James: Faith That Works — 5-Week Sermon Series
Five Sundays through James — the most practical letter in the New Testament and the hardest one to preach without conviction.
Whole-church series; strong fit for a new year or a discipleship push
Download the full James (5 weeks) sermon pack
Every week's outline, big idea, KJV key verse, and application question — plus a one-page verse set for the worship team and note lines for your own preparation. 5 weeks · US Letter · no signup.
Share this pack with your pastor, small group leader, or worship team.
James writes like a man with no time for abstraction. Fifty-four imperatives in one hundred and eight verses. He is not arguing against Paul; he is arguing against a church that had learned the vocabulary of faith without the behaviour of it.
Five weeks, one theme per week, with outlines, key KJV verses, and application questions.
The arc of the series
Trials that mature, a word that must be obeyed, a tongue that must be governed, a world that must be resisted, a prayer that must be prayed.
Week-by-week outlines
Week 1: Count It All Joy
Trials are not interruptions of the Christian life; they are the workshop where patience is made.
Outline
- The purpose of trial (v. 2-4)
- Wisdom for the wavering (v. 5-8)
- The anatomy of temptation (v. 13-15)
Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
James 1:2-3 (KJV)
Application question: What trial are you asking God to remove that He may be using to build something?
Week 2: Doers of the Word
A hearer who never acts is a man staring into a mirror and forgetting his own face.
Outline
- Swift to hear, slow to speak (v. 19-21)
- The mirror test (v. 22-25)
- Respect of persons condemned (2:1-9)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22 (KJV)
Application question: What is one thing you already know God has asked of you and have not done?
Week 3: The Tongue
The smallest member sets the course of a whole life — and a whole congregation.
Outline
- The bit, the helm, the fire (v. 3-6)
- Blessing and cursing from one mouth (v. 9-12)
- Wisdom from above (v. 13-18)
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
James 3:5 (KJV)
Application question: Whose reputation have you damaged in the last month, even mildly?
Week 4: Friendship with the World
Most conflict between Christians is not a disagreement; it is a desire that has hardened into a demand.
Outline
- Where wars come from (v. 1-3)
- Draw nigh to God (v. 7-10)
- If the Lord will (v. 13-17)
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
James 4:8 (KJV)
Application question: What are you demanding from God or from someone else?
Week 5: The Prayer of Faith
The letter of works ends on its knees — because faith that works is faith that prays.
Outline
- Patience unto the coming of the Lord (v. 7-11)
- Prayer over the sick (v. 13-16)
- Turning back the wanderer (v. 19-20)
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16 (KJV)
Application question: Who has drifted from the church that you could call this week?
Planning notes
- Warn the leadership team: this series preaches the preacher first.
- Week 3 (the tongue) is the natural Sunday to address church conflict pastorally.
- Close week 5 with an anointing and prayer service from James 5:14-16.
Frequently asked questions
Is this series free?
Yes — free to preach, adapt, and reprint for your congregation.
Does James contradict Paul on faith and works?
No. Paul addresses how a sinner is justified before God; James addresses how a professing faith is evidenced before men. Both quote Genesis 15:6.
How many weeks can this stretch to?
Easily eight by splitting chapters 1, 2, and 5 into two Sundays each.
Related resources
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Six Sundays through Matthew 5-7 — the longest recorded teaching of Jesus, preached as He gave it.
Nine Sundays, one fruit each — Galatians 5:22-23 preached slowly enough to be examined rather than admired.
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