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James Introduction
Lesson 1 Introduction to James.
Who is the most probable authority?
Three James in N.T.
Most likely the James the Just the half brother of Jesus.
James the Apostle. Edited later by someone else.
It was written in very good Greek, This in one of the reasons
to help understand the style.
Was written out of a Jewish Christina culture.
Most probable author was James the half brother of Jesus.
Opens with the feeling of oppression.
James is considered the book of Proverbs of the New Testament.
Very Revelant for today.
James mentioned Jesus Christ twice in his book.
Who was the book written to?
Destination of the book of James was to not a certian local
church but is a open book to all.
When was this epistle written?
Date was written in aprox. Ad 44 to 63.
What is the purpose of the epistle?
What is the teaching of James?
Sin, judgement , and regeneration, The Christian life, Trials,
Temptation, The Rich and the Poor, The Old Jewish Law. Faith
and Works. Wisdom, Meekness and Endurance.
What kind of literature does the book contain?
Bits and pieces of Wisdom, and peverbal sayings.
How did James feel about his brother before he died?
His Brother Jesus Christ.
He did not accept his brother until after he died or close to
it.
What position did James hold and where?
He was know as the Bishop of the Church at Jersalem.
He wrote this when he was pastor at Jersalem.
James declares that faith without works is dead.
James Interliner Text.
James Strongs Dictionary.
Lesson 2 James 1:1-2.
Text
1 James a servand of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the
twelve tribes which are scatered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations;
What is a servant? 1401
He first identifies himself as a slave or servant, One who
gives himself up to anothers will. Some one who is in bondange
usally but in scripture it is a choice not a bondage.
In New Testament times people owned servants.
Every 7 years at year of Jubilee all debt was free and the
Servant was set free.
If you decided to stay after 7 years you were then marked
with a hole in the ear then they become a bond servant.
James had made a life long committment to the Lord.
He showed he was committed by saying he was a servant.
James only uses the term Jesus Christ twice in the Book of
James.
What is a tribe? 5443
There are two or three possiblities. It is all the Decendents
of Jacob. This was called a tribe.
Of people of a race or Nation, or habitation.
To the Jews who were being scattered.
To the Christians is the strongest possiblity who he was
addressing.
Describe the meaning of the word greeting. 5463
This is a traditional Gentile greeting not a Jewish greeting.
The Jewish was the word Shalom which means Made whole.
Paul usally used grace or peace in his greetings.
Means cheerful, happy, rejoice, Wish you well, God speed in
this greetings is what is represented.
Describe the word joy. 5479
Calls us brethern which means kinship.
The same blood has made us the same by Christ.
Count it all Joy. Consider it all joy.
Joy means: Cheerfulness, calm, delight, gladness.
Joy is associated with life, The experience of sorrow helps
you have the capicity of joy. Joy is the oppisite of sorrow.
Happiness and Joy is often mixed up and they are not related.
Happiness is a product of the soul, based on feelings, or
circumstances.
Happiness comes and goes.
Joy is not of the soul but of the spirit. Gal 5:22
Sorrow if when your spirit is sinking and joy is described
when your spirit is bursting forth.
This comes from the root word used for grace.
Neh 8:10, The joy of the Lord is your strength. Luke 15:7,
Joy in heaven over one sinner repenting.
Isa 12:3. With joy ye shall draw forth out of the waters of
salvation.
Psa 16:11, In thy prescence there is fullness of joy. In his
presence there is joy.
Joy is supernatural. It is very powerfull.
Count it joy when you fall in divers temptations. When you
fall into temptations count it as joy this releases joy into the
circumstance.
It does not equal pleasure. it is progress to become Christ
like.
Joy is the ability to expect God to move and Joy sustains you.
Explain the word fall. 4045
When you fall, to fall into something all around you.
Be surrounded with, be compassed with problems all around you.
You wake up and it seems it is all around you. This is what
he is talking about.
Like being in a snow storm or fog all around you. This shows
us we cannot always control things around us.
It takes joy to count yourself this way in the midst of
problems. We need to stop and let Joy come on the scene.
