JAMES 1: 16-18// Good gifts from a loving Father

What is God like? How would you describe His character? Why?

 ***This bible study will focus on a certain aspect of God’s character and why that trait would be important for the people who received James’ letter—and to you!

*   INTRODUCING THE FATHER OF LIGHTS

Review:

You learned that

·        …trials are EXPECTED. Everybody will experience them in life.

·        …when (not if!) you face a trial, God will give you the STRENGTH you need to endure that trial.

·        …when you ask for wisdom, you need to BELIEVE that God will provide for you.

·        …you will receive a CROWN OF LIFE for enduring through trials.

·        …ENDURANCE—sticking with a life of faith in Jesus Christ—is worth it.

·        …trials and temptations, the source of both, and how one can lead to the other.

This study will wrap up the focus on trials and the Christian life.

Read JAMES 1:16-18 – now what do these verses say about the character of God, use these verses to make your cloud.

JAMES 1:16-18

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

*   GOD AS GOOD

o God is the generous Giver of perfect gifts.

o God’s gifts are good because He is good.

^{Psalm 119: 68} You are good, and what you do is good;
    teach me your decrees.

o What exactly does the fact that God is good and generous have to do with trials and temptations?

§ A good God doesn’t bring temptation. (v.13-15)

^{James 1: 13} When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

If a situation involves a temptation to do something wrong, it’s not from God. Ever. God will never contradict His character (He is holy) or His Word (God is not the author of temptation).

Ask yourself, Will this lead to sin?, if you’re not sure what to do in a situation. If it would lead to disobeying God, then you know it’s not from God.

§ The fact that God is good matters when you are in the fires of a trial.
When you’re in the middle of a nasty trial, you will be tempted to question God’s goodness –“If God was good, He wouldn’t do this to me.” Or, “If God really loved me, then this wouldn’t be happening.” Or the classic, “If God is good, then why does bad stuff happen?”

Never allow your circumstances to define the character of God. Situations change. God’s character does not.

What trials are you facing? How can the fact that God is good, even when the situations of your emotions don’t seem to show God’s goodness, help you in the middle of that trial?

*   GOD AS UNCHANGING

o God is constant, consistent, and dependable.

o God is the Father of lights – sun, moon, stars, and other stellar bodies up in the sky. He is the “creator, preserver, governor of all men and things, watching over them with paternal love and care.”

o God is the Creator of everything but He doesn’t change like the things He created.

o Everything is in a constant state of change… except God. (The only permanent thing in this world is change.)

o “There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle” (v. 17, The Message)

Why would it matter to people going through trials that God is constant and consistent?

What difference does God’s unchanging presence make in your life? Why does it matter?

*   GOD AS MERCIFUL

o God is merciful and gracious.

verse 18: Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

o God chose us; He gave us a new birth through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

o We don’t deserve forgiveness, but He offers it.

o We don’t deserve eternal life with Him, but He made it possible. He chose to give it to us.

Why does the mercy and grace of God matter to people who are in the midst of a trial?

Because of God’s grace and mercy, we have access to God.

^{Romans 8: 38} For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^{Romans 8: 28} And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

You are never alone—and your trial is not useless. Jesus meant it when He said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

*   ONE MORE THOUGHT

The last character trait of God from these verses is actually in verse 16. What is it?

verse 16: Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

Yes, James loved the church at Jerusalem—but more importantly, those people were dearly loved by God.

GOD IS LOVING.

o God loves furiously and without condition—even when one rebels against Him in huge ways.

o God yearns for a relationship with you. (Jeremiah 31:18-20)

¹⁸“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
¹⁹ After I strayed,
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
²⁰ Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion for him,”
declares the Lord.

You are the apple of His eye, the object of His holy affection, the one for whom He was willing to die.

You may be reading this in disbelief. No one has ever loved you unconditionally. In fact, you may have been the object of fierce violation of others through abuse or betrayal of some sort. The idea that love could be real and true, pure and holy, good and free, and perfect and healing is just beyond your realm of possibility. But there is a God who loves you—purely, freely, perfectly. His love is real. It is good, and it heals. His love is the one thing you can count on in this life and in the next. No matter what you have done—or what has been done to you—you can fall safely into the arms of a God who promises that you can rest securely in Him (Deuteronomy 33:12 “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders. ”). Having a safe, secure place to fall makes all the difference in the world. And it can make all the difference in your heart. Thank you, God!