“When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”
Mark 3:21 (NIV)

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
Luke 24:1-3 (NIV)

Because of the resurrection we can…

1. Experience new life.

“While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!
Luke 24:4-6 (NIV)

1. Experience new peace.

“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.  But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”  Luke 24:9-11 (NIV)

“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
Luke 24:36-39 (NIV)

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions.”
James 2:14 (NLT)

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
James 3:13 (NIV)

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)

Wisdom that works…

1. Builds on a solid foundation.
   

1. Plans for the storms.

1. Helps others rebuild.

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?”

James 2:14 (NIV)

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”
James 4:13-16 (NIV)

James shows us that…

1. Life is unpredictable.

1. Life is short.

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

James 4:17 (NIV)

• Live to know God.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

• Live for the future embrace.

“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NIV)

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works?  Can this kind of faith save him?”

James 2:14 (NET)

To endure a crisis,

1. Think long.

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.  You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” 
James 5:7-8 (NLT)

1. Pray hard.

“Are any of you suffering hardships?  You should pray.  Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.  Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.  Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.  And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

James 5:13-15 (NLT)

“Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.”

 James 5:17-18 (NLT)

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works?  Can this kind of faith save him?”

James 2:14 (NET)

“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NET)

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Real faith impacts how I...

1. Treat people.

“My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?  For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.  If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’ – well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?”
James 2:1-4 (NLT)

1. Use things.

“Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’ - but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

James 2:15-17 (NLT)

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?”

James 2:14 (NIV)

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:22 (NIV)

To be Blessed,

1. Hear the Word.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

James 1:19-21 (NIV)

1. Remember the Word.

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

James 1:23-24 (NIV)

1. Obey the Word.

“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

James 1:25 (NIV)

What: What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?

What: What does this passage say about life or faith?

Why: Why did God put this in the Bible?

How: How can I put this truth into practice?

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?”

James 2:14 (NLT)

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…”

James 1:1-2 (NIV)

Finding Joy in Trials:

1. Remember there is a purpose.

“...because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:3-4 (NIV)

1. Trust God with the process.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

James 1:5-7 (NIV)

1. Hold on to the promise.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12 (NIV)

“I wish all of you were single like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift, and another has that one.”

1 Corinthians 7:7 (NIVR)

Singleness is a gift when...

1. You embrace it.

“Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.”

1 Corinthians 7:25-28 (NIV)

1. You leverage it.

“What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short...”

1 Corinthians 7:29 (NIV)

“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs - how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can please his wife - and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world - how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (NIV)

1. You protect it.

“If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.”

1 Corinthians 7:36-37 (NIV)

Fight Facts:

1. All couples fight.

1. Healthy couples fight for resolution, not to win.

Fight Rules:

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart."

 “When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, ‘How the kind of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’”

 "David said to Michal, ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.’"

"And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”

2 Samuel 6:14-16; 20; 21-23 (NIV)

Fighting Fair:

1. Remember who the real enemy is.

“Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world.”

Ephesians 6:12 (NIRV)

1. No low blows.

“Making up with a friend you have offended is harder than breaking through a city wall.”

Proverbs 18:19 (CEV)

1. Take 100% responsibility for your half.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for one another.”

James 5:16 (NIV)

1. Extend lots of mercy and grace.

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

“The Lord said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”

Genesis 2:18 (NIV)

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and they will be united to his wife and they will become one flesh.”

Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

3 commitments happy couples make:

1. Marriage is about we; not me – so I will put you first.

“Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:2-4 (NIV)

1. Gratitude goes a long way – so I will be more thankful.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 (NASB)

1. We’re in it to win it – so I will not give up.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)