What is divers? 4164
Manifold is alternitive word, Various temptations is also ok.
Comes for the word pictures from the root links. Mixture of
colors in any picture.
Talking about all different kinds of circumstances.
We need joy to help us in all circumstances.
Count it joy.
Define the word temptations. 3986
Can be a experiment. To test it. to be tested or go through
trials, proving, adversity, affliction, provications.
Count it all joy when you fall into these different problems
or times of your life.
Can mean outward circumstances, and also inside on your
morals.
Trials is outward tests.
Temptations as inwards tests this is in the English.
Both of these help you either go toward or away from God.
If you count it as joy it will draw you closer to God.
In a trial some people pull away from Church and Christian
people.
Trials come in varied form.
People often stumble over circumstances.
There is a testing of our faith.
Every trial builds character in us. We learn to be used in
eternity for the Lord.
React with joy from the Spirit Man not with the soul.
Lesson 3 James 1:3-4.
Text
2 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience.
3 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Explain the word knowing. 1097
Knowing is a weak word in the English word.
Reletive words means to understand completly, a defiteness,
to recognize , to come to know, absolutly percieve somthing.
The following words come from the same root word in Greek.
Prognosis to know beforehand.
Agnostic means ingnorance.
God wants us to know him. To come to a full revelation of Him.
To know him fully.
Trials help you to know.
Give other words that describe trying. 1383
Knowing this.
Means approving, atried, trustworthyness, To prove with the
expectation of geting an approval. We are going to go through
trying with a expected result of approval.
Our testing and trials will give us approval after going
through this there is a trustworthiness in our life.
I Peter 1:6-9
Our trial of our faith is more precious then gold.
The end of our faith is the saving of our souls.
Give a brief description of faith. 4102
This is what is going to be tied.
Faith is : A assuranse, or a strong conviction, a firm
persuasion, a confidence.
A bold strong Confidence.
Our Faith is always on Trial.
Three things that watch our test of faith.
One is the Demonic Beings, Two is God and his Heveanly Beings,
and The third are those around us.
Define worketh. 2716
Means to do work fully, not just active but to work fully, to
accomplish, to achieve, to bring about results. To bring forth
fruition.
Trials achieve something in us. Children of Israel went
through the same thing to see what was in their heart.
What is patience? 5281
Good word for this is steadfastness, Those that endure until
the end the same will be saved. Must endure to the end not get
started and give up.
Constancy, to stay constant.
If we cannot do nothing else in our christian life stay
constant.
Endurance to get to a specified point.
Patience is developed by going through trials. Only this kind
of patience can be achieved this way.
Describe the word perfect. 5046
Trials Worketh to achieve this endurance in our life.
Many People blame God, or are mad at Him becaule of trials.
Complete , full aged, Moral Character , Mature.
Example someone when they reach the age of 21 they have more
choices and responsibilities.
Let patience have her complete work.
Define the word entire. 3648
So that we can be complete or fully mature by letting
patience have her perfect work.
Entire Means : to be complete in all its parts. Free from sin,
faultless, whole, perfectly sound, complete.
Patience will bring us to the point of Entire.
Without Patience we cannot be made entire.
First going through a trial you count it all joy, Then we
knowing that this kind of trying is subject of approval which
will get us some where.
Our faith is on trial Rom 10:17 Faith.
Is being tested for approval.
The trying of our faith achieves endurance which brings about
maturity or completness.
This shows a pathway what a trial does to your life from
beginning to end.
This is the end results of going through trials.
Explain wanting. 3007
Means lacking nothing.
What will be lacking?
Nothing.
Notes
Could you imagine a trial could produce all this in your life.
This is the only way to achive this goal to be mature in
Christ.
Count it all joy.
Our ability to release joy is important.
Your ability to endure is patience.
We need to do this consistanly over time to come to maturity.
Lesson 4 James 1:5-8.
Text
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given
him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing
of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
What is Wisdom. 4678
The word lack and wanting are the same word in the original.
Wisdom is a very powerfull word that needs in depth study.
Must ask of God the source.
Eph 1:8 Wherin he hath abounded in all wisdom and prudence.
