james, 1 & 2 peter contents acknowledgments...3 spring 2016 calendar...4 guidelines for discussion...5 how to use this study...6 discovering God s word...7 james chart...10 lesson one pure joy...11 lesson two faith lived out...18 lesson three the tongue...25 lesson four humble before God...32 lesson five prayers of the righteous...39 1 peter chart...46 lesson six be holy...47 lesson seven holy living...55 lesson eight unjust suffering...62 lesson nine a shepherd s care...70 2 peter chart...77 lesson ten challenge to grow...78 lesson eleven threat to growth...86 lesson twelve goal of growth...94 appendix A: memory verses...104 appendix B: prayer...106 appendix C: the good news of Christ s offer of salvation...107 appendix D: the background of 2 peter...109 appendix E: gnosticism...111 4801 legendary drive, frisco, texas 75034 www.stonebriar.org 469.252.5200
acknowledgments This study is designed around the principles of inductive Bible study observation, interpretation, and application. Your private preparation around the questions will be the most valuable portion of your work. As Dr. Howard Hendricks said, There is no jewel more precious than that which you have mined yourself. Your small group time provides an opportunity to explore, learn, and connect with other women. The lecture portion of our session wraps up the week s lesson with the aim of personal encouragement and specific application. The lessons in this study were written by Mary Dean, Lida Lindley, Mondrell Oz, Melissa Renner, Vanessa van Dyck, Roxanna Whitfield, and Marie Woods. Special thanks to Laurna Berg for her contribution of the word studies, the book charts, appendices, and Discovering God s Word for Yourself, and to Kay Daigle for her How to Use This Study suggestions. We gratefully acknowledge our Communications team of Sandi Garrett, Amy Hyles, Susan Jacobson, Patricia Krecklow, and Michelle Sweeten who designed our cover and faithfully provided the final proofreading, editing, and formatting for our Bible study. 3
james, 1 & 2 peter spring 2016 calendar Date Lesson January 13...introduction January 20...one: pure joy January 27...two: faith lived out February 3...three: the tongue February 10...fellowship week February 17...four: humble before God February 24...five: prayers of the righteous March 2...six: be holy March 9...spring break March 16...seven: holy living March 23...eight: unjust suffering March 30...nine: a shepherd s care April 6...ten: challenge to grow April 13...eleven: threat to growth April 20...twelve: goal of growth April 27...fellowship celebration 4
guidelines for discussion Please be prompt. In order to have enough time to cover the lesson and share with one another, we need to begin on time. Please be sensitive to the length and frequency of your participation so we have time for everyone to join in. Visitors are welcome! If you have a friend you would like to invite, please bring her along. We want to grow in the knowledge of the Lord together by discerning truth from the Bible. ce women in our groups are coming from varied backgrounds, please refrain from referring to any particular denominations, religious groups, or religious leaders. Preparation will enhance the discussions and accelerate spiritual growth, so please complete the questions for each lesson. The leadership team will be praying for you. If you have individual needs and prayer requests, please fill out a Prayer Request Form and give it to your discussion leader. Out of respect for one another, please keep everything shared within your group confidential. In the interest of protecting our discussion group time from interruptions, please turn off all electronic items (cell phones, pagers, etc.). Please do not talk about politics or use the class for sales purposes. 5
how to use this study Come With an Attitude of Prayer We can understand spiritual truth only as God reveals it to us. If your desire is to have the Holy Spirit show you the truths and applications in these Scriptures, go to God each day and ask Him to illumine your mind and open your heart to His message. Study Daily This study is designed to lead you personally to the Word of God so that your life is transformed. Each lesson is divided into five days of study, so that daily time with God becomes your habit and you will be available for the Lord to speak to you each day. You have five days of work and one day of class each week, totaling six days. Do not hurry through the lesson, but allow the Holy Spirit to move in your heart. Use Only the Scripture to Answer the Questions As you work through this study, use only the Scripture itself to answer the questions, unless the lesson instructs you to use outside sources. If available, use one of the literal translations (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB) instead of a paraphrased Bible (such as The Living Bible). A paraphrase is someone else s interpretation. Give God time to teach you instead of running to other people for your answers. There is nothing more exciting than seeing it for yourself! When you come to class, you will have opportunities to learn more from your small group and from the lectures. Special Types of Questions Sharing Questions are designed to help you consider how the truth applies to you, specifically. It will be your choice whether to share your answers with your group. Digging Deeper Questions are optional because they are designed for those who wish to take more time and really dig into the Scriptures. Your group will not discuss these, but feel free to share your insights if time allows. Personal Response to God Questions ask you to respond to the lesson. Often, you write a prayer. You will never have to read your answers to these questions. Memory Verse is a focus on a verse, or part of one, from our lesson each week. Look at the verse early in the week and memorize it so that God can use it in a personal way. Word Boxes are selected words from each lesson that paint a word picture of a key concept and are followed by a specific personal application. The Word of God is beautiful, delightful, desirable, and profitable, and the time you devote toward studying the Word of God will profit you eternally (Psalm 119). The Word Boxes contain information obtained from Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and from Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary. 6
