David Henneke's Podcast

James 5:13-20
James has had a great deal to say about the tongue, and this chapter is no exception. He mentioned some of the lowest uses of the tongue: complaining (vs. 9) and swearing (vs. 12), but he also named some of the highest uses of the tongue: proclaiming God’s Word (vs. 10) and praying and praising God (vs. 13). Prayer is certainly a high and holy privilege. Just think, as God’s Children, we can come freely & boldly to His throne and share with Him our needs. Seven times in this section James mentioned prayer. The mature Believer is PRAYERFUL in the troubles of life. “Taking it to the Lord in prayer” is certainly a mark of spiritual maturity.

James 5:8-12

James 5:1-6
James never said it was a sin to be rich. After all, Abraham was a wealthy man, yet he walked with God and was greatly used by God to bless the whole world. James was concerned about the selfishness of the rich. What James condemned was the wrong use of wealth, James condemned the ones who use their wealth as a weapon and not as a tool with which to build up the Kingdom of God. May we all realize that what we have is because of who He is. We have been blessed….so now let’s be a blessing to those that are in need.

James 4:13-17
In this final section of Chapter 4, James addresses three sins that we need to guard ourselves against: I. Sin of Presumption (making plans without including God in the planning process), II. Sin of Boasting (to brag or boast about our life and accomplishments) and III.  Sin of Omission (failure to do what the Lord instructs us to do).

James 4:11-12

James is not afraid to call sin by its name and condemn it strongly. Neither should we be afraid to stand for the truth even if we are condemned as being narrow-minded. However, such speaking out against sin must be made in love. When we speak out about sin in our brothers and neighbors our goal should be to move them to repentance, not to make us feel superior to them. James is going to unpack all of this in this section.

James 4:5-10

Will you humble yourselves before the Lord today? Notice that we are not to wait passively for this to somehow happen, we are not to wait for someone else to humble us neither are we are not to wait for the circumstances of life to do it. Rather, self-humbling is our Christian duty. We must take inventory of our sinfulness and weakness. When we do, we must bow in total submission to God. Will you give Him your life…..your dreams…..your future…..your everything? If so, GET READY because He will pour on His grace, grace upon grace, and He will lift you up.

James 4:1-4
Many Christians, pursue their pleasures and desperately chase after the wrong things, things that are clearly hostile to God. Any person who is a friend of this world stands against Go because they stand against all that God is. An IMPURE person is an enemy of God’s PURITY.  An UNHOLY person is an enemy of God’s HOLINESS.  A DECEPTIVE person is an enemy of God’s TRUTHFULNESS. A GREEDY person is an enemy of God’s CHARACTER that GIVES generously & sacrificially. James’ writing suggests several penetrating questions. Are you better friends with the world or with God? What are you pursuing….your personal desire or the will of God? Are you a FRIEND of God or are you His enemy? How would God answer these questions?

James 3:13-18
The Kind of wisdom a person possesses will be revealed by how they live their lives. Those who possess Wisdom of MAN will demonstrate by their actions that they have NO saving relationship with Jesus. They have NO desire to WORSHIP Him FULLY, to SERVE Him FAITHFULLY, to FOLLOW Him CONSISTENTLY and/or to OBEY Him COMPLETELY. Those who are Children of God will possess the Wisdom of God. That Wisdom will manifest itself in their lives

James 3:1-12
James’ description of the evils of the tongue seems relentlessly gloomy. The small tongue controls the whole person. It is a fire from hell. Unlike nature, it is inconsistent. It cannot be tamed. If all this is true, why should we even try to control the tongue? The answer is found in a brief phrase in 3:8, “No human can tame the tongue.” No man can, but God can. If the tongue is set on fire by hell, Take comfort in knowing that there is One who is greater than hell. One who has triumphed over satan. God alone has the power to subdue the unruly tongue if we will genuinely trust in Him.

James 2:14-26
One of the greatest tragedies of the church today is that it is often filled with those who profess Christ and yet live nothing for Him. Millions of people profess faith in Christ and yet they do not live for Him. They live for the world and themselves. The only difference between their lives and the lives of unbelievers is that they sometimes get up on Sunday mornings and attend church. Scripture is clear…If you claim to have faith….and there is no evidence of it in your life….then your claim is false…you’re a dead corpse with a dead Faith.