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Summary: The book of James doesn't incorporate any new concepts that could take your spiritual walk to a deeper level. Instead, James focuses on simplifying teaching that has already been taught. His focus is to take spiritual truths and simplify them in a way that can be understood by us all. James the Person: James was the brother of Jesus. There are 3 other men in the New Testament by the name of James as well. He was not converted until after the resurrection of Christ. Its Purpose: Religion is useless unless you have a relationship with God. Works and working for the kingdom is great, but it is not the way to heaven. Lesson 1 Dissecting Trials James 1 How many of you remembering dissecting an animal in school? What kind of animal was it? What do you remember about dissecting that animal? Explanation: James in chapter one, dissects trials and tries to encourage the readers to examine their trials. He wants them to focus on these trials and to try to find the silver lining. As we dissected animals in Science class, as this animal unfolded in front of us, we could see bits and pieces more clearly than before. As sickening as the study might have been, the picture became clearer if we followed the directions the teacher gave us. James is the teacher. He is giving us directions in how to respond to our trials. He is taking us step by step through our trials where we can make sure we see each detail that God wants us to see in our trials. 1 2

Notice how James dissects these trials… James 1:2–4 2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Did you pick up on what our attitude should look like when we fall into various trials? How do you respond when stressful situations come against you? pick one below… 1) Do you shut down 2) Do you lash out in anger 3) Say something you regret 4) Do you cry 5) Do you avoid everyone Knowing who you are when stressful situations come, is the beginning of wisdom… don’t try to make yourself someone you are not… BUT develop those weaknesses into strengths. James 1:5 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let us notice how we get from verse two to verse five… James 1:2–5 2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. The four step process of gaining wisdom is simply this… count, know, let, and ask… which one do you struggle with when trials come? Below can help you decide… Count- means to own it or take the lead… in other words owning the situation Knowing- recognizing the situation Let- to possess the situation Ask- request for help When we decide not to follow these four steps, what we are doing is not simplifying the trials, but complicating the trials in our life. Our outlook many times determines our outcome… our attitudes usually control our actions. 3 4

One key word that we skip over when it comes to trials is found in verse two as it says, “when you fall into trials… not IF you fall into various trials.” Don’t go through life looking for the next trial, but do know that trials are coming. What God wants us to learn in trials is the testing of trials produces a stronger you. Did you pick up on what James spends more time on than trials? What does James want to have a perfect work in us according to verse four. Patience is what Christ is developing in us… the reason this is so important is because we waste a lot of time trying to fix some situations that cannot be fixed by anything we do. That is why the four step process is so important… Count- own the reality that we cannot fix the trials Know- realize we cannot fix it Let- possess the trial… don’t avoid it Ask- swallow our pride and accept the fact we don’t have all the answers. If we follow this four step process, what it is showing God is that I’m willing to cooperate with You because I don’t have the answer. The only thing that we might be missing while facing trials is surrendering to Christ for the answer. As verse four says, “complete, lacking nothing.” There is nothing more frustrating than putting something together and getting to the end and not having all the pieces to complete something… is the missing piece submission? 5 6

Lesson 2 Temptation James 1:12-17 James 1:12–17 12Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. It seems as James has lost his mind because in verse 2 he says count it all joy when we face trials and now in verse 12 he says blessed is the man who endures temptation… The biggest problem with temptation is when the temptation from the outside turns in to temptation on the inside. Temptation is an opportunity to accomplish something, but accomplishing something in a bad way is what James wants us to understand. It is not the action that James is worried about, but it is the reaction… the second set of thoughts… the second set of words we says and etc… I think James is explaining that in v’s 14… when we are drawn away… The word desire in v’s 14 means lust… not in a sexual way but in a way that we desire to have it… this desire can be that I desire to have it my way and that is fine… • It is ok to want to have it your way, but when desire to have it our way turns in to satisfying your desires is when we get in to trouble. Satan is wanting us to give in to the desires… the word “entice” means to bait a hook. Why is this important? Because Satan nor Christ can make you give in to temptation… it is “the bait on the hook” (enticed) that gets us. So what entices you? Is it the bait or the hook? The temptation is the bait, Satan is the hook. The bait keeps us from seeing the hook (Satan) wrapped inside the bait. Hover over the qr code and go to the website for an illustration of temptation and being enticed… watch the first one only. 7 8

