1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
- THEOLOGY (THEO:) – God does not exist to _____________ us, but rather we exist to ____________ Him.
- APPLICATION (APP:) – Influence and authority are best clothed in ____________, not arrogance or clout.
TRIALS PRODUCE MATURITY
- 3 Keys for facing adversity
- Trials demand ____________
- wisdom demands____________
- prayer demands ____________
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
- “Count” – James is essentially saying, “This is how we should think about/approach trials.
- “various kinds” – colorful, or multicolored, variegated.
GOD GIVES WISDOM
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
- “wisdom” – “We must not confuse it with knowledge. Knowledge is ______________; wisdom is ______________. Knowledge is comprehending facts; wisdom is handling life. Knowledge is theoretical; wisdom is practical.” – Roger Ellsworth, Opening up James, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 27.
- APP: Prayer is the direct connection between God’s sovereignty and sufficiency to our hurt and inadequacy.
- “generously” – God gives generously, but the word also means he gives ____________.
- THEO: God is generous because it is in himself and his character to be such. He is not stingy when it comes to wisdom.
- “faith” – Faith is not believing that God will do what we want done. Rather it is believing that God will do what he has ______________ to do.
- Consider a definition of faith from Rom. 4.13-21:13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness[b] of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was ____________ to do what he had promised.
- “with no doubting” – APP: “All anxiety is _________________.”
THE BLESSING OF POVERTY
A few verses on poverty, prosperity, and grace.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
- “exaltation” – Under no circumstance or label is there a thing known as an “inferior Christian.” The key is to find your self worth in Christ, not in life’s circumstances. Christ places all of his children in a place of exaltation. We are his!
- “So also will the rich man fade away” – A life spent in the sole pursuit of finance always ends in ____________. If possessions become a source of pride or self worth. The realization that we are mere mortals is a quick reminder of the brevity of life and the need to ____________ Christ and not treasure.
GOD IS GENEROUS
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
- “trial” – Perhaps better translated as “temptation” here, judging by the context.
- “crown of life” – James draws upon a sports analogy. The victor of the race was awarded a crown made from foliage. The believer receives a crown that lasts forever. APP: Keep your eyes on the ____________________!
- “cannot be tempted” – THEO: God cannot tempt anyone to sin because he cannot! His very nature is so opposed to sin that he cannot possibly tempt anyone in that direction.
- “he himself tempts no one” – The problem isn’t with the beauty or wisdom of what God has created, but the issue lies in our desire to abuse that beauty/wisdom. ____________ isn’t the problem, It’s our trust in it or our desire to have more that causes sin. ____________ isn’t the problem, It’s our desire to make an idol of recreation. Sex isn’t the problem, It’s our desire to not be satisfied with the parameters God gave for sex that causes us to pervert it into sin.
- “lured and enticed” – “The words translated “drawn away” (lured) and “enticed” (ensnared) are taken from the language of fishing.’ R. V. G. Tasker notes that the imagery is that of ‘… a fish swimming in a straight course and then drawn off toward something that seems attractive, only to discover that the bait has a deadly hook in it’.” – Roger Ellsworth, Opening up James, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 43.
- “by his own desire” – The excuse of, “________________________________” really doesn’t hold up well after considering the verse.
- “fully grown” – meaning ‘brought to ____________’
- “every perfect gift is from above” – Life isn’t about __________. CAUTION: When life is about us, we appreciate the gift instead of the giver.
- “no variation or shadow due to change” – THEO: God ____________ not be good. He will never stop being good. He will never decide to be evil.
- “he brought us forth by the word of truth” – “How does this spiritual life become ours? We most certainly cannot produce it ourselves. We can no more will ourselves into spiritual life than we can will our way into physical life. Granting spiritual life is God’s work! “- Roger Ellsworth, Opening up James, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 45.
- Saving us from our own sin, death, and hell is God’s _____________ act of goodness.
