James 4.13-5.20

INTRO

Main Idea: Faith that perseveres to the end is Obedient to God, Confident in Christ, Patient by the Spirit, and Loves well.

PRAYER

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MESSAGE

Faith that Perseveres Is:

Obedient

James 4:11–17 ESV

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? 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.

Beware the sin of criticism.

James 4.11-12.

When you judge your brother you put yourself in the seat of God...

Beware the sin of carelessness.

James 4.13-15.

When we make decisions without consulting the word we confess our lack of concern for the will of God...

Beware the sin of callousness.

James 4.16-17.

When we know what is right and fail to do it our sin hardens our hearts toward God...

Persevering Faith is Obedient because it is...

Confident

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.

He is coming to judge the sinful.

James 5.3.

Do not be deceived God is not mocked.

He is coming to deliver the faithful.

James 5.4.

Do not be discouraged God is not blind.

Persevering Faith is Obedient because it is Confident, and because it is Confident it will be…

Patient

James 5:7–18 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. 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. 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.

Patience toward the savior.

James 5.7-8.

2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Hebrews 10:37 “37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;”

Patience toward the saint.

James 5.9.

Patience during suffering.

James 5.10-13.

Patience in supplication.

James 5.13-18.

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Persevering Faith is Obedient because it is Confident, and because it is Confident it is Patient. Persevering Faith is Patient because that is the outflow its main attribute which is …

Loving

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.

Love for the sinner.

When we love one another we know we have Christ within us.

we love because we where loved first

Love for the savior.

When we know the savior we will love Him and love what He loves

How can we not love Him

If we do not love Him we do not know Him!

CLOSE

Main Idea: Faith that perseveres to the end is Obedient to God, Confident in Christ, Patient by the Spirit, and Loves well because He first loved us!

Group Questions

1. How can planning for the future be wise? How can it become sinful? What’s the difference?

2. How does greed blind us to spiritual realities? Where have you seen this show up in your own life?

3. Why are sins of omission so much easier to downplay than sins of commission? What are some specific struggles in your life in terms of scriptural commands you tend to ignore?

4. What are some specific ways in which materialism and covetousness show up in your own life?

5. According to James 5:1–11, why is it so detrimental to our faith to abandon a belief in Christ’s return and final judgment? How should this truth affect our outlook on life while we wait?

6. Is the patience James calls for different from inactivity? Explain.

7. Why is faith in God’s character so crucial in our suffering? How is Job a model in this regard?

8. In what ways are you tempted to compromise your integrity by going back on your word?

9. What role does the body of Christ play in praying for one another?

10. Explain the following statement: Faith that works is only possible by the gracious gospel of Christ.