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Lesson 6

Heavenly Wisdom versus Earthly Wisdom

James 3:13-4:12

 

There have been far more times when I have acted according the world’s thought process than I would like to think. Many of my decisions have been made because I wanted to see something happen. Although it finally turned out well, leaving a job at a major manufacturing plant just because I thought the grass was greener in another place almost turned out to be a disaster. It did however open up the opportunity to go to work at the then Foreign Mission Board where I stayed for the next 26 years. That opening led to opportunities to finally travel overseas. I have to give credit to God who gave me a chance to learn a great deal about the world that He had created. Even though I was able to stay until retirement there were times when I made mistakes and probably caused headaches for other people because of stubbornness on my part. Quite often I thought that I knew the direction that the organization should be taking that was in conflict with others. Whether I was right or wrong does not matter at this point. It was the way I sometimes approached the situation. My way of doing things was often like a bull in a china shop. There will never be an opportunity to go back and redo or rethink those efforts. My personality even today rubs people the wrong way. I have strong opinions about my beliefs that turn people off. My attitude has been in the past one of aggressive-patience. It is the philosophy that if you promote something long enough one’s ideas will sell. A better approach is to speak in the way that Jesus did. There will be far greater success when a person shares his ideas in that manner.

 

Sadly there are many churches today that have the same mindset as the one just discussed. They are more interested in promoting their own agenda than impacting the world. The ruling by the Supreme Court this week that mandates that homosexuals can marry will be welcomed by some churches, because to be popular is more important than to follow the truth. Tolerance is the keyword in dealing with the issues at hand. It is amazing that the only group of people of whom society is not   tolerant is those in churches that believe that only God’s word is supreme. To compromise with the world can only lead to the demise of the godly standards set for it by God. To compromise was to ultimately bring God’s judgment as we drift further and further from the truth. James deals with issues facing the church of his day those same ones are still in place today.

 

James 3:13

One writer asserts that James was going back to dealing with teachers in the church. Again James used a rhetorical question to get his point across. Teachers and leaders were to be wise and have understanding of what God wanted for his people. They were to be men who behaved well. The way they acted was shown by being gentle in the way they dealt practically with the people.

 

1. Why is it important for teachers and leaders to be wise in positions in the church?
2. What does having wisdom mean?
3. How does a teacher and leader show that he truly cares for people? (By gently using his wisdom to point people to God’s way of living.)
4. In what ways do you show that are acting wisely in accordance to what God has called you to do?

 

James 3:14

In contrast to the wisdom about which James just spoke, there are those who are looking out for themselves. They are full of:

• Bitter jealously
• Selfish ambition

These men were admonished to keep those feelings under control. They were to not act arrogantly. By doing so they would be in total opposition to everything written in God’s word.

 

1. What does it mean to be bitterly jealous? (Those with this characteristic are totally against the success and well being of every other person. They are self-centered and strive to promote their own agenda.)
2. What are some examples of those who have selfish ambition?
3. How is godly ambition different?
4. Why is arrogance aligned with lying against the truth? (Those who are arrogant place themselves above God and in opposition to all of His teachings.)
5. What is the opposite of arrogance?
6. What examples do we see of this arrogant attitude?
7. How do we as Christians deal with those who act arrogantly?

 

James 3:15-16

Although the church often thinks only about godly wisdom there is a way that is totally of this world. James called it worldly wisdom. The attributes of those with that mindset that is not from God are:

• It is the mindset in opposition to God.
• It is fleshly and materialistic. (Everything that can be understood with the five senses.)

They are the sources of jealously and selfish ambitions that result in disorder and every evil thing.

 

1. What term would you use for the kind of wisdom that is prevalent in the minds of most men and women of the world? (Shrewd might be one. See Matt. 10:16 and Luke 16:1-9)
2. What do you think of when James wrote of the one who has earthly wisdom?
3. What does attributes does the natural man have? (Relativism and the lack of any absolutes. He only believes in what is part of the physical world.)
4. How is this kind of wisdom about which James spoke demonic?
5. What are the consequences of earthly, natural and demonic wisdom? (Strife, injury to others, dissension and all kinds of evil things.)

 

James 3:17

In stark contrast to those characteristics of worldly wisdom, wisdom sent from God into the lives of His followers is:

• Pure: Not affected by the vices of worldly wisdom
• Peaceable: Right relationships between people.
• Gentle: Considerate of others
• Reasonable: Willing to hear what others have to say before making a wise decision
• Full of mercy: For those who find themselves in trouble
• Full of good fruits: Practical help for those in trouble or need
• Unwavering: Does not change one’s beliefs (See Ephesians 4:14 and James 1:6-8)
• Without hypocrisy: Is honest without pretending to be something one is not.

