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The Great Wisdom of the Book of James - A Letter That Teaches You How to Live _ Bible Stories · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: Imagine a letter so direct and practical that it's been
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  Speaker 1: called the Book of Proverbs of the New Testament, a
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  Speaker 1: message so blunt it's unsettled prominent religious leaders throughout history.
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  Speaker 1: Have you ever wondered what it would be like if
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  Speaker 1: someone looked straight into your life and said, you say
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  Speaker 1: you have faith, then prove it with your actions. That's
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  Speaker 1: exactly what the Book of James does in just five chapters.
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  Speaker 1: It calls out our contradictions, challenges empty religiosity, and flips
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  Speaker 1: our understanding of faith upside down. This isn't a letter
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  Speaker 1: filled with abstract ideas or complex theology. It's a practical
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  Speaker 1: guide that speaks into real life struggles. How to face trials,
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  Speaker 1: how to treat people without favoritism, how to control our tongues,
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  Speaker 1: something we all wrestle with, and how to live out
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  Speaker 1: a genuine faith that shows up in everyday actions. Get
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  Speaker 1: ready for a journey through the most provocative letter in
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  Speaker 1: the New tep Testament, a letter that won't let you
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  Speaker 1: stay comfortable, but just might completely change the way you
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  Speaker 1: live out your faith. James letter opens with a piece
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  Speaker 1: of advice that might seem odd at first. In chapter one,
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  Speaker 1: verses two to four, James writes, consider it pure joy,
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  Speaker 1: my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
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  Speaker 1: because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
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  Speaker 1: Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be
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  Speaker 1: mature and complete, not lacking anything. Now, imagine you're going
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  Speaker 1: through a tough time. Maybe you've lost your job, you're sick,
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  Speaker 1: or someone you love is suffering. James isn't saying we
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  Speaker 1: should enjoy these situations, but that we can approach them differently.
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  Speaker 1: He explains that these difficulties are like training sessions for
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  Speaker 1: our faith. Think of an athlete who trains every day.
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  Speaker 1: The workouts are hard, the muscles ache, but the athlete
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  Speaker 1: grows stronger. In a similar way, when we face problems
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  Speaker 1: with faith, our ability to trust God grows. We develop perseverance,
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  Speaker 1: the strength to keep going even when everything seems to
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  Speaker 1: be falling apart. And the end result of this process,
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  Speaker 1: James says, is that we become mature and complete. Like
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  Speaker 1: a fruit that ripens fully on the tree. We gain
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  Speaker 1: all the qualities God desires to see in us. We
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  Speaker 1: lack nothing. We need to live well. But how do
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  Speaker 1: we know what to do when problems arise, James answers
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  Speaker 1: that in verse five, if any of you lacks wisdom,
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  Speaker 1: you should ask God, who gives generously to all without
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  Speaker 1: finding fault, and it will be given to you. Wisdom
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  Speaker 1: isn't just knowledge, it's the ability to apply what we
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  Speaker 1: know to real life situations when we don't know how
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  Speaker 1: to act in the face of a challenge. James gives
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  Speaker 1: us a simple solution. Ask God. He is generous and
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  Speaker 1: willing to give wisdom to anyone who asks. But James
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  Speaker 1: adds an important warning in verses six to eight. But
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  Speaker 1: when you ask, you must believe and not doubt. Because
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  Speaker 1: the one who doubts is like a wave of the
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  Speaker 1: sea blown and tossed by the wind. That person should
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  Speaker 1: not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a
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  Speaker 1: person is double minded and unstable in all they do.
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  Speaker 1: When we ask something from God, we need to trust
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  Speaker 1: that he will respond. James compares the doubter to a
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  Speaker 1: wave of the sea tossed around with no clear direction,
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  Speaker 1: believing one moment, then doubting the next. He calls this
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  Speaker 1: being double minded. Part of us trust God, the other
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  Speaker 1: part doesn't. It's like reaching out your hand to receive
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  Speaker 1: a gift, but closing it before someone places the gift
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  Speaker 1: in it. That way you end up receiving nothing. Doubt
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  Speaker 1: makes us unstable and unsteady in our walk with God.
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  Speaker 1: In verses nine to eleven, James offers a different perspective
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  Speaker 1: on being rich or poor. Believers in humble circumstances ought
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  Speaker 1: to take pride in their high position, but the rich
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  Speaker 1: should take pride in their humiliation, since they will pass
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  Speaker 1: away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with scorching
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  Speaker 1: heat and withers the plant, Its blossom falls, and its
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  Speaker 1: beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will
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  Speaker 1: fade away even while they go about their business. In
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  Speaker 1: God's eyes, things are different than the world sees them.
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  Speaker 1: Those who are poor in the world's eyes can rejoice
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  Speaker 1: because if they have faith in Jesus, they are rich.
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  Speaker 1: In God's eyes. They hold a high position in the
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  Speaker 1: Kingdom of heaven. And those who are rich must remember
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  Speaker 1: that their wealth is temporary. James uses the image of
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  Speaker 1: a wildflower. In the morning, it's beautiful and full of color,
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  Speaker 1: but when the scorching sun hits, it withers and its
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  Speaker 1: beauty fades. In the same way money and poss z
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  Speaker 1: sessions don't last forever. The rich shouldn't boast in what
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  Speaker 1: they have, but should be humble, knowing their wealth won't last.
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  Speaker 1: This is a powerful lesson in a world that places
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  Speaker 1: so much value on money and status. James flips those
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  Speaker 1: values upside down. What seems like a disadvantage being poor
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  Speaker 1: might be a spiritual advantage, and what seems like a
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  Speaker 1: blessing being rich could become a trap if it leads
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  Speaker 1: us to forget our dependence on God. After talking about
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  Speaker 1: trials and the right attitude toward wealth and poverty, James
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  Speaker 1: mentions the reward for those who endure hardship. In verse twelve,
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  Speaker 1: he writes, blessed is the one who perseveres under trial,
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  Speaker 1: because having stood the test, that person will receive the
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  Speaker 1: crown of life that the Lord has promised to those
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  Speaker 1: who love him. To persevere means to stay strong, not
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  Speaker 1: to give up on our faith even when we're going
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  Speaker 1: through hard times. It's like a runner who keeps going
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  Speaker 1: despite the pain and exhaustion, pushing through to the finish line.
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  Speaker 1: James says that the one who perseveres is approved like
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  Speaker 1: a precious metal that has gone through fire and proven
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  Speaker 1: to be genuine, and that person will receive the crown
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  Speaker 1: of life, an eternal reward from God. This crown isn't
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  Speaker 1: like those that athletes win, which fade away. It is
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  Speaker 1: eternal life with God. And notice that this reward is
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  Speaker 1: promised to those who love him. We don't persevere out
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  Speaker 1: of obligation, but out of love. It's our love for
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  Speaker 1: God that gives us strength to remain firm even in
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  Speaker 1: the hardest situations. Then James tackles a delicate topic, temptation
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  Speaker 1: in verses thirteen to fifteen. He clarifies, when tempted, no
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  Speaker 1: one should say God is tempting me, for God cannot
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  Speaker 1: be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But
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  Speaker 1: each person is tempted when they are dragged away by
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  Speaker 1: their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived,
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  Speaker 1: it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is
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  Speaker 1: full grown, gives birth to death. James wants to be
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  Speaker 1: very clear. God never tempts anyone to do evil. Temptation
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  Speaker 1: comes from our own wrong desires. It's like fishing bait.
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  Speaker 1: The fish is attracted because it wants the bait. In
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  Speaker 1: the same way, we're tempted because something in us desires
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  Speaker 1: what we shouldn't have. James outlines a dangerous process. It
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  Speaker 1: starts with a wrong desire that isn't controlled. That desire grows,
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  Speaker 1: and if we give in, it leads to sin, and
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  Speaker 1: when sin becomes a pattern in our lives, the result
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  Speaker 1: is spiritual death separation from God. This is a strong
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  Speaker 1: warning we need to keep watch over our desires and
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  Speaker 1: not let them control us. We must recognize when we're
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  Speaker 1: being tempted and ask for God's help before desire turns
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  Speaker 1: into sin. After making it clear that God is not
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  Speaker 1: the source of temptation, James goes on to speak about
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  Speaker 1: what truly comes from God. In verses sixteen to eighteen,
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  Speaker 1: he says, don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
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  Speaker 1: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
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  Speaker 1: from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not
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  Speaker 1: change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth
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  Speaker 1: through the Word of truth, that we might be a
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  Speaker 1: kind of first fruits of all he created. James calls
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  Speaker 1: God the father of the heavenly lights, a reference to
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  Speaker 1: God as the creator of the celestial bodies the sun, moon,
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  Speaker 1: and stars. But unlike these lights that move and cast
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  Speaker 1: shifting shadows. God does not change. He is always the same,
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  Speaker 1: always faithful, always good. And from this unchanging and good
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  Speaker 1: God comes everything that is good in our lives. Every
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  Speaker 1: gift we receive, every blessing, every good trait we possess,
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  Speaker 1: all of it comes from God. And the greatest gift
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  Speaker 1: of all is that we have been given birth through
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  Speaker 1: the Word of Truth. We've been given new life through
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  Speaker 1: the Gospel. We are the first fruits of God's new creation,
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  Speaker 1: just like the first fruits of the harvest that were
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  Speaker 1: offered to God in the temple. This shows how precious
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  Speaker 1: we are to him. God didn't create us and then
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  Speaker 1: abandon us. He continues to care for us and to
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  Speaker 1: fill our lives with his good gifts. In Verses nineteen twenty,
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  Speaker 1: James gives practical advice on how to relate to others.
