We finish our series on James' letter today, looking at his teachings about wealth and health!

Some Jokesters tell about the three churches situated at the same downtown intersection. One congregation could be heard singing, “Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?” followed by the second’s, “No, Not One,” and the third’s triumphant, “Oh, That Will Be Glory for Me.” — Leslie Flynn , When the Saints…

Review from last week: If we show partiality, we commit sin. Today’s message: James 2:5-7 James reminds the brethren of the Sovereign act of God in eternity past— “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love…

Our Worldview Dictates How We Respond I want to take time to set the tone for the topics that James will discuss in chapter 4. What he states will seem contradictory to the world we live in What is your worldview??? I would argue that most of us have a double-minded worldview ... Day to Day view of the…

Faith Tested; Faith Perfected; Faith Affirmed; Faith Clarified

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater…

Review: God knows our inadequacies; therefore, we are exhorted to ask NOT for a solution to our problems, NOT for the removal of trials, BUT to ask for wisdom IN the midst of trials. This emphasizes our need to be dependent upon God on a moment to moment basis, and the provision of wisdom by our God…

Have you ever met someone whose life was characterized by their prayer life? Prayer is a time of refreshment. Howard Taylor says of his father, Hudson Taylor, “For forty years the sun never rose on China that God didn’t find him on his knees.” —Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission…

Life as a slave So, when is being a slave being a freeman? It is when you are a slave of Christ we have our freedom. And, having freedom in Christ we are challenged, encouraged to grow to maturity. As we start this series may we as a slave learn from this Epistle to grow the maturity of Christ, or at…

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body,…

The verses prior to James 4:7 remind us that we all need God’s grace--favor which cannot be earned, but which can be received only by faith through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (See Romans 3:9-31 and Ephesians 2:1-10). Saint Paul himself testified as an apostle, “But by the grace of God I am…

Sopho Moros were two Greek words I learned in in high school my sophomore year. I was taking Greek since I was failing Spanish. These two Greek words comprise the English word we know as sophomore. this intrigued me until I discovered the meaning... σοφόςb , (Sopho)pertaining to understanding resulting…

Review: During life’s troubles, the believer gets to enjoy the intimacy of his relationship with Christ as he receives His grace to persevere “trials” and “temptations”— same root word, which means—to test, scrutinize, to examine, to try, to entice; but, these two terms, though appearing to be similar,…

James closes this letter in a non-typical way... James has modeled throughout his letter the mandate he gives his readers at the end of his letter! Systematically James has challenged the saints in their personal faith in the complete and finished work of Jesus Christ. This faith should not and cannot…

It is often the case that we encourage one another to rejoice. In the beginning of his letter, James explicitly exhorted the brethren to count it as joy when they meet various trials. Why, then, would the command be given in James 4:9-10 that the brethren “be wretched and mourn and weep” and to let their…

INTRO: Consider (and assess as to which group you belong)— There are those who cannot understand the Word of God, as they are blinded or are spiritually dead (See 1 Cor. 1:18, Eph 2:1-4, John 10:10, John 14:6) There are those who understand God’s Word but do not obey There are those who understand AND…

James 3:1-12 focuses on the nature of the tongue and its influence. Analogies are used to clearly picture the vileness of the human heart, as evidenced by the tongue: “from the same mouth come blessing and cursing” (James 2:10). “These things ought not to be so”-- such is the exhortation of James to…

Context—James continues to make his argument about the tongue: James 3:3- a bit is a metal piece placed behind the teeth in the horse’s mouth connected to the reins, the purpose of which is communication and primarily, control. The whole body of the horse is guided by the use of such a little metal piece!…

Context—James continues to make his argument about the tongue: James 3:7-8– “no human being can tame the tongue,” although every kind of animal (beast and bird, creeping things, and sea creatures) “can be tamed or has been tamed by mankind.” The point is this: while man is able to restrain beasts and…

Review: No one is exempt from trials. Whether poor or rich, each is to depend on and rest in the Lord. Today’s Focus— James 1:12 A Call for Believers to Persevere— A compound word in the Greek, “to persevere” or to remain steadfast literally means “to stay under” or “to remain” (to not flee under misfortune…

Review: The transforming power of the Gospel is exhibited in the life of a genuine believer, who is called to show no partiality. James provides an example, given in James 2:1-4, through which we can understand the kind of partiality that believers should not exercise. A comparison is made between the…

There is no audio only version, but you can watch it on our YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/XOfxbPMo0KA. In this message, James wants to see the lips and lives of his readers line up with the faith they claim to hold. As we allow James’ words to take a place of residence in our lives, we will become people of such integrity that we will be free to live lives of radical truthfulness.

The recipients of James’ letter are repeatedly addressed as “my brethren.” In James 4:8, however, they are addressed as “you sinners” and “you double-minded,” and are explicitly commanded to “draw near to God,” “cleanse their hands” and to “purify their hearts.” Why would James describe his “brethren”…

God makes very clear through His word that our faith isn't faith at all UNLESS it is proven through faith. We are not saved by our works, but rather, our works prove our salvation. Faith is necessarily linked to works. This matters because our testimony of Jesus transforming us is only valid if it can be seen by how we live. The more we exercise our faith, the stronger it becomes. And the stronger our faith is, the more we put on display the transformational power of Jesus.