 

1. What is the difference between worldly and heavenly wisdom? (Heavenly wisdom has godlike qualities.)
2. What are the qualities that are found in heavenly wisdom?
3. Which of them do you find active in your own life?
4. Which of them do you find hardest to do?

 

James 3:18

In order for there to be a culture of righteousness it must begin with the desire to be at peace with one’s brother.

 

1. How can we make sure that there is an atmosphere of righteousness in the church?
2. What is your responsibility in the body of Christ?
3. What does true righteousness look like?

 

James 4:1-3

All one has to do is to look at the godless, narcissistic, pleasure seeking society of today to see what James is talking about. He goes about obtaining what he wants in a self-seeking and self-gratifying way. He will not let anything or anyone get in his way of achieving his purpose. These are the very reasons that countries fight against other nations, people destroy each other and others take what does not belong to them. God wants people to have a fruitful life. He is willing to provide to meet one’s needs. The reason that man does get what he needs without resorting to sinful methods is that he is not willing to turn to God and ask for them. Even if he does pray it is from a position of selfishness and not according to the will of God.

 

1. Why does man do so many evil things against his fellowman?
2. What are some of the things you see going wrong in society today?
3. What does it mean to pray without the right motives?
4. What happens when a man acts outside of the will of God?
5. How can we know that God will respond to our prayers and answer them? (It must be according to His will and purpose for our lives.)

 

James 4:4-7

It should be obvious to everyone that he cannot serve two masters. If he is in love with this world system he cannot be in love with God. It is open rebellion to be friends with the world. God wants to have a relationship with man and will not tolerate any competition. The Bible often uses the term jealousy to show how much God wants man to follow Him. Since man has chosen to be arrogant God opposes him. He however gives grace to those who have humbled themselves.

 

1. Why can a person not serve two masters?
2. In this case who are the two masters?
3. What is the one thing that we can be sure about God? (He is jealous for his people and will not tolerate someone trying to take them away from Him.)
4. What is God’s response to the arrogant?
5. In what ways does a person show arrogance?
6. What does it mean to be humble before God?

 

James 4:8-10

James gives a remedy for a life away from God. To have the relationship He desires for mankind, man is to:

• Submit to God
• Resist the devil in the power of God and he will flee from you.
• Draw near to God and God will do the same.
• Cleanse your hands from sin
• Purify your hearts. This is meant for those who are wavering in the faith.
• Be miserable and mourn because of your sinfulness and rebellion against God.
• Humble yourself in His presence and He will raise you up.

 

1. Why would you think of this list as a remedy for those in rebellion? (It returns a person to the right relationship with God.)
2. Why are we not supposed to resist the devil in our own power?
3. What does he have in his arsenal? (The ability to twist God’s word to suit his own purpose.)
4. What are the keys to a new relationship with God? (Cleansing from sin and broken heart because of one’s sin.)
5. Why must a man humble himself before God can help him?

 

James 4:11-12

One last area that needed to be addressed went back to James’ previous discussion about the tongue. To be in true fellowship with God one must be in fellowship with his brother. James wrote that a man must control his tongue and not speak harshly or critically against his fellowman. To do so was to set himself up as a judge violating the law. If one sets himself above the law he is not carrying out the law. God is the only Lawgiver and Judge and man is not to put himself in the place of God. God is the only one who is able to save and destroy, not man. Man is to leave the judgment of man to God.

 

1. What does it mean when you speak harshly or critically of another person? (You are judging him personally.)
2. What is wrong in judging someone else? (You are setting yourself up as superior to them.)
3. Who is the only one who is has the right to determine what a man is truly like?
4. What are some of the ways man seems to set himself above the law?
5. What does God want us to do in relationship with others?

 

• Look at the areas of your life that may put you at odds with God’s plan for your life and pray for strength to eliminate them.
• Seek with your whole heart the wisdom that comes from God.
• Do those things that will build truth relationships with others.
• Learn to rely totally on God in order to resist the devil.
• Discover that the power to resist the evil in this world is to grow in your knowledge of God’s word. It is your sword to ward off the attacks of the devil.

