Study of James

7 Marks of Maturity (Review of last week) 1. Positive under pressure: 1:2-4 2. A Doer of the Word: 1:22 3. Sensitive to other people: 2:8 4. Mastered his/her tongue: 3:2 5. Has Spiritual wisdom: 3:13 6. Peacemaker not a troublemaker: 4:1 7. Patient and prayerful: 5:7, 5:16b

Deeper Roots

Below are the introductory notes from Life Application Study bible. Purpose To expose hypocritical practices and to teach right Christian behavior Author James, Jesus brother, a leader in the Jerusalem church. (Leader Note) James didnt believe in Jesus deity before the resurrection! Read John 7:3-5. (Leader Note) James became the first Pastor of the Jerusalem church. (Leader Note) 1st epistle written in the NT. An epistle is a letter written from an Apostle. An Apostle simply means one who was sent by God to share the good news. Mostly, by Jesus himself. (Leader Note) Tradition says that shortly before Jerusalem was destroyed, when many Jews were accepting Christ, Annas the high priest assembled the Sanhedrin and commanded James publicly to renounce Christ as Israels Messiah. Upon his refusal, he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple and stoned to death as he lay dying from the fall. Original audience First-century Jewish Christians residing in Gentile communities outside Palestine. Date Written Probably A.D. 49 Setting This letter expresses James concern for persecuted Christians who were once part of the Jerusalem church. The Blueprint Genuine religion: Chapter 1:1-27

Genuine faith: Chapters 2:1 3:12 Genuine wisdom: Chapters 3:13 5:20 Chapter Summary Chapter 1: Confident Stand: What a Christian has Chapter 2: Compassionate Service: What a Christian does Chapter 3: Careful Speech: What a Christian says Chapter 4: Contrite Submission: What a Christian feels Chapter 5: Concerned Sharing: What a Christian gives

Themes Living faith James wants believers not only to hear the truth but also to put it into action. He contrasts empty faith with faith that works. Commitment to love and to serve others is evidence of true faith. Trials In the Christian life there are trials and temptations. Successfully overcoming these adversities produces maturity and strong character. Law of love We are saved by Gods gracious mercy, not by keeping the law. But Christ gave us a special command: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 19:19) We are to love and serve those around us. Wise Speech Wisdom shows itself in wise speech. God holds us responsible for the results of our destructive words. The wisdom of God that helps control the tongue can help control all our actions. Wealth James taught Christians not to compromise with worldly attitudes about wealth. Because the glory of wealth fades. Christians should store up Gods treasures through sincere service. Christians must not show partiality to the wealthy or be prejudiced against the poor.

Chapter 1 Notes
Theme o Genuine Religion o Endurance. Even through trials, let it build your faith. Read entire Chapter together

Break down verse by verse. Write notes on this page or in a notebook. Also, write and highlight in your Bible!

Subject
Endurance Perseverance Anger Doer of the Word Doer of the Word Purity Religion

Verse
James 1:2-12 James 1:12 James 1:20 James 1:22 James 1:22-26 James 1:27

Illustration / Explanation
Persevere, grow through trials Blessed is he who perseveres under trial Does not achieve righteousness Does of the Word, not hearers only Sees blemishes in mirror but does nothing. Be unstained by the world.

Questions to ask while reading and studying the Bible

Who wrote the book? Who was he writing to? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Where was the author? What was happening in history during this time? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How does this writing apply today? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

How do I apply my life to this Word? What needs to change? What is God saying to me? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Who else could use this Word this week? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 1:19-27 (Continued) Verse 21: John 17:17 (NIV) o His Word is truth and sanctifies us! His Word is like gospel detergent! The bigger the stain, the deeper you dig in! o Hebrews 4:12 It is living, life changing and works in us! It reveals who we are and who we are not! o Read verse 21 again: is the Word planted in you? Its living, transforming, and purifying us! The more we dig in and apply the filth falls off and the cleaner we get we become holy! This holiness is attractive! Not judging but holy. Verse 22-25 o Can you imagine looking in the mirror, seeing a booger, and saying eh, whatever. And walking away and not doing anything about it?!! o Reread the verse with this analogy. o Those who hear and obey will be blessed! Verse 26 o If we cant tame our tongue, our religion is worthless?!! o Chapter 3 deals with taming the tongue well go deeper there.

Chapter 2 Theme o Genuine Faith o Right attitude, show mercy, faith produces works The Root of insincerity (Verses 1-8) The fruit of insincerity (Verses 9-13) o Do not show favoritism. We all label people unknowingly The rich find it difficult to identify with the Lord Jesus, who came as a humble servant. Are we easily impressed by status, wealth, or fame? Are we partial to the haves while ignoring the have nots? This attitude is sinful. God views all people as equals Why it is so wrong to show favoritism to the wealthy: (From Life Application Study Notes) o It is inconsistent with Christs teachings o It results from evil thoughts o It insults people made in Gods image o It is a by-product of selfish motives

o It goes against the Biblical definition of love o It shows a lack of mercy to those less fortunate o It is hypocritical o It is sin. Faith & Deeds o Verse 14-26 Read Matthew 7:26-27Jesus own words on applying what He is teaching. o Some have imagined a contradiction between James and Paul. James 2:24 & Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul speaks of justification before God. James describes justification before man We are justified by faith, says Paul. We are justified for works, says James. Paul is interested in the root of justification. James is concerned about the fruit of justification. John Calvin once said Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone! James meets Paul during his (Pauls) first trip to Jerusalem after his Damascus Road conversion (Gal.1:18-19) He also conferred with Paul during the Apostles last trip to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:18-25) o James names two Old Testament people to illustrate his point. Abraham Rahab o Dr. Charles Ryrie writes: Unproductive faith cannot save, because it is not genuine faith. Faith and works are like a two-coupon ticket to heaven. The coupon of works is not good for passage, and the coupon of faith is not valid if detached from works.