Consistent Christianity (Part 5)

Introduction

Attention:

Crutches

Show them how fast I can use them

Endurance/perseverance

James

Need:

Post-high school

Ex. my youth group

You need a faith that lasts

Body

The Big Idea: Consistent Christianity fuels perseverance

The Big Question: How does Consistent Christianity fuel perseverance?

1. Consistent dependence (4:13-17)

2. Consistent humility (5:1-6)

3. Consistent patience (5:7-11)

4. Consistent trustworthiness (5:12)

5. Consistent prayer (5:13-18)

6. Consistent love (5:19-20)

James 4:13–17 (ESV)

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Explanation:

New Years’ sermon

Ask: What is this text ultimately about (one word)?

Planning

Planning as a teen

Growing commercial activity

Not a criticism of capitalism

Planning not bad

God’s place in the plans

Consistently keeping God first

V. 14: Life is fragile

Mist: Here one minute, gone the next.

No one knows the future (illus. Transformers movie)

Hard to grasp as teen

Living as if invincible

V. 15. Qualify the planning

Give it a Christian foundation

Seek God’s will more than your will

Seek who God wants you to be friends with

Seek where God wants you to go to college

Seek what God wants you to do for a living

Seek who God wants you to date (dating for marriage)

Especially pertinent to seniors

V.16. The problem: the attitude of the planning

V.17 Sins of Commission vs. Sins of Omission

Leaving God out

No excuse

Be “radically dependent upon the Sovereignty of God”

THAT = consistent faith > goes the distance

Application:

Where is God in your plans?

Make Him more a part?

Pray out your plans

Show consistency through planning

The Big Question: How does Consistent Christianity fuel perseverance?

1. Consistent dependence (4:13-17)

2. Consistent humility (5:1-6)

3. Consistent patience (5:7-11)

4. Consistent trustworthiness (5:12)

5. Consistent prayer (5:13-18)

6. Consistent love (5:19-20)

James 5:1–6 (ESV)

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Explanation:

Addressing unbelievers

Ask: How does this apply to believers?

”We need to examine whether or not we are engaged in a sinful use of the resources God has given us.”

Takes consistent humility (not thinking less about yourself, but thinking about yourself less).

Consistent humility HARD for teens

Ask: What are the unbelieving rich accused us of here?

4 accusations:

Hoarding wealth (5:2-3)

Treasures on earthy > torment in eternity

Newest iPhone

Cheating workers (5:4)

Possessions accumulating > people dying

Taking advantage of others

Living in self-indulgence (5:5)

Overfed + unconcerned

“on the earth” = earth vs. eternity

The “here and now”

Condemning men (5:6)

“In the Jewish world, to deprive a person of their support was the same as murdering them” (Blomberg and Kamell)

“Its all about me”

Oppression of others = own condemnation

A picture of inconsistency & pride/what not to do

Illustration:

Application:

Humility?

How use what have?

Mistreat others?

Consistency in treating others

The Big Question: How does Consistent Christianity fuel perseverance?

1. Consistent dependence (4:13-17)

2. Consistent humility (5:1-6)

3. Consistent patience (5:7-11)

4. Consistent trustworthiness (5:12)

5. Consistent prayer (5:13-18)

6. Consistent love (5:19-20)

James 5:7–11 ESV

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Explanation:

Ask: What illustration is used here?

V.9: Farmer, waiting for harvest

Requires patience

Patience when times are good > when times are bad

Patience, persecution, and judgement

Ask: What does verse 8 say you need to do in order to be patient?

V.8 :“Establish your hearts” = “strengthen”

Jesus could come back at any moment

Trusting w/ can’t control

Rain

How other people treat

Honoring w/ can control

Grumbling

Think of people your age

How you respond

Two examples: The prophets and Job

Scripture is a guide

Reading Scripture

Teen life = hard (especially as Christian)

“What you are walking through is not the end of your story.”

Application:

Going through?

Been patient?

Character development > patience

The Big Question: How does Consistent Christianity fuel perseverance?

1. Consistent dependence (4:13-17)

2. Consistent humility (5:1-6)

3. Consistent patience (5:7-11)

4. Consistent dependability (5:12)

5. Consistent prayer (5:13-18)

6. Consistent love (5:19-20)

James 5:12 (ESV)

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Explanation:

All about consistency & dependability

Personal integrity

Oaths

Not cussing; using God’s name in vain

Ex. “I swear to God!’

Oaths not bad in themselves

Jesus: Don’t swear “at all” (Matth 5:34)

The Point: “our truthfulness should be so consistent and dependable that we need no oath to support it.”

A simple “yes” is all that is needed.

As trustworthy as legal document (correct + complete)

Words should be depen

The sooner, the better!

Application:

Dependable?

Late? (w/ license)

Be consistnently Christian in your dependability

The Big Question: How does Consistent Christianity fuel perseverance?

1. Consistent dependence (4:13-17)

2. Consistent humility (5:1-6)

3. Consistent patience (5:7-11)

4. Consistent dependability (5:12)

5. Consistent prayer (5:13-18)

6. Consistent love (5:19-20)

James 5:13–18 (ESV)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Explanation:

Not passive/consistently active (through prayer)

Prayer: Common theme at end of letters

Ask: According to verse 13, when should you pray?

Vs. 13: suffering

Theme throughout letter

Prayer as response

Teen hardships > pray

Also… cheerfulness

Don’t stop praying when things get better (consistency)

But also… praise!

Worship music = part of your prayer life (and vice-versa)

V. 14. Praying for the sick

Not just those with gift; ALL should pray

Thinking of others when you pray

V. 15. The result

Healing (John 14:14)

God’s will

Forgiveness of sins

Sometimes caused by sin, sometimes not

V.16. Group confession

Prayer is a powerful weapon

Consistent prayer = group confession

V.17, Elijah as an example of powerful prayer

Every believer can pray like Elijah

Application

Prayer life consistent?

Take to get there?

Defined by prayer

The Big Question: How does Consistent Christianity fuel perseverance?

1. Consistent dependence (4:13-17)

2. Consistent humility (5:1-6)

3. Consistent patience (5:7-11)

4. Consistent dependability (5:12)

5. Consistent prayer (5:13-18)

6. Consistent love (5:19-20)

James 5:19–20 (ESV)

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Explanation:

End of book!

Call to action

Ask: What is the point of this section?

V.19

Last use of “brothers”

Not about their obedience; about “bringing back” others

Help others to apply James, too

Teenage community

V.20

Eternal security through community

Helping others have a lasting faith (post high-school)

Application:

How can you help others?

Conclusion

Visualization

Consistent Christians are in it for the long hall

Reiteration

Keep obeying Jesus

Set generation on right track