Practical Faith 8

Hurry Up and Be Patient

Practical Faith 8 (James 5:1-11)

Hurry Up and be Patient

We are in the middle of a series entitled Practical Faith 

Most scholars believe that this letter was written by James our Lords younger brother.

 the theme of the book of James is Grow up A practical book Pointing out that genuine faith, produces fruit.

We are on James 5

Hope

1 Submit your riches to Jesus

Jas 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

Jas 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.

These are words for those who accumulated riches dishonestly. Jesus is the only one able to protect our investments, and riches, just don’t be wicked.

Jas 5:3 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.

Jas 5:4 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.

James has nothing against the rich, he is rebuking those who are selfish and became rich by defrauding others.   

Our Heavenly Father loves us and he is just, his ears are attentive to the cry of His people.

Jas 5:5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

Jas 5:6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Make sure your riches are in the hands of the Lord, not obtain by fraud  or they will vanish. Honor the Lord with your treasures.

2 Be Patient, long suffering

James gives us 3 examples

The farmer, The prophets, and Job

Jas 5:7 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.

The farmer

The word here for Patient is Long suffering

The coming of the Lord is at hand, is going to happen, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth patiently, because he knows is coming, the farmer prepared the field, planted the seed now he waits for the rain the early around October and late rains around April, so he can harvest by the summer, he has the faith.

There is a process taking place

Farming is not easy, I much rather go to safe way and buy the beautiful vegetables and fresh fruit that I need, but I appreciate the beauty of a well kept garden. It takes patience, longsuffering and faith.

Jas 5:8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Be patient,

God is always working in our garden, to bring good fruit  

Joh 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

How do we do that?

Jas 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

God is watching, standing at the door watching you and me.

We will always have people around us that are difficult to deal with, they can be judgmental, harsh and impatient, we need to forgive them and move on, they may never change but you can.

Writing this message I had to do some repenting, as we are trying to get different things done before our celebration I grumbled, and complained please  forgive me?

Php 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Php 2:15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

It doesn’t matter how people behave around you, you do the right thing before the Lord.

3 Keep your heart clean

Jas 5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Many of the prophets were rejected, mistreated, mocked  and killed, don’t let that rob you of your reward.

Isaiah was saw in two, Jeremiah stone to death preached for 40 years, Ezekiel, Amos (struck with a club) and Micha (thrown from a cliff) were killed because of their prophetic activity.

Jas 5:11 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.

Job

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

Job 1:4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

Job 1:5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

One day God gave Satan permission to touch Job’s  property and children and Job lost everything.

Job 1:13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

Job 1:14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

Job 1:15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Job 1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Job 1:17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Job 1:18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

Job 1:19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job 1:22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Yes Job had a very bad day and after that God allowed Satan to touch his health too

Job 2:6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

Job 2:8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job not only had to deal with his sweet wife, but had 4 other friends who came to accuse him, he needed a better support group.

The four friends and their roles

Eliphaz:

Argued that suffering is the result of sin and accused Job of being proud and having hidden iniquities.

Bildad:

Suggested that Job's children must have sinned and implied that Job was not blameless because God had not rejected a truly righteous person.

Zophar:

Was the harshest, stating Job deserved even more suffering and needed to repent.

Elihu:

A younger man who spoke after the three friends had finished their speeches. He was angry at both Job and his friends, arguing that suffering can have instructive purposes and that the friends had not spoken the truth about God.

Job kept his heart clean and the Lord rebuked his friends

Job 42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;

Job 42:10 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Hurry up and be patient

1 Submit your riches to Jesus.

2 Long suffering be Patient

3 Keep your heart clean

To have a Practical faith, we need to make Jesus the Lord of our lives

  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 Joh 3:16 

To receive Jesus, we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, and ask Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God. 

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

 Heavenly Father I’m sinner,

 I’m sorry for my sins,

 I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

 I receive Christ as my savior,

 I confess him as Lord

 from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

 In Jesus name. Amen!

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke itand said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks thiscup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

 Heb 9:14 dead works, acts, sins

E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau.  Amene.