SERMON TITLE: From James
SCRIPTURE: James 1:1 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 1-4-26
Take notes here
Happy New Year! And — as always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
New Year — new sermon series. For the first half of the year we’re going to be in the book of James. And since this is a new book for us — today’s sermon will primarily be an introduction to the book.
But I want you to know that I have a personal affection for this book because it was the first book of the Bible that I memorized from beginning to end. And — if you’re new to Gateway — you may be wondering, “Did I just hear him right? Did he say he memorized the entire book of James?” That’s what I said. Bible memory — if you don’t know — is something I’m fond of.
I’ve told this story before — so forgive me if you’ve heard it — but my inspiration for Bible memory comes from my wife’s uncle — his name is Ron. It’s going on twenty years now — but I was talking to Ron at a family gathering and he mentioned how he had a bunch of books of the Bible memorized. I can’t remember how many — but it was a lot! It was impressive! It seemed so impossible! And it was inspiring!
So I decided to give it a try. And — again my memory’s a bit fuzzy all these years later — but Ron may have even recommended that I start with James. And that’s what I did. Then Ephesians. And now — I’m currently finishing up First Corinthians — which will be the twenty-first book of the Bible that I’ve memorized — along with a few psalms.
And the book of James is a great first book if you’re intrigued by the idea of memorizing an entire book. I’ll tell you why in a moment — but it’d thrill me to know that I might inspire some of you to memorize God’s Word like Ron did for me.
But — for now — let’s turn to the book of James. Just one verse for us today — the opening verse of the letter. We’re in James chapter one — verse one.
James 1:1 ESV
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Here’s what I hope to accomplish in this sermon. First, I want to tell you about James the man — who is he? Then we’ll look at the book — really it’s a letter — but we call them books of the Bible. But we’ll examine what kind of book James is — how it’s laid out — who it was written to — and so on. And — finally — I’ll briefly explain what you can expect going forward in this series.
So let’s begin by answering the question: Who is James?
He describes himself this way in our verse.
James 1:1 ESV
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He calls himself a servant. The Greek word really means something more like what we’d call a slave. Not in the abusive form of slavery you may be thinking of — just a stronger obligation than what we might think of when we hear the word servant. Servant — to our ears — gives the impression of an employer employee relationship. An “I work for you and you pay me for what I’m owed.” A slave — on the other hand — is someone who’s been purchased. Again — we can’t help but think of the abusive slavery that mars our nation’s past — but I hope to show you the difference in what James means. For example, let’s think of what Scripture tells us about what Christ accomplished on the cross.
In the final book of the Bible we read…
Revelation 5:9 NIV
9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
The apostle Paul says quite a bit on this topic. For example…
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
And…
Galatians 4:4–5 NLT
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
And…
Titus 2:11–14 ESV
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
And the apostle Peter says…
1 Peter 2:9 ESV
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Friends, I’m not ignorant of the horrors done under the umbrella of slavery — but we can’t allow mankind’s sinfulness to cause us to disregard biblical truth. For — like James — all who believe in Jesus have been…
Now what I want us all to consider is how incredibly remarkable it is for James to describe himself this way. For he calls himself a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Well that sounds neither incredible nor remarkable to me, Josh.” Well what if I told you that James was Jesus’ younger brother? Does James calling himself a slave of the Lord Jesus sound incredible and remarkable to you now? It should.
Think about it — and I especially want you to think about this if you’re not a Christian. If you have doubts about the validity of Christianity — maybe you’re not sure about Christianity’s claims about Jesus — like that he died and rose from the grave — or maybe you’re uncomfortable with Christianity’s stance that it’s only through faith in Christ alone that salvation is found — if this is you — here’s my question: What would it take for your older brother to convince you that he’s God?
How many younger siblings do we have among us? All of the younger siblings raise your hands — raise them at North Main and in Bucyrus — keep them up.
OK — my question is directed at you all: What would it take for your older brother or sister to convince you that he or she is God? Is there any way they could convince you? And not pretend convince — not, “If they give me a million dollars I’ll play along with their delusion” — I’m talking about, “I so believe my older sibling is God that I’m willing to die for my belief.” Keep your hand up if you think your older sibling could convince you they’re God.
Now — where are all of my fellow older siblings at — raise your hands. Older siblings — my brother and sisterhood. We’ll let the only children among us play as well — if you’re an only child raise your hand. Older siblings and only children — we’re the responsible ones, right? We had to work hard to get away with anything because our parents were all over us — they didn’t get tired and start to relax on their parenting until the younger siblings came along, right? You can put your hands down.
To my fellow older siblings — what would you need to do to convince your younger siblings that you're God? To the only children — do you think you could convince your parents that you’re God? I’ve got one brother — he’s a lawyer. That’s right — a pastor and a lawyer — which means I’m the fun one. That was for my mom who’s watching right now. No matter how fun I am — one thing I know I’ll never do is convince my brother that I’m God. It ain’t gonna happen.
And — just so we’re not thinking that maybe James was a gullible kind of guy or something. Here’s how Jesus’ family viewed him before his death and resurrection.