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  Speaker 1: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone
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  Speaker 1: should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow
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  Speaker 1: to become angry, because human anger does not produce the
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  Speaker 1: righteousness that God desires. It's a simple but powerful piece
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  Speaker 1: of wisdom. Listen more, talk less, and keep your anger
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  Speaker 1: in check. Just imagine how different things would be if
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  Speaker 1: we all followed this advice, so many conflicts could be avoided,
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  Speaker 1: so many relationships strengthened. Listening is an art that takes practice.
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  Speaker 1: It means giving someone your full attention, trying to truly
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  Speaker 1: understand their point of view, not interrupting. Speaking less doesn't
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  Speaker 1: mean never sharing your opinion, but doing so carefully and
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  Speaker 1: at the right moment. And anger. We all feel it sometimes,
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  Speaker 1: but we shouldn't let it control us. Why because, as
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  Speaker 1: James says, human anger does not produce the righteousness that
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  Speaker 1: God desires. When we are angry, we usually don't act
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  Speaker 1: justly or lovingly. We end up saying and doing things
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  Speaker 1: we later regret. In verse twenty one, James continues with
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  Speaker 1: practical advice. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and
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  Speaker 1: the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the
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  Speaker 1: word planted in you, which can save you. James uses
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  Speaker 1: the image of taking off dirty clothes and putting on
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  Speaker 1: clean ones. We need to get rid of attitudes and
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  Speaker 1: behaviors that displease God, the moral filth and prevalent evil
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  Speaker 1: that includes impure thoughts, hurtful words, selfish actions. But it's
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  Speaker 1: not enough to just get rid of the bad, we
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  Speaker 1: also need to receive the good. That's why James says,
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  Speaker 1: to humbly accept the word planted in you. God's word
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  Speaker 1: is like a seed planted in our hearts. But we
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  Speaker 1: have to welcome it with humility, recognizing how much we
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  Speaker 1: need it, and that word has power. It is able
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  Speaker 1: to save you. It's not just a list of rules
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  Speaker 1: or beautiful ideas. God's word has the power to transform
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  Speaker 1: our lives, to free us from sin, to give us
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  Speaker 1: a new direction. In verses twenty two to twenty five,
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  Speaker 1: James warns about the day danger of only listening to
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  Speaker 1: the word without putting it into practice. Do not merely
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  Speaker 1: listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what
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  Speaker 1: it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does
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  Speaker 1: not do what it says is like someone who looks
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  Speaker 1: at their face in a mirror, and after looking at themselves,
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  Speaker 1: goes away and immediately forgets what they look like. But
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  Speaker 1: whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom
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  Speaker 1: and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard,
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  Speaker 1: but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.
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  Speaker 1: James uses a simple but powerful comparison God's word is
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  Speaker 1: like a mirror that shows us who we really are.
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  Speaker 1: It reveals our flaws, our sins, the areas where we
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  Speaker 1: need to change. But it's pointless to look in the mirror,
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  Speaker 1: see dirt on your face, and then walk away without
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  Speaker 1: washing it off. In the same way, it's useless to
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  Speaker 1: hear what God says and then make no change in
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  Speaker 1: your life. That self deception. The person who truly benefits
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  Speaker 1: from God's word is the one who puts it into practice,
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  Speaker 1: who doesn't just hear it, but acts on it. James
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  Speaker 1: promises that this person will be blessed in what they do.
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  Speaker 1: Obedience to God brings true happiness, and he calls God's
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  Speaker 1: word the perfect law that gives freedom. That might sound contradictory.
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  Speaker 1: How can a law bring freedom? But God's law frees
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  Speaker 1: us from sin and its destructive effects. It's like traffic rules.
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  Speaker 1: When followed, they give us the freedom to drive safely
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  Speaker 1: and confidently. James closes Chapter one with a powerful definition
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  Speaker 1: of what truly matters to God. In verses twenty six
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  Speaker 1: and twenty seven, he says those who consider themselves religious
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  Speaker 1: and yet do not keep a tight rein on their
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  Speaker 1: tongues deceive themselves and their religion is worthless. Religion that God,
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  Speaker 1: our Father accepts as pure and faultless as this to
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  Speaker 1: look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to
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  Speaker 1: keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Our religion,
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  Speaker 1: our expression of faith, is shown in two main areas,
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  Speaker 1: how we speak and how we act toward those in need. First,
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  Speaker 1: James highlights controlling the tongue. If we claim to be
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  Speaker 1: religious but speak in ways that hurt others, we are
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  Speaker 1: only fooling ourselves. Our faith isn't real. Second, true faith
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  Speaker 1: is shown in caring for the most vulnerable. In James's time,
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  Speaker 1: orphans and widows were among the most unprotected. They had
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  Speaker 1: no social safety net, no way to support themselves. Caring
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  Speaker 1: for them was a real, practical expression of God's love. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: James says, we must keep ourselves from being polluted by
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  Speaker 1: the world. That means not adopting the values and practices
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  Speaker 1: of society that go against the principles of God's kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: It means swimming against the current when needed in order
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  Speaker 1: to stay faithful to God's standards. So true religion isn't
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  Speaker 1: about complicated rituals or deep theological knowledge. It's about living
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  Speaker 1: out our love for God and for others in every
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  Speaker 1: day life. In chapter two, James addresses a problem that
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  Speaker 1: was present in the churches of his time and one
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  Speaker 1: that still exists to day, treating people differently based on
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  Speaker 1: their appearance or financial status. In verses one to four,
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  Speaker 1: he says, my brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious
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  Speaker 1: Lord Jesus Christ, must not show favoritism. Suppose a man
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  Speaker 1: comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes,
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  Speaker 1: and a poor man in filthy old clothes also in
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  Speaker 1: comes in. If you show special attention to the man
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  Speaker 1: wearing fine clothes and say here's a good seat for you,
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  Speaker 1: but say to the poor man you stand there or
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  Speaker 1: sit on the floor by my feet. Have you not
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  Speaker 1: discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts. James
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  Speaker 1: begins by reminding us that we are believers in our
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  Speaker 1: glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus as the son of God,
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  Speaker 1: could have treated people based on their social status or wealth,
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  Speaker 1: but he didn't. He treated every one with dignity and respect,
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  Speaker 1: from the powerful to the marginalized. Then James gives a
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  Speaker 1: concrete example, two people walk into a church meeting. One
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  Speaker 1: is well dressed wearing gold rings, a sign of wealth.
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  Speaker 1: The other wears old, dirty clothes, a clear sign of poverty.
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  Speaker 1: When the community treats these two individuals differently, giving the
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  Speaker 1: best seat to the rich man while telling the poor
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  Speaker 1: man to stand or sit on the floor, they're making
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  Speaker 1: a serious mistake. James calls this discrimination and says they
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  Speaker 1: become judges with evil thoughts. When we judge people by
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  Speaker 1: their appearance, we're taking on the role of judge, deciding
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  Speaker 1: who deserves respect and who doesn't, based on the wrong standards,
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  Speaker 1: not the standards of God. In the Christian community, every
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  Speaker 1: one should be treated with equal respect and dignity, regardless
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  Speaker 1: of appearance, social status, or financial situation. After all, every
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  Speaker 1: person is equally loved by God. James continues his argument
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  Speaker 1: in verses five to seven. Listen, my dear brothers and sisters.
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  Speaker 1: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the
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  Speaker 1: eyes of the world to be rich in faith and
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  Speaker 1: to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him.
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  Speaker 1: But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the
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  Speaker 1: rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones
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  Speaker 1: dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who
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  Speaker 1: are slandering the noble name of Him to whom you belong?
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  Speaker 1: James reminds them that God sees things differently when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to wealth and poverty. The world might look down
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  Speaker 1: on the poor, but to God it is often the
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  Speaker 1: poor who are rich in faith and destined to inherit
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  Speaker 1: his kingdom. Jesus himself said, blessed are the poor in spirit,
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  Speaker 1: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Matthew five three.
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  Speaker 1: The poor often recognize their need for God more clearly,
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  Speaker 1: while the rich might be tempted to rely on their
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  Speaker 1: wealth instead. James also points out a reality from that time.
