September 17-19, 2021
Teacher: Jason Burgess
Ridgecrest Campus Map | Schedule | Take Notes
Study of James
Session 1 – Saturday AM
Individual Reflection Time
Confession
Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being, we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive. We love our friends and hate our enemies. We go the first mile but dare not travel the second. We forgive but dare not forget.
And so as we look within ourselves, we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against you.
But thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will. Give us the devotion to love your will.
In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
Martin Luther
Personal Reflection
Psalm 32
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Is there any deep, hidden sin you need to bring to light? Now is the time. Don’t let it continue to take you places you don’t want to go.
Small Group – Session 1
James 1:18-21, 4:7-10
What is your identity? How has getting this wrong affected you in the past?
Have you found these 3 directives in v19 interrelated in your own experience?
What is the root problem when we are angry?
What is the problem with anger of man in v20?
What does it mean to receive the word humbly? How does that look in your life (be specific?)
How can the steps of 4:7-8 be lived out?
Session 2
Saturday PM
Individual Reflection Time
Pray Psalm 19. Spend extra time reflecting on v14.
Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Personal Reflection
Think of a time when your words have not been Christ-honoring and hurtful to others. What was going on in your heart that caused you to say those words? Confess if you have not yet done so, and ask God to deal with you and your heart.
Is there a pattern in your words that needs to change?
How are you involved in the mission of God as we described?
Can changes be made so that your involvement can be more effective?
Are you using the gifts you have been given?
Small Group – Session 2
James 3:1-12
If our words need redeeming, how does change happen? James 3:8
How does James describe our tongues in vv. 9-12?
How does what we’ve talked about motivate you for better use of your words?
What does it mean to be a doer of the word?
How are you involved in the mission of God both individually and corporately (being a doer of the word)?
What should our motivation be for being a doer of the word?
How does James describe faith without any doing?
Looking at you’re doing, how would you evaluate your faith?
Schedule
Saturday:
7:15-8:15 – Breakfast in Dining Room
9:00 – Session 1
10:30 – Breakout/small groups
11:15 – Free time
12:00-1:00 – Lunch, then free time
5:30-6:30 – Dinner
7:00 – Session 2
8:30 – Breakout/Small groups
9:00 – Free time
Sunday:
7:15-8:15 – Breakfast
8:30 – Clear out room for check out
9:00 – Session 3
11:00 – Head home
Take Notes On Your Phone
You can access this study guide in Google Docs at this link.
- Access the link; you may need to login with a Google account, and download the Google Docs app
- When you can see the document, use “Share & Export” then “Make a Copy” to create a personal copy of the guide within your Google Docs account
- Then you can edit your personal copy in google docs
- Have questions? Ask Matt Keathley.
