James 5:7-12 Michael Silva / November 11, 2018 Announcements: Veterans Day Opening: Princess Bride a) You ll just have to wait b) I hate waiting. Is your word good enough to persuade others or do you need to swear on something to convince others? v Today James is going to address the important trait of having patience and being a person of your word Introduction: The Epistle of James The Proverbs of the New Testament. 1. Key Theme: Living out your faith, being doers of the Word and not just hearers of the Word. 2. In the book of James, we are reminded that doers of the word a) Doers of the word count it all joy when they fall into various trials (James 1:2-4). b) Doers of the word ask for wisdom in faith, without doubting (Vs 5-8). c) Doers of the word are not full of wrath, instead they are quick to hear, slow to speak, and receives the Word in their hearts (Vs 19-21). d) Doers of the word Pay Attention to All People, they don t show partiality (James 2:1-10). e) Doers of the word demonstrate true saving faith through their actions/works (James 2:14-26). f) Doers of the word know that controlling the tongue is part of faith in action (James 3:1-12). g) Doers of the word seek God s wisdom which in turn powers their good works (James 3:13-18). h) Doers of the word need to remember that when you are friends with the enemy, you ll fight with your family (James 4:1-8). i) Doers of the word submit, Resist, Draw Near, Cleanse, Lament, and Humble themselves (James 4:7-10). j) Doers of the word (2pts) Don t Judge & Hold their Plans w/ Open Hands (James 4:11-17). k) Doers of the word Avoid being like the Reckless Rich (James 5:1-6)
Let s read our passage today: James 5:7-12 (NKJV) i 1. I ve summarized our passage today:. a) From the beginning we know that James is writing to Jewish believers who were facing trials and persecutions. b) This section is instructions on how to respond to those trials, with patience. 7 James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 1. We are to stick it out, like the faithful farmer who doesn t plow and plant and then leave. a) He continues to tend to the farm, watering, weeding and caring for the crops. b) The good farmer hopes for rain, relies on the rain, but cannot produce the rain, he can only look to the heavens and hope. 2. Like a good farmer, we are to be patient with the journey God has us on. a) We must also to keep our eyes up on the Lord, who provides the rain that softens hard soils in our life and brings fruit In due time. b) Galatians 5:22 24 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. James 5:8 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 1. The word Establish means deep rooted. a) 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. 2. Here s one of the chief reasons we are to be patience, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. a) To be ready for His coming, we must have established hearts that are deep rooted in His word and ways. 3. James believed Jesus return was imminent. Paul believed the same. And though Jesus has not returned yet, it is right and good to believe the same. a) F.B. Meyer, Don t judge the Lord by his unfinished work. Be patient till he unveils the perfect pattern in glory. [And that time is coming quickly!] b) For if we all believe He is about to return, then none of us will be caught off guard and unprepared. c) Read The Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-13. Page 2 of 7
So we are waiting for the Bridegroom Jesus to come for us 4. Pastor Chuck Smith, commenting on our passage: Here James is giving us the reason the Lord hasn t come again yet. The Lord is waiting to reap the precious fruit of the earth. a) The precious fruit are those souls who will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and come into the family of God. b) The early rain refers to the power of the Holy Spirit manifested through the church in the Book of Acts as the Spirit was poured out upon the church. i) The ministry was so dynamic in reaching the world with the gospel. c) The latter rain refers to the promise that, in the last days, God will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28) and there will be one final reaping of the harvest of the earth. i) Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. d) Then the Lord will bring to an end the blasphemies and the rebellion of man and set up His kingdom on earth. e) The Lord has patience as far as the coming again of Jesus Christ and the establishing of His kingdom. Thus, James told us to be patient, also. 9 James 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 1. J. Vernon McGee points out how very embarrassing it would be if the Lord should come while we are sitting in judgment of someone else. a) McGee paraphrases James here by saying, Set your house in order. Get your affairs straightened out before He comes, because He is going to straighten them out if you don t. b) Chief among our preparation is walking in the way of patience. 2. One way we practice patience is by not grumble against one another. a) This does not mean we cannot address a grievance or sin. i) Authentic relationships deal with mistakes, real hurts, and injustices. b) The word grumble that James uses here means to groan with grief, to complain strongly. i) The idea is that you are not talking to that person about your complaint, but you are talking about that person with others. Page 3 of 7
