JAMES
The writer of this epistle was not James the son of Zebedee; for he was put to death by Herod before Christianity had gained so much ground among the Jews of the dispersion as is here implied.
Acts 12:1-2 (KJV), “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.”
But it was the other James, the son of Alpheus, who was cousin-german (first cousin) to Christ, and one of the twelve apostles.
Matthew 10:3 (KJV), “Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.”
He is called a pillar, and this epistle of his cannot be disputed, without loosening a foundation-stone.
Galatians 2:9 (KJV), “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.”
James 1
The continuous use of Bondservant
James 1:1 (KJV), “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
Strong’s Concordance (1401) – doulos: a slave. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – 1. a slave, bondman, man of servile condition; b. metaphorically, α. one who gives himself up wholly to another’s will; are those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men: used of apostles.
The testing of your faith produces patience
James 1:2-3 (KJV), “2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
Paul states the same thing when he was released from prison
Acts 5:41 (KJV), “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”
It must be noted (from Paul to the church in Rome)
Romans 5:3-5 (KJV), “3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Can we just ask God for faith and expect to receive it?
James 1:5-6 (KJV), “5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
But you must ask it in faith knowing the God will give it to you
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Unequivocal faith in God
James 1:7-8 (KJV), “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
But even before that…
Proverbs 9:10 (KJV), “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous.
Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV), “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
The Perspective of Rich and Poor
James 1:9-10 (KJV), “9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.”
“But the rich…”
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – a. properly, wealthy, abounding in material resources.
No matter what your wealth is, it will all pass away
James 1:11 (KJV), “For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.”
Only the enemy can bring temptation to you but, at the same time, God will only allow you to be tempted to what He knows you can handle, through Him.
James 1:13-15 (KJV), “13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
What does it mean to say, “GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE?”
No where in the scriptures does it actually say that. What it does say is…
1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV), “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Listen intently but think before you talk
James 1:19-20 (KJV), “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
Understanding and living out day to day God’s Word is not just listening to a weekly sermon, in person or on-line, but is, and should be, a way of life
James 1:22-24 (KJV), “22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
HEBREWS
Many have been considered to have penned this epistle; Clemens of Rome, Luke, and some Barnabas. But it is generally assigned to the apostle Paul; and some later copies and translations have put Paul’s name in the title. In the primitive times it was generally ascribed to him, and the style and scope of it very well agree with his spirit, who was a person of a clear head and a warm heart, whose main end and endeavor it was to exalt Christ. Some think that the apostle Peter refers to this epistle, and proves Paul to be the penman of it, by telling the Hebrews, to whom he wrote, of Paul’s having written to them.
2 Peter 3:15 (KJV), “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.”
Though Peter’s letters included Gentile and Jewish believers, even though Peter’s ministry was focused primarily on Jews.
We read of no other epistle that he ever wrote to them but this. And though it has been objected that, since Paul put his name to all his other epistles, he would not have omitted it here; yet others have well answered that he, being the apostle of the Gentiles, who were odious to the Jews, might think fit to conceal his name, lest their prejudices against him might hinder them from reading and weighing it as they ought to do
Hebrews 1
The Son of God is God and is above all which are in the worlds
Hebrews 1:8-10 (KJV), “8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.”
Jeremiah 5 The Justice of God’s Judgment
Proverbs 20 Read
Ezekiel 3
Ezekiel 3:1-3 (KJV), “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.”
Revelation 10:9 (KJV), “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”
Grow in the Word of the Lord 