Welcome to episode 35 of Grasp the Bible. In this episode, we begin our study in the Book of James, covering chapter 1. The series is called “Having a faith that works.” Today, we discuss trials and temptations, treasure, trusting, treasure, and true religion and cover:
- Background information
- The theme of the book
- Testing trials (vv. 1-8)
- Temporary treasure (vv. 9-11)
- Temptation truth (vv. 12-15)
- Totally trustworthy (vv. 16-18)
- Total transparency (vv. 19-20)
- A treasure (vv. 21-25)
- A tamed tongue (vv. 26-27)
Key takeaways:
- When God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess.
- It is in struggling against difficulty and opposition that spiritual stamina is developed.
- Knowledge is information; wisdom is application. Knowledge is comprehending facts; wisdom is handling life. Knowledge is theoretical; wisdom is practical. In this context wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously.
- God sends trials to bring out the best in us, but Satan sends temptations to bring out the worst in us. Temptation does not come from God because God cannot be tempted by evil.
- The call to “do what it says” lies at the center of all that James teaches. It sums up the message of the whole book: Put into practice what you profess to believe.
- It is not reading the Bible that makes a person happy; it is obeying what it says.
Quotable:
True faith is a faith that works.
Application:
- What is God’s purpose in trials? It is the perfection of Christian character in His children. He wants His children to be mature (perfect), and maturity is developed only in the laboratory of life.
- Trials demand wisdom, wisdom demands prayer, and prayer demands faith.
- Faith is not believing that God will do what we want done. Rather it is believing that God will do what He has promised to do.
- The reception of the Word demands a readiness to listen. It also demands restrained speech. A continual talker will not hear when God speaks to him.
- The moral filth and the evil that is so abundant in our lives are to be stripped off like dirty clothes in preparation for accepting God’s Word.
- The person whose religious experience is genuine will put spiritual truth into practice, and his life will be marked by love for others and holiness before God.
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