 

The church today finds itself at greater odds with society than ever before. We have come to the point that we must truly decide the One we are going to serve. It is easy to compromise with the world, but that is not an option for us. God has called the church to be His bride in that perfect relationship that can only be found when two parties love each other. In 1 Kings Elijah called the people to choose. Joshua called the people to choose whether they were going to love and obey God or worship the gods of this world. In each case the people committed themselves to God. We are being called to make that same choice today. It is not going to be easy but in reality it is the only decision that makes sense for eternity. To do so we must put aside all of the things James talked about in the passage we studied today.

 

The plans we make in the future must take into account the mold that the world is trying to force upon us. There may come a time when we will be called on to be able to give an answer for the hope that lies within us. The world wants us to be like it. God is calling us to a better alternative. We however must be willing to suffer for that faith if needed. Let our fellowship be so strong. Let us all be united in caring for each other in a way that the world will take notice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 5

God is the Tongue Inspector

James 3:1-12

June 28, 2015

 

“Give me liberty or give me death,” Four score and seven years ago,” “I have just begun to fight,” “Remember the Alamo,” “Remember the Maine,” “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” These are all statements that at some point evoked strong emotions that often led men into conflict with a common enemy. There are also far more instances when the words of men have caused whole countries to succumb to brutality, like Communist Russia and China and Nazi Germany. Words from the likes of Lenin, Mao, Stalin and Hitler have brought death and destruction to large segments of people. Under Stalin there were upwards of seventy million Russians killed while Hitler did everything in his power to annihilate the entire population of Jews. From the time he came into power until his death in 1945 he had caused the extermination of six million Jews.

 

None of us would say that we have that kind of power. I know that from past experience that I have not been able to influence many people to do anything. That, however does not excuse me, because I have done my share of saying some pretty hurtful things to others. This is one area I am trying to address. It is not Christ-like to hurt others by what I say. I have certainly used phrases like “I was just joking,” or “I am telling this to you because I love you.” We even someone use so called prayer as a means to gossip about others.

 

Much of what we see coming from the church today would fit in with using words to promote its own agenda. Some of the most popular and recognizable names in the world of the media church are sharing a message that is distorted. Their teachings related to the prosperity gospel simply cannot be backed up when a person looks at the whole counsel of God. If that kind of good news was valid certainly the writers, especially in the New Testament, would have qualified to be healthy and wealthy.

 

Even in churches that call themselves conservative do not always speak words that are comforting and encouraging. There can be an undercurrent of griping and murmuring by those who go under the name of Christian. Church leaders have been forced to resign because enough people in a congregation become determined that he must leave. Many people have left churches in all different denominations because of the way they have been treated. This is of course not a new thing but goes all the way back to the beginning of time. The question is what are we going to do about it in our own lives and in the life of the church. James wrote about this issue and the damage it causes. Let’s see how he addressed it.

 

James 3:1

It is important to mention that James, like the writings of Paul and others, were letters. I mention this because the idea of faith and works ties in with the idea of his view on who should be a teacher. Although not specifically mentioned one would expect that one who taught should be an example of a person who is mature in his faith and exemplifies in the life of the church. Based on what he had written he did not see the maturity in the recipients of his letter that would qualify them to teach.   The gospel had such eternal consequences that great care needed to take place in the selection of those who taught it. To be a false teacher who by his words mislead the people would eventually be judged on those words and the affect it had on the lives of those who heard them.

 

1. In your mind what qualifies a person to teach?
2. How do you identify those qualities?
3. Who among those whom you have heard in your own experience have been good teachers? Why?
4. How do you believe a person acquires the needed maturity to teach?
5. What did James see taking place in the lives that caused him to issue the warning he did? (They did not understand the basics of the connection between faith and works so how could they effectively teach others.)
6. What is the safeguard for each person against following a false teacher?
7. What are the consequences for those who do not handle the word of God accurately?

 

James 3:2

In the area of sin James would have agreed with Paul’s words, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Even though a man is a sinner the one way in the mind of James he could show the world that he had matured in his faith was the control he had over the things he said. The bridling of the tongue then affected the behavior that could also be held in check. The words and actions of man are from the heart. In Proverbs is found these words, “He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent is considered wise, when he closes his lips he seems prudent.” (Proverbs 17:27-28)

 

1. What, in the words of James is the condition of all men?
2. How does this compare to what he said in James 2:10?
3. What was James’ description of a perfect (mature) man?
4. Why does man have such difficulty according to James’ view?
5. How are we able to control our speech? (The basis should be our relationship with Christ and then mankind in general)
6. How do Bible reading and prayer help us to overcome a loose tongue?
7. How are speech and behavior related? (Both flow from the heart.)