Satan never will settle in just tempting us or enticing us… Enticing is not the end point, but the starting point. Notice the progression found in v’15. A better word for conceived in v’s 15 is the word intention. Satan’s intention is never to stop with a desire, but to progress to death. Desires are anything that drive us or take the place of God as priority #1 What are some desires that lead to sin and progress to death? Death can be many things. When a desire makes us justify what we are doing, that is the conception that v’s 15 is talking about. It breeds sin that will eventually suck the life out of us spiritually. We justify because there is something that we want… v’s 17 tells us basically that God can give something greater than the desire that we want. The phrase comes down from the Father is a picture of a waterfall and the water coming off of it is a gift. Meaning, we cannot get enough of the gifts from God. Then v’s 17 ends by saying there is no variation… meaning what God has to offer is the authentic thing and cannot be replicated. When we desire and we are enticed by a sin, the sin never makes us, tells us, feels like, and etc. Like the real deal that we are looking at or desiring. That is why James says in v’s 17 that there is no variation or shadow of the gifts that God wants to bless us with. What Satan entices us with will never quench the desire that we are pursuing. Desire Taking the place of church Death Desire No longer going to church Sin 9 10

Lesson 3 The Implanted Word pt. 1 James 1:21-25 James 1:21–25 21Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James wants us to envision a garden that has just been plowed and has planted the seeds. He wants the word of God to be implanted in our hearts where it can grow and mature. In the last lesson, we saw a process of sin. How it is conceived, then gives birth, and eventually leads to death. Because sin was implanted inside your heart, it lead to sin maturing and getting stronger then longer it stays inside of us. James is doing the same thing with the implanted word of God. He wants the believers that he is writing this letter to that God’s word can have the same kind of impact on your life as sin does. James wants the reader to implant the word of God in their life instead of sin. James wants the reader to grasp that the implanted word, when it is conceived, can produce life instead of producing death as sin does. Notice the comparison of sin being conceived and the implanted word being conceived… James 1:15 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:21 21Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. What is the difference between the two verses? The word soul in v’s 21 is the word psyche… this is talking about our thought process and not our heart. James wants the word of God to implanted inside your heart (salvation) but he also wants it to change your thought process. 11 12

Notice the progression this week below… It moves from your heart, to your thought process (v’s 21) and then it comes out in our conversations with other people. James 1:26 26If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. What has been implanted within our hearts will come out through our mouths. Look back at v’s 15-16… James 1:15–16 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. The question is, which one do we desire more? Our Priorities or God’s Priorities? Lesson 4 The Implanted Word pt. 2 James 1:21-25 21Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. It is hard to learn anything if we are the one doing all the talking all the time. It is hard to listen when our ears are overflowing with junk out of them. In v’s 21, the phrase overflow of wickedness means, “superfluidity of naughtiness.” In other words, this means to get all the bees wax out. James is telling us that we cannot be a hearer of the word because our ears have too much ear wax built up inside of them. 13 14

Many people think that just being a doer is good enough, but it is not! God wants us to be a hearer of the word before we are a doer of the word. Later on in this study, we will see that many were trying to work their way to heaven. James makes it clear that works will not help you in any kind of way getting us to heaven. James is saying to the readers that many of you might be doing a lot of work for Christ, but we should rather sit with Christ before the works come in to play. Many people like to do the works for Christ because they don’t like to hear the word of God because their desire is on themselves. The problem with being a doer and not a hearer is that we become too busy to notice the state that we are truly in. When we are too busy to spend time in God’s word, we are living v’s 23&24. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. When we look in to a mirror we are examining ourselves. We never look in to a mirror to mess things up, but we look in to a mirror to tidy things up. But if we are too busy “working” for God, then we don’t have time to examine that state that we are in spiritually. They are busy working on others or for others and they miss the most important part and that is our personal state that we find ourself in. How many of you know of careless mistakes that have been made because they were in too big of a hurry? Verse 23 and 24 tell us that if we are looking at the word carelessly, then it will never impact us like it should. Being careless with the word of God tells us in v’s 24 that we forget as soon as we read it. James is wanting the readers to grasp that putting the implanted word is what we should be putting to work. James is saying, Christ wants you to take an x-ray, not a snapshot look at your life. The key word is found in v’s 25… it is the word continue… 25But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does 15 16