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  Speaker 1: It was often the rich who oppressed the Christians, dragged
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  Speaker 1: them into court and slandered the name of Jesus. So
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  Speaker 1: it's ironic that the Christians were favoring the very people
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  Speaker 1: who often acted as their oppressors. That doesn't mean all
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  Speaker 1: rich people are evil or that all poor people are righteous.
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  Speaker 1: What James is warning against is the human tendency to
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  Speaker 1: value people more because of their wealth, especially when that
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  Speaker 1: wealth is sometimes used to oppress others. In verses eight
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  Speaker 1: and nine, James refers to the royal law of love.
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  Speaker 1: If you really keep the royal law found in scripture,
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  Speaker 1: love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. But
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  Speaker 1: if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by
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  Speaker 1: the law as law breakers. James calls this command to
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  Speaker 1: love your neighbor the royal law. Why royal because it
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  Speaker 1: is the law of King Jesus, who said that loving
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  Speaker 1: God and loving your neighbor sums up the entire law
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  Speaker 1: Matthew twenty two, thirty seven to forty. It's the most
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  Speaker 1: important law, the one that should govern all our relationships.
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  Speaker 1: When we love our neighbor as ourselves, we treat everyone
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  Speaker 1: with the same respect and care we would want for ourselves.
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  Speaker 1: We don't show favoritism. We don't elevate some and dismiss others.
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  Speaker 1: Favoritism is sin because it violates this foundational command. When
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  Speaker 1: we treat the rich better than the poor, we're not
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  Speaker 1: loving the poor as ourselves. James is being crystal clear.
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  Speaker 1: We can't claim to love God if we don't love
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  Speaker 1: all people he created, regardless of their social or financial condition.
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  Speaker 1: Then in verses ten to thirteen, James expands the argument
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  Speaker 1: for whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles at
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  Speaker 1: just one point, is guilty of breaking all of it.
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  Speaker 1: For he who said you shall not commit adultery also
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  Speaker 1: said you shall not murder. If you do not commit adultery,
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  Speaker 1: but do commit murder, you have become a law breaker.
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  Speaker 1: Speak and act as those who are going to be
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  Speaker 1: judged by the law that gives a freedom, because judgment
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  Speaker 1: without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not
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  Speaker 1: been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James is saying that
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  Speaker 1: we can't pick and choose which of God's laws to
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  Speaker 1: follow and ignore the others. God's law is a whole,
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  Speaker 1: like a chain. If even one link breaks, the entire
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  Speaker 1: chain is compro All of God's commandments come from the
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  Speaker 1: same divine source and reflect his character. Disobeying even one
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: is rejecting God's authority in that area, and that's the
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: essence of sin. So, even if we haven't committed adultery
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: or murder, if we show favoritism and judge others based
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: on their social status, we're still breaking God's law. We
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: can't consider ourselves righteous just because we follow some commandments
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: while ignoring others. In verse twelve, James reminds us that
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: we will be judged by the law that gives freedom,
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: a law that sets us free to live as God desires,
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: not one that enslaves us, And in verse thirteen he
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: adds an important principle, we'll be judged in the same
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: way we judge others. If we don't show mercy, we
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: won't receive mercy. But when we are merciful to others,
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: mercy triumphs over judgment, and God will show mercy to
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: ours as well. Starting in verse fourteen, James addresses a
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: theme that would become one of the most well known
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: parts of his letter, the relationship between faith and works.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: In verses fourteen to seventeen, he writes, what good is it,
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: my brothers and sisters? If someone claims to have faith
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: but has no deeds, can such faith save them? Suppose
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: If one of you says to them, go in peace,
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: physical needs, what good is it? In the same way,
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action,
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: is dead. James questions the idea that we can have
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: genuine faith that doesn't show up in real, tangible actions.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: He uses a straightforward example. If someone is cold and hungry,
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: it's useless to offer kind words alone. What they need
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: is real help, food and clothing. In the same way,
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: true faith is revealed through action, not just words. A
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: faith that doesn't change the way we live isn't real faith.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: It's dead like a lifeless body. It has no power
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: to do anything. James isn't saying that we are saved
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: by the good works we do. He's saying that saving
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: faith always results in good works. Works are the evidence
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: of faith, not the cause of salvation. If we say
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: we believe in Jesus, but our lives don't reflect his
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: love and compassion toward others, then we need to ask
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: ourselves if our faith is truly genuine. Real faith is
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: always expressed in active love. In verses eighteen and nineteen,
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: James challenges those who try to separate faith and works.
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: But someone will say, you have faith, I have deeds.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: is one God good. Even the demons believe that and shudder.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: James imagines someone arguing that faith and works are just
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: different paths. Some have one, some have the other. But
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: he completely rejects that idea. He says, show me your
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: faith without works, which is impossible, and I will show
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: you my faith by what I do. Then he drops
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: a powerful example. Even demons believe in God. They know
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: he exists, probably more clearly than many humans do, but
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: that belief doesn't help them. In fact, it makes them
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: tremble because they know judgment is coming. This shows that
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: mere intellectual belief acknowledging certain truths is not saving faith.
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: Real faith involves trust, commitment, and surrender, and that will
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: always be visible in the way we live. Many people
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: today claim to believe in God or in Jesus, but
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: live as if he doesn't exist. James is saying that's
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: not real faith. Faith that doesn't transform your life isn't
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: saving faith. In Verses twenty to twenty four, James uses
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: the example of Abraham to show that genuine faith always
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: expresses itself through action. You foolish person, do you want
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not? Our
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: offered his son Isaac on the altar. You see that
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: his faith and his actions were working together, and his
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: faith was made complete by what he did, and the
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: scripture was fulfilled. That says Abraham believed God, and it
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: God's friend. You see that a person is considered righteous
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: by what they do and not by faith alone. Abraham
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: is a central figure in the Old Testament, considered the
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: father of faith. Genesis fifteen six says Abraham believed God
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: and it was credited to him as righteousness, showing that
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: Abraham's justification came by faith. But James points to a
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: later moment in Abraham's life when he was willing to
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: sacrifice his son Isaac because God had commanded it Genesis
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: twenty two. That action demonstrated that Abraham's faith was genuine.
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: He trusted God so deeply that he was willing to
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: obey even when the command seemed to contradict God's earlier promises.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: James says, Abraham's faith was made complete by what he did.
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: That doesn't mean his works perfected his faith, but rather
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: they demonstrated the completeness and depth of his faith. His
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: willingness to offer Isaac showed how real and total his
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: trust in God truly was. James concludes, a person is
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: justified by what they do and not by faith alone.
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: This doesn't contradict Paul's teaching that we are justified by
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: faith e. G. Romans three, twenty eight. James is talking
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: about how our faith is demonstrated to others, while Paul
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: is talking about how we are accepted by God. A
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: genuine faith that truly justifies before God will always be
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: evidenced by actions that show our justification to the world.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: To reinforce his point, James gives another example in verses
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: twenty five and twenty six in the same way. Was
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: not even Raehab, the prostitute, considered righteous for what she
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: them off in a different direction. As the body without
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: Rahab is an interesting figure for James to choose. She
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: was a prostitute living in Jericho, a Canaanite city about
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: to be conquered by the Israelites. When Israelites spies came
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: to Jericho, Raehab hid them and helped them escape. Joshua too.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: Why because she believed the God of Israel was the
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: true God. She told the spies, I know that the
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: Lord has given you this lafe, and for the Lord,
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: your God is God in heaven above and on the
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: earth below Joshua two nine eleven. Her faith led her
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: to action, to risk her own life to protect the
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: Israelite spies, and because of that action, she and her
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: family were spared when Jericho was destroyed. Eventually, she even
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: became part of jesus genealogy Matthew one five. James ends
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: the chapter with a powerful comparison as the body without
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: A body without the spirit that gives it life is
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: just a corpse. Likewise, a faith that doesn't manifest in
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: action is a dead faith. It has no life, no power,
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: no worth. This is the central message of James in
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: this chapter. True faith is always expressed through action. We
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: cannot separate what we believe from how we live. If
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: our faith is real, it will transform our lives and
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: be seen in the way we treat others. James begins
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: chapter three with a warning to those who wish to
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: become teachers in the church. In verse one, he says,
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers,
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: because you know that we who teach will be judged
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: more strictly. Back in James's time, just like to day,
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: there were people who wanted to teach the Word of
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: God for the wrong reasons. Maybe they craved the respect
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: and status that came with the role. Maybe they liked
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: being in charge or showing off their knowledge. But James
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: issues a strong warning teaching the Word comes with a
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: heavy responsibility. Teachers influence many people through their words. If
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: they teach something wrong, they can lead many astray. That's
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: why God judges teaches more strictly. This doesn't mean no
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: one should teach the Word. The church needs good teachers,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: but no one should take on this role lightly without
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: seriously considering the weight it carries. It's similar to being
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: a doctor. It's a noble and essential profession, but it
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: also comes with huge responsibility. One mistake could cost lives.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: In the same way, a teacher of the Word can
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: help many people grow in their faith, but can also
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: cause great spiritual harm if they're not faithful to sound teaching.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: In verse two, James talks about how we all struggle
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: to control what we say. We all stumble in many ways.