 

James 3:3-4

James gives two examples of those things that can be affected by a small piece of equipment in comparison to the object it is able to control. He wrote:

• A powerful horse can be controlled and directed by a bit in his mouth.
• A ship can be turned by a tiny rudder, even in the worst conditions.

1. What are some modern day examples of large and mighty things that are controlled by a small piece of equipment?
2. Why did James use the two examples he did? (One was alive and powerful and could easily disobey man. The second was an inanimate object that could be driven about by the circumstances of the world without the control that man had over the situation.)
3. What does it feel like to know that you have the ability to affect the situations in which you find yourself?
4. What are some examples that you can share that your actions made a big difference?

 

James 3:5a

Man is different. The tongue cannot generally be controlled by an outside force. A person can be told to shut up but may only do so because he decides to or has no choice in obeying the one issuing the command. Rather than submitting to a greater authority man’s tendency, according to James, is to boast of his accomplishments.

 

1. How different is man than the examples in verses 3-4?
2. Under what conditions will he refrain from talking?
3. What does it show about man that he uses his tongue to boast? (He puts himself at the center of all that is going on)
4. Is there anything about which a man can boast without seeming arrogant? (Boast in Christ alone.)
5. How does God want us to use our speech? (See Ephesians 4:29)

 

James 3:5b-6

It does not take much to start a major forest fire. A fire can be started by one little spark. For a fire forest fire to occur there are three things needed. They are:

• A spark according to James is the tongue
• Oxygen is the climate or conditions that keep the fire growing.
• Combustible material is the listening ear of those who are willing to listen to the boasts of man.

 

As mentioned above the tongue speaks the evil that is in man’s heart. It is the organ that can defile all of man’s behavior. It is important to realize that all evil has one source the devil.

 

1. What is to be learned from the analogy used by James? (It does not take but one word to produce great evil in this world.)
2. Why does a forest fire get quickly out of hand? (It is fire in the trees but also the decaying material on the forest floor that fuels the fire.)
3. Why do we need to take great care with the words we speak?
4. According to Jesus what is the source of evil actions? (The heart)
5. What did James see as the source of evil speech? (Hell the domain of the devil.)

 

James 3:7-10

There was a dichotomy taking place in the world. All animals can be tamed by man but man cannot even control his own tongue. The conditions of man that produce the words are result of restless evil and deadly poison pervasive throughout mankind. Out of his mouth come both blessings and cursings. Man attempts to bless God but at the same time has no problem destroying and tearing down his brother. John wrote that one could not say he loves God and then hate his brother. (1 John 2:9-10)

 

James emphatically admonished the dispersed Christian to change the way they were thinking. He told them clearly that their lifestyle that allowed the tongue to be so hurtful should not continue.

 

1. What dichotomy did James present to the believers scattered in many places?
2. If man can tame animals why cannot he not control his own tongue? (He is a sinner who has not matured in his relationship with Christ.)
3. Why does man think he can both issue blessings and then turn and curse someone?
4. What did John say that refutes the idea that man can love and hate at the same time?
5. What did James admonish the people to do?

 

James 3:11-12

In order to drive his point home James used four examples to show the impossibility of mixing evil actions and words with what is good. To make his hearers think about what he had said he asked rhetorical questions. He wanted them to think whether:

• A fountain could produce good water and also that which was unfit to drink?
• A fig tree could produce olives?
• A vine produce figs?
• Salt water produce fresh water?

 

The obvious answers to all of them would be a resounding no. James did not want to give them any excuse for ungodly living.

 

1. Why did James use questions to get his point across about the tongue? (Questions make a person come up with answers for themselves.)
2. Why did James use the examples he did? (Living in an agrarian society each of them would have meaning to the listeners)
3. What kinds of contrasting ideas would we use to make a point that would have meaning today?
4. What was James trying to say to the people that would resonate with us today?
5. How can we make sure that we are not guilty of the behavior shared in these verses?

 

• Read and meditate on Ephesians 4:29 and Colossians 4:6 that they each may affect your speech.
• Understand that your words can either hurt or heal.
• Listen only to those who have proven to be truthful in the way they present the good news from the Bible.
• Read and medicate on Proverbs 3:5-8.

 

In the opening I spoke of those who have been both positive and negative influences on society based on their words. There is One who has had a greater affect on mankind than any of them. In the face of evil that is so pervasive throughout our society He has words of hope for every man. The Scripture gives us words for life, how to live it and how we are to treat others. I truly believe if we read and meditate on the message of the Bible we will indeed find that our lives take on a different tone. We need to be the kind of church that welcomes everyone but more importantly treat them as Christ would.