ii) Don t talk & complain about the boss behind their back iii) Don t talk & complain about that difficult person iv) Don t talk & complain about that awkward person v) Don t grumble about your current circumstances (1) I understand how, in hardship, it s easy to grumble and complain. (2) Honestly, who likes enduring difficulties? (a) We like the fruit that we find at the destination, but we often don t like the journey. (3) 1 Timothy 6:6 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 10 James 5:10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 1. How many have seen the show Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel? Or the show Dirty Jobs? a) How much would someone have to pay you to do one of those jobs? b) In the Military you can earn special pay depending on your assignment. i) One is Combat Pay when you are in a combat zone. ii) And the other is Hazardous Duty Pay for things like working on an aircraft carrier flight deck, when you are performing parachute duty, or an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) tech. iii) The idea is when you are doing something dangerous, you get paid extra to compensate for that extra level of danger. c) Sadly, that Hazardous duty pay didn t exist for the Old Testament prophets who were examples of suffering and patience. i) They certainly would be deserving of this entitlement ii) Why? Because the prophets of old were often beaten, imprisoned, and even killed. iii) Yet in all these things, they remained committed to the calling and suffered with patience. d) For example, Jeremiah was put in stocks (Jer 20:2), thrown in prison (32:2), and lowered into a miry dungeon (Jer 38:6). i) Elijah fled from Jezebel, who wanted to kill him, and hid in the wilderness (1 Kings 19), ii) Zechariah was stoned to death by order of King Joash because he confronted the people of Judah for disregarding God s word (2 Chron 24:2ff). iii) Daniel was thrown in a den of lions for praying (Dan 6). Page 4 of 7
e) Read Hebrews 11:32-35. i) The prophets, James tells us, were examples for us of suffering and patience. ii) And in turn, God used them mightily and He can do the same with you! 2. But When our ready response to suffering is grumbling and complaining, we reveal our misunderstanding of what God promises to do. When we are tempted to believe that patience is impossible, God reminds us of those who did endure with patience the trials he allowed into their lives. We may take or refuse to take them as an example, but we are not allowed to claim that patience is impossible. (Life Application Bible Commentary) 11 James 5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 1. Read Job 1:20-22. a) What happened leading up to that? All in rapid sequence, Job lost all his livestock, servants, and all his children (7 sons and 3 daughters). i) Amazing that Job could respond in such a way after so great a loss!!! b) Job was wealthy and then he lost everything. His three friends were miserable companions who brought Job no comfort. c) Even Job s wife exhorted him to curse God and die (Job 2:9), but Job would not. d) While Job s trials came through the attacks of Satan, it was God who limited Satan s attacks and sustained Job through it all. e) Then in the end God speaks, starting in Job 38 and in it we learn about God s majesty and omnipotence. f) And in the final chapter we see that God was very compassionate and merciful, as James describes the Lord, by restoring Job with twice as much as he had in the beginning... i) And with an increase in family to fill his house once again. 2. William Barclay comments on Job, Job s is no groveling, passive, unquestioning submission; Job struggled and questioned, and sometimes even defied, but the flame of faith was never extinguished in his heart. a) Job may have complained, but he did not stop trusting or obeying God. b) In Job 19:25 27 Job declared 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! i) Like Job, does your heart yearn within you right now to see God for yourself? ii) If not, what s keeping your heart content apart from God? Page 5 of 7
12 James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No, lest you fall into judgment. 1. As kids, did you ever say something that wasn t true to trick someone, and then declared, I got you! It s not true, my fingers were cross. a) This is the idea here. Do your words really count or not?! b) Like the boy who cried wolf, are your words untrustworthy? 2. The Ancient Jews made a distinction between binding and non-binding oaths. a) Oaths that did not use the name of God were non-binding, but if you used the name of God in your oath it would be binding. b) One had to be carefully listening to hear whether or not the Lord s name was used when an oath was issued. c) Jesus addressed this problem in Matthew 5:33-37. d) James is restating what the Lord Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount. 3. In James 1:19 were told to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. This principle would serve us well here with James 5:12. a) Proverbs 10:19 19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise. b) James exhorts, talk less and be careful what you promise to do. 4. If and when you do speak, let your works carry weight. Let your words be backed by a character that is trustworthy and reliable! a) The problem is that a lack of character, marked by one who says empty words, is in danger of falling into judgment. b) For believers this occurs before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). i) There we will give an account, whether good or bad, of what we have done as believers here on earth. c) James makes it clear, don t go around swearing and making grand statements under the banner of someone else s name to make your point. i) Don t say (1) I swear to God (2) I swear on the soul of my father, Domingo Montoya, you will reach the top alive. ii) Instead, let both your words and actions be consistent and compelling on their own. (1) This means let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No,. If you said it, do it. Page 6 of 7
Conclusion: What s the big take away from this passage? 1. Let s honor the Lord as doers of the word who have patient perseverance & a trustworthy tongue. a) The world is watching how we respond to the difficulties we face i) And they are listening to what we are saying ii) So let s be a people who are filled with His Holy Spirit, being a light and a witness for His purposes and plans in our life. Invitation: Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. i All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Page 7 of 7