September 9, 2018
Evening Service

The Book of James has been a great study of very practical teaching that we could quickly apply to our lives.  He was writing to the first generation of Christ followers who were just trying to figure out what their new life should look like.  Every chapter seemed to touch on a new practical subject that hit close to home for them and also for us.  Every service someone would say “that was for me today.”  James, with the help of the Holy Spirit, really had a gift to make his teaching very easily understood.  We will review the highlights from each chapter.

Chapter 1:

·        James wasted no time in showing us the attitude we should have during times of trials as well as the proper perspective.

James 1:2-4 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, (3) knowing that the trying of your faith works patience.  (4)  But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

·        The trials are to be counted a joy as it does its work building our patience on our way to perfection.  He also told us how to receive wisdom if we are lacking in it.

James 1:5-6 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.  (6)  But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

·        If we lack wisdom ask in faith without doubting and God will give it liberally.  Then James gives some of the greatest practical advice that we can use daily.

James 1:19-20 Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.  (20)  For the wrath of man does not work out the righteousness of God.

·        We all struggle with this and this advice can be quite helpful if we put it into action.  That brings up the next point James makes.

James 1:22 But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

·        We must take the wisdom our Bible studies give us and apply it to our everyday life.  He talked about that more in chapter 2.

 

Chapter 2:

·        James told us to be careful that we don’t have a judgmental attitude and show partiality to others.

James 2:1 My brothers, do not have the faith of our Lord Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

·        We must watch our tendency to judge someone solely according to their looks.  If we do this we are sinning.  James then begins a great explanation between faith and works.

James 2:17-18  Even so, if it does not have works, faith is dead, being by itself.  (18)  But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works.”

·         Our faith cannot be something that just produces words from our mouth, but it must become works from our hands and feet.  It is not enough to say you are a Christ follower, but our lives have to reflect it.

 

Chapter 3:

·        James then gave us another very practical teaching that can be applied immediately.

James 3:8-10  But no one can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  (9)  By this we bless God, even the Father. And by this we curse men, who have come into being according to the image of God.  (10)  Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

·        James tells us to watch out for one of the smallest members of our body the tongue.  No one came fully tame it.  It is something we must always be on guard for it.  It is wrong to curse men and praise God with the same mouth.

·        We then got a glimpse of what worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom produce.

James 3:14-18  But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your hearts, do not glory and lie against the truth.  (15)  This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.  (16)  For where envying and strife are, there is confusion and every foul deed.  (17)  But the wisdom that is from above is first truly pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  (18)  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

·        What life would you prefer to live?  One of envy, strife, confusion and jealousy or one that contains peace, gentleness, mercy and good works?  That is such an easy choice for me.  Give me the peace of God which passes understanding every time.  When we choose to be a Christ follower that is the choice we are making.

 

Chapter 4

·        James follows up the scripture we just discussed with this.

James 4:1-3  From where do wars and fightings among you come? Is it not from this, from your lusts which war in your members?  (2)  You desire, and do not have. You murder, and are jealous, and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you have not because you ask not.  (3)  You ask and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it upon your lusts.

·        Our biggest problem we must learn to overcome lies within us.  Our flesh cries out with its desires and we must be able to overcome the war that lies within us.  This spiritual battle is one that we will fight our entire life.  It will never go away until the Lord returns or calls us home.  James then gives us a point by point list to follow to help us on our walk with the Lord.  This is another great example of the practical teaching James has flooded us with in this letter.

 

 

 

 

 

James 4:7-11  Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  (8)  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.  (9)  Be afflicted, and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.  (10)  Be humbled before the Lord, and He will lift you up.  (11)  Do not speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against his brother, and who judges his brother, speaks against the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law, but a judge.

·        This is such great and practical advice to pull in the proper perspective for our walk with the Lord.  Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, get sin out of your life, mourn for your short comings, humble yourself, and don’t judge your brother.  That is a great list to go through every now and then to kind of audit your life.  Am I doing these things?  Am I doing them well?  Where do I need to improve?

·        We then were exposed to just how fragile life is and how important it is to include God in our plans.

James 4:13-15  Come now, those saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and spend a year there, and we will trade and will make a profit,”  (14)  who do not know of the morrow. For what is your life? For it is a vapor, which appears for a little time, and then disappears.  (15)  Instead of you saying, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

·        God is in total control and we need to acknowledge that fact with the plans we make.  He has a plan for our lives and we must be willing to yield our will to His.

 

Chapter 5:

·        James closes his letter by returning to his initial instructions of being patient in time of trials.  Comparing our awaiting the coming of the Lord to the farmer waiting upon his harvest.

James 5:7-8  Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and the latter rain.  (8)  You also be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of your Lord draws near.

·        We need to know our walk with the Lord is not a quick sprint that is over quickly, but we must be prepared to be in it for the long haul.  Set your eyes on heaven as your goal and all this life is leading us there.  We do that by being patient, but also by first establishing our heart to the fact that it is God who holds our future.

·        That brings us to this morning’s study about prayer.

 James 5:13-15  Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing psalms.  (14)  Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  (15)  And the prayer of faith will cure the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.

·        The key point we tried to make is that God desires us to come to Him and make our requests known to Him.  He wants us to make the first move calling for the elders to pray.  We have not because we don’t ask.  God is able to heal us but He wants us to come to Him asking for it.