What Is Your Life?
‘Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’
Dealing With Temptation
‘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. 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: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.’
Is Temptation (Such as Same-Sex Attraction) Sinful?
‘But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed’ (James 1.14). We often hear it said, ‘It is not a sin to be tempted. It only becomes sin when you succumb to temptation.’ But this statement is seriously inadequate and mistaken, being contrary to many biblical passages and also to the great confessions of faith.
The Merger of Calvinism with Worldliness
A new form of Calvinism took the shape of a movement around 2005, but it differed in its acceptance of ‘the world’. ‘New Calvinism’ is not a resurgence of the old but an entirely novel formula which strips the doctrine of holy conduct, and unites it with the world. But the Scriptures say that ‘the friendship of the world is enmity with God.’
The Perfect Work of Patience
‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.’
What Is Your Life?
‘Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’
Securing The Lord’s Blessing
‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.’
The Jealousy of the Spirit
‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’
Personal Struggles: Their Cause and Cure
‘From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.’
Who Is Wise?
‘Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.’
The Tongue On Trial
‘My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.’
Work Out Your Salvation
‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
The Sin of Partiality
‘My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?’
Pure & Undefiled Religion
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James” 1.26,27
Hearers and Doers of the Word
‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves… But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein… this man shall be blessed in his deed.’
Receive the Word
‘Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.’
Anger Management
‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.’
The Father of Lights
‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.’
Lead Us Not Into Temptation
‘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’
The Crown of Life
‘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.’
Handling Trials
‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.’
The Making of a Servant of God
‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.’
The Abandonment of Consecration
Why is there virtually no concept of Christian consecration today among Reformed evangelicals? Why do so many churches and Christians find worldliness acceptable? James demonstrates how the Holy Spirit yearns for our entire consecration to the Lord — beginning with humble submission to Him. Full chapter _____________ James 4 From whence come wars and fightings … Continued
Valuing your Life
‘What is your life?’ asks James, ‘it is even a vapour’. Here is material, physical life without God, its instability and brevity, its insubstantial character and its lack of merit and value for eternity. How very different it could be with the intervention of Christ the Lord. You May Be Also Interested in… Book: The … Continued
The Complete Person
Society today is confident that natural gifts are enough to achieve a happy and fulfilled life: God is unneccesary. But Scripture shows that there are other ‘gifts’ that must be obtained from God to make a person complete. Here are priceless things given to seekers only. You May Be Also Interested in… Book: The Personal … Continued
God’s Perfect Gift
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:17-18) The deeper things … Continued
Character Traits That Destroy
The tragedy of human pride, affecting everyone, is here probed. God, the Bible says, arranges Himself in battle against the proud. Why is it so abhorrent to God? What are its forms and manifestations? How may we push through it to seek and find Him?
What Is Your Life?
The great question posed and answered by James, half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, illustrates life as a vapour, so brief, inconsequential, unstable, and insubstantial, with other deficiencies here unfolded. But the opposite characteristics fill our lives when we come to Christ.
Only God Can Make Us Complete
All people have their distinctive aptitudes as gifts, but no one is entire or complete, for vital faculties are missing until God works in our lives. Every ‘good’ and ‘perfect’ gift, says the Bible, comes from above. Here are the missing gifts, which God gives to those who seek Him.
To Whom Do We Submit?
To know Christ we must first submit to Him, but who will? It offends our pride. But in rejecting God we unwittingly submit ourselves to a host of other influences and forces. How much better and greater is the love and power of the Saviour of souls.
The Motto Text of James
It is the duty of believers to watch for backsliding with tender concern, and to win back wanderers. This leads James to state a magnificent and inspiring New Testament proverb or faithful saying, a motto for soul winners. Here is its meaning, encouragements and its powerful incentives.
Effective Prayer
(First 15 mins missing due to power cut.) Prayer is both an immense privilege and a great responsibility for saved people. This is about ‘energised’ prayer, concerned and pleading in character, and also zealous and persistent. Here are the obstacles and the way to overcome them: to pray with great resulting power.
The Practice of Patience
Patience is described by James as a means of proving the Lord’s affection and compassion, and also a route to great happiness. Here are the kinds of affliction that require patience; how it is obtained and exercised, and what it accomplishes in the spiritual life.
Seeing the Eternal Context
The lot of materialists is vividly described by James, viewed in the light of eternity. They do not see it, but believers do, and so avoidance of earthly ‘goods’ is not hard. Here is advice on material things. Also, how the church family is far better than earthly things to believers.
God’s Will for Us
James gives two examples of how a worldly believer lives without reference to God: first in critical talk about other Christians, and secondly in deciding their own affairs without considering God’s will and purpose. Here is how to be prayerfully available to God, the opposite of worldliness.
Worldliness
James employs the imagery of two natures in the believer in showing how not to yield to worldly desires, but to resist the devil. Here praying ‘amiss’ is defined, and prayer priorities listed. Here also – how the Spirit gives far superior favours than those of the world.
Testing Our Spiritual Wisdom
James chooses a word for ‘knowledge’ used only once in the New Testament. It speaks of specialised knowledge – like military intelligence – of Satan’s wiles and how to defeat him. Do we have it? Here is the all-enabling, non-self-seeking wisdom that is from above.
Bridling The Tongue For Christ
This famous passage on the frightening potential of the tongue also gives us a powerful instrument in the pursuit of holiness. Don’t you know, James seems to say, that by control of the tongue (with God’s help) you can control all your faculties and passions. Here is how.
Dead and Living Faith Compared
This passage seems to teach justification by works as well as faith. But James insists that true saving faith is evidenced in a new life of obedience and sacrifice. We should seek nothing less in days when worldly evangelicalism and a new form of Calvinism have united with the world.
Discrimination in the Church
Intermingled with uplifting terms about Christ and the rewards of faith, James shows the sinfulness of discrimination, whether partiality or preference shown through wealth, class, ethnicity or similar distinction. All need salvation by faith alone. Here also the ‘royal law’ of ‘liberty’ is defined.
Doctrine Not Applied is Vain
The Western surge in the promotion of Calvinism in churches is not always accompanied by reform of conduct, or separation from the world. A great gulf is seen between belief and practice. James deals with this very situation, and with how we must all face our inconsistent ways.
The Trials of Character
How to handle poverty or wealth, and temptations to sin that come from within ourselves. The source is inner corruption, and here are the precautions and remedies for halting their development, especially vital when the world presses us as never before.
The Trials of Faith
From the Pastor of the church at Jerusalem came the first of all NT epistles, and its first theme is troubles. The inspired writer does not primarily dispense comfort, but calls us to understand the purposes and respond well, telling us how to handle tests of faith.