I. Introduction.
A. The greeting (1:1).
1. Written by James (1:1).
a. James the apostle was killed early in the history of the
church and is not the author of this letter.
b. James the fleshly brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:5) was the
probable author of this book.
c. He calls himself "the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ" (1:1).
2. He wrote to Jews scattered throughout the world (1:1).
B. The purpose of the writing is to encourage those suffering
persecution to be "steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord."
II. Temptation or Trial (1:2-15).
A. They were to regard and value trial and affliction as "all joy"
(1:2-3).
1. Jesus anticipated joy and endured the cross (Heb. 12:2).
2. Paul says we rejoice in tribulation (Rom. 5:3).
a. Noble suffering for a righteous cause produces
steadfastness, approvedness and hope (Rom. 5:4).
b. Hope does not put to shame (Rom. 5:5).
3. Temptation proves faith and produces patience (1:3).
B. Patience brings a complete life that lacks nothing (1:4-15).
1. A person who does not understand this, and who is
therefore
lacking in wisdom, may ask God for wisdom (1:5-8).
a. The advise to ask God for wisdom does not say that the
wisdom will come in some unknown and remarkable way.
b. We ask God for daily bread (Matt. 6:11). The bread
comes from our toil or, if we are unable to provide bread,
from a kind and benevolent person who supplies it. It does
not come to us like manna from heaven.
c. We ask God for wisdom (1:5). The wisdom comes from
our study of the Bible, our experience and observation. It
does not come without effort on our part, like manna from
heaven.
2. He is to seek wisdom from God in undoubting faith (1:6-8).
a. Our lives as children of God must be confident (1:6).
b. If we doubt we have no stability and are like "the surge of
the sea driven by the wind and tossed" (1:6).
c. Unstable persons receive nothing from the Lord (1:7).
d. The wavering and inconsistent person is irresolute and
undetermined in everything (1:8). He is miserable.
3. The deceitfulness of riches (1:9-11).
a. Material wealth can come suddenly and make us vain or it
can be lost quickly and make us bitter (1:9-10).
b. There is no stability in money (1:10).
c. "Give me neither poverty nor riches" (Prov. 30:8).
d. Death is sure and final and will strip us of all material
things (1:10-11).
4. The blessing of temptation endured (1:12-15).
a. "Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin; each victory
will help you some other to win."
b. Temptation (suffering and affliction) is a blessing only
when we overcome it and do not let it overcome us--
James calls this "enduring temptation" (1:12).
c. Temptation to do evil or to forsake righteousness does
not come from God. It is contrary to the nature of God to
entice people to sin (1:13).
d. Temptation comes from within. We submit to temptation
when our carnal desires cause us to fall (1:14).
e. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the
issues of life" (Prov. 4:23).
f. The end result of giving in to temptation is spiritual death
and eternal loss (1:15).
III. The Nature of True Religion (1:16 to 5:20).
A. True religion has its origin in God (1:16-18).
1. Do not be self deceived, and sell out (1:16).
2. God is the source of all our good (1:17).
a. The father of lights--knowledge, purity, happiness (1:17).
b. God does not change nor betray us--no humbug in God
(1:17).
3. God is the source of salvation (1:18).
a. Because God willed it men have the glorious possibility
of being born again (1:18).
b. This new birth comes from the word of truth (1:18).
B. The requirements of true religion (1:19-21).
1. Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (1:19).
a. "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of
God" (1:20).
b. The negative of that statement is also true: man free from
wrath can work the righteousness of God.
2. Put out of your life corrupt and filthy things (1:21).
3. Meekly receive the implanted word (1:21).
a. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding
your own selves" (1:22).
b. Look in the mirror of God's word and see what kind of
person you are 1:23-25).
C. True religion demands controlling the tongue (1:26)
D. True religion means staying away from wrong and doing
right, including visiting the widows and orphans (1:27).
E. True religion means not having respect of persons (2:1-9).
1. We do not hold the faith in respect of person because the
gospel is for all (2:1).
a. You must not prefer and cater to the rich, simply because
they are rich, and look down on and mistreat the poor,
simply because they are poor (2:2-3).
b. The converse is also true: the rich must not be despised
because of their riches, nor the poor preferred because of
their poverty.
c. Do not be judges with evil thoughts (2:4).
2. Many--perhaps most--members of the church are those of
modest means and humble position in society (2:5; 1 Cor
1:26-27).
a. Do not dishonor those whom God approves (2:6).
b. The rich often mistreat the poor and blaspheme the name
of Christ (2:6-7).
c. The royal law is to love neighbor as self (2:8).
d. Prejudice against persons is sin (2:9).
F. True religion means keeping the whole law (2:10-13).
1. To break one law is to show an attitude of rebellion toward
God and his word and equals breaking ever law (2:10).
2. The authority behind every command in the law is God,
therefore every command is holy and must be obeyed (2:11).
3. What you do and what you say show you understand that
you will be judged by God's law of liberty (2:12).
4. The value and necessity of mercy (2:13).
a. The merciless shall receive no mercy (2:13).
b. Mercy tempers judgment (2:13).
