James Bible Study Week 1

Context:

Close relative of Jesus. cousin or half brother.

Did not believe Jesus was messiah during Jesus' life.

Believed when Jesus appeared to him after the crucifixion.

The book is an epistle. it was a letter written to a church or the church as a whole

Commonly regarded as the instruction of how to live a Godly life.

James 1:1–4 (ESV)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Trials

This is a pretty wild and counterintuitive

By trials he means difficult times

Christians were prosecuted and killed at the time so they were in very difficult times

Joy

He says count it as joy when we meet trials

he doesn't say just be happy

because happiness and joy are different

happiness is a circumstantial temporary satisfaction

Joy is a peace you can feel even when you're sad or upset

Joy is only something we can experience from the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

He says trials are occasions for joy because it is an opportunity to grow in our faith

Hupomane

The word translated as steadfastness or endurance is "Hupomane" one of the ways it is defined is 'the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings'

So what is the deliberate purpose of trials

lifting analogy

If our lives were always super easy we would never have the opportunity to trust God

Going through difficult times and trusting God produces a deep and genuine faith and it helps us to be perfect and complete

So how should we deal with trials

be patient

be active

James 1:5–8 (ESV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 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. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Prayer

A question a lot of people have is "why do we pray or ask God for things if He already knows?"

The answer is that prayer isn't for Him its for us

If God granted our every wish without us asking Him we would get used to getting what we want and we would take it for granted

Its also vending machine God

He wants us to humble ourselves before Him and ask also so we know it is from Him

Matthew 26:41 (ESV)

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

So how should we pray? how should we present our requests to God?

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Paul tells us that asking God for things is good and he tells us to pray and petition God in every situation.

1 John 5:14 (ESV)

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

We must be sure that we are within His will

Child and parent analogy ice cream

God knows better than us

Isaiah 55:9 (ESV)

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God also has our best interests in mind

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Compare a life driven by what we want vs what God wants

We must not doubt

God wants us to trust in Him and in His character that He will deliver

James 1:9–11 (ESV)

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 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.

Rich & Poor

The short summary of this passage is poor believers should be happy in their circumstances and wealthy believers should be humble, because this life is temporary and how much money we have does not matter in eternity.

Vanity

James tells us that the rich man will fade away in the midst of pursuit for money

but this goes beyond money to all of the vanity in our lives and all the things we chase instead of God

Verse 11a

All the things we chase whether its drugs, alcohol, partying, or sexual pleasure, or maybe status is going to get scorched by the sun

because all those things cannot fulfill us

Matthew 7:24–27 (ESV)

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

When we chase or pursue things outside of God's will for us we are choosing a weak foundation

Because God knows whats best for us and his guidance is meant to get us there

The solution is to set our eyes on heavenly things and desire that

Colossians 3:2–3 (ESV)

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

James 1:12 (ESV)

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.

Perseverance

Why should we persevere through trials

why not cave in or quit

we as christians are guaranteed trials

John 16:33 (ESV)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

but there is a purpose to our trials and there is growth we are supposed to experience

The bright side is that we can take heart in our troubles because our eyes are set on God

James 1:13–15 (ESV)

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. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Temptation

God's on our side and wants us to succeed without sinning so he won't tempt us to

this is the roadmap to sin

tells us how and why it happens

and tells us what is the effect of it. DEATH.

This is why even if all our sins are forgiven we should stop sinning

because sin separates us from God even if we're forgiven

Hebrews 10:26–31 (ESV)

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

So how should we go about sinning less

desire God more and that comes from knowing who he is more through prayer reading and studying the word in community

James 1:16–18 (ESV)

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 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. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Perfect Gifts

Satan can never fulfill us

God can fill us and he does it through the Holy Spirit

The word of truth John 1:1

First fruits

First fruits

the best part of a harvest that you dedicate to the lord as a sacrifice

James 1:19–21 (ESV)

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.

Quick to Hear

I think generally this is good advice

Our relationships are going to be better if we listen more and talk when it is appropriate

and also think about the words we say before using them

Anger

Our anger as sinful humans is mostly out of selfishness

and the result of our anger is damage to people and to our relationships

We are not just judges so our anger is not the justice we wish to see

Put Away

High School Lesson

James’ exact relation to Jesus isn’t confirmed, but he is probably a close relative possibly half brother

When Jesus was ministering, James was not a believer.

He came to faith when Jesus appeared to him after the crucifixion

The book of James is an epistle which means it was written to a church or in this case the church as a whole by one of the original apostles

The book of James is commonly regarded as the instruction book of how to live a christian life

This is one of the most practical books in the bible and an awesome resource for people who are new to faith, so invite anybody and everybody you know wether they believe or not.

1-4

Address who he is writing to and their circumstances Facing trials is inevitable The original translation says fall into temptations, which is very different from putting yourself in a situation where you will be tempted or tempting yourself. This will not help you grow, but it is a foolish thing to do Trials are occasions for joy, because it creates growth in your walk with Jesus. However if we do not attack the trial with faithfulness, but with unbelief or complaining, the trial will produce discouragement and bitterness.

Lifting analogy ESV says steadfastness, NIV says perseverance. This word from greek that is hupomonen which translates best to an active endurance

We should be active in our faith. Constantly trusting God, praying, fasting, and reading. We should be keeping guard against temptations, but also not be so impatient to try to get out of a trial before it is over. Marathon analogy This leaves us weak. Instead we should be a steady runner constantly moving, but being patient and understanding that it will end in God’s perfect timing The last part in verse 4 tells us why we should be actively patient in trials. It’s for our own good it will lead us to spiritual maturity and wholeness with God.

5-8

The first thing we need to know is that God will provide you with every thing that you need to follow Jesus, to live on this Earth, and to get to Heaven.

