CHAPTER 1: GENUINE RELIGION - PATIENCE IN TRIALS
· When your life is full of difficulties and persecutions, be glad. A reward awaits you.
Jas. 1:2 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Mat.5:10-12 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
· You are to be perfect, mature, and complete, not lacking in anything.
Jas. 1:4 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Mat. 5:48 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
· Ask God, and He will answer.
Jas. 1:5; 5:15 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Mat.7:7-12 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
· Those who are humble (who don’t amount to much by the world’s standards) should rejoice in their position as those whom God loves.
Jas. 1:9 9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.
Mat. 5:3 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
· Watch out for your anger… it can be dangerous.
Jas. 1:20 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Mat. 5:22 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[a][b] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[c] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
CHAPTER 2: GENUINE FAITH – (FAVORITISM FORBIDDEN) - FAITH & WORKS
· Be merciful to others, as God is merciful to you.
Jas. 2:13 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Mat. 5:7; 6:14 7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
for they will be shown mercy.
4 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
· Your faith must express itself in helping others.
Jas. 2:14-16 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
Mat. 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
CHAPTER 3: TAMING THE TONGUE - THE UNRULY MEMBER, GENUINE WISDOM
· Blessed are the peacemakers; they sow in peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
Jas.3:17 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Mat. 5:9 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
for they will be called children of God.
CHAPTER 4: THE LOVE OF THE WORLD – SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO GOD, BOASTING ABOUT TOMORROW
· You cannot serve God and money, pleasures, or evil. Friendship with the world is hatred toward God.
Jas. 4:4 4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Mat. 6:24 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
· When we humble ourselves and realize our need for God, he will come to us and lift us up.
Jas. 4:10 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Mat. 5:3,4 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
· Don’t slander or speak against other; it speaks against God’s command to love one another.
Jas. 4:11 11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[a] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
Mat. 7:1, 2 7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
CHAPTER 5: WARNING THE RICH OPPRESSORS – PATIENCE IN SUFFERING, THE PRAYER OF FAITH
· Treasures on earth will only rot and fade away – we must store up eternal treasures in heaven.
Jas. 5:2 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
Mat. 6:19 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
· Be patient in suffering, as God’s prophets were patient.
Jas. 5:10 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Mat. 5:12 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
· Be honest in your speech so you can say a simple “yes” or “no” and always be trusted.
Jas. 5:12 12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Mat. 5:33-37 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
JAMES RECOGNIZED HIS BROTHER’S / HIS LORD’S VOICE
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