26 Apr
2026

Every Good and Perfect Gift

Passage: James 1:12-18

REFLECTION QUOTES

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 1:6

“God does not love us to the degree that we are like Christ. God loves us to the degree that we are in Christ. And that’s one hundred percent.”
— Rankin Wilbourne, Union with Christ 

SERMON OUTLINE

  1. What is our hope? 
  2. What are our hurdles?  
  3. How do we keep going? 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

When you face trials or something challenging, how do you typically respond? Are you more naturally a fight or flight person? More likely to complain or quit? How do your natural tendencies under trail compare with perseverance?

Read James 1:12-18. What does this passage show you about God’s character and about being his follower? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in this passage?

Our hope in persevering under trail is receiving the crown of life – eternal life with God. God has given us life in Christ (verse 18) and he has run the perfect race for us, so the crown of life is not for the flawless person, but the one who persists in following Jesus and receiving his great reward. Practically how do the promises of God, specifically here the crown of life, encourage you to persevere in the midst of hardship?

What temptations seem particularly enticing to you in this season of life? Who do you have in your life that can encourage you in Christ to resist this temptation? Who can you encourage in Christ in their temptation?

In what ways does seeing the outworking of sin leading to death (verse 15) help us resist temptation?

In the sermon, three suggestions were given for learning how to move through hurdles (not to avoid, but to keep moving through): know goodness (see wisdom pyramid from Brett McCracken), know yourself, know God. What has helped you to do each of these? Which of these three is one you’d like to grow stronger in? What hinders you in knowing goodness, yourself, and God?

In what ways does the description of God in verses 17-18 motivate and help you to resist temptation? How does it reassure you when you struggle or fail?

What from this passage and this discussion is something you want to put into practice or be more aware of this week or praise God for?

 

PRAYER

Share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2