Lesson 5 Practicing God’s Word not God’s work James 2:14-20 We miss the purpose of our works because we believe that our works can take the place of the Word of God. Look at the two underlined sections above… do you see the problem with the two? What is taking the place of God? We try to substitute our works in places where the word of God can only fit. We try to fit a square peg into a round hole. We spend so much time working and we never spend time fitting the word of God into our lives. Some think that substituting works for God can replace the word of God. Now, don’t miss this… this doesn’t mean that this person is not a Christian… if we think back to the works they have already shown in chapter one, we would assume they are a Christian. Notice the works from chapter one: V’s 3 endurance, v’s 13 perseverance, v’s 21 purity, and v’s 22-23 obedience… these are good works! But James is saying, don’t let the works take the place of God’s word. The reason this is so important is because there will come a time in life that we will need the word of God to be able to get us through trails of life. When trials come and we are spending the amount of time in God’s word that we are suppose too, then we can live like James 1:2 “count it all joy when we face trials.” James is wanting us to make sure we have the inside right before the start working on the outside. James is wanting us to make sure we have the foundation right before we start worrying about the fruit (works). The entire problem with this text is we are spending too much energy on works and not enough time on the word of God. James is saying in 2:14 that after faith (salvation) you should want to do works of God, but it never should take the place of the word of God. James 2:14 14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? Not only can faith save us, it does save us! Our problem is the works we do benefit us… the works James points out benefit others. 17 18

Notice… James 2:15–17 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Do you see that the works are not what we can do for ourselves, but taking care of the situations that might be unpleasant to us. So works reveal our true intentions by what kind of works we do… James 2:9 9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. We like to choose what kind of works we want to do for the Lord, but also the kind of people we want to help as well. James is saying that your faith is dead according to v’s 17 because this is benefitting only you and not the kingdom of God. We can’t pick and choose who we want to help or what works we want to do. If uncomfortable situations are put in front of us, then we are supposed to care for them. Your works will show your faith by how you respond to the unpleasant situations in life. That is what James 1:18 is saying… James 2:18 18But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You don’t have to prove to anyone that you are a believer because you works will prove your faith. Remember, James is trying simplify certain doctrines that have already been taught. Possibly they have turn certain doctrines into something they are not. One is our works… works are good, but are we picking and choosing the works we do? James is trying to set the record straight by simplifying works. 19 20

Lesson 6 Deadly Poison James 3:1-8 If we are bit by a poisonous snake, even though the bite would hurt, the bite is not what we should be worried about, but the poison that can spread through your body after the bite. When we allow our unruly tongue to get the best of us, we need to be reminded that the impact doesn’t stop with the bite… the bite is only the beginning. The only reason a snake strikes at someone is because it feels threaten. It feels as if it should get the upper hand before the situation gets out of hand. They possibly strike to let the person/animal know they are present… they want their presence known that they are there. When we use words that are unpleasant, it shows what we might be dealing with inside… Sometimes the person that gets the tongue lashing is not the root of the problem. They were just at the right place at the right time. One thing we do know is that our tongue needs guidance according to James. Notice our text: James 3:1–8 1My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. In verses 3-5, we see that both a bit and a rudder must be under control of someone that has a strong hand. They also need to be able to operated it and steer the tongue in the right direction. Most of us know how to operate the tongue, but we struggle to steer in the right direction sometimes. 21 22

