Patient Endurance (James 5:1-12)
Notes
Transcript
Today we are in our 10th sermon in our series in James.
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.
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.
Today I will be unpacking 4 points from this passage...
1. Don’t get sidetracked by the wicked.
I have ADD.....… Lois story…
(Even if you don’t have ADD, it is easy to get sidetracked..…)
[Sidetracked] supposed to be doing…
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.
Pay attention to how James opens this passage in verse 1: 'Come now, you rich.'
This is a noticeably different shift from his usual tone.
James generally starts a new paragraph, by addressing his audience as brothers… (brothers and sisters)
[addressing fellow believers in Christ]
But this is the second time that James does not address his audience as brothers....
The first time was in...
James 4:13 “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”—”
Second time...
James 5:1 “1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.”
In both passages he is addressing those who are pursuing the world’s riches,
instead of the kingdom of God.
James 5:1–2 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.”
(Does this sound familiar to you?....)
Jesus said...
Matthew 6:19–21 “19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
James and Jesus make this point that the world’s wealth is going to pass away.… (not might will)
Thus, James articulates that those possessions that the rich put your trust in,
are going to be the same possessions that will testify against them on judgement day...
James 5:3a “3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you...
5:3a NLT “This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.”
Imagine those things that the rich have relied on to save them,
are the very same things that will lead to their destruction…
As believers it is easy to compare our seemingly lack of wealth,
to the world’s abundance and become discouraged...
But what if what you think you lack is actually God’s blessing and protection over your life...
I want you to hear me when I say this...
“Comparison is dangerous, because you may be comparing yourself to where God has you, to where the devil has someone else” 2x
What we perceived as blessings could be curses
and what we perceive as curses could be blessings...
James sets the record straight and communicates don’t be confused...
Those who got rich from corruption, those who became rich from dishonesty,
they will receive their judgement.
Don’t get distracted thinking that others are blessed because of their wealth,
and you are cursed because you are facing trials.
Don’t get distracted thinking that how the wicked made their money is not seen...
James communicates.. Don’t get it twisted… You need to understand brothers and sisters,
the cries of the laborers for justice are heard by God,
and judgement will come. (not might come… will come...)
Jesus said...
17 For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.
Everything hidden will be brought to light,
but don’t get distracted because justice is not coming as quickly as you would like.
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds… 1st part (Calls for patience)
2. Don’t forget that Jesus is coming back
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.
Notice he says brothers again.…
James 5:7a “7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.”
One of the main themes in the New Testament is the return of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
(Teach)
Matthew 16:27 “27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
James… Rich will receive the seeds they planted and you brothers and sisters will receive what you have planted...
(Parable of the Wheat and Weeds… 2nd part… Separate the wheat and weeds…)
[Don’t get choked out by the weeds]
As we patiently wait for the second coming of Christ…
James tells us…
James 5:8 “Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Establish your hearts.… Reading the Word… Pray and Worship... community...
Israel’s failure as they waited to go into the promise land was they began to grumble and complain.
James 5:9a “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged;”
When we are in a season of waiting , it is easy to began to grumble and complain...
Denyon Homes framing crew… Focused on their own work… Too busy to find fault...
Consumers of the Body vs part takers of the Body….
When we are busy establishing our hearts in the things of God,
we will not have time to grumble and complain against one another.
As you wait for the promise to come,
the promise of the second coming of Christ,
wait patiently as you establish your heart in the truth and beauty of God.
Jesus is coming soon, prepare your heart and remain steadfast,
knowing that you will be ready when Jesus comes…
3. Don’t forget to remain steadfast.
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.
James introduced at the beginning of his letter the important truth to understand about steadfastness....
James 1:2–4 “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
(Teach)
James gives the example of the Prophets of old.. Steadfast even when no one listened…
(don’t dictate the message based on response… dictate the message based on what God says)
James than gives the example of Job.… (All Hell seemed to rain on him but he still Remained steadfast)
With both the Prophets and Job, there faith was not moved by their circumstance’s,
Because there faith was built on the Rock....
How many know that Solid foundations don’t move when storms come?
We need to have our hearts established in the truth of God’s Word,
in order that our foundation is secure in Him.
Those who build their lives on the Rock have consistently established their hearts in God’s truth,
and are secure in their identity as His people.
4. Don’t forget who you are.
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.
James statement here is no doubt taken from the words of Jesus in Matthew 5....
Jesus said...
Matthew 5:37 “37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
I believe nothing reveals a person's true character more clearly than if they are a man or women of their word.
I believe a person's word is the purest reflection of their true character.
James says let your yes be yes and your no be no.… Be someone of your word...
Remember, James is writing to the church who is facing trials,
and when facing trials there will be a temptation to manipulate the truth in order to get out of the trail.
James highlights that the rich have gained their wealth by cheating their workers and being dishonest...
and as believers struggle to get by, it would be easy to be tempted to follow the ways of the wicked and manipulate the truth to get ahead.
But James reminds them, let your yes be yes, and your no be no… even when it is difficult…
(Calvary Chapel)
James statement to “establish your hearts” is so important…
When we are in the midst of trails and facing storms,
we will revert to what we have established in our hearts…
When my heart is established in the things of God.....
1. Don’t get sidetracked by the wicked.
2. Don’t forget that Jesus is coming back
3. Don’t forget to remain steadfast.
4. Don’t forget who you are.
