Jas 4:1-6
-The war within. v1-3. Rom 7:14-25
-Friends and Enemies. v4. We should be different than those in the world.
-Divine Jealousy. v5. God is jealous for us, he wants us to be His and be in Him. Put God first.
-More Grace. v6. James didn't believe in Jesus at first. Mk 3:20-21.
1. Recognize when we are the problem.
2. Fight the war within. Crucify our flesh.
3. Make a Kingdom decision everyday.
4. Pursue humility before God and others.
5. Become addicted to God's grace. ♡
Jas 3:13-18
2 types of wisdom
Earthly - puts me at the center of everything. Jas 3:14-16, earthly, unspiritual, demonic. Pays no attention to the fact that our time here is just a blip. It says go after everything you want, it's all about you. Lk 12:16-21. Evidence of earthly wisdom: bitter envy, selfish ambition, boasting, denying the truth, disorder, sin.
Spiritual/Heavenly - puts God at the center of everything. Jas 3:17-18. Pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Releases us from being centered on ourselves, so we can just serve God. The result of following God's wisdom is a harvest of righteousness.
How do we have heavenly wisdom?
1. Fear God. Prov 9:10. Respect his authority and power, and adjust our lives accordingly.
2. Abide in God. Prov 1:7.
3. Abide in God's Son. Col 2:1-3.
4. Ask for God's wisdom. Jas 1:5.
Jas 2:14-26
Works will not get us into heaven. Eph 2:8-9, Rom 6:23.
Faith, hope, and trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what gets us into heaven.
Dead faith:
1. There is a faith that does not save. v17, without Jesus Christ. Heb 11:1
Deceiving faith:
2. Faith without works is dead faith, because the lack of works reveals an unchanged life or a spiritually dead heart. v18-19, Mt 7:22-23.
Dynamic faith:
3. We do not impress the world by our profession of faith, but by our practice of faith. v20
4. The empty vessels make the greatest sound. v21 Abraham proved his faith through his actions.
5.
6. How we live reveals what we believe. v21-22, Mt 5:16. We live to glorify God. Do my actions glorify God?
7. There is a maturing relationship between faith and works. Eph 2:10
8. Each step of obedience in our long lives strengthens our faith, and deepens our relationship with God. God's desires that intimate relationship with us. v25 Rahab was considered righteous similarly to Abraham because of her works of faith. Josh 2:8-9
9.Real faith, dynamic faith, is the only faith that produces eternal life and lasting change. v26
1. Favoritism slights the glory of God. v1.
2. Favoritism stems from selfish motives. v2-3.
3. Favoritism sides with a worldly point of view. v5-7.
4. Favoritism speaks loudly against the love of God. v 8-11. Our treatment of others reflects and affects our love of God. All sins are equally serious in that they break our relationship with God, and cause our need for a Savior.
5. Favoritism shrinks in the presence of mercy. v 12-13. Mercy - kindness or good will toward the miserable and afflicted. We are called to show mercy and give love and forgiveness.
Who do I favor and who do I look down upon? Who do I think I'm better than?
The easy thing to do is judge, the hard thing to do is show mercy. We ALL need Jesus Christ.
Temptation
1. The source of temptation is not God. Jas 1:13, 1 Jn 1:5, Isa 6:3. Don't blame God for your temptation. Gen 3:8-13. Temptation comes from our own evil desires v14. We are enticed, lured.
2. The process of temptation. Desire, deception, then disobedience. v15. 2 Sam 11:1, Prov 7:21-23.
3. How do we fight against temptation?
- Pray. Mt 26:41
- Guard your heart. Prov 4:23, Phil 4:8-9 Temptations are very dependant upon the things you do.
- Hide God's Word in your heart. Ps 119:9-11
- If all else fails, turn and run! 2 Tim 2:22, Gen 39:6-12
- Don't give up. God loves us in spite of our failures. 1 Cor 10:13, Gal 6:7-9
4. God offers something better. Jas 1:16-18
1. Trials are part of the Christian experience. Jas 1:2
2. Trials are used to develop maturity. Jas 1:3-4 (trials are a pathway to maturity)
3. Trials make us more aware of our need for God. Jas 1:5. We need to be careful that we don't become self sufficient. We need to ask God for wisdom. Jas 1:6-8. We need to believe and not doubt. John the Baptist doubted, Mt 11:2-3; Mk 9:21-24. Double mindedness is not being honest about our feelings and our doubts or questions, it's acting like enduring is okay when it's not or putting our faith in ourselves.
4. Trials visit every zip code. Jas 1:9-11. It's very easy to look at other's lives and think everything is good for them, but trials come to everyone. Don't compare your life to others' lives.
5. Trials lead to great victory. Jas 1:12. Love God, pass the test, receive the crown.