I hope we can see why James was trying to simplify teachings that were already taught through the first 2 chapters. In chapter one we see how to be patient in trials In chapter two we see how to practice truth Now in chapter three we see the power of the tongue Possibly what James was seeing is because people were not “getting it” verse 5 was starting to happen. How many of you have disciplined your kids and thought that “one” was coming for some time? James sees that if these people do not get their tongue under control, then there is no way they can grow in their faith. What James is trying to build among these immature Christians is accountability. But not only accountability there comes some responsibility according to verse 1… 1My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. This text possibly isn’t for everyone. James could be talking to just leaders and giving advice in how to speak the truth with grace. No matter if James is just speaking to leaders or not, the key is verse 5. What we say will impact others no matter what… So what is so hard about this? Notice verse 8… 8But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. We can’t tame the tongue… so we should stop trying and allow God to steer us in the right direction. 23 24

Lesson 7 Deadly Poison pt. 2 James 3:8-18 As we started the last lesson with talking about a snake bite, but what comes after the snake bite is what we should focus on. In a way, the bite could be verses 1-8 and verses 9-18 are is the impact form the bite. We see what is conceived if the tongue is not under control. We have a comparison and contrast in this section of scripture… it is comparing good and bad. James illustrates that it is unnatural for good and bad to come from the same source… James wants us to know that is should be looked upon as it is unnatural to have good and bad coming from the same mouth. In verse 8, verse 11, and verse 12 all paint the picture that it is unnatural for 2 opposites to produce the same thing. James 3:9 9With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. James 3:11 11Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? James 3:11 11Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? What James want us all to grasp is that if the tongue is inconsistent, then there is something really wrong with the heart. One is seeking things from this world and the other is seeking things from heaven… James also wants us to notice that the true problem is not the tongue at all, but it is a heart problem… James 3:14 14But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. Instead of filling your heart with bitterness and self-seeking but according to verse. What this is being conceived in the heart is found in verse 16… James 3:16 16For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. This is why actions sometimes speak louder than words… understand the ones that “stir the pot” and allow others to be the one that spreads confusion is just as powerful 25 26

and sinful as the one saying it publicly. And then James gets to the bottom of why the tongue powerful… look at verse 15… James 3:15 15This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. When our communication is not from above and of this world, according to James it is demonic. What should we strive for? James 3:18 18Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Make peace is what James wants us all to accomplish. Lesson 8 Cheating on Christ James 4:1-6 Name some ways that you have seen something be influenced because it was next to it? The people James is sending this letter to is people that have been influenced by this world and the culture they live in. How does our culture influence us today? How does our culture influence to accept things as they are? We are influenced even when we don’t realize what is going on. Then James gives us the two key verses in verse three and verse four… James 4:3–4 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Let us start with verse three… possibly the reason we haven’t seen the Lord move in a certain way is because we 27 28

are self-centered… James then moves to verse 4 by stating that we have committed cheated on Christ because we have not been faithful to the Lord. It has been said that an affair never starts out with the intention of it leading to an affair… this can apply to verse 4 in the same way… Notice verse one: 1Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? If we take verse one and then verse four and bring them (marry them together), we notice that unfaithfulness is at the core of this problem… We have to understand that we are at war with this world and that our desires and pleasures can lead us to be unfaithful towards our relationship with Christ. James uses the analogy of an unfaithful relationship as an example to describe how we treat Christ sometimes. If we look at this section of scripture the way that James wants us to look at it, this picture is a whole lot different isn’t it? The question is, what causes us to even go down this path? The answer is found back in verse one as it describes our desire for pleasure... meaning, I am worried about myself and myself only. When we neglect our relationship with the Lord by placing something else in the place of God, it will affect everyone around us. Today, are we cheating on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Has something taken the place of Christ? 29 30