 

Finally, there can never be unity in any group of people if the words spoken are not uniting. We need to take great care to make sure that thoughtless words never tear us apart. There is enough division in the world. Our words are to put out fires. James certainly gave good advice, as he wanted to make sure that both good and evil not come from a person but only that which is fruitful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 4

Discipleship That Works

James 2:14-26

June 21, 2015

 

Where are they now? That is the question I have asked myself many times over the years. I have wondered what has happened to all of the people who have come forward during a concert, revival or at the end of a regular service saying that they have committed their lives to Christ. We can probably list on one hand the number of those who are still involved in church today. Why is it that so many of those who have said they want to be Christians have not followed through on that decision? One of the reasons, possibly, is we who call ourselves disciples and followers of Christ are not obedient to the most important commandments He gave to us. We do not make an effort to help them grow. We applaud the decision and then allow them to wander off into a wilderness that is hostile to babies in the faith and they get swallowed up by what the world has to offer in place of a true relationship with Christ.

 

In my mind works is about accountability. I am to be obedient to carrying through on my faith in obedience to Christ. It is my responsibility not just to say I believe and have faith but also, to show the world that it is genuine. I am to be involved in the ministries that have a real impact on those around me. There are many needs among those each of us know. They must be addressed. It is easy to talk a good talk. It is just as important to make sure the needy in our church are not neglected.

 

Our vision statement says that we are to make disciples who make disciples. It is important that each of us understands what makes a person a disciple. All too often we stop at the point of a person becoming a member of the church. To be a disciple goes well beyond just having one’s name on a church roll somewhere. It means that a process has begun that will last for a lifetime that brings about a complete transformation to a person’s life. One of the shortcomings of the church over the last two generations is the failure to make true Disciples of Christ. The end result that the church has become ingrown and anemic.

 

To grow as a dynamic church each person who calls him or herself a Christian has two responsibilities. The first is to be true to Christ in our own lives obeying Him in every facet of our being. The second is to take care of the spiritual and physical needs of others. Since we have not accomplished these two things very well it is about time that we become serious about becoming a church who reflects Christ to the world. When we unleash His power into our own lives and then help others to become true disciples we can truly impact the world. We would hope that the letter James wrote would not apply to us. There is a direct correlation between discipleship and works. Although James does not use the word disciple we can still see if his letter is not descriptive of what one should look like. James used negatives to get his point across because that was the place the people seemed to be in their relationship to others.

 

 

James 2:14

One of the commentators cleared up the relationship between Paul’s emphasis on faith and James’ on works. Paul was dealing with those who were new in the faith and needed to understand that their old ways of living according to the Law would never bring them into the correct relationship with Christ. James on the other hand was writing to those who had been Christians for a while and needed a refresher course on how they were to live. James wanted to know why they were only carrying out part of what it meant to be a follower of Christ. It is important to note that neither one saying he has faith or one who had works alone as his guiding principle was necessarily saved. True faith would lead to a life of obedience to Christ who served all mankind.

 

1. Why did Paul place so much emphasis on faith in his writings? (He was dealing with those who had put too much emphasis on traditions and works to save them.
2. What can we learn from James’ opening statement? (Salvation only comes from God and not according to what man can do.)
3. Who was James’ audience? (Scattered Christians.)
4. What does true faith do in a person’s life? (Gives him the desire to serve others in a real way.)

 

James 2:15-17

To get his point across James gave a real life situation and then asked how the church would handle it. He wanted to know if it was enough just to wish someone peace and wellbeing who needed food and clothing without really providing for those needs. Did that kind of action benefit anyone? With great emphasis he stated that kind of faith is dead. It did not follow the teachings of Jesus in any way.

 

1. How are we expected to handle a situation when someone has a genuine need?
2. Where should that kind of treatment of others begin? (Within the body of Christ.)
3. What kind of attitude does such neglect for others show? (We are not being obedient to the teachings of Christ.)
4. What are some real life needs you see in the church family that need to be addressed?
5. How can we go about doing what is Christ like?

 

James 2:18

There was a real issue concerning the whole idea of works and faith. There were those who put works above faith. Some said the only way to legitimize one’s faith was to keep all of the Jewish Laws including circumcision. Others said that all was needed was grace. Grace was the key that only could be given by God and received by a person to gain salvation. Genuine faith is then revealed in the works that are done for others. In a way it could be said that there is a danger of lazy faith that supposedly accepts the grace of God but does not give back to Him in thanksgiving for what He has done. There is one other thought that should be shared. Works must not just be activities but service that truly impacts and encourages others.