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: Anyone who is never at fault in what they say
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: James is being realistic. We all mess up, we stumble
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: in many areas of life, but he gives special attention
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: to the mistakes we make with our words. Why because
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: the tongue is especially hard to control. If someone can
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: fully control their speech, never saying anything offensive, never lying,
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: never gossiping, never CanPL laning, that person has incredible self control.
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: James calls such a person perfect, not in the sense
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: of being sinless, but in the sense of having reached
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: spiritual maturity. The tongue is like a window into the heart.
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart, the
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: mouth speaks Luke six forty five. What we say reveals
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: who we really are on the inside. So if we
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: want to grow spiritually, we need to pay close attention
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: to what we say. Our words can build up or
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: tear down, encourage or discourage, bless or curse. In verses
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: three to five, James uses vivid examples to show how
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: something small can have great power. When we put bits
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: an example. Although they are so large and are driven
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: by strong winds, they are steered by a very small
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the lung
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: is a small part of the body, but it makes
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: great boasts. James uses two powerful comparisons. First, the bit
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: in a horse's mouth. A horse is a large, strong animal,
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: weighing hundreds of kilograms, but a small piece of metal
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: in its mouth allows the rider to control it completely. Second,
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: the rudder of a ship. A ship is massive and
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: subject to powerful winds and currents, but a relatively small
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: rudder lets the pilot steer it wherever he wants. In
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: the same way, the tongue is a small part of
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: our body but has immense power. It can direct the
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: course of our life, just as a rudder steers a ship,
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: and it can influence others just as a bit controls
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: a horse. James adds, consider what a great forest is
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: set on fire by a small spark. A tiny flame
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: can ignite a wildfire that destroys thousands of acres. In
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: the same way a single careless word can cause massive damage.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: Gossip lies harsh criticism. These small things can destroy reputations,
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: end friendships, and divide churches. In verse six, James explains
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: how dangerous the tongue can be. The tongue also is
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: a fire, a world of evil among the parts of
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: course of one's life on fire, and is itself set
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: on fire by hell. James continues the fire metaphor, the
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: tongue is like a raging fire, spreading destruction wherever it goes.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: It's a world of evil, capable of all kinds of harm,
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: he says. It corrupts the whole body. This shows that
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: the words we speak don't just affect others. They also
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: affect us. When we use our words for evil, lying, gossiping, criticizing, complaining,
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: it corrodes our own character. We become the kind of
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: person who speaks that way. The tongue sets the whole
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: course of one's life on fire. Our words can alter
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: the entire trajectory of our lives. One lie leads to another,
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: one bit of gossip ruins a relationship. One harsh word
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: creates lasting enemies. The path of our life can be
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: reshaped by what we say, and where does this destructive
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: power come from? James says, the tongue is set on
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: fire by Hell. Destructive words don't come from God, but
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: from the forces of evil. When we use our speech
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: to hurt others, we're not serving God, We're serving his enemy.
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: In verses seven and eight, James talks about how hard
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: it is to control the tongue. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles,
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. Humans
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: have an amazing ability to tame wild animals. We can
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: train lions for circus acts, elephants to carry loads, dolphins
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: to perform tricks, and even great predators in zoos are
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: to some extent tamed. But James says that despite all
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: this ability to tame other creatures, we can't tame our
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: own tongues. It's a restless evil, like a wild animal
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: that refuses to be domesticated. And more than that, the
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: tongue is full of deadly poison. Like a venomous snake.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: It can inject poison that causes pain. Suffering, and even
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: spiritual death. Negative words can poison relationships, reputations, and even
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: someone's faith. This is a grim yet realistic perspective. We've
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: all experienced moments when we said something we didn't mean,
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: when the words came out before we could stop them,
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: and we've all felt the sting of being hurt by
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: someone else's poisonous words. Fortunately, what is impossible for humans
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: is possible for God. Although we can't tame our tongues
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: on our own, with the help of the Holy Spirit,
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: we can learn to better control what we say. In
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: verses nine through twelve, James highlights a common contradiction with
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: it we curse human beings who have been made in
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: cursing my brothers and sisters. This should not be. Can
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring,
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: my brothers and sisters. Can a fig tree bear olives,
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: produce fresh water. James is pointing out an inconsistency that
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: was common in the early Church and still is today.
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: Using the same tongue to praise God and to speak
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: badly about others. On Sunday morning, we sing songs of
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: worship to God. By Monday we are criticizing co workers
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: or talking behind our neighbor's backs. This is contradictory for
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: one fundamental reason. People were created in the likeness of God.
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: They are His masterpiece, his representatives on earth. When we
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: speak against someone, we're speaking against a creation that God
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: made and deeply loves. James uses three examples from nature
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: to illustrate this contradiction. A spring can't produce both fresh
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: and salty water at the same time. A fig tree
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: can't grow olives. A grape vine doesn't produce figs. In nature,
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: each thing produces according to its kind. In the same way,
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: a mouth guided by the spirit of God should produce
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: only blessings, not curses. When our mouths produce both, it's
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: a sign that something is off in our hearts. Jesus
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: said something similar. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Matthew seven
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: seventeen to eighteen. Our words are the fruit that reveal
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: what kind of tree we are on the inside. In
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: verse thirteen, James shifts the focus to wisdom. Who is
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: their good life, by deeds done in the humility that
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: comes from wisdom. Just as true faith is shown through actions,
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: true wisdom is also revealed in how we live. It's
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: not a matter of intellectual knowledge, but of daily behavior.
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: A truly wise person doesn't need to announce their wisdom.
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: It shows through their good life, in how they act,
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: how they treat others, and how they deal with the
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: challenges of life. And a key mark of true wisdom
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: is humility. A wise person isn't arrogant or self important.
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: They're aware of their limitations and are always open to learning.
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: More humility comes from wisdom. The more we truly know,
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: the more we realize how much we still don't know.
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: As Socrates once said, the only true wisdom is in
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: knowing you know nothing. True wisdom humbles us, it doesn't
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: puff us up. It's interesting that after speaking so much
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: about the use of the tongue, James now talks about
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: how true wisdom is not shown in eloquent words, but
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: in humble actions. The connection is clear. A wise person
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: controls their tongue and shows their wisdom through what they do,
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: not just what they say. In verses fourteen to sixteen,
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: James warns us about the signs of false wisdom. But
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts,
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: wisdom does not come down from Heaven, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: find disorder and every evil practice. James describes the traits
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: of wisdom that doesn't come from God. The first is
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: bitter envy, resentment toward the success or qualities of others.
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: The second is selfish ambition, a desire to promote oneself,
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: to be recognized, to stand above others. When these things
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: are rooted in our hearts, we can't call ourselves wise,
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: no matter how much knowledge we might have. James says,
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: we shouldn't boast about it as if we were wise,
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: and we shouldn't deny the truth by pretending those feelings
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: don't exist. He describes this false wisdom using three adjectives.
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: It is earthly driven by worldly values, not God's unspiritual
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: coming from the fallen human nature, not from the Holy
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: Spirit and demonic sharing, the nature of the demons who
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: are intelligent but use their intelligence for evil. The result
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: of this kind of wisdom is disorder and every evil practice.
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: When envy and selfish wish ambition dominate, chaos and conflict follow.
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: We see this on every level of society, from family
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: disputes to wars between nations. Many conflicts are rooted in
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: envy and unchecked ambition. In verses seventeen and eighteen, James
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: describes the purity and the fruits of wisdom that comes
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: from above. But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: of mercy and good fruit. Impartial and sincere peace makers
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: who so in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. In
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: contrast to false wisdom, true wisdom, which comes from God,
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: has several positive traits. It is pure, free from selfish
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: or dishonest motives, peace Loving, It seeks peace and harmony,
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: not conflict. Considerate, kind and gentle in dealing with others. Submissive,
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: willing to listen and yield when appropriate, full of mercy,
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: ready to forgive and show compassion, full of good fruit.
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: It produces positive outcomes in life. Impartial treats everyone fairly
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: without favoritism, sincere genuine, without hypocrisy or pretense. These traits
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: stand in stark contrast to the bitter envy and selfish
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: ambition mentioned earlier. True wisdom doesn't seek personal gain, it
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: seeks the good of others. In verse eighteen, James concludes
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
• 42:40
  Speaker 1: Those who pursue peace using God's wisdom will reap the
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: fruit of righteousness. Their actions will lead to healthy relationships,
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: harmonious communities, and a life that honors God. This is
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: the kind of wisdom James is urging his readers to pursue,
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: not one that impresses others with eloquent speed each, but
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: one that is shown through a life of peace, purity,
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: and love. At the beginning of chapter four, James addresses
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: the source of conflicts among people. In verses one to three.
