes what's going on in this book and in a general sense, and then holding on this idea of pure religion affects 208 versus what James wrote and I can write it this way talking about with them. Two ways to alliances. So James is going to really be about how you live out your life and where you go to get the wisdom that you need to navigate whatever life throws at you in a way that pleases God so that the matter to trial or temptation or whether you're trying to figure out. I am running out of resources. I'm occupying the place of the poor. I got all the temptations that come because I got an un-amount of resources. It does matter what's going on in your life.

James said your operate with the wisdom and not talk about two kinds would you get wisdom from above wisdom that comes down from God or you operate with the operating system of whatever wisdom happens to be going on around you in the world. So for example in the Old Testament you just imagine someone someone actually describes this right whatever we you choose leads you to a way of life. So to wisdom leads to two ways in some someone you meet a guy and he's blessed and the reason he's blessed is because he has rejected all the wisdom that comes from Benin from the world he doesn't stand in the way of sinners, he doesn't walk according to the counsel of the ungodly, and he got to sit in the seat of this corner did he reject the people who market God, scorning God's word and then keep organized like around the wisdom that came down from God. God gave him wisdom and that wisdom in verse two, someone is what he delights that he delights in the law of the Lord way back in Deuteronomy chapter 4 Moses said about that love the Lord. This book is your wisdom so James talk about a wisdom that comes down from God, which is the Scripture and all kinds of competing wisdom that the world has to offer and a believer have to choose which set up wisdom he's getting used to navigate life, and that's the way that he takes of James talk about to wisdom, and two ways and they are going to lead you into two positions, or even to be a friend of God to be a friend of the world, and James introduces you in the book, the five of God's friends introduces you in chapter 2, to Abraham introduces you to Rahab the harlot and then in chapter 5 he introduces you to three more print introduces you to the prophets introduces you to Joe and he introduces you to Elijah so you have five friends of God, and they are people who in different times under different circumstances, different pressures shows the wisdom that came down from above and shape the way they live, and so the book of James is actually written. The people who are trying to figure out which wisdom they're going to adopt James is worried that under pressure there actually debating whether or not they should stay with the wisdom they got from God brought them to salvation, or they should start leaning a little bit on the wisdom that seems to be working so well for everybody else around. And that's really the point, and that's why in chapter 4 becomes so hard at them and he says not your friend of the world, your spiritual adultery strong strong talk in a short letter to people that are all over the first century world to me.

James is coming right out of the right thing like you and be happy with all this. True to say let's see what's really coming out of your life. Let's see what you got in your mouth you.

You say you're a friend of God. When you open up your mouth. A lot of what comes out of your mouth. That sounds just like what comes out of the mouth of the enemies of God is something that is what happens when a rich man comes in a poor man comes in. You're not very different than the pagans around you in the way you treat that rich man in the way you treat that torment.

Well, going hard at what a living faith actually looks like, and then you can make this amazing statement easy to say the thing to make your face shine in the dark place is a trial when God bring to trial in your life is going to cause your faith to grow in a way that makes it dynamic and vibrant and real shine in a way that is in a draw everybody to so Rich and I tell you it's it's interesting it's it's a book of James. If the Bible was a map of the United States. The book of James would be the state of Missouri. The show me state right right back at the end of the book he says that my brothers did any of you wander from the crew and someone bring him back. He will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

In chapter 1 talks about a double minded man.

This is a very interesting word is talking about a Christian who has two minds. In other words, he's thinking along two lines, thinking maybe I better hang with God and his word until it doesn't work and when it doesn't seem to work.

Maybe I should go over and try the wisdom that the world has to offer.

And James says there is no room in this world and the life of the Christian for that kind of thing that kind of a feint is the kind of faith that talks well. Do not a living faith that the debt and if you have that kind of a great you need to actually examine yourself to see if your faith is even real well so there's a through to get to the prayer of faith in the last segment grace we got another segment after this window real quick.

Okay, we get to that in this great prayer of Elijah.

In the other nice thing about having a godly man like Dr. Horning study the word of God and have studied both her monadic hermeneutics right. The, the interpretation of the Bible. Biblical accurate hermeneutics and he also studied and taught homiletics. He's also taught people how to bring forth the word of truth biblically in a balanced way and a gracious way.