We know this from Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” God will always provide what you need it’s up to you wether you except it or not. This is confirmed once again by 1 Corinthians 10 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” Paul’s saying that whatever test you’re in God will help you get out and He will make it possible, but we have to get over our pride and ask God for help There are a couple of ways we can ask God for wisdom. We can straight just pray and ask God for it and if we believe like verse 6 says we will be given wisdom in some way. Another way is to read scripture. This book is full of wisdom and so many applicable parables. If you want some help narrowing it down go read the sermon on the mount(matthew 5-7). There’s enough wisdom there to carry you through life.

9-11

The first thing I want to talk about here is who James addresses. In some translations it is brothers in others it is believers, but both refer only to Christians.

The reason we have this weird backwards view of wealth is because we know that there is another life where our riches are swapped. Jesus teaches that the first will be last and the last will be first. He says that the poor believers are rich in spirit. That is what James is referring to when he says take pride in your high position. He’s telling the poor “Hey don’t be jealous. Be proud that you are first in Heaven.”

James also gives instructions to the rich. He says take pride in your humiliation. The greek word here is “tapeinos” which is the condition of lowliness. In essence be a servant put yourself last don’t act rich and flaunt your wealth. Verse 11 just talks about how temporary wealth is. It’s hard to see now how little it truly matters, but James tells us if we get attached to it we will fade like a wildflower

12-15

Verse 12 talks a little bit more about trials and tells us to beat them by letting our love for God be bigger than our sin For the rest of this chapter i’m gonna talk a lot about the difference between satan and God and about what they want, so i want to kind of lay out who satan is, because i think it’s so important to recognize that satan is like the jealous little brother of God. He wants to take all glory from God because he hates him. 13 and 14 are pretty self explanatory, but i want to talk about 15, because it sheds some light on how it is sin happens and what sun leads to. James tells us that desire is the root of sin. Whatever we truly desire is where we are going to end up moving towards, so if you’re desiring revenge or sex, if you’re lusting for a girl, James tells us it will give birth to sin. Then he tells us if we allow our sin to grow it will lead to spiritual death. The only alternative to this is to desire God above all else. If we desire a close obedient relationship with God he will place the right desires inside of us that will lead us to the life that he wants us to live.

16-18

This adds even more proof that only satan came to steal kill and destroy, but Jesus came so we could have life and have it to the fullest. Satan will never fulfill our wishes our needs he will make us think he will and then we are left wanting more and more and we’re plunged into darkness. One of the best things about our God is the fact that He never changes. You never have to wonder if God still loves you or still thinks you have worth because He has since the beginning of time and always will. This is why it’s so important to put your worth and your joy in Him. everything else is temporary and will leave you shaken, but God is eternal and your joy and worth will be eternal if you put them in Him The birth James is talking about is our salvation. We are reborn when we place our faith in Christ and this happens as God’s will from the word of truth, which is the gospel of Jesus. One thing we need to remember is who God wants us to be and who satan wants us to be. Whoever we follow is the person we are going to be. God wants you to be a messenger to the nations to be the fruit of His vine and to be saved for eternity. Satan wants to take you to hell, give you temporary happiness in place of God and turn you into a sin filled person.

19-21

We’re called to love like Christ loved us and if we take it back to 1 Corinthians 13 we know that Christ’s love was slow to anger. We should be a mirror of that love. Additionally i personally believe we sin about 10 times as much when we are angry with our thoughts and especially our words. As hard as it is and backwards as it sounds, it is more beneficial for us to not get angry than for us to get angry. Satan loves to whisper in our ear that we are justified in our anger, because the other person did us wrong. But remember that God will judge us on the same scale we judge others. Who do we think we are to get angry at other people when we are imperfect. That’s a lie that satan gets us to believe way too often.

22-25

This section is very clear in what it says. It doesn’t matter how much you read the bible if your life doesn’t reflect the teachings. James tells us that if we put the teachings of the bible into our life we will be blessed and experience freedom. That’s why God gave us so many guidelines to follow it wasn’t to restrict us or take away our fun. They were given to us to maximize our joy and minimize pain. It is a lie of satan that says the rules restrict us. The truth is that they protect us from sin and evil.

26-27

It’s important to watch what we say for many reasons. There’s always someone listening and all it takes is one bad experience with a Christian to turn some people away from God. When we are cussing, slandering, or gossiping we are literally worshipping satan with our mouths. How immature is it to talk down on fellow believers and then give glory to God in the same mouth. We must be very careful with our words because they are an extremely powerful weapon. I love verse 27 it gives us such clear instructions on how to live our lives and it’s so simple. Be servants. Most of us know the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet. If the King of Kings can wash feet, you can give money you can do community service you can be last in line. I was telling a friend earlier this week that the times i see the biggest growth in my faith is when i sacrifice something with the goal to get closer to God. This is what fasting is, but it doesn’t have to be from food and it doesn’t even have to be called a fast. It could be dedicating a car ride to worship music. It could be give money or food to the homeless or paying for somebodies meal. Whatever it is when we sacrifice for God it brings us closer to Him. I absolutely love the last part of verse 27. It is an incredible way to describe our relationship to this world. It pollutes us. This world is full of people who worship satan. The world’s sin is always spreading and trying to get into us just like air pollution would. We have to use our love for the Lord to shield us from the pollution.

3 Questions we need to ask ourself

How do we deal with trials?

Be active in your faith. Be consistent in your prayer and reading. Beat whatever trial or test satan throws at you by trusting in God and walking by faith. Be patient and steady to wait for the trial to end.

How do we deal with temptation?

Desire God first. Recognize that any temptation is from satan. Do God’s will instead of your own.

How should we live our life?

Tame our tongues, be a servant leader, do not live in the ways of this world, put the teachings you hear from the bible into practice, quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.