John 7:1–5 ESV
1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him.
Now James isn’t specifically mentioned — none of Jesus’ brothers are named — but we’re also not told that any of his brothers were absent. And what this incident tells us is that it’s reasonable to think that James didn’t always believe his brother was God. Here’s why this matters.
James — who didn’t always believe that his brother was God — instead of identifying himself by his familial relationship with Jesus — “James, the younger brother of Jesus Christ” — which would’ve been quite the power move — identifies himself as “a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.” What I can’t do to my brother — convince him that I’m God — and what you can’t do to your siblings — if you’re the oldest — convince them that you’re God — and what your older sibling can’t do to you — if you’re not the oldest — convince you that he or she is God — is what James is convinced of about Jesus. He believes that his older brother is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord means ruler. And — specifically — the Ruler of all rulers — the King of all kings — the One who has authority and power over all things — because — he’s God. And Christ means God’s promised Savior — the One who left Heaven and came to earth to purchase people in order to save them from their sin.
So — in his opening words — James challenges all of us: Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Notice I’m not asking if you believe that you’re a Christian. As one author has said, “A modern Christian believes that believing he is a Christian is enough to make him a Christian. He thinks that his vague acknowledgment of God’s reality and of Christ’s saving work comes close enough to discipleship.” Where — the author goes on to say — you treat Jesus “as you might treat a friendly acquaintance at a party, nodding to him from across the room and then hoping desperately that he doesn’t come over to actually interact with you.” Later the author asks, “Is Christianity sort of like a hobby, or a mild interest, or a contingency plan for a rainy day? This, I think, is how we have ended up as a “Christian” nation that looks, acts, and functions nothing like a Christian nation.” And finally he says, “That’s the thing about Jesus: He’s either Lord and Savior and our only source of joy in this world, or he’s a nuisance.”
Yeah — we’re starting 2026 off hot. Because this is eternally important: Is Jesus your Lord? Your Master? The One who owns you? Yes — he loves you — don’t dismiss his love. Don’t ever dismiss his love — because — in love — he purchased you by giving himself on the cross. Thus, to reject his lordship is to reject his love.
Is Jesus your Lord? And is he your Savior? He was for James — even though Jesus was also his older brother. Talk about a remarkable defense of Christianity: Even Jesus’ siblings were convinced that he was God.
Who knew we could get so much out of half a verse where a guy named James introduces himself?
Let’s keep moving. What else do we know about James? James is mentioned by name in a few places in the Bible. For example — in Matthew and in Mark — where the story’s repeated — we read…
Matthew 13:53–58 ESV
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
While in his hometown of Nazareth — Jesus is rejected by the crowd. They couldn’t believe what he was saying and doing. One of the ways they justified their unbelief was by saying, “We know where this guy comes from — we know his family. His mom is Mary. We know his brothers.” And they mention James.
We also find James in the book of Acts — which contains the story of the early church. Here we see that James quickly rose to a prominent leadership position in the church in Jerusalem. For example — after Peter was miraculously rescued from prison — he went to let some people know that he was alive and safe. And there was an obvious commotion — it was a miracle after all.
Acts 12:17 ESV
17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
Later — when there was debate about non-Jews coming to faith in Jesus — a big meeting was held in Jerusalem. Much discussion took place about what should be required of Gentiles who come to faith in Jesus. Peter speaks first and gives his thoughts — about four sentences of material. Then Barnabas and Paul speak — both prominent leaders in the early church — none of their words are recorded. The last to speak is James. And of all of those who spoke — the most words recorded from the meeting are from James. Here’s what he said.
Acts 15:13–21 NLT
13 When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written: 16 ‘Afterward I will return and restore the fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, 17 so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord, including the Gentiles — all those I have called to be mine. The Lord has spoken — 18 he who made these things known so long ago.’ 19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”
Some of the most powerful words in the book of Acts are spoken by James: “We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” Since the beginning of Christianity — the tendency has always been to make it harder for people to follow Jesus than it needs to be.
A few chapters later in Acts — Paul returns to Jerusalem — and there we find James mentioned again.
And when we turn to Paul's letters — Paul — while defending the resurrection of Christ in his letter to the Christians in Corinth — writes…
1 Corinthians 15:3–8 ESV
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas (that’s Peter), then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Back to my question earlier — what would it take for you to believe that your sibling is God — how about a resurrection appearance? I bet that’d do it.
In his letter to the Christians living in Galatia — Paul mentions James a few times. He recounts his visit to Jerusalem that’s recorded in the book of Acts. But I want you to see how Paul refers to James. He writes…
Galatians 2:9 NLT
9 In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.
Paul calls James — along with Peter and John — both who were original followers of Jesus — Paul calls James a pillar of the church. Meaning he’s a main support beam in the church.
And — finally — James is also mentioned in the book of Jude — which begins with these words.
