James 1:19-26 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.  If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Introduction

• Manzetti’s story
  • On a first date. I make two mistakes.  First, a nicely-pressed white button-down shirt.  Second, ordering Chicken Parmesan at the restaurant. 
  • Unwelcome stains always lead to issues, don’t they?
    • Yours might not have been a bright red, marinara stain on a nicely-pressed, bright white shirt, but chances are you, too, have had to exist in public with something that made you feel very exposed to the world.
  • James’ epistle draws our attention to the word unstained,
    • Stands as kind of a synonym for pure and undefiled.
    • “When the New Testament speaks of "the world," it usually means the "world system." This is the fallen, sin-soaked attitude of humanity, which rejects God and opposes His wisdom. Later in this letter, James will describe worldly wisdom as bitter envy and selfish ambition. To be unstained by the world means that we refuse to be driven by our own appetites and desires and selfish goals. It means not compromising with a system that hates God. Just as James pointed out in James 1:5–8, the world's wisdom is not like God's.

The Epistle of James

• Rather odd book within the New Testament
  • The Gospels are, obviously, about the life of Jesus.
  • Most of the other epistles are letters, written directly to churches by Paul. There’s Revelation, then Hebrews, and, finally, James.
  • James, as I’ve likely shared with you before, is unique.
    • It is more like a class of books found in the Old Testament.
      • Called, “Wisdom Literature,” books of this genre are Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Job and Psalms.