JAMES

The book of James is a practical guide to living the Christian life. It has been called applied Christianity. The young people who are participating in the Bible Bowl will be studying the book of James over the next month. It is a book of extreme practical value. I want to do an overview of the book today and hopefully it will help those of you who are present in our knowledge of this book and perhaps you can share it with the young people who will be studying it over the next month.

Background: James, the brother of our Lord, wrote this letter to the Jewish Christians scattered throughout the empire. All Christians were experiencing persecution by the time this epistle was penned, but Jewish Christians were hardest hit. Gentiles constantly treated them with hostility because they were Jews, and Jews sorely mistreated them because they were Christians. How should Christians live in such circumstances?

We will look at it from the standpoint of chapters: 1—temptation; 2—favoritism and faith-works; 3— wisdom; 4—quarrels and conflict; 5—prayer.

I) Temptation

A) Value of trials

1) Notice it is not “if” but “when.” (v.2)

2) These trials are not temptations to do wrong, which he will discuss later (vss.13-15)

3) The trials or testing of our faith that comes upon us.

4) The one who has faith …

(a) Reacts positively (v.2) [Heb. 12:11] Knowing… (v.3)

(b) Reacts patiently (vss.3,4). Learn patience through life’s testing. Learn to trust God.

(1st) Common sense.. Book of Proverbs

(2nd) Not just knowledge or a lot of facts in the head.

(3rd) It is the application of that knowledge and those facts to a person’s life.

(4th) Wisdom is not a thing that can be taught.

(5th) You can teach someone facts, but it is impossible to teach a person how to exercise wisdom in the use of that information. If you are a parent, you know this!!

(d) Reacts in prosperity (vss.9-11). When life’s situation changes…

(e) Reacts with perseverance (v.12). As long as we live in the flesh, we will be tempted.

B) Properly regards temptation.

1) Origin of temptation

2) Order of temptation [personal responsibility]

(a) Desire

(b) Drawing away

3) Outcome of temptation (v.15)

4) Obligation [do not be deceived]

C) Respect for God

1) Respect God for gift

2) Goal

D) Proper response to word of God

1) Readiness to hear (vss.19,20)

2) Removal of hindrance and reception he gives (v.21)

3) Responsibility he feels (vss.22-25) A doer…

E) Properly represents true religion (vss.26,27)

1) Control he shows…care he exercises…cleanness of life he demonstrates.

II) Showing Favoritism . . . Faith and Works.(2)

A) Proper respect for others

1) Wrong in appraisal of people and the attitude revealed.

2) By making distinctions you are divided in your own mind concerning your faith.

B) Greed of men (vss.6,7). They are unloving and unholy

C) Governing law (vss.8-11)

1) Compassion

2) Consistency

D) Great judgment (vss.12,13). Examined by what we declare, preach and practice.

E) Properly radiates his faith (vss.14-26)

1) Dead faith (vss.14-17)

2) Defenseless faith (vss.18-20)

3) Demonstrated faith (vss.21-26)

III) Wisdom and the tongue (3)

A) Properly regulates his tongue (vss.1-12)

1) Responsibility of teachers. (preparation)

2) Illustration of controlling the tongue.

(a) Responsibility to guard the tongue (vss.1-2)

(b) Responsibility to guide the tongue (vss.3-4)

(d) Responsibility to tame the tongue (vss.7-8)

(e) Responsibility to be consistent with our tongue (vss. 9-12)

3) The tongue is destructive, it is dangerous and it is deadly.

B) Properly reveals wisdom thru his life. (vss.13-18)

1) Wisdom demonstrated (vs. 13)

2) Wisdom from above different from wisdom of the world (vss.14-16)

3) Wisdom from above described (vss.17-18)

IV) Quarrels and Conflict (4)

A) Source of conflict among Christians

1) Nothing worse than wars and fights among people who should be living holy lives.

2) Root problem is arrogance and selfishness.

3) Affects our prayer life.

B) God demands undivided allegiance (vss.4-6)

1) Worldliness is too much of the world in us. When the world is in the Christian, it is not a good thing.

2) Worldliness allows a person to be deceived. It distorts our affections, our vision, our desires

3) How could they expect anything else except fightings among them and unanswered prayers

4) God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

C) The Lord’s way to victory.( 4:7-10)

1) Be subject to God, resist the devil. Yes to God, no to Satan!

2) Some housekeeping needed.

(a) Cleanse your hands (Outward) Cleanse our lives of any moral impurity.

(b) Purify your hearts (Inward).

(d) Humble ourselves

D) Harsh judgments of one another condemned (vss.11-12)

E) Do not leave God out of your plans (vss. 13-16)

F) Do not have apathy toward God’s word (v.17)

V) Prayer (5)

A) Worldly rich denounced because of attitude (vss.1-6)

B) Advice to the oppressed (vss.7-11)

1) Patience enjoined (vss.7-9)

2) Examples of patience (vss.10-11)

C) Refrain from profane speech. (vs. 12)

D) Prayer (vss. 13-20)

1) Instances where prayer is needed (vss.13-14)

2) Importance of right kind (vss. 15-16)

(a) It is not the fervor of a prayer, which gives it strength.

(b) The prayer of a righteous man has great strength in its working.

3) Illustration where prayer avails (vss.17-18)

(a) He prayed the prayer.

(b) Should encourage our use of prayer.

4) Restoring the erring (vss.19-20)

(a) Wandering has the sense of apostasy, wandering in life-style.

(b) We need to be observant of the needs of our brethren.

(c) When we know a brother or sister is guilty of sin, we should go to them and warn them abut the consequences of their actions. Needs to be done in right spirit (Gal. 6:1)

(d) It may be that you can convert that person, change them back to right direction.

(e) By so doing, you have saved a soul from death. (spiritual, eternal)

(f) And covered a multitude of sins (forgiveness of the one who had erred)

Con:

1—Temptation

2—Showing favoritism and faith-works

3—Tongue and Wisdom

4—Quarrels and Conflicts

5—Prayer