God wants us to hath all wisdom possible, hath abounded.
Wisdom is the insight to the true nature of things.
Prudence is the ability to deserns the modes of action.
Wisdom is theoricital, all things have theory.
Prudence is pratical knowledge.
I Cor 2:4-7 speech was not in mans wisdom but in the power of
God.
We speak the wisdom of God not of man. This shows the
different kinds of wisdom. The hidden mystries of God.
Was veiled from ungodly men. God wants his people to recieve
his wisdom.
But my God shall supply you with all your need according to
his riches in heaven. Money is not in heaven but Knowledge and
Wisdom.
Prov 2 - 3:13 Describes what wisdom will do for you.
Wisdom comes from God to help us in many ways.
If connects the previous verse. This is one possible area we
need to be entire is wisdom.
Describe Liberally. 0574
This is the nature of God to give us all things liberally.
God is not stingy.
Means to be bountifully, openenlly, singleness of heart he
gives openly.
God gives Wisdom bountifully.
Conditions God requires is to ask
What does upbraideth 3679 mean?
Means to chide, taunt, revive, without finding fault, does
not reproach you.
Because you lack wisdom Gods will not look down on you.
He will give it openly to you from his own heart and
treasures.
What method should we ask?
If we ask it will be given to you. It is not a sin to have
wisdom, but it would be a sin to not ask for wisdom.
God knows we are created through Adam.
Wisdom is to know how to use knowledge.
Let him ask in faith nothing waivering.
What are other words for waver 1252?
Means to hesitate, to doubt, to stagger, Abraham did not
stagger or waiver when God spoke to him about being a Father of
many nations.
Do not let doubt be in your mind.
What is a person like who wavers?
He is like a wave of the sea.
How can you build a foundation on a wave.
What happens to him?
If you stagger on the promises then you are like a wave of
the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
It would be a sin to waiver.
What should that persons expect?
Faith is the key that is dealt with in the Book of James.
Ask in faith or else do'nt expect anything from God.
Describe Doublemindedness. 1374
Means double soul is the same word mind in orginal.
Double means two. Means to have two minds or two souls in
operation.
We cannot operate rightly with this doubleminded.
Which mind you feed the most, That part will be the strongest.
This is to illustrate the power of death and life and the power
of good and evil.
He is unstable in all his ways.
Define the word unstable. 0182
Inconstant, in all his ways, restless. All these things can
come at you in your times of trials.
The enemy may come at you to cause division.
This shuts the door of heaven.
Release divine joy to overcome all those things that comes
against you.
In all his ways, this affects every facet of his life.
If he has love it will affect his relationships to God and
people.
Lesson 5 James 1:9-11.
Text
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted;
10 But the rich, in that he is made low; because as the
flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it
withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the
grace of the fashion of it perisheth; so also shall the rich man
fade away in his ways.
Explain the term low degree. 5011
Notice the Brother.
Means: not rising far from the ground, Depressed maybe in
finacial sense, Could be Mental.
Talks of Men of low estate. We may work with someone like
this or know someone like this.
Those who are poor.
Describe the word rejoice. 2744
To boast, to glory, to glory on account of a thing, to joy.
This is pretty tuff to do in the midst of things.
Rejoice because of the strength and the bringing up is a
supernatural miracle.
What does exalted mean? 5311
Means: Rank, to a high station, to lift up, to raise up.
God has made many promises in the Bible 2cor 8:9 Christ was
made poor so that we may be made Rich.
To rejoice because God will meet his needs.
Who are the rich? 4245
Means: Wealthy, abounding in material resources.
But in the rich that he is made Low.
Why will the rich be made low?
He is to rejoice in that he is being made low.
Because Riches are temorary they will fade away.
Because as the flower of the grass he will pass away.
2 cor 4:18 That which is seen is temporal, that which is not
seen is eternal.
We must invest where moths and rust will not destroy.
Describe the word grace. 2143
Gods grace will bring them to the point of humility.
One difficult problem with rich men will be humility.
Some rich men their blessings come from God.
Mat 23:12 If you exalt yourself will be abased, If you abase
yourself you will be exalted.
