SERMON SCREENSHOTS & KEY POINTS

• James 1:17-18

The Word gives us a capacity to hear.

• Ephesians 2:1-9
• 1 Peter 1:3-6
• James 1:21

The Word is implanted in us.

“You seek to kill me because my Word finds no place in you (John 8:37).”

• James 1:22-25

Truly hearing the Word leads us to do the Word.

True freedom isn’t doing what you want when you want, how you want. True freedom is being and doing what you were created to be and do.

• James 1:26-27

*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.

• Read James 1:17-27
• One of the implicit warnings that James offers is that those who are merely hearers and not also doers deceive themselves. In short, James is speaking about the contrast between show and substance, between the mere verbal articulation of belief versus a genuine belief that shapes the whole of our lives. How is this self-deception dangerous, especially in the cultural Christianity which serves as the norm for so many?
• Read 1 John 2:1-6. John, there, also speaks of the need to emulate Christ in the activity of our lives, not simply in the words that we speak. If someone were to ask the question; “Don’t these passages (James 1:22-25 and 1 John 2:1-6) seem to be advocating for a works-based faith in which salvation is earned” how would you respond? Where else might you take them in Scripture to challenge that notion?
• The image of the individuals who look in the mirror emphasizes the importance of remembering (and doing) the word. Read Psalm 1 and consider how David’s statement that the man who meditates on the law of the Lord will be blessed corresponds to James’ commendation of one who looks into the perfect law and perseveres as a doer and not simply a hearer. What are some specific ways the Lord is currently inviting you to become a doer, rather than only a hearer, of the word?
• What might James mean when he states that a refusal to “bridle” one’s tongue reveals that their “religion is worthless?” What role does self-deception play in this discrepancy that James describes between the faith we proclaim versus the reality of our actions?
• Read Isaiah 1:10-17. What does this text say about the Lord’s posture toward those who are destitute? In contrast, what is the Lord’s posture toward those who go through the motions of religiosity but neglect to care for the destitute?
• Consider James 1:27 in light of what you just read in Isaiah 1. How might James’s exhortation to care for the orphans and widows translate into your everyday life? Who has God placed in your circle of accountability so that you might offer them sacrificial, intentional care?