 

1. What was one of the issues the early church faced? (See Acts 15)
2. What is an example of faith without meaningful works? (See Acts 5:1-11)
3. Why was this a picture of lack of true faith, as James would describe it? (The husband and wife were looking out for their own self-interest.)
4. Why did both sides in verse 19 miss the point? (Salvation is the result of God’s grace not works, but works are to follow the receiving of the gift.)
5. What care do we need to take in regards to the whole idea of works? (They are to be for the benefit of the recipient and not just activities.)
6. What do you consider activities that may not meet the above criteria?

 

James 2:19-20

The point James made here can fit today’s society. Statistics show that a vast majority of people in this country say they believe in God, but immorality, selfishness and crime are rampant in every corner of the nation. Such faith is meaningless because their lives do not reflect the belief they claim. Even the devil and his minions believe. They understand the judgment that is coming to them because they are not willing to surrender their lives to God and therefore are terrified. Sadly those who hold to a nebulous belief in God believe they are all right and have nothing to worry about. The faith of both those who believe without works and that of the devil benefits no one.

 

1. How is the faith that James speaks about here reflective of our nation today?
2. How does the faith held by many differ from that of the devil? (He knows of the terrible judgment is coming to him while so many live in a delusionary world and believe there is no final judgment.)
3. How is your faith different from either of these beings?
4. In what ways has your faith helped others grow as disciples?
5. If not, how will you go about changing the way you have been working for Christ?

 

James 2:21-23

Again Paul and James started at two points in Abraham’s life. While Paul spoke of the time of Abraham’s justification by faith prior to the birth of Ishmael fifteen years prior to the birth of Isaac. The event spoken about by James came when Isaac was a young man. Abraham had been growing in faith from the initial promise of God. It culminated in the offering up of his son of promise. James viewed the event as Abraham being justified by his works that came after years of learning to trust God and obeying His commands. He did refer back to the same Scripture Paul used out of Genesis 15:6. The man’s works were a result of his faith commitment.

 

1. How did Paul and James differ in their use of Gen. 15:6? (One spoke of the beginning of Abraham’s faith journey. James wrote of the discipleship progress that brought him to having enough faith to offer up Isaac.)
2. In what ways did the not differ? (Both believed that he was justified by faith.)
3. What does this example mean to us? (Faith is a beginning point in our lives but to have meaning it must grow.)
4. Why was Abraham willing to offer up his son? (He believed that God would raise him from the dead because he was the child of promise.)

 

James 2:24

James summarized his believes by stating once again that faith and works are tied together in such a way that they could not be separated. It took works based on faith that showed the true nature of man.

 

James 2:25

He then wrote of the incident involving Rahab, the harlot living in Jericho, as one who was justified by the works she had done. She was willing to risk her own life and that of her family by hiding the spies sent from the Israelites and sending them safely back to their people. Having heard the stories of how God had worked in the lives of the Israelites that she could put her trust in Him.

 

1. What brought Rahab to the point of helping the spies? (She had heard what God had done for the Israelites from the time they came out of Egypt until that very moment)
2. How did she display her faith in the God of Israel?
3. What did it mean for her, if she was wrong? (Surely she would face death either at the hands of the Israelites or her own people.)
4. What do you think you would have done under the same kind of circumstances?
5. What was the result of her faith? (She married Salmon an ancestor of Jesus.)
6. What are you willing to give up to have that kind of faith?

 

James 2:26

His final argument is an equation. A body without a spirit is dead equals faith without works. In both cases there is no life either physical or spiritual.

 

1. What do you think of James’ reasoning?
2. How would you say the same thing in your own words?
3. What example can you think of from the life of Jesus that might show the same results? (Cursing of the fig tree in Matthew 21:18-22)
4. What are the works that truly show the world that you are bearing fruit in your life?

 

 

 

 

• Don’t take the gift of salvation as a license to do nothing else in your life for the church.
• Discover what spiritual gifts, passions, abilities and experience God has given you and use them for His glory.
• Understand that true discipleship is learning what it is to be a true follower of Christ and guiding and encouraging others to take the same path.
• Do all within your power to help those in difficult situations.
• Remember that faith and good works go hand in hand in our relationship with Christ.
• Determine for yourself what are activities as opposed to true ministries.

