The Book of James Guide-Lesson 04
Lesson 4: Live out you faith- Are you living by God’s Word?- James 1:19-27
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
1. Listen and control your tongue and your anger.- Shut up and hear what God has to say to you.- James 1:19-20
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
a) You must have a listening ear.- “Be quick (swift) to hear…”
b) You must have a controlled tongue.- “Slow to speak”
c) You must be slow to anger.- “slow to wrath “(Do not be angry with God nor His Word)
Ø Your anger does not =the righteousness of God.
2. You must have a clean heart and life. Clean out your ears and plant God’s Word in your heart. - James 1:21
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
a) You are to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.
Ø Put off filthiness- to rid of, cast off, to clean out the wax.
Ø Rid yourself of the excess (overflowing) wickedness and evil.
b) You are to receive (accept) with meekness God’s Word.
Ø “humbly” signifies "with meekness or gentleness of disposition". Never allow your knowledge of scripture to be a source of pride or quarrelsome strife.
Ø “receive” means "to take hold of", "to take by the hand", "to receive", "to sustain, bear, endure" or "to learn".
3. Be doers of Word, not just hearers. - Do not just talk the talk- Live it. – James 1:22-25
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
a) Be a Doer of the Word.
b) Hearing God’s Word is not enough.
Ø You are deceiving yourself if you think hearing is enough.
Ø Stop looking into the mirror (God’s Word) and forgetting what you saw.
Ø Obey the Word, put it into action 24/7.
Ø You are blessed when you hear and do.
4. This is what it is all about.- True religion- controlling your tongue, helping others and living holy. James 1:26-27
26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James calls for self-examination.-This is what religion looks like and is:
“If any man among you seem to be religious,”
“Religious” is found five times in the Word of God, and "religious" two times. Nearly all of the times it has to do with some type of worship or fearing God, But, not necessarily worship of One True God. Religion is a ceremonial observance. refers to the ceremonial observance of a religion (praying, going to church, making sacrifices, charity work, giving money, reading scripture, fasting, partaking of communion, etc.)
a) You are to control your tongue.- “and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart.”
b) You are to get your hands dirty.. “Visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction”
c) You are to remain unspotted from the world. –“ and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
Faith-Walk Study Questions:
1. What are you commanded to do in James 1:19?
2. Why must you control our anger – v.20?
3. What are you to lay aside?
4. How are you to receive God’s Word?
5. What is God’s Word able to do?
6. What are the differences between a doer and a hearer of the Word?
7. When you do not put God’s Word into action, what are you doing?
8. What are some the benefits of being a doer of God’s Word?
9. How can you stop excusing yourself? What can you do to prevent this from happening?
10. What does real religion looks like?
Notes:
Reading Assignment: James 2:1-13
Faith-Walk Action Plan:
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Memory Verses:
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.- James 1:19, 22 (KJV)