Isa 40:4-8 Let every valley be lifted up, All flesh is grass,
the grass and flowers fades but the word of God lives forever.
I Pet 1:22-25 Obey the truth, see that you love one another
with a pure heart. The word of God abideth and liveth forever.
The word of the Lord will liveth forever. Flesh and grass is
compared with the length of the life of the Word of God.
James compares life to the flowers and grass.
Graceful.
What does fashion mean. 4383
Face or countenace.
The flower is short lived but it still has a beutiful face.
The sun comes out and the flower fade away.
So shall a rich man in his ways.
What part of the rich man will fade away?
His ways will fade away.
Describe the word ways. 4197
His ways, his circumstances, his undertakings, his purposes.
What are the ways of a rich man?
James 2:6 Here he talks about the rich man again.
Verse 1,2 he talks about seperating rich and poor.
Do not rich men opress you.
Dont they draw you into the judgment seats. Hire lawyers
because they have the money to do so.
Do they not blaspheme that Holy name.
Verse 8 Thy shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Do have respect for other people.
We feel out of place because of their riches and how we look
compared to them.
They have a way of intimidation.
Notes
James condemns not the rich man but his ways.
Christ can help the poor man suffering for Christ to be
exalted for Christ.
Cars, Clothes, and Houses reflect our image. These can be
bought to reflect their personalities.
Lesson 6 James 1:12-14
Text
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he
is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord
hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:
for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own
lust and enticed.
Describe this word endureth. 5278
Means to remain, to perservere, to stand ground.
What is temptation? 3986
To test it. to be tested or go through trials, proving,
adversity, affliction, provications.
Trials is outward tests.
Temptations as inwards tests this is in the English.
Both of these help you either go toward or away from God.
Explain tried. 1384
Means; approving for the sake of approval. to be accectable,
to be proved. To come out and be pleasing to the Lord in all
things.
What is a crown? 4735
Crown of Life, wreath of flowers, represents a award or a
prize.
If we persevere in all trials we will recive a victors crown.
What kind of life is this? 2222
Three kinds of life.
Bios: Blood life
Physcy life: Soul life
Zoe life: Vtitality, Fullnes of life, This is the God kind
of Life, Zoe only comes from the Holy Spirit. It is the Life of
God in us.
John 10:10 I am come that ye may have life and have it more
abudantly. This zoe life.
Zoe life is what is being used here.
What kind of love is this?
Agape love is the God kind of love.
Descibe this word temptation. 3985
God will not use evil to tempt us.
To try to make trial of tests, for purpose of acertaining
your choice.
Bad sense to test you
Bad sense to test ones faith and virtue and character to sin
to solicit to sin and to tempt.
God will not use sin in front of you to try your faith which
will be tested.
What is evil? 2556
God will not use evil to cause temptation.
Satan will do this as shown in the temptation of Christ by
Satan in the desert.
Explain the word drawn. 1828
We need to learn the difference between God helping us
develop character or It is Satan trying to entice us to be drawn
away and sinning.
Majority of temptations are brought out by our own lusts.
We must understand the Word of God and stand up on it.
What is lust? 1939
Means: own desire, own cravings, own longings. To be
somewhere, that is not the will of God.
Phrase describes the emotions of the Soul. The natural
tendoncy of things toward evil.
May not be evil but can be against the things of God. Or not
the will of God for our life.
Could be self will that is blocking the Will of God in our
life.
If the emotions are allowed to rule then we will be drawn
away from the perfect will of God.
What does entice mean? 1185
To begate, to allure, to begile, to entice, to set up a
deception or to bait.
These can entice us away from what we need to do and find
ourself away from Gods perfect will.
Even though we may be pulled away from God or we blew it if
we will turn to God He will help us to be victorious.
We cannot stay down but get back up and God will give us
grace.
We are drawn and enticed that causes us trials and
temptations.
Sometimes this takes this kind of problems to see what they
are like inside.
Sometimes in times of stress this comes out and needs to be
dealt with.
What draws a man away?
His own lusts, Satan can if we will listen to him.
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