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: He both asks and answers what causes fights and quarrels
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: among you? Don't they come from your desires? That battle
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill,
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: You covet but you cannot get what you want, so
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: do not ask God. When you ask, you do not
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: receive because you ask with wrong motives that you may
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: spend what you get on your pleasures. James is analyzing
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: the root of human conflict. Why do we fight with
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: one another? Why are there so many disputes, whether between individuals, groups,
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: or nations. The answer, James says, lies within us, in
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: the desires that battle within you. The Greek word translated
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: as desires here is head and eye, from which we
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: get the word hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure as life's
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: main goal. These are selfish cravings that demand to be
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: satisfied at any cost. James describes a sad cycle. We
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: want things we don't have. We envy those who do
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: have what we want. We fight and argue to try
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: to get those things, and still we often come up empty.
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: He then points to two reasons we don't get what
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: we desire. First, you do not ask. We often don't
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: pray or ask God for what we need. Second, even
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: when we do ask, you ask with wrong motives, not
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: to use what we receive for God's glory or to
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: help others, but to spend what you get on your pleasures.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: This pattern can be seen across all levels of society,
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: from a child throwing a tantrum over another kid's toy
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: to entire nations waging war over resis, sources, or power.
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: The root is the same selfish desires left unchecked. The
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: solution lies in learning to control our desires rather than
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: letting them control us, and in praying with the right motives,
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: seeking what pleases God, not just what satisfies us. In
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: verse four, James issues a strong warning about friendship with
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: the world. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: with the world means enmity against God. Therefore, anyone who
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: enemy of God. When James calls his readers adulteress, he's
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: using figurative language. In the Old Testament, God often described
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: his relationship with Israel as a marriage, and Israel's idolatry
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: as spiritual adultery. Likewise, James is saying that when Christians
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: love the world more than they love God, they are
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: being unfaithful, like a spouse who trays their partner. By world, here,
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: James doesn't mean the planet or its people, but rather
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: a system of values that stands in opposition to God,
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: a pursuit of power, pleasure, and wealth with no regard
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: for God or the good of others. He says, we
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: can't be friends with both God and this world at
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: the same time. It's a choice we must make. Either
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: we follow God's values or the world's. There's no middle ground,
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: no way to reconcile the two. Trying to do so
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: is like trying to serve two masters at once, something
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: Jesus said is impossible Matthew six twenty four. It's a
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: hard hitting but necessary warning. Many Christians try to have
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: the best of both worlds. They want the benefits of
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: faith without giving up the values and pleasures of the
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: world that conflict with God. James is saying that's not possible.
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: We have to choose whose friends we want to be.
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: In verse five, James speaks about the depth of God's
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: desire for our spirit or do you think? Scripture says
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: without reason that He jealously longs for the spirit he
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: has caused to dwell in us. This verse can be
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: a bit tricky to interpret, as there's no exact Old
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: Testament verse that says this word for word, James might
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: be summarizing a broader scriptural theme or referring to a
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: passage known to his readers that wasn't preserved in our Bible.
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: The most likely meaning is that James is saying God's spirit,
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: which lives in believers, deeply desires our full love and loyalty.
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: Just as a husband or wife feels jealous when their
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: partner loves someone else, God is jealous when we love
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: anything more than him. But this isn't the petty or
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: insecure jealousy often seen in human relationships. It's a righteous jealousy,
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: the kind that comes from someone who rightfully deserves our
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: exclusive love and devotion. God made us us, saved us,
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: sustains us. He deserves our whole heart, and this reveals
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: something amazing. God deeply cares about us. He's not indifferent
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: to what or whom we love. He loves us with
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: an intense, exclusive love, and he wants us to love
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: him in the same way. In verse six, James reminds
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: us that God gives grace to the humble, but he
• 48:26
  Speaker 1: gives us more grace. That is why scripture says God
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Here
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: James is quoting Proverbs three thirty four, which lays out
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: a fundamental principle in our relationship with God. Pride drives
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: us away from God, but humility draws us closer to him.
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: The proud think they don't need God. They rely on
• 48:51
  Speaker 1: their own skills, their own understanding, their own strength. They
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: want credit for their successes. They resist God's guidance and
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: correct In contrast, the humble acknowledge their dependence on God.
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: They recognize that their talents, insight, and strength all come
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: from Him. They give God the credit. They are open
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: to his guidance and correction, and God responds accordingly. He
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: opposes the proud, he resists them, thwarts there plans, but
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: he shows favor to the humble. He gives them undeserved grace,
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: strength to overcome and help in times of need. This
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: is a truth repeated throughout the Bible. Jesus said, for
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: who humble themselves will be exalted Luke fourteen eleven, and
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: Peter echoes James's word for word in First Peter five five.
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: Humility doesn't mean thinking poorly of yourself It means thinking
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: rightly of yourself. It's about recognizing both your strengths and weaknesses,
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: and more importantly, your total dependence on God. In verse seven,
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: James shows us the path to resisting the devil. Submit
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, and he will
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: flee from you. James continues with two simple but powerful commands,
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: submit to God and resist the devil. Submitting to God
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: means recognizing his authority over our lives, accepting his will,
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: and obeying his commandments. It's saying, as Jesus taught, your
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: will be done Matthew six'. Ten it's a voluntary act of,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: surrender acknowledging That god's plan for our lives is better
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: than our. Own resisting the devil means standing firm against
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: his temptations and. Lies the devil tries to make us Doubt,
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: god disobey his, commandments and follow our selfish. Desires we
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: resist when we refuse to give in to those, temptations
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: when we reject his lies and cling To god's. Truth
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: and when we, Resist james promises a, result he will
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: flee from. You the devil is, powerful but he's not all.
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: Powerful he can't force us to. Sin when we resist
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: him firmly with strength that comes From, god the devil backs.
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: Off notice the order of the. Instructions first submit To,
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: god then resist the. Devil the best defense against temptation
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: is a good, offense fully surrendering To. God when we're
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: filled With god's love and, truth the devil's lies lose
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: their power over. Us In verses eight to, Ten james
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: speaks about drawing near To god and purifying the. Heart
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: come near To god and he will come near to.
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: You wash your, hands you, sinners and purify your. Hearts
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: you double, minded, grieve mourn and. Wail change your laughter to,
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: mourning and your to. Gloom humble yourselves before The, lord
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: and he will lift you. Up james starts with a wonderful.
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: Promise if we draw near To, god he will draw
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: near to. Us god is always willing to come close
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: when we approach him with. Sincerity but how do we
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: draw near To? God james outlines several. Steps wash your
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: hands that is cleanse your, actions stop doing what is.
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: Wrong purify your, Hearts cleanse your thoughts and. Desires it's
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: not enough to change external. Behavior we also need inner. Transformation, grieve,
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: mourn and, wail feel true sorrow for your. Sins don't
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: treat them. Lightly change your laughter to mourning and your
• 52:48
  Speaker 1: joy to. Gloom take sins, seriously not as something to
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: joke about or. Celebrate humble yourselves before The, lord recognize
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: your dependence On god and your need for his. Grace
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: the expression double minded refers to someone who tries to
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: serve Both god and the, world someone with divided. Loyalties
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: james is calling these people to purify their hearts and
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: make a clear decision about whom they will, serve and
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: the result of doing all, this he will lift you.
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: Up when we humble ourselves Before, god acknowledging our need for,
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: him he lifts us, up not necessarily to a place
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: of prestige or power in this, world but to a
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: place of closeness With him and usefulness in his. Kingdom
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: In verses eleven and, Twelve james warns against judging or
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: speaking evil of. Others brothers and, sisters do not slander one.
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: Another anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: judges them speaks against the law and judges. It when
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: you judge the, law you are not keeping, it but
• 53:55
  Speaker 1: sitting in judgment on. It there is only a lawgiver and,
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: judge the one who is able to save and. Destroy but,
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: you who are you to judge your? Neighbor james returns
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: to the theme of the proper use of the, tongue
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: which he explored extensively in chapter. Three here he focuses
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: on a specific and harmful use speaking against fellow. Believers
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: when we criticize and judge other, Believers james, says we're
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: actually speaking Against god's law and judging. It which? Law
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: most likely he's referring to the royal law he mentioned
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: in two. Eight love your neighbor as. Yourself when we
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: speak against, others we're not loving them as we, should
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: and by doing, so we place ourselves Above god's. Law
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: instead of being people who obey, it we become judges over,
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: it deciding which parts apply and which parts we can.
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: Ignore james is clear there is only one law giver and, Judge.
