Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful?
    
2. Read Psalm 2:3. Does God really keep the nations enslaved in bonds and cords? Is this portrayal of the Lord and His Anointed accurate? Why or why not?
    
3. Read 2 Samuel 7:12-17. How does this passage inform your understanding of Psalm 2 and the role of the Anointed Son?
    
4. What does Psalm 2 reveal about where the Psalmist found hope (refuge) in a raging world? How do you respond when the nations rage and the peoples plot around you?
    
5. Read Joshua 24:14 and Psalm 55:5. How do these verses inform your understanding and application of what it means for you to “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling?” (Psalm 2:11)
    
6. Take time to praise Jesus as the Anointed King over all the nations, and to pray for one another in your community group.

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful?
    
2. Read James 5:13-20. Notice James’ emphasis on prayer and confession. Do you ever confess of your sins? In what ways could it be improved?
    
3. Before studying this passage, what statement did you most agree with: sickness is always the result of personal sin, sickness is never the result of personal sin, or sickness is sometimes the result of personal sin? What statement do you agree with now, and why? And how might James 5:15; 1 Cor. 11:30; and John 9:1–3 factor into your thinking?
    
4. How do you usually respond if someone “falls off the radar” due to sin and stops gathering with our church? Read James 5:19–20; how should this passage inform your actions if people do this?
    
5. If someone asks you to pray for them to be healed, is it ever appropriate in light of James 5:16 to ask that person if there might be any unconfessed sin in their life that is contributing to their physical sickness? If you asked for prayer for healing and someone asked you this question, how would you respond? How should you respond?
    
6. As we conclude our study in James, take time to review the book and discuss what truths have been most impactful for you. Read Romans 12:9-13 and note themes in James that are echoed in Romans.
    
7. Take time to pray for one another in your community group.

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful?
    
2. Read James 5:7-12. What examples of patience does James give? What reasons does James give for being patient?
    
3. In what circumstances do you find it most difficult to be patient? What examples in Scripture can be a reminder and encouragement to you during those times?
    
4. Aside from exterior circumstances, what are some desires, motivations, or mindsets that might foster an attitude of impatience? How can we be on guard against such an attitude? (See 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
    
5. Read Matthew 5:33-37 and 12:36-37. How do these two passages contribute to a right understanding and application of James 5:12? Consider whether you are someone who is known to follow through on what they say, or if you find yourself having to convince others that you mean what you say.
    
6. Discuss how your community group can help each other cultivate greater patience in light of the Lord’s return.

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful?
    
2. Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10. What is the focus of Hannah’s prayer? What themes do you see throughout her prayer?
    
3. Hannah endured mocking and sorrow “year by year” (1:7) because “The Lord had closed her womb” (1:5–6). And yet, God did this to bring Hannah to a place of exulting in Him. How have you seen God’s sovereignty over your suffering, and how has God used your pain to bring you closer to him (Rom 8:28)?
    
4. What attributes or characteristics of the Lord does Hannah mention in her prayer? Which attributes of the Lord are most meaningful to you? 
    
5. What are some ways that this passage is similar to what we’ve been reading in James over the past several weeks? (See James 1:9-11, 4:6-10, 4:13-16, etc.)
    
6. Take time to pray in your community group, praising God for who He is by focusing on His specific attributes.

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful? 
    
2. Read James 5:1-6. What sinful ways did these particular rich people use their wealth? How does this compare to how you use your wealth?
    
3. In what ways might you be like the rich people in this passage? In what ways might you be like the oppressed? 
    
4. What truths in James 5:1-6 can be an encouragment to you if you are being oppressed, or treated unfairly?
    
5. What does James 5:2-3 reveal to us about the nature of earthly riches? What are some ways you have seen earthly riches fail someone or do them harm?
    
6. What does James 5:4 reveal to us about the nature of God?

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful? 
    
2. Read James 4:13-17. What are some ways people might misapply this text?
    
3. How might James 4:14 affect the way you view your life, your goals, your accomplishments?
    
4. James 4:15 reminds us that God is sovereign over our lives. How should this knowledge influence our prayers for our church, our own lives, and the lives of our unsaved friends?
    
5. James tells us in 4:15 that we ought to have a mindset of “If the Lord wills” before declaring future plans. How might saying this out loud benefit you and those around you? Who could you ask to help you grow in this area? 
    
6. Read James 4:17. What is a truth that you have learned from James over the past several weeks? How can you put it into practice and do “the right thing”?

Discussion Questions

1. 1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful? 
    
2. What are the differences James 3:13-18 points out between wisdom that comes from above and “wisdom” that does not?
    
3. Some of the people James was writing to were self-deceived into thinking they were wise when in fact they were not. How can believers avoid being self-deceived into thinking we’re something we’re not? What role does your community group and church body have in helping to avoid self-deception?
    
4. What do 1 Corinthians 1:30 and Colossians 2:2-3 tell us is necessary for being “wise and understanding”?
    
5. Compare the values in James 3:17 with the things that our culture values. In what ways are the world’s values similar? In what ways are they opposed?

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful? 
    
2. Do you find it easier to honor God with your speech in conversations with Christians or with non-Christians? Who or what do your conversations tend to focus on in each of those situations (yourself, others, God, entertainment, etc.)?
    
3. How have you seen the destructive power of the tongue impact your own life or the lives of others?
    
4. When have you witnessed or experience the power of words in building someone up?
    
5. How do the words you use reveal what is in your heart?
    
6. When do you find it most difficult to control your tongue? What can you do to find victory over temptation in such situations? What are some ways you can prepare for such situations ahead of time by giving the Holy Spirit control over your speech?

Discussion Questions

1. What is one truth or “take-away” from the sermon that you found particularly challenging/convicting/helpful? 
    
2. After studying James, what is genuine, saving faith based upon? What then does it lead to?
    
3. Does this text challenge your thinking of your personal salvation? Based on the fruit shown through life, would you say you have genuine, soul-saving faith?
    
4. How does the idea that even demons “believe” challenge our ideas of salvation?
    
5. How can you grow in your good works this week? Is there an area of your life that the Lord is asking you, or providing an opportunity for you, to grow in, like He gave Abraham? Is there perhaps a way your community group, as a whole, could serve together and grow in good works together?
    
6. Are there areas in your life that your behavior may not match your faith? How could a person evaluate this?