James 1:2-18

James 1

Introduction to the book:

- Written in 40 AD by James (the brother of Jesus)

- He was originally writing to Jews who lived in a mainly Greek world

This book is known as being the Proverbs of the NT because of its wise contents that make up the entire book (I found a lot of parallels between James and Proverbs as far as teachings)

Read all of the passage v. 2-18 then pray

You Will Face Trials v.2-4

“Consider it all joy” really means embrace it so that you may develop steadfastness in your faith

Trials will come- Text does not say “if” but “when”

steadfastness is endurance- how much can you take but also how many times will you get up after getting knocked down

Life is hard and the Christian life is harder (I believe)

The Christian walk is not supposed to be comfortable- you will continue to grow in faith and steadfastness

growth puts a target on your back for the enemy which brings more trials

We develop endurance so that we are “complete, lacking in nothing.”

All the time the Lord is using these trials to refine us help us to grow in faithfulness

Illustration: My wife(Marybeth) and I just adopted a stray cat her grandfather was taking care of. He lived under his porch and he had never even been inside a house before. We took him home and he hid under our bed for a week he was so scared of his new surroundings, but eventually he came out and overcame his fear of his new world. It was for the better that we saved him from the cold and dangers of living near the woods but it required a little bit of hardship on Chip’s part.

Transition: Like Chip you have to endure something hard to get to something good, and you are not alone when you fight sin.

Where Do You run when You Face Trials? v.5-11

Why do you think James goes from talking about trials and then goes into wisdom? Because we all run somewhere when we fight.

Do you run to video games? Sports? TikTok? IG? Friends? Boyfriend/girlfriend? Or other sins? (I used to run to video games when I was depressed and social media when I felt anxious)

I can tell you from personal experience that these things only take up our attention and give us a temporary fix. Run to God and His Word instead when you experience hardship!

You are not alone when you face trials. There is something to be said about God’s love in how He promises wisdom to anyone who asks for His wisdom. He gives it abundantly and it is the same wisdom God used to found the earth- Proverbs 8:22-31

God’s wisdom is essential to enduring trials because it identifies lies in our minds, it shows us God’s character, and it equips us with all the scripture we need to defend ourselves from the wiles of the devil.

Jesus used scripture when He was tempted in the desert by Satan

Are you trusting in God’s wisdom or other things?

You have to trust Christ alone with your trials because you cannot serve two masters

V. 6- If you doubt the Lord when you ask for His wisdom or anything for that matter James tells us you cannot expect the Lord to help you- This is a tell that you might be relying on something else to fulfill your needs (something less powerful)

Having one foot in the world and in heaven makes you double minded, serving two masters. Matthew 6:24

Matthew 6:24 ESV

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

James says this will make you unstable in all your ways because you will allow yourself to be chained to other things (Romans)

I love to go to family get-togethers because I love wrestling with the little cousins (it makes me feel strong). For some reason, kids always latch onto your leg and they won’t let go. Thats what carrying sin is like. It’s like carrying around a little ankle biter that won’t let go. They mess with your balance, they won’t let you do anything else sometimes, and as soon as you manage to shake them off they make every attempt to latch back on. Transition: They throw off your balance just like worldly desires

Your Life is too Short to Spend it on Worldly Things v.9-11

James uses a metaphor to explain what it is like placing your hope in worldly things

James says that the rich man (the one who pursues worldly desires) will perish in the midst of his pursuits

Why do you think it says, “in the midst?” Because it will never satisfy and you will constantly be chasing these things.

Pursue holiness and righteousness for these things will last into the afterlife.

God Promises Life to the One Who Endures to the End v.12-15

James brings the topic back around to the one who endures

God uses James to give us a promise seen throughout all of scripture: He promises the Crown of Life to the one who loves Him and endures to the end

In 1 Cor. 9:24-25 Paul talks about this too and compares life to running a race. He says:

1 Corinthians 9:24–25 ESV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

The Lord promises us eternal life If you would just stick it out to the very end.

But often times, we let sin get in the way of our race

James makes it clear that God is not the one putting sin in your life, but its you and your desires.

We are all sinners with wicked hearts apart from Christ, and sin is so much worse than we think.

Ive always said that sin is like a lion: you think its cute and playful when its young, but when you’ve fed it and raised it, it will turn around and eat you alive. (V. 15)

Sin affects you and your future. It affects those that you love and possibly will love. Kill it now! Get rid of hurdles in the way of your endurance to the end.

Every Good Gift is from Him- v.16-18

transition: We just saw a little bit about God’s character and we’re given more about Him in verse 17.

We get two statements about God’s character that are crucial to how temptation works.

While temptation to sin comes from our hearts, endurance and strength is a gift from God. God does not tempt us, but He does use the temptation to develop us that we might be sanctified and made perfect.

Conclusion: Embrace trials so that you may grow in steadfastness. kill sin in your life so that you may not be hindered in your push to the finish line. God is using these tough trials in your life to perfect you.

Application:

The Christian walk is not easy but trust in God because He is never changing just as His Word is never changing, and His promises are never changing.

You need God and His wisdom to endure trials so stay in His Word daily and dedicate scripture to mind so as to arm yourself.

Talk to the Lord daily and give him your struggles with sin and pray for His wisdom, for it will provide a way out of temptation.

Kill sin in your life, so that you might not find yourself double minded serving two masters because you will hinder yourself in the race to the finish line.

*PRAY AND DISMISS*