discovering God s word an introduction to inductive Bible study methods Why use the inductive method of Bible study? As you use this thorough method of study, you will discover God s truth yourself, without leaning on the opinions and commentary of others. This sense of personal discovery develops your confidence in understanding God s message of love to you. You will experience the joy of seeing your own observations affirmed when you then read the commentaries of others. Inductive Bible study begins by carefully examining the biblical text. The first step, observation, is the key to all the others. Accurate observation leads to correct interpretation and provides the foundation for personal application. Always begin with prayer for the Lord to open your eyes and illumine His truth in your heart and mind through His Spirit. God provides each believer with a personal teacher in the Person of the Holy Spirit who enlightens our minds. The discussion below takes you through each of the three steps in the inductive study process: observation, interpretation, and application. Enjoy! 1. observation what does it say? Accurate observation requires spending time reading the text in order to determine exactly what it is saying. It is often helpful to read the passage in several English translations. Methods of enhancing observation include the following: Answering questions such as: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Identifying information about the author and recipients: Who are they? What are their circumstances? What are their concerns? Examining the immediate context: Read the passages preceding and following the text Identify the key words or phrases Identify lists Note comparisons, contrasts, and conclusions Note time expressions Identify instructions or commands Outline or structure the text Identify why the author is writing (examine the author s purpose) Identify the main theme of the book or passage 7
2. interpretation what does it mean? Once you have carefully observed a passage accurate observation is foundational to interpretation you can move to the next step: interpretation. One effective way to discover the meaning of a passage is by examining key words and consulting related cross references. In this study, personal enrichment studies of key words and cross references are included for each lesson. By using a dictionary, a concordance, and other tools, you will gain a greater understanding of the author s intent and the message of the passage. Word Studies Examine the meaning of the word. Simple word studies can be performed by consulting an English dictionary to clarify terms. More advanced word studies can be performed by consulting an exhaustive concordance (for example, Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible). The concordance will provide the English transliteration of the original Greek or Hebrew word, the definition, and an exhaustive listing of each use of the word in the Bible. Finally, an expository dictionary (for example, Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary) may be consulted for a more complete definition. A Word Study Example: Anger ( wrath, James 1:19, KJV) Anger is used in James 1:19, but it is translated wrath in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Most concordances are keyed to the KJV. Strong s (3709) orge (or gay ) desire, reaching forth, violent passion, punishment, anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath. Strong s provides the Greek word, its pronunciation, the definition, and a list of every location where it is used in the Bible. Vine s natural impulse or disposition to anger, vengeance, wrath. Vine s also contrasts orge (settled abiding condition of the mind, less active but longer lasting) with thumes (agitated outburst, quickly blazes up and quickly subsides). Vine s provides an expanded definition. In this example, Vine s additionally contrasts two different Greek words for anger. Cross References Consult other Bible passages where the word or concept occurs. Basic cross references often are listed in the page margin or in the concordance in the back of the Bible. An exhaustive list of cross references is included in Strong s Exhaustive Concordance. For example: Other references using anger ( wrath, KJV) include Ephesians 4:26; Galatians 5:20; Proverbs 16:32; Ecclesiastes 7:9. 8
3. application what does it mean to me? Having observed and interpreted the text, the final step is to specifically apply the Word to your personal life in order to reflect the Lord (Romans 12:1 2). Ask yourself if the passage has one of these: A command to obey A principle to apply A warning to heed An illustration to consider A consequence to avoid Tools that enhance application include these: Prayerful evaluation of the text Identification of specific principles, commands, instructions, or illustrations Memorization of verses (Psalm 119:11) The questions in this study are designed for group discussion and cover each of the inductive Bible study steps: observation, interpretation, and application. 9
Author James, bondservant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:1); Jesus younger half-brother (Matthew 13:55) Date Written AD 45 49 Key Verses 1:2 12, 22; 2:22, 26; 5:16 Trials Temptations The Word james: true faith works james chart Faith & Love Faith & Works The Tongue True Wisdom Worldliness & Conflict Worldliness & Boasting Wealth Prayer 1:1 1:13 1:19 2:1 2:14 3:1 3:13 4:1 4:11 5:1 5:13 5:20 Faith is tested by Trials Love God! Lust Crown of Life! Faith is proven by Works Love Others! Partiality Heirs of Kingdom! Faith speaks in Wisdom Commands Speak Carefully! Consequences Selfishness Promises Fruitfulness! Faith submits to God Be Humble! Disobedience Exaltation! Faith Prays Patiently Be Patient! Criticism Blessed! Key Words Faith (16x) Works (18x) Perfect/Mature (14x) Trial/Temptation (6x) Brethren (15x) Endurance Do/Doers Judge/Judgment (14x) Tongue/Say (16x) Blessed (5x) Pray/Prayer (7x) Wise/Wisdom (5x) World (5x) Salvation/Save (5x) 54 Commands! >40 OT Allusions Chart and information prepared by Laurna Berg 10