 

It cannot be emphasized enough that Christ expects each of us to become disciples. The importance to Him was spelled out for all who followed Him in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-19. Disciples were to make disciples who were to act like Jesus. Disciples were to be baptized in His name and taught all that God had provided for them in His word. James was right in saying that those who understood the message were to take care of God’s family without partiality or neglect. The church is to treat all equally. They are also to provide for those who are not able to provide for themselves. James list included the poor, widows, orphans, the hungry and the naked. Our list may include anyone lacking the very necessities of life. If we have any doubt that what James wrote was out of line with the teachings of Jesus all we have to do is go to Matthew 25 for our answer. Two ministries that Bethany Place is doing that is line with James are the Backpack Buddies and the Good News Clubs. Both of these involve those within the body reaching outside the church walls to impact a hurting world. May our focus be on others always and not ourselves.

 

Lesson 3

No Place for Favoritism

James 2:1-13

June 13, 2015

Have you ever felt like Les Wolfeson in “Funky Winkerbean” or Charlie Brown in “Peanuts?” Neither of them ever gets any respect because they have the right stuff according to the world to be popular. Charlie Brown expresses what so many feel today when he utters his famous “Good grief.” One of the things that has disturbed me as far back as I can remember is favoritism. It has always seemed unfair, although accepted, for one group of people to be viewed as better than others. I guess one reason it has affected me is that quite often I have felt as if I was the odd man out. One example that sticks in my mind took place after my family had moved to North Carolina for about three years. Moving back to Richmond as I began attending high school , I found that those who had been my friends during elementary school had moved on and had formed their own groups who were part of their lives. During my high school years I was never ever able to reestablish those relationships. Many of them by that time were in the Cadet Corps, on sport teams or involved in school activities. I was just a stranger coming into a new environment just wanting to fit in. On my part I had to make new friends who were also considered outsiders even though many had grown up with the in crowd.

 

Even at church there were the popular kids who had no time for someone like me who they did not know. I can remember going to youth parties and spending the whole evening by myself. From what I have said it might appear that I am critical of those people. That is not the case. As an adult some of those same people have to come to respect me. I have learned a very important lesson from all of this. Even though, I may have been rejected by all others, I know with full assurance that Jesus loves me. I will never be left out of his group.

 

In a way the church is quite often guilty of the kind of behavior described above. I have seen youth groups so full of cliques that new people have not been able to break into them. All too often the ones left out eventually drifted away and sadly no one even knew they were gone. Those who were accepted were friends from school, were talented or had an overwhelming personality. The quiet ones, the unattractive or those who were the studious types may as well have been from another planet.

 

Adults quite often act no better. Many times the leadership is chosen from those who are successful in business who are outgoing or belong to the right group. There is little or no determination given whether they have the spiritual qualities to be a leader. They tend to gather around themselves and give support to those who are just like them. Jesus of course gave us the example of choosing those He wanted to be with Him, to learn from Him and be entrusted to carry out His work when He went home to be with His Father. Probably many churches would never select the type of men He did to be part of a leadership team in their midst. They were the most diverse group of outsiders that anyone could ever choose. Not one of them would have qualified to be a religious leader of his day. There is a danger that the ones we reject may be the very one that God has sent our way to provide a totally different perspective on our service to Him.

 

James 2:1

The faith man has in Jesus Christ makes each person equal with another in the eyes of God. There is no partiality with Him and He expects His church to have the same mindset to treat each person as equal. To promote another person as on a different level than others is to border on idolatry. It is the exalting one man above another. In other words showing a favoritism that is not Christ-like. One man is not to have undue influence over others.

 

1. What is our relationship with Christ to show us about how we look at others?
2. Why is it wrong for a man or group of men to have too much influence or power in the body of believers?
3. Why did I use the word idolatry in my comments?
4. How do we prevent favoritism from taking place in our midst?

 

James 2:2-4

James provides two examples of how the attitude of favoritism might work its way into the church. He first spoke of a man who came into the service with all of his wealth on display. He was dressed in the finest of clothing and was laden with gold rings on his fingers.

 

In contrast to the display of wealth another man entered who was obviously very poor. His clothing was shabby.

 

The treatment of the two men could not have been any different. The rich man was given the special treatment and a place to sit. Most likely he was seated where he would be the most visible to all who were there. On the other hand, the poor man was told to fend for himself and find a place to sit wherever there might be room even if it meant sitting on the floor. To make such a distinction between people that influences our behavior is wrong.

 

1. Why did James provide such a sharp contrast in describing the two men? (Extremes are often the means to setting up the point of the story. If the men were somewhat closer in status the people would have hardly noticed.)
2. How might we describe the different types of people who come into the church today?
3. How do we treat them differently?
4. What had James done up to this point? (Pointed out the obvious differences between different classes of people and how they are treated.)
5. How does this kind of favoritism play out in our churches today.)