- “first fruits” – “The term ‘firstfruits’ refers to ‘the choicest part’ or ‘the pick’ of humanity. This was James’s way of showing his readers the supreme honor of their position. The Puritan Thomas Manton put it in his own quaint way. He said of believers and God, ‘The world are his goods, but you his treasure.’” – Roger Ellsworth, Opening up James, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 51–52.
LISTEN AND DO
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 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.
24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
25 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.
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- “every person” – This includes ________________.
- Ways one can be quick to hear God:
- Set aside consistent, meaningful time with God, reading his Word and praying.
- Address the shallowness of your heart and weeds that may be choking out what God is doing in your life.
- Pray for God to make your heart “good soil.”
- Be active in attending and be an active listener of your church.
- Ways one can be quick to hear others:
- Value others as more important than yourself. The goals in communication are godly – mutual understanding, love, holiness, fellowship, etc.
- The goal of communication is NOT for you to win, or be proven right.
- “slow to anger” – The vast majority of the time, anger among fallen people is unrighteous. We should be angry over that which offends __________, not that which offends our sense of entitlement or pride. This trend has become increasingly noticeable within the last several years in American culture. Being offended has become the trademark for intelligence and worth. It should be replace by being known as someone who is loving and forgiving.
- Blessed are the peacemakers…
- Let each of us esteem others as more________________ than ourselves…
- Titus 3:2-speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
- “receive” – meaning, to welcome it __________________.
- “weakness” – come to the Word with a soft, gentle, teachable disposition, recognizing the authority of God’s Word and submitting to it.
- APP: The anger of man is centered in pride. The remedy is found in humbling oneself under the authority of God and allowing His Word to grow and change us.
- “which is able to save your souls” – As mentioned earlier, sin, if allowed to grow into maturity, produces death. God’s planted word, if nurtured with meekness, is able to produce salvation.
- “But be doers…not hearers only” – Once the word is received, it should be _________________.
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“looks into the perfect law” – as in a _____________, deliberate, observant look.
- “persevers” – Do not confuse obedience with ________________. Instead, associate it with perseverance.
“doing” – Steps to Obedience:
1. ____________
2. ____________
3. ___________________________
ACTION REPORT:
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
27 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.
- “bridle” – The metaphor of a horse. The tongue is powerful and can be wild and destructive or tames and beneficial.
- 3 Evidences of an Unbridled Tongue
1. Ongoing _______________
2. Chronic _________________
3. Consistent ________________
Evidences of a Bridled Tongue
1. Persistent __________________
2. Engaging in _____________________
3. Words of ___________________
- “worthless” – James is emphasizing ongoing habitual acts of sin with the tongue. To ignore sin and claim Christ is a warning that there has been a disconnect between our hearing and our doing.
- “to visit” – This verse encourages believers to live according to the great compassion we have received: (1) as an outpouring to others who need compassion and to (2) pursue God from a heart of appreciation for what he has done for us.
- One of the saddest dimensions of our day is that so many Christians are so absorbed with their seminars, charts, notebooks, study groups and discipling techniques that they don’t have the time to bake a pie, send a card or mow the grass for the sick, the elderly and the lonely. It’s easy to be a very good Pharisee while the world cries for a good Samaritan. – Roger Ellsworth, Opening up James, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 71.
- Although, Jesus is speaking of a different topic, this same principle is found in Matt.18:33. Mercy received should produce mercy given.
- To avoid becoming stained by the world, the believer must ______________ sin, proactively _______________ and serve the Lord, and quickly seek ________________ in times of sin.
- APP: The church must stop trying to attract the world by becoming more like the world.
FOR DISCUSSION
Would Adam and Eve still choose to eat of the tree of knowledge if the serpent had not been present? (12-15)
What advice can you give to a fellow-believer who expresses the desire to prize the Word of God more? (21)
Why does James mention that the natural result of sin is death, but that God’s Word only has the ‘ability’ to save one’s soul? (12-15; 21)