Jude 1 ESV
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
“Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me that James isn’t the only sibling of Jesus who eventually believed that he was God?” That’s right — not only did Jesus’ younger brother James believe that he was the Lord Jesus Christ — Jude did too. And I’m sure you noticed that Jude — like James — doesn’t introduce himself as Jesus’ younger brother — but as Jesus’ servant. But Jude does want to be recognized as James’ sibling. Why? Probably because of the authority James had in the early church — he was a pillar, after all.
And though we don’t find his death in Scripture — church history tells us that James was stoned to death by religious leaders — with the execution having both political and religious motivations.
So that’s James — the man. What about James — the book? What kind of book are we about to spend half of the year in?
Earlier I mentioned that I think James is a great first book if you’re intrigued by the idea of memorizing an entire book. Here’s why I say that. James is written with distinct sections that are topically based. And this makes memorizing it easier than some of the other books you find in the Bible. For you can work on one small section — that’s focused on a singular topic — get it memorized — and then move on to the next section that’s usually about a completely different topic.
James is also considered the wisdom literature of the New Testament. One biblical scholar has said that James is, “Often referred to as the ‘New Testament book of Proverbs.’ James is fundamentally focused on practical Christian living — emphasizing that genuine faith must bear fruit through loving service, not just right doctrine.” So this book teaches us truth — and then shows us what believing that truth looks like in how you behave — because — what you believe can’t help but affect what you do.
Wisdom literature is often like, “Here’s how things work. Veer from my advice and you’ll find yourself in a world of pain.” Which means that wisdom literature often really upsets us — because — when you don’t follow wisdom’s advice — you’re called a fool. And the only thing worse than being a fool is being called one. So — warning — James is going to challenge what you believe and — how what you believe is shaping what you do. And will do so by pointing out where and how you’re being foolish.
For example, right away we’re challenged by the words…
James 1:2–3 NLT
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
I’m not going to go in depth with any of these examples right now — I’m just going to let wisdom do what wisdom does — challenge all of us. And she does so — here — by telling us to consider trouble in life as an opportunity for joy — because trouble helps our faith endure and grow.
Wisdom says…
James 1:19–20 NLT
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
If wisdom tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry — and yet — we live in a world that is slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to get angry — we must conclude — the way of the world in which we live is the way of foolishness.
Wisdom says…
James 1:22 NLT
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
Ouch. It’s so much easier to just listen, isn’t it? Maybe even feel convicted by God’s Word — but that’s not enough. Wisdom says we must do what the Word of God says.
Wisdom says…
James 1:26 NLT
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
We’re going to discover that wisdom has a lot to say about our words.
One last example.
James 3:14–15 NLT
14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
Demonic? Really? Jealousy and selfishness are demonic? According to God’s wisdom — yes.
One final detail about the book of James: Who is James writing to? In our verse we read…
James 1:1 ESV
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Who are the twelve tribes in the Dispersion? These were Jewish-Christians — so followers of Jesus who — like James — had a Jewish background. Throughout the letter we’ll find that James assumes his audience has familiarity with the Old Testament — something not to be expected if his original readers were primarily of Gentile background.
And — in knowing that James was part of the church in Jerusalem and — from the book of Acts — how many of the early Jewish Christians had to flee from Jerusalem for their lives — most likely — James’ intent was for his letter to be sent to these groups of believers who had been dispersed throughout the Roman Empire.
Why does that matter? Because it tells us that James continued to pastor his people even after they’d been scattered due to persecution. What love he must have had for these people to continue to shepherd and lead them by letter.
So that’s James — the man — and James — the book. And here’s a bit more of what’s to come as we venture through the book of James. We’re going to discover…
And — in my humble opinion — it doesn’t really matter who you are — young or old — male or female — married or single — even Christian or not — you won’t want to miss our time in the book of James. For every week — there’ll be something for you — something that challenges you, inspires you, and encourages you to follow the way of wisdom and turn from the way of foolishness.
Parents — make sure your teenagers are here. For there’s no better way to help them prepare for adulthood than by having them learn from God’s wisdom and to be warned about the world’s foolishness.
Wives — make sure your husbands are here — and husbands do the same for your wives. For there’s no better way to build your marriage on wisdom than by you — together — learning from God’s wisdom.
College students — get your roommates to church. Wisdom has something to teach you and them.
In fact — there’ll be something for all of us to learn from God and his wisdom.
May 2026 year be a year of tremendous growth for all of us — as we grow in the wisdom of God as found in the book of James. Let’s pray.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — that’s our prayer: May you use your Word to us — in the book of James — to teach us and grow us in your wisdom.
Spirit — give us all ears to hear and humble spirits to receive your wisdom and to reject any foolishness we may currently be believing. May we submit ourselves to the authority of your Word — especially when it conflicts with what we believe or how we’re currently behaving.
And — Jesus — we pray this because we want to honor you with all areas of our lives. For Scripture tells us that you are the Wisdom of God — the only wise God — and our lives — if we’re following you — will be lives full of wisdom. Jesus, for your glory — help us to be people who take you at your Word. And we pray this in your name. Amen.
May you commit yourself to growing in the wisdom of God in this coming year. And may you do so trusting that he generously gives his wisdom to anyone who asks. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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