JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING James 1:1 Leader s Guide

Transcription

1 JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING James 1:1 Leader s Guide Getting Started As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. If you had to tell a little bit about yourself to someone that you hadn t met or may not know really well, what would you say? What went into your decision to choose those specific facts? When people introduce themselves, they include the same basic bits of information: name, family members, occupation, education, and possibly an interesting fact about themselves. Today we start an 18-week journey through the New Testament letter of James. The introductory information in James is one of the shortest greetings in the New Testament letters, but we learn much about James and the purpose of this letter from what he did and did not include in his introduction. Let s dive in and look at some of the key facts and try and place ourselves in this letter moving forward. Discussion Have a volunteer read James 1:1. The Book of James is actually an epistle or letter. What purpose did this type of literature serve in the larger context of the Bible? What makes the type of letter James wrote different from the letters of Paul? What do you remember from this weekend s teaching about when this letter was written? Life Group Leader s Guide 1

2 When you thumb through the New Testament, it is divided by types of literature: gospels, history (Acts), the epistles of Paul, general epistles, then prophecy (Revelation). James falls into the category of general letters, which were given to the church as a whole as opposed to the more occasional letters that Paul wrote to various churches about specific issues they were to face. This is why Paul s letters were named after the recipients of the letter. James had a broader audience in mind. As best we can tell this letter was written in AD 49, but as with all New Testament letters, the contents apply to the whole church past, present, and future. Several people in the New Testament are named James. Which one wrote this letter? How do we know? Look at 1 Corinthians 15:7, then Acts 1:12-14 and 15: What other biographical information do we have about James from the rest of the New Testament? This letter was written by James the half-brother of Jesus (referred to in Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3, and Galatians 1:19). A number of New Testament personalities were named James, but only three are candidates for the authorship of this book. James the son of Zebedee died in A.D. 44, too early to have been the author. No tradition names James the son of Alphaeus (Mark 3:18) as the author. This leaves James the brother of Jesus, as the most likely candidate. In addition to being the brother of Jesus, James was a witness to the resurrection and a leader in the Jerusalem church. Reflect back to the first verse of this letter. Who was the letter s intended audience? Read Acts 8:1-4. Why were the recipients scattered? How does their situation relate to the status of the church around the world today? James s audience was scattered because they were persecuted. Members of the Jerusalem church were driven to different parts of the world because of increasing persecution from Saul and others. Today, Christians are persecuted all over the world for their faith in Jesus Christ. More and more, hardship and suffering press in on Christians at home and abroad. The Book of James is not a letter from the distant past with themes irrelevant to modern problems, but one that speaks to all of us where we are about a very common theme: how to live as a Christian. Would you say that Christians are more known for their talk or their walk? Which one speaks louder to a suspicious audience? Life Group Leader s Guide 2

3 One possible objection we might have reading a book like James is our tendency to ask the question, Who is he to tell me how to live? Read John 15:1-7. How did James s own experience give him the authority to speak these truths? A key take away from James is that if what we believe doesn t affect our lives, then something is wrong. A common accusation thrown at Christians is that they are hypocrites because they don t act out their beliefs. The advice James gives is meant to help us avoid this exact issue. Having spent his childhood with Jesus, James denied Him. As we read in 1 Corinthians 15:7, James saw his formerly dead brother, alive and well, and that changed everything about his life. He went from one who mocked Jesus to a servant of Jesus. James doesn t call himself the brother of Jesus in the opening (something that would have given him a great deal of authority and credibility). How does he refer to himself instead? What did James mean by this term? Read Exodus 21:2-6. What changed everything for James? What lengths did he go to show this change in his life? James went from being an embarrassed little brother to a leader in the church. The resurrection so profoundly changed James that he was willing to suffer beatings, derision, and death to tell everyone about Jesus. He was no longer a little brother but a servant one who gives his or her life in service to a master. Jesus changed everything for James. The last word in this section is greetings, a word that means be cheerful, rejoice, or be glad. If their situation was so bad, what did they have to be cheerful about? What are some reasons we can be cheerful even when following Jesus comes at a cost? Read Matthew 13:44. What makes following Jesus worth it? Do you believe the truth found in this verse? Jesus is our reason to rejoice. He is our Savior. Knowing Him is better than anything we could ever imagine. No matter what we face, we can do so with cheer and expectation because we know, as James knew, that Jesus is not dead. He is alive, and He speaks to us today through His Spirit and His Word. He will speak to us again as we study James over these next months. Life Group Leader s Guide 3

4 Application Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament because of all the practical advice James provides. Think about your life as a Christian right now. Where in your walk with the Lord do you need some practical advice that would help you live more faithfully? James is all about how closely your confessed faith aligns with your life. What role does a Life Group play in helping these two ideals line up? Ask your group the following question, and then give them a few minutes to consider their answers: Do you really and truly believe that in following Jesus, even if it costs you your life, you are getting the better end of the deal? PRAYER Praise God for this grace-filled and practical letter we will be studying over the coming months. Ask that He would use our time in James to change us, challenge us, and conform us into the image of Jesus. MEMORIZE James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. James 1:1 Life Group Leader s Guide 4

5 COMMENTARY AN OVERVIEW OF THE LETTER OF JAMES The author presented himself in 1:1 as James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This brief identification showed two facts about him. First, he was well-known. He introduced himself only with his first name, assuming that his readers could identify him. Second, he showed great humility. He wanted to be known only as a follower of Jesus. The most likely author of this letter from the numerous James in the New Testament is the Lord s brother (Mark 6:3; Acts 15:13). The letter contains several references showing possible influence by Jesus words on the author (cf. Jas. 4:11 and Matt. 7:1-2). The early church also accepted the Lord s half brother as the author of the writing. James was a younger half brother of Jesus and a child of Joseph and Mary. The book of James is a letter (an epistle), though only the greeting conforms to the ancient Greek form exemplified in Paul s letters, especially Galatians. Epistles were often used as a means of spurring the recipients to a change in behavior or belief based on the authoritative word and guidance of the sender. The content of James moves quickly from one subject to another. James quickly covers such subjects as trials, hearing God s Word, the tongue, and the right use of wealth. This rambling style resembles the approach of Proverbs in the Old Testament. James omits personal references, prayer requests, and travel plans. This may indicate that the letter was written to several Christian groups scattered over a large area. James made use of catchwords to move from one subject to another. Sometimes, no logical progression or transition is apparent. James s inspired purpose in writing is clear: Profession of faith in Christ must issue in Christian conduct marked by the highest ethical and moral standards. James stressed that genuine faith issues in good works on others behalf. Some believers were content to profess faith without putting it into action. James questioned the validity of that kind of faith. Although some of his teachings may seem contradictory to the teachings of Paul that stress justification by faith alone, James and Paul were not at odds but agreed: People are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by good works, although saved people perform good works. Life Group Leader s Guide 5