 

James 2:5-7

The point James was trying to make was the way they were looking at people and the way God saw them was very different. Although poverty in itself does not give a person a greater status in eyes of God generally it was the poor who filled the churches of the day. They had so much more to gain by their willingness to accept the teachings of Jesus. They saw that God saw them as valuable and they could become fellow heirs in His kingdom. God offered them what they had never had before, worth as a human being. On the other hand, James noted that the people were dishonoring the poorer members of the church and giving honor to the very ones who had and were oppressing them.

 

The last point to be made before moving on to the way the people should act was the attitude of the rich. There would be every reason for them to demean those who had received a freedom because of their position in Christ. No longer would the Christian have to fear what their masters could do to them. Of course it would have caused the masters to do everything to keep the people under control even if it meant blaspheming God.

 

1. How does God view all men?
2. In what ways did becoming a Christian do more the down trodden and poor than the rich and powerful?
3. Why is it easier for the poor to accept Christ?
4. If God sees man as equal before Him what should be our attitude and behavior toward those God brings into our presence?
5. Why do the elite and rich behave the way they do? (It is their means to keep everyone under control)
6. Why do we ultimately not have to worry about their behavior?

 

James 2:8-11

According to James and others the main thrust of the Law of Liberty of man’s relationship to others was, “To love your neighbor as yourself.” When a man set one man above another person he was violating this summary of the Law and committing sin. To commit sin is put oneself in the camp of the transgressors and therefore in line for judgment.

 

Evidently there were those who did not believe that such a minor lifestyle would cause spiritual death. James wanted to make sure they understood what made a person a sinner and thus condemned. In his mind there was no degree of sin. He wrote that to break one point of the law made a person a law-breaker even if he or she kept every other commandment.

 

1. In James’ mind what was the royal law? (Love neighbor as oneself)
2. Why was playing favoritism violating this law? (Because you did not love everyone equally and would favor one person over the other. It would cause a person to serve a different master so to speak.)
3. How do we violate the Law of God? (By committing any act or having any thought that rebels God’s standards given in His word.)
4. Who according to that criteria is a sinner?
5. How does these verses leave a man in a hopeless condition? (No one can keep every facet of the Law)
6. How do we deal with this issue? (Teaching by grace man can find forgiveness and salvation even though we cannot keep the law perfectly.)

 

James 2:12-13

To act contrary to the Royal Law was to bring judgment. James saw that to act that way was to behave as one without mercy. To treatment people unequally was to have disregard for their needs, spiritual and physical. Those who violated God’s laws regarding relationships would be judged accordingly. There was hope however. To love one’s neighbor would bring God’s mercy upon and individual instead of judgment. Man’s attitude and behavior does matter in how God views him.

 

1. What can a person expect if he has no love for his neighbor? (Judgment)
2. What does the word mercy mean? (Treating a person with kindness even if he does not deserve to receive such treatment. Man only deserves death and judgment but God gives us grace instead.)
3. What did James see as a lack of mercy on a person’s part? (Not treating a person with fairness and equality as a child of God.)
4. What can a person expect who shows no mercy?
5. How can one avoid judgment? (By living according to the royal law that can only come when a person loves God with his heart, soul and mind.)
6. Why does God treat us with mercy rather than judgment?

 

• Even though those who attend Bethany Place may not be like you in many ways, work at loving them as Christ loves them.
• Work at eliminating favoritism from the church
• When the opportunity comes to choose new leaders make sure that you want them in those positions because of their qualifications and not popularity.
• Understand that it is only because of what God is doing in your life and the lives of others that you are part of His eternal family and not that you have not done anything on your own.
• Pray that God will remove any prejudices from your heart that will keep you from having true fellowship with others.
• Know and understand that none of us are perfect. By breaking even the minutest part of the law that you are a sinner in need of grace and mercy like every other person.

 

James gives some valid information in these verses. As difficult as it may be, there is to be no favoritism and snobbish behavior in the church. To do so destroys the very fellowship we hope to create. His message is a warning that if we exclude anyone from the opportunity to worship and be discipled by us we could be in danger of receiving the same treatment that we have afforded others. Christ came to save every man. It is our responsibility to not be a roadblock in that relationship. The old saying that the ground at the foot of the cross is level has not changed since Jesus walked this earth. Let each of us do our best to have the mind of Christ in us and welcome every one God sends our way. He has to do a work in all of our hearts. It needs to begin with me.