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: God only he has the right to establish the law
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: and to judge the those who break. It only he
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: is able to save and. Destroy he holds power over
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: eternal life and. Death So james, asks but who are
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: you to judge your? Neighbor it's a rhetorical. Question the
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: obvious answer is we are no. One we don't know
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: other people's, hearts their, struggles or their, circumstances and more,
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: importantly we have no authority to judge. Them that authority
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: belongs To god. Alone this doesn't mean we should never
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: disagree with others or never point out. Error there are
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: times when correction is, necessary but it should be done with, love,
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: humility and the goal of, restoration not. Condemnation in verses
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: thirteen to, Sixteen james warns against the arrogance of making
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: plans without Considering god's. Will, now listen you who, say
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: to day or to morrow we will go to this
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: or that, city spend a year, there carry on business
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: and make. Money why you do not even know what
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: will happen to? Morrow what is your? Life you are
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: a mist that appears for a little while and then. Vanishes,
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: instead you are to, say if it is The lord's,
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: will we will live and do this or that as
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: it is you boast in your arrogant. Schemes all such
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: boasting is. Evil james now addresses another form of, pride
• 56:24
  Speaker 1: the presumption that we are in control of our. Future
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: he describes people making detailed plans where they'll, go how
• 56:31
  Speaker 1: long they'll, stay what they'll, do how much they'll, earn
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: without Considering god's. Will the problem isn't making. Plans the
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: problem is making plans as if we are in charge
• 56:44
  Speaker 1: of our own, future as if everything depends solely on
• 56:47
  Speaker 1: our choices and. Efforts james reminds us how fragile and
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: short life. Is you are a mist that appears for
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: a little while and then. Vanishes In james's, region morning
• 57:01
  Speaker 1: mist was, common but it would disappear quickly when the sun.
• 57:04
  Speaker 1: Rose in the same, way our lives are brief and.
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: Delicate we don't know what tomorrow. HOLDS a, sickness an,
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: accident or an unexpected turn of events could change. Everything
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: the right, Attitude james, says is to acknowledge our dependence
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: On god by saying if The lord, wills we will
• 57:24
  Speaker 1: live and do, this or that this isn't just a
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: phrase to tack onto our. Plans it's a heart posture
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: that Recognizes god is in control and that our plans
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: will only come to pass if they align With his.
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: Will when we make plans without this, attitude we're boasting
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: in our supposed, autonomy And james is clear all such
• 57:47
  Speaker 1: boasting is. Evil it's evil because it Puts, us Not,
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: god at the center of our. Lives it's a form of,
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: idolatry the worship of ourselves and our plans instead of Worshiping.
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: God in verse, Seventeen james closes the chapter with a powerful,
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: Principle so whoever knows the right thing to do and
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: fails to do it for, him it is. Sin this
• 58:13
  Speaker 1: verse serves not just as a conclusion to the section on,
• 58:16
  Speaker 1: planning but to the entirety of chapter four and in a,
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: way to the whole. Letter up to this, Point james
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: has taught extensively on How christians should, live controlling the,
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: tongue loving our, neighbor avoiding, favoritism showing faith through, actions
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: seeking wisdom from, above submitting To, god resisting the, devil
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: and not judging. Others, now he, says once you know what's,
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: right you're responsible for doing. It failing to do good
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: when we know we should is. Sin we usually think
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: of sin as doing, wrong, lying, stealing committing, adultery But
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: james highlights another category of, sin failing to do what is.
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: Right this is what we call the of. Omission if
• 59:03
  Speaker 1: we see someone hungry and have the means to, help but.
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: Don't we're. Sinning if we have an opportunity to speak
• 59:10
  Speaker 1: the truth but stay, silent we're. Sinning if we know
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: we ought to forgive someone but refuse to do, It we're.
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: Sinning knowledge brings. Responsibility the more we know About god's,
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: will the more accountable we are to live by. It
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: As jesus, said to whom much was given of, him
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: much will be Required, luke twelve forty. Eight this principle
• 59:34
  Speaker 1: challenges us to live according to what we, know to
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: put into practice the teachings we've. Received faith isn't just about,
• 59:42
  Speaker 1: knowledge but about. Obedience james begins chapter five with harsh
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: words for the rich who oppress. Others in verses one to,
• 59:51
  Speaker 1: three he, says, now, listen you rich, people weep and
• 59:55
  Speaker 1: wail because of the misery that is coming upon. You
• 59:58
  Speaker 1: your wealth has, rotted and moths have eaten your. Clothes
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: your gold and silver are. Corroded their corrosion will testify
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: against you and eat your flesh like. Fire you have
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: hoarded wealth in the last. Days james isn't condemning all wealthy,
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 1: people but those who misuse their wealth and exploit. Others
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 1: he starts by confronting them with. REALITY a day of
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: reckoning is. Coming the misery that is coming upon you
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: could refer both to hardship in this life and To
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: god's final. Judgment he then describes how their earthly treasures are.
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 1: Deteriorating expensive clothing is being eaten by. Moths even gold and,
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: silver which typically don't, rust are. Corroding it's a vivid
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 1: image of how all material things eventually, decay and this
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: corruption of wealth will testify against. You it will be
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 1: evidence of their materialism and the injustice behind their. Riches
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: be like fire that eats your, flesh a striking image of.
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: Judgment that final line is especially. Sobering you have hoarded
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 1: wealth in the last. Days the last days refer to
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 1: the time Between christ's first and second, coming the time
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 1: we're living in. Now to store up wealth selfishly during
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: this period is especially, foolish Since christ's return draws, near
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 1: and on that, day earthly riches will be. Worthless it's
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: a sharp but necessary. Warning jesus also spoke often about
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: the dangers of wealth and how hard it is for
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: the rich to Enter god's. Kingdom mark, ten twenty, three
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: twenty five wealth itself isn't, evil but the love of
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: money and the unjust use of wealth are clearly condemned By.
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: God in verse, Four james directly calls out the exploitation of.
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: Workers look the wages you failed to. Pay the workers
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 1: who mowede your fields are crying out. Again the cries
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 1: of the harvesters have reached the ears of The Lord.
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: Almighty james identifies a specific sin of the. Rich they
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: have fraudulently withheld wages from the laborers who harvested their.
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 1: Fields in the agricultural society of that, time landowners hired
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: day laborers for the. Harvest these workers depended on daily
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 1: pay to support their. Families withholding their wages wasn't just,
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: dishonest it was cruel and could mean. Starvation james personifies
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: the unpaid. Wages they are crying out against. You it's
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 1: as if the money itself is shouting To god about the,
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: injustice And god hears the cries of the. Harvesters the
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: exploited workers have reached the ears of The lord Of
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 1: hosts Or Lord, almighty a title that Emphasizes god's power and.
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 1: Authority this is a deeply comforting truth for those who
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 1: suffer injustice and a solemn warning for those who cause.
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: It god hears the cries of the, oppressed and he
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: will bring, justice as written In deuteronomy twenty four fourteen,
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: fifteen do not take advantage of a hired worker who
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: is poor and. Needy pay them their wages each day before,
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 1: sunset so they may not cry out to The lord against,
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 1: you and you will not be guilty of. Sin THE
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: ua message is. Clear god cares deeply about economic justice
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 1: and the fair treatment of. Workers those who use their
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: wealth and power to exploit others will face divine. Judgment
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: in verses five and, Six james continues his. Rebuke you
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: have lived on earth in luxury and self. Indulgence you
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: have fattened yourselves in the day of. Slaughter you have
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 1: condemned and murdered the innocent one who was not opposing.
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 1: You james describes these wealthy oppressors as living in luxury
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: and self, indulgence entirely focused on their own comfort and,
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: pleasure with no regard for the needs of. Others they
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: lived as if this life were all there, is as
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: if there were No god to whom they would be held.
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: Accountable the phrase fattening yourselves in the day of slaughter
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: is a powerful. Image in that cultural, context animals were
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 1: fattened before being slaughtered for. Food in the same, way
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: these rich people were fattening themselves with luxury and, indulgence
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 1: unaware that they were preparing themselves for their own Slaughter god's.
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: Judgment in verse, Six james goes even. Further these wealthy
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: individuals are not only exploiting, workers but also condemning and
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: killing the, righteous most likely a reference to innocent people
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 1: who couldn't defend. Themselves this could involve manipulating the legal
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: system to unjustly convict the, poor or creating such harsh
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: economic conditions that it led to their. Deaths the phrase
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: who offers no resistance may refer to the non violent
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: attitude Of christians who Followed jesus's example of not Retaliating
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: matthew five thirty, nine or it could simply describe the
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: powerlessness of the poor in the face of the. Rich
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: it's a severe, accusation but not. Unprecedented The Old testament
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 1: prophets often denounced the rich who oppress the. Poor, amos for,
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 1: example condemned those who sell the righteous for silver and
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: the needy for a pair of Sandals amos two. P.
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: Six the message is. Clear exploiting others and living for
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: luxury and pleasure without regard For god or neighbor will
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: lead to divine. Judgment true wealth isn't found in material,
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: possessions but in a life that Pleases god and serves.
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: Others starting in verse, Seven james changes his tone and
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: begins encouraging the suffering. Believers in verses seven through, nine he,
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: writes be, patient, therefore brothers and, sisters until the coming
• 1:06:04
  Speaker 1: of The. Lord see how the farmer waits for the
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: land to yield its valuable, crop patiently waiting for the
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 1: autumn and spring. Rains you, too be patient and stand,
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: firm because The lord's coming is. Near don't grumble against one,
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: another brothers and, sisters or you will be. Judged the
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 1: judge is standing at the. Door after rebuking the richer,
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: Pressers james now addresses the brothers and, sisters the believers
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: who were, suffering possibly due to the oppression of the.
