James – Faith That Works – Part 6

Open with prayer

Get To Know You (10 Minutes)

• How many times have you moved? What is an unexpected blessing that has come from a move?

Observation & Discussion (30 Minutes)

Read these passages together.

James 5: 7-10 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is… patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 Timothy 1:16 I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience

1. Share a time that you needed patience in a situation or realized you were not as patient as you thought. What was the outcome?

2. What do we learn about patience from the passage above?

3 The end of this passage refers to the prophets as an example of patience in the face of suffering. We all have different ways of facing suffering. How do you tend to respond to hardship or suffering in your life?

4. How have you grown or changed through suffering?

Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

5. The kingdom of God is about proximity. How has God been near to you in your pain?

Next Step (10 Minutes)

James 5:12 – The Lord is full of compassion and mercy

• As you think about God’s patience, your pain and the proximity of the Lord, how can you apply some of the principles from the sermon and scripture above to your current circumstances?

Prayer Requests (5 Minutes)

Pray with your group to close.

Challenge

Read the book of James (weekly). It’ll take 15 minutes to read the entire letter.