The Book of James Guide-Lesson 09
Lesson 9: Live out your faith- Are you living out your faith daily?- James 5:1-20
JAMES 5: 1-20
Chapter 5
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. 13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
1. Selfish Rich People Will Be Punished. - James 5:1-6
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
a) The rich are called to weep and howl for the miseries to come upon them. – James 5:1-3
Ø A Call to listen up! -This denotes to pay heed to my words.
Ø They are begin weeping and howling for the miseries that was coming their way. –v.1
§ Weep- To weep was a graphic way to present one’s case.
§ Howl- It was cry of total despair, utter hopelessness.
§ Miseries- A state of prolonged suffering and hardship. A state of spiritual, physical or mental suffering. It is a wretchedness, unhappiness, gloom, dejection state. It is a feeling of intense unhappiness.
Ø Their riches are corrupted. –v.2
Ø Their garments are moth-eaten. –v.2
Ø Their gold and silver are corroded. –v.3
§ Which will be a witness against them.
§ Which will eat their flesh like fire.
§ They have heaped up treasure in the last days.
b) The reasons for God's anger against the rich. – A list of sins of the rich man. - James 5:4-6
God does not oppose wealth. God opposes the misuse of wealth, in its acquisition and in its misuse. James is not proclaiming the worthlessness of the rich but rather the worthlessness of the riches themselves.
God gives us opportunities to be stewards of what he provides for us. Each opportunity to be a good steward is a test for us to measure your self against scripture and see if you are being true to God's calling for you.
If you are putting your trust in your money rather than in God, then James is speaking directly to you regardless of how much wealth he has provided for you. He recognizes the sin of the wealthy against the poor.
The New Testament prejudice against the wealthy is based upon four major sins:
Ø They have heaped up treasure in the last days. They hoarded their resources greedily.–v.3
Ø They have take advantage of the laborers who mowed their fields.- v.4
§ Keeping back wages owed them. –v.4
§ The cries of the reapers have been heard by the Lord of Sabaoth (Hosts). –v.4
Ø They have lived in pleasure and luxury, fattening their hearts in a day of slaughter. –v.5
Ø They have condemned and murdered the just who does not resist them. –v.6
!! 2. Be Patient. - A call for patience.- James 5:7-11
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
· A call for patience. - How to response to the rich.- James 5:7-11
Be patient literally means "long-tempered," and is the opposite of "short-tempered." It denotes an attitude of self-restraint which keeps a person from a hasty retaliation. It is to long suffering with people. It is to have a long fuse, not a short one. It is to be persistent, to refuse to give up."
Ø Be patient until the Lord’s Coming. –v.7
Ø Consider the patience of the farmer. –v.7
Ø Be patience until you receive the early and latter rain. –v.7
Ø Establish your hears, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. –v.8
Ø Grudge not -Do not hold feelings of resentment against one another.- v.9
§ For fear that you be condemned
§ The Judge is standing at the door
Ø Remember the examples of suffering and patience. vv.10-11
§ The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord and are blessed for their patience.
§ The perseverance of Job, to whom the Lord proved very compassionate and merciful at the end.
!! 3. Do Not Swear or Use an Oath.- James 5:12
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
· Above all, do not swear (make rash oaths) – James 5:12
James warns against the practice of making statements then guaranteeing it by making an appeal to God as a witness that the statement is true. Many people, in an attempt to bolster their credibility will rashly say, I swear to God it is true.
During James. day people made a distinction between oaths that were binding and oaths which were not. If the name of God was used in swearing an oath, then the oath was definitely binding, but if God’s name was not used, such as in the case of swearing by earth or Jerusalem, then it was considered less binding. James echoes Matthew 5:34-35, which points out that everything is in one way or another connected to God.
When God’s name is used in an oath, He becomes an active partner in the transaction. As Christians we are already covenant partners with God, therefore James is encouraging us to demonstrate complete integrity in our speech by letting our yes be yes and our no be no. While there is a place for oaths in society, our word should in most cases be enough.- Matthew 5:33-37; 23:22
Ø Either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.
Ø Let your "Yes" mean "Yes," and your "No" mean "No".
Ø Lest you fall into judgment.
4. The Power of Prayer.- James 5:13-18
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
· General Instruction. –James 5:13-18
Ø If you are troubled, suffering, or in distress, pray. – v.13
Ø If you are merry and cheerful, sing songs (psalms) songs of praise and thanksgiving. –v.13
Ø If you are sick, you should call for the elders of the church. –vv.14, 15
§ The elders should pray for and over you.
§ You are to be anointed with oil.
§ It should be done in the name of Jesus.
§ The prayer of faith will save (heal) the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
§ If sins have been committed, they will be forgiven.
Ø Confess your faults to one another. –v.16
Ø Pray for one another. –v.16
§ This brings about healing.
Ø The power of fiery prayer. –v.17
§ For the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.
§ The example of Elijah, a man with a nature like ours.
· He prayed that it would not rain, and no rain fell for three years.
· He prayed again, the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
5. The Importance Of Restoring A Fallen Believer.- James 5:19-20
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
· The Power of Converting A Erring Brethren. - James 5:20
Ø To err from the truth (to go wrong, to fall away, to be led away, to stray , to wander, to lose one’s way, to slip away), is used in the Old and New Testaments of those who depart from the path that God would have them follow. It is aptly pictured as a sheep wandering away from the flock (cf. Matt. 18:12; 1 Pet. 2:25). It refers to any form of departure from biblical principles, whether in thought (belief) or conduct.
Ø …converteth the sinner from the error of his way - To turn back, to bring back, to restore.- Galatians 6:1; 12:47; Luke 15:4-7
§ Saves a soul from death.
§ Hides a multitudes of sins.
Faith-Walk Study Questions:
1. Who is being condemned in verses 1-6 of this chapter?
2. What sort of miseries were to come upon the rich?
3. What are the Christians to do in response to such oppression?
4. What three examples does James provide to encourage patience?
5. What does James encourage you to do when troubled? When cheerful?
6. What are does who are sick to do?
7. What are the elders to do?
8. What will save (or heal) the sick?
9. Who will raise him up?
10. What happens if the one who is sick has committed sins?
11. What are the believer to do? Why?
12. When is prayer effective?
13. Why is prayer such effective weapon?
14. What happens when you turns a sinner from the error of his way?
Notes:
Reading Assignment: Reread the entire letter of James
Faith-Walk Action Plan:
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Memory Verses:
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
- James 5:16, 20