• 1:06:35
  Speaker 1: Wealthy he urges them to be patient until the coming
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: of The Lord christ's, return when all injustices will be made.
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: Right to illustrate the kind of patience Needed james uses
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 1: the image of a farmer after. Planting the farmer must
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 1: wait patiently for the rain and the growth of the.
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: Crop he can't rush the. Process in the same, way
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: believers need to patiently wait For god's timing to bring.
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: Justice the autumn and spring rains refer to the climate
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: patterns In. Palestine the autumn rain came right after planting
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 1: and was essential for seed. Germination the spring rain came
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: later and was crucial for the crop to. Mature both were,
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: vital and the farmer had to wait for. Both just
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 1: as the farmer knows the harvest will come if he is,
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: Patient believers can be confident That god's justice will come
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 1: because The lord's coming is. Near this truth offers hope
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 1: and strength to endure present. Suffering james adds a practical,
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: exhortation don't grumble against one another in times of stress and.
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 1: Hardship it's easy to take out our frustrations on those around,
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 1: us But james warns against, this reminding them that the
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: judge is standing at the. Door god is watching and
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 1: will also judge how we treat each. Other christian patience
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: is not passive, resignation but active hope it's enduring the
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: present with courage because we trust in the future That
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 1: god has. Promised in verse, Ten james cites the prophets
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: as examples of patience in. Suffering brothers and. Sisters as
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: an example of patience in the face of, suffering take
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: the prophets who spoke in the name of The. Lord
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: after using the farmer as an illustration of, Patience james
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: now points to The Old testament. Prophets these men faithfully
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: Delivered god's, message often facing, rejection, persecution and even. Death
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: think Of, jeremiah who was thrown into a muddy cistern
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: and later imprisoned for Speaking god's. Truth Or, elijah who
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 1: had to flee for his life after Confronting King, ahab Or,
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 1: daniel who was thrown into the lion's den for refusing
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: to stop praying To. God these prophets didn't suffer because
• 1:09:03
  Speaker 1: of their, sins but because of their faithfulness To, god
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 1: and they endured that suffering with, patience trusting That god
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 1: would fulfill his promises and bring justice in his. Time
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 1: it's significant That james uses the prophets as examples because
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: they not only suffered but also spoke out against injustice
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: and oppression exactly What james does in the first part
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 1: of this. Chapter he's showing that it's possible to be
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: bold against sin and patient in. Suffering at the same.
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: Time the prophets are also examples of perseverance in faith amid.
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 1: Adversity they continue to Speak god's truth even when no
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 1: one wanted to hear, it even when they were mocked
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 1: or persecuted for. It this is the same Perseverance james
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: is encouraging in his. Readers in verse, Eleven james specifically
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: Mentions job as an example of. Perseverance as you, know
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: we count as blessed those who have. Persevered you have
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 1: heard Of job's perseverance and have seen what The lord
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: finally brought. About The lord is full of compassion and.
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: Mercy job is perhaps the most well known biblical example
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: of someone who suffered immensely without deserving. It he lost his,
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: possessions his, children and his. Health he was abandoned by
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: his wife and misunderstood by his, friends yet he refused
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 1: to abandon his faith In. God james, says we count
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: as blessed those who have. Persevered the word translated as
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: blessed here is the same used in The Beatitudes matthew
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 1: five three twelve makarios In, greek which means blessed or truly.
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 1: Happy there is a deep joy that comes from remaining
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 1: faithful To god even in the most difficult, circumstances And
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 1: james reminds his readers of the the outcome The lord
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: brought about For. Job at the end of his, Story
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 1: god restored To job everything he had lost and even.
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: More this doesn't mean we will always experience material restoration
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 1: Like job, did but it illustrates the principle That god rewards,
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 1: faithfulness if not in this, life then certainly in the.
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 1: Next the verse ends with an important statement About god's.
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: Character The lord is full of compassion and mercy even
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: when he allows us to go through. Suffering god is
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: neither cruel nor. Indifferent he has compassion for us in
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: our pain and will show mercy at the right. Time
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: this is a comforting truth for those who are. Suffering
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: god sees your, pain cares about your, suffering and in
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: due time he will reveal his compassion and. Mercy in verse,
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: Eleven james specifically Mentions job as an example of. Perseverance
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 1: as you, know we count as blessed those who have.
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 1: Persevered you have heard Of job's perseverance and have seen
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 1: what The lord finally brought. About The lord is full
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 1: of compassion and. Mercy job is perhaps the most well
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 1: known biblical example of someone who suffered immensely without deserving.
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 1: It he lost his, possessions his, children and his. Health
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 1: he was abandoned by his wife and misunderstood by his.
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: Friends yet even then he refused to abandon his faith In.
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: God james, says we count as blessed those who have.
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 1: Persevered the word translated as blessed here is the same
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: one used in The Beatitudes matthew five three to twelve
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 1: makarios In, greek which means blessed or truly. Happy there
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: is a deep joy that comes from remaining faithful To
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 1: god even in the hardest, circumstances And james reminds his
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: as a gain of the outcome The lord brought about For.
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: Job at the end of the, Story god restored all
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: That job had lost and. More while that doesn't guarantee
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: a material restoration in our own, lives it reinforces the
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: truth That god honors, faithfulness if not now then in.
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 1: Eternity the verse ends again by highlighting a key aspect
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: Of god's. Nature The lord is full of compassion and.
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 1: Mercy even in our, Suffering god is not detached or.
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 1: Cruel he is deeply compassionate and will act with mercy
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: in his perfect. Timing this is a reassuring truth for
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 1: anyone walking through. Pain god sees your, sorrow cares, deeply
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 1: and in his time he will act in mercy and.
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: Love In verse, Thirteen james gives guidance about prayer in different.
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: Situations is anyone among you, suffering let them? Pray is anyone?
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: Cheerful let them sing songs of. Praise james now addresses
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 1: the importance of prayer in all of life's. Circumstances when
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: we are, suffering whether due to, illness, persecution financial, hardship
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 1: or any other, struggle we should. Pray prayer connects us With,
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: god strengthens us to, endure and opens the door For
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: god to work in our. Situation and when we are,
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: joyful we should sing praises To. God praise is a
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 1: form of prayer that expresses gratitude and joy to The.
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: Lord it's important not only to Seek god in times of,
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: need but also to recognize and Thank him in times of.
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 1: Joy this verse shows that prayer should be a regular
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: part of our, lives not just something we turn to
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: in moments of. Crisis in every, situation good or, bad
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 1: we should stay connected With. God and notice the simplicity
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 1: Of james's. Advice he doesn't prescribe elaborate prayer formulas or
• 1:14:59
  Speaker 1: com lex. Rituals just pray and sing. Praises prayer doesn't
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: have to be complicated to be. Powerful in verses fourteen and,
• 1:15:09
  Speaker 1: Fifteen james gives specific instructions for the. Sick is any
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: one among you, sick let them call the elders of
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 1: the church to pray over them and anoint them with
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: oil in the name of The. Lord and the prayer
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 1: offered in faith will make the sick person. Well The
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: lord will raise them. Up if they have, sinned they
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: will be. Forgiven Here james speaks to the specific situation of.
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: Illness he instructs the sick person to call the elders
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: of the, church the spiritual leaders of the. Community this
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: highlights the importance Of christian. Community we're not meant to
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: face trials. Alone the elders are to do two. Things
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 1: pray over the sick person and anoint them with oil
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: in the name of The. Lord while oil had medicinal
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 1: uses in ancient, culture here it seems to serve more
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: as a spiritual, symbol a visible sign of The Holy
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: spirit's presence and. Power james promises that the prayer offered
• 1:16:09
  Speaker 1: in faith will make the sick person. Well The lord
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 1: will raise them. Up this is a powerful, promise but
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 1: one that must be understood in the broader context of.
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 1: Scripture god can and often does heal in response to,
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 1: prayer but he doesn't always do so in the way or.
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: Timing we. Expect, paul for, example prayed three times to
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: be delivered from his thorn in the, flesh But god
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 1: chose not to remove, it Saying my grace is sufficient
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: for You Tewod corinthians twelve seven to. Nine james, adds
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 1: if they have, sinned they will be. Forgiven he's not
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: saying that every illness is caused by, sin but he
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 1: acknowledges that sometimes there may be a. Connection in any,
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 1: case the forgiveness of sins is just as vital as physical.