Lesson 9 Time is Ticking… James 4:7-14 Don’t answer the questions out loud but think about them… Do you hold grudges? Do you hold on to a past that eats at you and you know it but others have no idea what is going on? As we ended the last lesson, James builds on that the reality that we need to make sure our relationship with God is right… He takes it a step further and acknowledges that time is ticking away for you get things right with God. James wants us to grasp we have to resist this world and submit to God. Submission is a tough word for us to put in to action and James uses it at the core of his message. At the core of the message for us, we must submit to God and realize we cannot fix it on our own. Then he ends this section with making it clear that we are running out of time to get things right and we cannot do it when we want to get things right. As James made it clear in verse one that our pleasure and desires lead us down a path that getting even or not allowing to let go can cause us a lot of wasted time. Why do we struggle with our relationship with God? it could be because of the wording James uses to explain how to get things right… Notice the wording… James 4:7–10 7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. The reason we cannot see any breakthroughs in our life is because of the direct wording found in the scripture above. The word submit actually means to get in your rank… this is a military term meaning to know rank you are in when we go to battle… This wording makes so much sense because back in verse one James asks why are do we war and fight? The reason we war and fight with our relationship with 31 32

God is because we want to be in control, but James makes it clear to us that we not the ones calling the shots. The step-by-step battle plan is not an easy one to follow… submit, resist, draw near, lament, mourn, weep, and humble yourself. Which one do you struggle with the most in the list above? The one that we all struggle with the most is humbling ourself… This is why we struggle with humbling ourself is because all of the other ones are obvious, but humbling is located on the inside. Sometimes we make deals with God by saying I’ll give this up, but keep that… true submission happens when we give it all with no strings attached. True submission only happens when humbling ourselves is evident. We can draw near to God, but still not humble ourselves and people think we are doing good, but according to James we are missing it. We can do all the above except humbling ourself before the Lord and miss it all. How do I know if humbling is a part of my life? the answer is found in verse 11… James 4:11 11Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. It will show up in how we talk about people and how/if we judge people… Another tough pill to swallow is to accept that you are not the boss and the rules apply to you as well. James 4:12 12There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? That desire for pleasure (verse one) takes us to a place that makes us think we are invincible and nothing can touch us. The desire to be successful makes us miss out on some of the more important things in life and really, the most important things in life… notice verse 13 33 34

James 4:13 13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; The desire for us, our kids, our business, and etc. leads us to striving to be successful and there is nothing wrong with that… BUT when it drives us to the place of desiring it more then Christ, then we have a problem. Verse thirteen is talking about business men that are making plans to make a lot of money in the future. Their drive is to be successful worldly. Activities, places, and goals has made these that James is talking about to cheat on their relationship with God. Then James puts it all in perspective… James 4:14 14whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. We makes plans for “tomorrow” and one day we will not make it to “tomorrow.” We talked about it a while back… 936 Sundays from in 18 years… How close is that “tomorrow” in your family? A kid 5 years old… 676 Sundays until age 18 A kid 10 years old… 416 Sundays until age 18 A kid 15 years old… 156 Sundays until age 18 What can we put in our kids today because there are not that many tomorrows left. 35 36

Lesson 10 Getting things right James 5:1-6 James starts this last chapter with another hard word and warning to the ones that think they are above the law or rules. James uses strong wording to remind us all that no matter where we find ourself, we are not in control. James doesn’t say it, but it is like he mentions another war that is being fought. This one deals with money… Possibly James uses 4:13-14 as a primer to lead in to this chapter… James in chapter five makes it clear that the ones that have become rich by withholding from others, it is like he is saying, I see you… everyone knows who you are! James once again is getting to the core of the problem… in James 4:1 it is the desire of pleasure that lead to some “cheating of Christ.” He then leads to giving strict instructions on how to not cheat on Christ by submitting, resisting, drawing near to God, and humbling ourselves… It is as James is giving the warning in James 4:7-10 and then the “I told you so” in James 5:1-6. James 5:1 can make us think that is what is going on… notice it… 1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Possibly the worldly plans that were being planned in James 4:13 did not turn out like they wanted them to turn out. Or it will not turn out the way they want it to turn out… James 4:13 13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; No matter what James motive in writing James 5 was, it is clear that greed/pride is once again at the center of the issue. James calls their riches corrupted in James 5:2 then in James 5:3 he calls their possessions corroded… Then he hits on their heart in James 5:4 James is not saying riches are the problem, but the problem is what is going on in the inside… the heart. Then in James 5:4 the phrase Lord of the Sabaoth is a war term meaning commander of God’s army. This symbolizes that the works and the self-centeredness has reached the eyes of God. 37 38