You know way honoring to God's word to Dr. Horn look at that part at the in the end, but right now I look at chapter 1 and in you taught on this a lot and like me when I come to this word religion because if you if you listen in. I didn't.

I one of those people associate religion done save you. It's relationship, but James says that there's actually a good kind of religion right there at the end of chapter 1 of believers.

27 he says pure religion, true religion from God and the father our father is this so so it will you help me understand how religion can ever be a good thing. According to James yet. So in verse 26 he said that someone thinks he is really just the idea there is that any of the lined up with the belief that everybody on the planet is religious same, and I have a neighbor that is not really know everybody on the planet is religious because religion is based on what you believe and think and do about God. So something to give an example somebody who says I don't believe there's a God actually has a religion and is religious is religion called atheism. He believes there is no God and he's gonna operate accordingly.

If he doesn't believe there's a God and there's no accountability and there's no judgment, then he's going to do whatever he thinks will work best to help him navigate life, so that the religion somebody says you know I actually think there's a time I got I don't I don't buy the idea that there is one God. I think there's a bunch of God and then act accordingly what the God help me with this problem and what God help me with that problem and how to why I believe God will have to do shape the outcome so that I get the God to do what I want call policy and then there's this evil actually believe in the one true God is your goal leads to your all well from the very first verse to the final version of the final chapter of the book of James. There is a call the same college in the entire Bible. The entire Bible. The theme of the word of God that pulsates from page to pages that that scarlet thread of redemption that God is is calling and is loving the world so much that he has given us his only begotten son. Jesus uses the star of the Bible in the book of James closes with this in impassioned call that working to get to a just a second. Working at look more James right now with Dr. Sam Horn, professor at Bob Jones University seminary. Dr. Horn also pastors at the Palmetto Baptist Church in Powers Bill South Carolina right there in the upstate of South Carolina right just outside of Greenville is also been a friend and mentor to me. So please pray for him for that part of it for many many decades.org is been a treat to visit with you and talk about this wonderful book. This gift is book of James. I know I just been so delighted to be on here with you and what a blessing you know we were talking about pure religion and we we ended the last section by just observing that James everybody's religious and and somebody who claims to have faith in Jesus Christ to be the friend of God is actually going to display that in their life and there's no better way to display that the beauty and the power of that thing. The living value of that faith, and when it comes under pressure. Pressure is either going to display the truth about our faith or it's going to reveal that we have a double heart that we want to be a friend of God with our mouth and a friend of the world with our life. And so James is writing to people who are struggling with that. I mean they been scattered by persecution they been driven away from everything that's normal. They had to go and restart their life in a new place that Debbie just think about what would happen to most of us in the next eight months we had to completely restart our like we lost our home. We lost our network, we lost everything we had to go to a completely new place because of persecution, and we had to restart and we were under pressure that that's really the scenario with the people that James is writing to end many of them were bruised and battered and discouraged, and in their new place.

They looked around and they sell all of these people and life seem to be going really well for them and they were tempted to join in that kind of thinking and that's why James talks about Elijah at the end of the book you think about what he says at the end of the book is a two things is it what it what what does God use when were under pressure to build our faith uses the word of God. Chapter 1. He says receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to deliver you from all that double mindedness but at the end of the book easy to say now let me talk about the second thing that delivers people it's not just the word of God is the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man and went back prayer consistently offered, it avails much. And so, so let's talk about that prayer that prayer is the end of chapter 5 actually points us back to first Kings chapter 18 in chapter 19 you member the story Elijah comes in front of King Ahab. Ahab married a woman named Jezebel and Jezebel had come to Israel and she looked around at the little Podunk nation and said where are your gods and hand like we have one we only have one. And his name is Yahweh. And oh by the way his house is in this place called Jerusalem, which is not even in our little part of the country and he has increased the bouquet manages the blood and let me bring the real dots in it she brings 450 prophets of bail and 400 prophets of the female goddess Asherah in these two gods in the ancient world were the gods of rain and fertility unit. You were an agricultural economy you desperately needed rain and you needed your crops to grow so Elijah comes into all that an elected Ahab and he says Ahab it's not going to rain until I say so any leads and 3 1/2 years later it hadn't rained. There's been no rain. I mean, people are hurting the economy is in shambles the crops of failed year after year, season after season.