G. True religion includes works of obedience, which are
necessary to acceptable faith and justification (2:14-26).
1. Faith without works is worthless (2:14-17).
a. Words of encouragement to the hungry are nothing if we
do not give him food (2:15-16).
b. Faith without works is of no value (2:17).
2. Faith cannot be shown apart from works (2:18).
3. The demons believe but do nothing; their dead faith will not
save them (2:19).
4. Faith apart from works is barren (2:20).
5. Abraham was justified by a faith that obeyed the commands
of God. His faith produced works. His works perfected his
faith (2:21-23).
6. Justification comes from obedient faith (works), and not by
faith alone (2:24).
7. The faith-works of Rahab justified her (2:25).
8. "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith
apart from works is dead" (James 2:26).
H. The danger of being a public teacher (3:1).
I. True religion requires watchful avoidance of sins of the tongue
(3:2-12).
1. It is hard to control the tongue (3:2).
2. Small things can have big results like the horses' bridle, or
the ship's rudder, or the human tongue (3:3-5).
3. The devilish tongue is set on fire by hell (3:6).
4. The tongue cannot be tamed and must therefore be
constantly watched (3:7-8).
5. The duplicity of the tongue is astonishing (3:9-12).
J. True religion demands true wisdom (3:13 to 4:10).
1. Wisdom is shown by a good life in works of wisdom (3:13).
2. Sensual and wrongheaded wisdom produces bitter jealousy,
faction of the heart, resenting and lying against the truth
(3:14-15).
3. Every kind of evil is produced by faction and jealousy
(3:16).
4. The wisdom God gives through his word and by
demonstration in our lives and the lives of others is valuable
(3:17).
a. It is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to listen, merciful
and has good fruits (3:18).
b. It does not change and is without false pretense (3:18).
5. Earthly wisdom produces wars, coveting, unanswered
prayers (4:1-6).
a. If you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God
(4:4).
b. The Bible does not speak to us in vain (4:5).
c. God does not give us through his word an attitude of
envy (4:5).
d. Through his word, which is his saving gospel, God gives
us grace (4:6).
e. God's words says that he resists the proud but gives
grace to the humble (4:6).
6. True wisdom produces subjection to God, resistance to the
devil, cleanness of life, mourning over sin, and a humble
spirit (4:7-10).
a. Be subject to God and resist the devil (4:7).
b. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (4:8).
c. Sinners must cleanse their hands; hypocrites must purify
their hearts (4:8).
d. Grieve over and repent of your sins (4:9).
e. God exalts the humble (4:10).
7. True religion does not speak evil against a brother
(4:11-12).
a. If you condemn a person who is keeping the law, you
condemn the law (4:11).
b. A judge of the law is not a keeper of the law, therefore
the person who condemns the righteous is not a keeper of
the law (4:11).
c. God is the final judge...do not condemn someone who is
doing righteousness according the law (4:12).
8. True religion understand the brevity and uncertainty of
human life (4:13-16).
a. People who plan for long term should remember that life
is short and death is certain (4:13).
b. You do not absolutely know if you will be alive on earth
tomorrow (4:14).
c. Human life on earth is like a vapor--it appears for a short
time and is gone (4:14).
d. The Lord may come at any time (4:14).
e. Therefore you should say that all your plans are
contingent on whether you live and whether Jesus comes
again before the plans can be finished (4:15).
f. You are too dependent on the arm of flesh and disinclined
to take God into account. Such glorying is evil (4:16).
9. True religion avoids knowing and not doing good (4:17).
10. A warning to the rich and self-indulgent (5:1-6).
a. If rich people knew the eternal punishment coming upon
them because of their worldliness, they would howl and
weep (5:1).
b. Riches wont last (5:2-3).
c. Ill-gotten gain will be judged in the last great day of final
accounting (5:4).
d. Living too well and not caring for the sick and hungry
will bring slaughter on your head (5:5-6).
11. True religion will be patient (5:7-11).
a. Do not give up...the Lord is coming (5:7).
b. Be like the farmer and wait for the harvest (5:7).
c. Establish your hearts, the coming of the Lord is at hand
(5:8).
d. Do not mistreat each other--murmuring against one
another--judging each other's motives. The real judge is
standing at the door (5:9).
e. Be patient like the prophets of old (5:10).
f. Those who endured received a reward (5:11).
12. True religion avoids oaths (5:12).
a. So live that others will accept your word (5:12).
b. This has reference to frivolous swearing that has as its
purpose to deceive, and not judicial oaths.
13. True religion makes room for prayer and praise (5:13-20).
a. If you are happy, sing; if you suffer, pray (5:13).
b. The sin-sick should call for the elders of the church, be
anointed by the oil of God's word, repent of evil and pray
with the elders for forgiveness (5:14).
c. Confess to those you have sinned against and pray to the
Lord for mercy and pardon (5:16).
d. Elijah is an example of believing prayer (5:17-18).
e. Converting one who strays from truth, saves a soul from
death and covers a multitude of sins (5:19-20). |