James 5:7-12

James Ch 5:7-12

All right so lets do a quick recap from last Wednesday

So we talked about the first 6 verses where James addresses the Jewish christians that were scattered all over at the time

they were being persecuted and mis treated

He addressed them about Rich oppressors

people who were wealthy/ rich off of being dishonest

they would steal from people who were not rich

they would do shady things like not pay someone the full wage they earned or not pay them at all

just totally taking advantage of other people/ specifically people who didn’t have much

we learned through these verses that our possessions here on earth mean nothing for the kingdom of God

and that we are to lay up our treasures in heaven, not here on earth Matt 6:19-21

we learned that God heres us when we are in the dumps/ when we are fully surrendered to Him

Many if not all of you at some point may experience financial trouble because of people who are after money in an unlawful/ immoral way

And finally we learned that these people who are rich and taking advantage of others will be Judged by the Lord

He hears the cries and will settle these issues

Now thats where it leads into the next set of verses and thats what we will be going through today

If you have your Bibles turn to James chapter 5 vs 7

James 5:7–8 “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. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

In these first two verses James is addressing the people that have been taken advantage of

He’s saying hey look your good, be patient

The Lord is coming

He compares this to a farmer waiting patiently for the fruit he has planted

It may take time to grow but at the right time it will be grown

Thats what James is saying, regardless of the circumstance in our life

be patient, Look to the Lord, He is who we put our trust in

He is who we can lean on in trying circumstances

James Ch 1: 2-3 Says

James 1:2–3 “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

Trials and crappy circumstances are where we grow the most

its where God fine tunes us

then in vs 8 he says to the people to establish their hearts for the coming of the Lord is at Hand

So why has God not just said you know what forget it i’m coming back ?

Because he has a Plan right, His plan is for each one of us to enter into His Kingdom

thats why he says Establish your hearts

He wants us to build character and put our investments in heaven not here on earth

He also wants us to be patient in doing so, again in Ch 1 vs 2-3 the testing of our faith produces patience

There is a reason James has used the word patient 4 times in this section and Endurance twice

I think He is saying something

Patience is not always easy though I have personally struggled with anger and at times still struggle with patience

its important to understand that when we Lack patience its a form of Pride,

we are saying that what we want, our needs , our issues, our circumstances outweigh anyone else's and it is selfish

Again James is talking here about building character until the Lord returns

James 5:9 “9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!”

Don’t complain !

who here is a complainer ? I am

Man complaining the second you do it just becomes easier and easier to do

James is saying, when you complain your complaining against God and the circumstances He has you in

When we complain, we are not giving the circumstance to God

we are reacting and taking it into our own hands

God will judge us for it

He doesn’t like when we complain

Nothing good comes from it ! it robs us of Joy and causes heart ache

We must remember that The Ultimate Judge is coming

On another note think of it like this

how many of us have ever said something stupid or offensive behind a closed door about someone or something only to find out that person or someone else was standing right there listening ?

its awkward and weird after

God hears Us when we complain and He don’t like it

James 5:10 “10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”

prophets in the old testament were patient and they spoke the truth

they didn’t just sit back and chill either

patience isn’t a pass to be lazy

prophets would speak out about injustice and persecution

Just because we can be patient doesn’t mean we can be lazy

we are to suffer with patience

What does it mean to suffer with Patience ?

It means that when we are in a bad situation or caught up in a bad circumstance that we can speak about the Good

Suffering is a time to grow

Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

in this verse in Romans it may get thrown around a-lot but as a Christian believer we can find the good even in bad situations or circumstances

Doesn’t mean that we only have good things happening

it means we can find the good in every bad situation

so just like the prophets endured patiently so should we

As annoying as it is when something goes wrong be positive

James 5:11 “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.”

How many of you Have read through Job in the old testament ?

Dude suffered tremendously

But he Also complained

He complained and hen realized oh man i shouldn’t have

He let his circumstance cloud his Judgement

we too do that

circumstances as bad as they can be don;t have to

everything we do in this Life is a choice

we chose to be offended, we chose to be mad, we chose to complain

Just as easy as it is to complain, Lets chose to be patient and suffer with endurance and patience

James 5:12 “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.”

James is talking about Oaths

He’s saying faith preservers and is trust worthy in our speech

In the Whole book of James he mentions our tongues many times

What we do and say should be consistent with our actions

How many of us have committed to things that we bailed on ?

James is saying if you say yes follow through, if you say no follow through

this produces consistency in our character

if we cant be consistent, How can we be patient ? how can we persevere ?

We need to be dependable

don’t be flakes be real.