People have died of hunger, and here are the people and they're starting to wonder if Yahweh our God is to give us rain.

Maybe Jezebel God's will because the word all is the word that that was used in that particular time in Israel's history for the rain God the God store and so all these profits and all of the profits of the goddess of fertility were teaching the Israelites. There's another way to get rain. There's another way to grow crops and so 3 1/2 years later Elijah gathers everybody at the top of the mountain and he looks at everybody and he said to them, you're going to have to make a decision you can't keep going between these two gods you're either going to have to decide that the God of Israel is the true God and serve him, or you're going to have to go and abandon him and go down and embrace the deadly God that Jezebel brought in the text says the people answered him not a word you know the story right at me. He he challenges the priests of bail and they have this big contest.

After they they do their part in. There's no rain bail doesn't bring any rain. Elijah stands up. He built his own altar, and many looked at the entire nation and he lifts up his voice and he prayed and this is what he said. He said, oh Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant, and I've done all of this at your word answer me oh Lord, that this people may know that you oh Lord our God, that you have turned their hearts back in the fire fell and you know the rest of the story and when the people saw it fell on their faces and they said the Lord he is God, the Lord he is God, and centuries later James is writing to a group of people who were under that kind of pressure that God you know of the heaven and his son Jesus, and we we believed in him, but we don't have any money. We are having social standing were being persecuted. The world is is is going on without us.

Maybe we should embrace the counsel of the ungodly, maybe would be so bad to stand in the way centered. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Embrace the values of these you stop because they seem to be doing well and James is saying when you do that you become a friend of the world and you become spiritual adultery. Well, what bring the spiritual goal prevent what happens when you and I start flirting with the world. James is you need you need God's word and you need effectual fervent brain and that ultimately where we are the nation visit every workweek. We live in a nation full of Christian door facing all their facing all the pressure there. See all things are going on in the world if the world it seems to be prospering and advancing and winning and were wondering okay is is the biblical worldview the right world. Maybe I ought to send my kids down to the state college because they seem to be getting better job. Maybe I ought to go down and maybe I do not be so involved in church because that ultimately starting my career and now you have to make those kind of choices in the book of James gets really interface and says if you want to have a kind of religion that God is pleased with make a difference for eternity then you need to be a friend of God. You need to be in Abraham, you need to be a Rahab, you need to be like those prophets you need to be like Joe and you certainly need to be like a life well what in Encouraging Word with Dr. Sam Lawrence Prof. Bob Jones University seminary also a wonderful pastor in the upstate of South Carolina just outside Greenville Palmetto Baptist Church. We been talking all hour about the book of James R. Dorn, just have about a minute to minute and 1/2 left producer Grayson and Rachel awesome team here is a Truth Network recent Steve Noble show today. I'm Stu Epperson. It's been an honor to have one of my mentors of great manna God Sam Horn is my special guest today on theology Thursday. Sponsored by Bob Jones University. Dr. Horn.

This book ends with a lot of hope but it also ends with James basically cut like Jesus is the end of the Gospels. This this commission. This great commission, James Kelly gives a little bit of a James commission calling us to go after people.

A lot of folks listing maybe maybe they've gotten stuck in their trials. Maybe their balance and stuff. Maybe they've walked away from the faith in you call us back to God and take us in those finals that final word from James and James chapter 5 is wrap up yeah you don't do the most valuable and most wonderful mercy filled part of James chapter 4 verse 620 said he gives more grace goes on to say, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And you know if we will just humble ourselves and we will go and call other people to receive the mercy of God before they have the judgment of God in your life is God a great and he will give babies call you right now turn to the Lord all drawing. I got a long night you write a James Dr. Horn. God bless Samantha a survey with us today would treat God bless you have gone again. You will check out Bob Jones University.here is all over the web and what a blessing. He's been a sue someone today followed Jesus take these words James Searcy study it for yourself reading memorize and meditate on God's word and share with other people. This is the Truth Network