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 1: Healing in, fact it's a deeper kind of. Healing this
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: practice calling the, elders praying in, faith anointing with oil
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: is still observed in many churches to, day and many
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 1: have testified to miraculous healings as a. Result but the
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 1: most important thing is our trust In, god who loves
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 1: his children and desires what is best for, them whether
• 1:17:20
  Speaker 1: that means healing in this life or perfect wholeness in
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: the life to. Come in verse, Sixteen james speaks about
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 1: mutual confession and the power of. Prayer, therefore confess your
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 1: sins to each other and pray for each other so
• 1:17:37
  Speaker 1: that you may be. Healed the prayer of a righteous
• 1:17:40
  Speaker 1: person is powerful and. Effective after addressing prayer for the,
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 1: Sick james broadens the topic to include mutual confession of
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 1: sins and prayer for one. Another the word therefore connects
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: this with the previous mention a forgiveness in verse. Fifteen
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 1: the mutual confession of sins is a practice Many christians today,
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 1: neglect yet it can bring great freedom and. Healing we
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 1: don't need to confess everything to, everyone but it's healthy
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 1: to have trusted individuals with whom we can be transparent
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 1: about our. Struggles this kind of confession should be accompanied
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 1: by prayer for one another with the goal of being.
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 1: Healed this healing may refer not only to physical, healing
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 1: but also to the spiritual and emotional restoration that comes
• 1:18:30
  Speaker 1: from forgiveness and release from the burden of. Sin james
• 1:18:35
  Speaker 1: then makes a powerful, statement the prayer of a righteous
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: person is powerful and. Effective the word translated as effective
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: from The greek And agumin suggests, energy activity. Power prayer
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 1: is not just an empty ritual or a psychological. Exercise
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: it is a real spiritual force that can change circumstances
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 1: and transform. Lives but notice it is the prayer of
• 1:19:01
  Speaker 1: a righteous person that carries this. Power this doesn't mean
• 1:19:05
  Speaker 1: we must be perfect for our prayers to be, effective
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: but that our lives should be aligned With god's. Will
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 1: as The psalmist, says IF i had cherished sin in my,
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 1: heart The lord would not have Listened psalm sixty six.
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 1: Eighteen the power of prayer doesn't lie in magic formulas
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: or special, techniques but in the right relationship With god
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 1: and the sincerity with which we. Pray In verses seventeen and,
• 1:19:33
  Speaker 1: Eighteen james Uses elijah as an example of prayer's. Power
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: elijah was a human, being even as we. Are he
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 1: prayed earnestly that it would not reign and it did
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 1: not reign on the land for three and a half. Years,
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 1: again he, prayed and the heavens gave, rain and the
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 1: earth produced its. Crops to drive home his point about,
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 1: Prayer james highlights the Prophet, elijah one of the great
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: figures of The Old. Testament the story he refers to
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: is found In First kings seventeen, eighteen Where elijah prayed
• 1:20:10
  Speaker 1: for a drought as a judgment On israel for its,
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 1: idolatry and later prayed for rain to. Return what's most
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 1: striking Is james's Emphasis elijah was a human, being even
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 1: as we. Are despite being a great prophet who worked mighty,
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: Miracles elijah was an ordinary person with the same weaknesses
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 1: and limitations we. Experience he wasn't some kind of spiritual.
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 1: Superhuman he was someone, who like, us at, times felt, fear,
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: discouragement and. Doubt this means What elijah did we can do.
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: Too if his prayers were, powerful so Can oursby the
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 1: same faith he exercised is available to. Us the Same
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 1: god he served is The god we. Serve elijah prayed,
• 1:20:57
  Speaker 1: earnestly literally In hebrew trough, expression he prayed in, prayer
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: emphasizing the intensity and seriousness of his, petition and the
• 1:21:07
  Speaker 1: result was. Dramatic it didn't reign for three and a half,
• 1:21:11
  Speaker 1: years bringing a severe drought to the. Land when he prayed,
• 1:21:15
  Speaker 1: again rain returned in. Abundance this example highlights the extraordinary
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 1: power of, prayer but it also teaches us about the
• 1:21:23
  Speaker 1: responsibility that comes with. It prayer is not meant to
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: satisfy our, whims but to Fulfill god's. Purposes elijah prayed
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 1: according To god's will to Turn israel back to true.
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 1: Worship when we pray in alignment With god's will with
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 1: the same kind of faith and Fervor elijah, showed we
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: can see equally powerful. Results james closes his letter with
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: a note of hope and responsibility in verses nineteen and.
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 1: Twenty my brothers and, sisters if one of you should
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 1: wander from the, truth and someone should bring that person,
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: back remember, this whoever turns a sinner from the error
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: of their way will save them from death and cover
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: over a multitude of. Sins these final words Reveal james's pastoral.
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: Heart he acknowledges a sad but common. Reality sometimes people
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 1: who have known the truth drift away from, it perhaps
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 1: because of, temptation, doubt painful, experiences or simple. Negligence they
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 1: stray from the faith and From god's, Path But james
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 1: doesn't see this as a hopeless. Situation, instead he sees
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 1: an opportunity for other believers to. Act he encourages his
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 1: readers to pursue those who have wandered and help bring
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: them back to the right. Path the consequences of this
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: act of love are, profound will save them from, death
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: possibly referring to both spiritual and physical, death since sin
• 1:22:55
  Speaker 1: can lead to both and cover over a multitude of,
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 1: sins and expression that Echoes proverbs ten, twelve love covers all.
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: Wrongs this may imply that the love shown in restoring
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 1: someone covers the sins of both the one rescued and
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 1: the one who. Rescues it's significant That james ends his
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: letter this. Way after addressing so many practical themes, trials,
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 1: wisdom taming the, tongue, faith and, works, humility, prayer he
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: concludes with a call to care for one. Another this
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: shows that Ultimately christian faith is about, relationships our relationship
• 1:23:34
  Speaker 1: With god and our relationship with one, another and by
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 1: emphasizing mutual, responsibility the call to help those who stray
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: return to the. Path james reminds us of a foundational
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: principle of The christian. Community we're not in this journey.
• 1:23:52
  Speaker 1: Alone we are accountable not only for our own spiritual,
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: lives but also for helping our brothers and sisters walk With.
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 1: God this is a fitting conclusion to a letter that
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 1: has been so practical and. Direct james began by speaking
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 1: about how trials test and strengthen our faith and ends
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 1: by reminding us that some may falter under those. Trials
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 1: when that, happens we have the responsibility to lovingly and
• 1:24:19
  Speaker 1: gently guide them. Back in this, Way james's letter comes full,
• 1:24:25
  Speaker 1: circle stressing from beginning to end that true faith is
• 1:24:29
  Speaker 1: shown in, action especially in how we treat, others and
• 1:24:33
  Speaker 1: the greatest act of love we can show is to
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: help someone find or find again the way back To.
• 1:24:39
  Speaker 1: God these final words Reveal james's pastoral. Heart he acknowledges
• 1:24:46
  Speaker 1: a sad yet common. Reality sometimes people who once knew
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 1: the truth drift away from. It may be because of
• 1:24:55
  Speaker 1: temptations or, doubts or painful, experiences or simply through. Neglect
• 1:25:00
  Speaker 1: they stray from the faith and From god's. Path But
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: james doesn't see this as a hopeless. Situation, instead he
• 1:25:07
  Speaker 1: sees it as an opportunity for other believers to step.
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 1: In he encourages his readers to seek out those who
• 1:25:14
  Speaker 1: have wandered and help guide them back to the right.
• 1:25:17
  Speaker 1: Path the consequences of this act of love are. Profound
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 1: it will save that person's, life possibly referring both to
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 1: spiritual and physical, life since sin can lead to death
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: in both, senses and will cover a multitude of, sins
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: an expression that Echoes proverbs ten. Twelve love covers all.
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 1: Sins this could mean that the love shown in bringing
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: some one back covers the sins of both the one
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: being restored and the one doing the. Restoring it's significant
• 1:25:51
  Speaker 1: That james ends his letter this. Way after addressing so
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 1: many important topics, trials, wisdom taming the, tongue, faith and, works, humility,
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 1: prayer he concludes with this call to care for one.
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: Another it shows that at its, core The christian faith
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: is about. Relationships our relationship With god and our relationship
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: with each. Other by emphasizing mutual responsibility helping those who
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: stray to, Return james is highlighting a foundational principle Of christian.
• 1:26:30
  Speaker 1: Community we're not on this journey. Alone we are responsible
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 1: not just for our own spiritual, lives but for supporting
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: our brothers and sisters in their walk With. God this
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 1: is a fitting note to end on in a letter
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 1: that has been so practical and. Direct james began by
• 1:26:49
  Speaker 1: speaking about how trials test and strengthen our, faith and
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 1: he ends by reminding us that sometimes faith can falter
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 1: under those. Trials when that, happens we have a responsibility
• 1:27:01
  Speaker 1: to lovingly and gently help guide others back to the.
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: Way in this, way the letter Of james comes full,
• 1:27:09
  Speaker 1: circle emphasizing from start to finish that true faith is
• 1:27:13
  Speaker 1: shown in, action especially in how we treat, others and
• 1:27:18
  Speaker 1: the greatest act of love we can offer someone is
• 1:27:21
  Speaker 1: to help them find or rediscover the path To. God