Proverbs 6:16–19 16These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. James is showing that the commander of the God’s army hates what you are doing. As we talked about in the last lesson, if the internal is not right, then these things which the Lord hates will come out externally. Which one above do you think does the most damage? Which one above bothers you the most? Lesson 11 Patience James 5:7-12 James 5:7–11 7Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James has been talking about the ones that have been doing the persecution, he ends his letter by turning his attention to the persecuted. If we will look at the bold and underlined print above, we can see that James had a point he wanted to get over to the believers. In your own words, what is the theme of this section of scripture? When someone is “persecuting” us, what is the hardest thing to do during that moment? 39 40

The hardest thing for us to do when persecution comes against us is retaliating against it. The word patient means to be longed-tempered… When you temper metal, you place a piece of metal under extreme heat to make it stronger… James is illustrating to us all that the heat of this world will make us stronger after we come through a battle. The hardest principle to believe in is found in verse 9… that verse says that the Judge is standing at the door. Meaning we are not the judge. But then this word patience is used as a compound word here and is linked to the people James is referring to. James is basically saying, we have to patiently endure difficult people. Notice verse 8 and 9… our goal is to get to verse 9 and do not grumble, but if we do not practice verse 8, then we will never be able to get to verse 9. The ultimate goal is to get to patience. James is telling us that we will never obtain patience unless we establish our hearts. He started this section off (verse 7) with using the illustration of a farmer and preparing for a crop. When we are trying to grow a crop, we are wanting the roots to grow strong in order to produce something… James is illustrating that at the root of patience is establishing your heart in a way that is pleasing to God. Below, let us list what we have to do in order to establish our hearts… 7Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 1) Be patient x3 2) Wait patiently 3) Establish your heart 4) Do not grumble 5) Endure 6) Persevere Establish your heart Don't Grumble Patience41 42

Lesson 12 The Power of Prayer James 5:13-18 How many of you would consider yourself a reserved person or a private person? When something is wrong, instead of voicing a concern, you just keep it to yourself? Possibly the reason that chaos was happening in the midst of James writing this letter is because hurting people were afraid to come together and pray. Notice verses 13-16… James 5:13–16 13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14Is anyone among you sick? 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. 15And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. There is one theme James is trying to get over to us all… that one theme is in order to have a touch from God, we have to make ourselves vulnerable. James is telling them that in order to receive help, you must voice that need before God and fellow believers. If you are suffering, you must pray verse 13 If you are sick, call on others to pray for you verse 14 Confess trespasses to one another verse 16 But what we can miss in this is how a powerful prayer life begins… The foundation is you embracing prayer and the indicator that shows if we have truly embraced prayer is by making ourselves vulnerable around others. James is not talking about physical healing, but rather he is alluding to spiritual healing… Remember, James is addressing a group of people that have been mistreated and hurt. Congregational prayer v's 16Leaders in the church praying for you v's 14Personal prayer v's 13Embrace Prayer44 43

James not one time mentions how unfair their life has unfolded, but he does mention that restoration can come between them and God. James makes it clear that the pray of faith is what saves the hurting. James puts one verse in the center of this section that glues everything around it together… Notice verse 15… 15And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. If you had to describe this verse in one word, what would that word be? When we believe in what we are praying, that is when we are truly praying. How do we know this? Because of what verse 16 as James calls for effective fervent prayer… this means actively working… in other words, this could mean are we actively praying? Are we actively asking God to heal? Many times we don’t actively put our prays to work. Fervent praying is not setting our prayer life on auto pilot, but getting personally involved in the situation. James was alluding to how men would operate machines or actively be chiseling away to complete a job. James is telling us to actively chisel away to reach the finished product… nothing never is accomplished by quitting the job. James never backs away from reality that what these believers are facing is unfair and stressful… BUT the bigger picture James closes this book out with is the fact that the situation will never have the opportunity to get better if we refuse to persevere through the battles and struggles of life. 45 46