"Lead me to the Rock, that is higher than I"
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INTRO
INTRO
Every fourth of July my family, like many of you, go to watch the fireworks show.
Some years we get adventurous and go to 2-3 of them but most years we have just sit behind Wendy’s with the Joneses, and ate Frosty’s while watching them.
They moved so this past year we went up to Yreka and watched them in a Tractor Supply parking lot.
My favorite fourth of July’s though were growing up and watching them on the beach in Cape Cod, where I grew up.
We’ve been able to take our kids there at least once, I think, to see them there.
But for most people the anticipation is the finale! Right?
You’re waiting for it and wondering if it’s gonna be amazing, like the Lake California one or a let down.
But either way it’s usually a really cool experience to watch the last few seconds of a fireworks show!
So, here we are.
Like the end of the fireworks show, we’re getting to the finale of Jame’s letter.
And it’s not disappointing, although it is convicting… again.
But aside from being convicting it should really give us a motivation and a hope that would wake us up to the awesome reality of our eternal future!
James starts to end his letter, in this section, in a similar way in which he started.
In the beginning he encouraged us all to be steadfast under trials and to see them as a way we grow to be made perfect, lacking nothing.
In this ending section, James tells us to stay steadfast in the faith, but not because of momentary trials, instead stay steadfast because of the Lord’s return.
In his opening of the letter he talks about a crown and reward for enduring trials as we stay steadfast in the Lord.
Here, James specifically mentions the great anticipation of the Lord’s coming and that there will be precious fruit, compassion and mercy of the Lord.
I disagree with Martin Luther, the great evangelist and theologian from long ago, when he said James was a letter that was not up to standards like Romans.
James’ letter is so practical, as well as filled with core truths, the way he ends it is proof.
The Lord’s coming was the core doctrine of the early church and it still is for us today.
I pray that as we get into the Scripture today you would allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and act in your life as we dive into some major truths and encouragements that will, I believe, help you grow in your faith.
Let’s pray
Psalm 61:2 says “Lead me to the Rock, that is higher than I.”
say it together...
Psalm 61:2 says “Lead me to the Rock, that is higher than I.”
I want us to keep that in the back of our minds as we dive into our passage today.
READ JAMES 5:7-12
BREAKDOWN OF PASSAGE
BREAKDOWN OF PASSAGE
Patience (James 5:7-9)
In Palestine the early and late rains were very important to the farmer.
Early rain was late October and early November, without them the seed would not germinate.
The late rain was April and May, without these rains, the grain would not mature.
So just as the farmer waits patiently for the needed rains, as Christians we are to anticipate and patiently wait for the Lord’s Coming.
During this time of waiting James is telling us to not waist time on judging others or grumbling, complaining or bickering back and forth about useless issues.
Instead we should love and share Christ with people in anticipation for Jesus’ return!
The New Testament uses three words to describe the second coming of Christ.
Parousia
Matthew 24:3
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:27
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:37
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:39
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
1 Thessalonians 2:19
For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?
1 Thessalonians 3:13
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
1 Thessalonians 4:15
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:1
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
1 Corinthians 15:23
But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
1 John 2:28
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
2 Peter 1:16
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 3:4
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
Parousia is the word for someone’s presence or arrival.
It could also be used to describe when there is an invasion of a country by an army or the visit by a king or governor to a province of his empire.
William Barclay says, “Jesus’ second coming is the final invasion of earth by heaven and the coming of the King to receive the final submission and adoration of his subjects.”
2.) The second word the New Testament uses to describe the coming of the Lord is epiphaneia.
Yes, this is where we get the word epiphany.
while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,
The two ways this word was often used was to describe the appearance of a god to the worshipper or when an emperor is appointed power over Rome.
So when this word is used regarding Jesus, it refers to His second coming who is God appearing to His people, both for those who are waiting for Him and for those who are not.
3.) apokalupsis (a-pock-a-loop-sis)
This is where we get the word apocalypse from.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
The word apokalupsis refers to the unveiling or laying bare of something.
When it is used of Jesus it means his second coming is the laying bare of the power and glory of God upon men and women.
So we can get a picture that the second coming of Jesus is three things.
The arrival of the great King.
It is God appearing to His people and taking His eternal throne.
It is God displaying over the whole world His fullness of heavenly glory.
These truths are so important for us to understand as we unpack what the coming of the Lord is.
Many get so confused by what this means but Scripture makes it so clear for us.
So we understand the concept of the coming of the Lord but are we supposed to play a part in all of this, or do we just sit and watch "Fixer Upper or reruns of Friends” all day?
The first thing we need to understand is that no one knows the time of Jesus’ coming.
In fact, neither does Jesus.
Matthew 24:36
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
When we try to make a guess or put a date on the Lord’s coming we truly have no idea.
2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter tells us that at His coming, He will be like a thief in the night, no one will even know.
It will be as unexpected as that lightning/ rain storm we had on Friday night… what was that?!
Now that we see that it will be unexpected, let’s look at our part:
We must constantly be on watch
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
2. We must not become forgetful.
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
3. We must prepare for His coming.
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 13:11-14
And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
4. When Jesus comes we should be found in fellowship.
So you better always come to church, just kidding.
But here Peter urges us to love one another and offer hospitality to one another.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Do everything in love.
If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
5. Lastly, we are encouraged to urge others to abide and trust in Christ.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
James transitions from urging us to have patience in the coming of Jesus’ return to having patience in our suffering.
I was reading a book this past week and came across this concept called the 50/20 principle.
It comes from Genesis 50:20 and it offered me some good insight and direction as I face suffering or hardship.
The 50/20 Principle:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
This specific passage is at the end of Joseph’s life.
Joseph was a man from the Old Testament who was beaten up by his brothers and sold into slavery.
He eventually got out of slavery and worked his way up the ladder in order to be second to Pharoah.
His realization toward the end of his life was that the stuff he went through may have been hard but it was all to bring about growth and strength later in his life.
Have you experienced this in your life, I’m you are right now with something?
God refines us through suffering, He has done this even through the prophets before us.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
Verses on James 5:11...
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
About Job...
and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.
Persecution and suffering for the Christian is a given.
That is a promise from the Lord.
There was never a time in the Bible where God said, your life will be absolutely perfect and you’ll have no hardship.
But what we do know is that in James 5:11 it says that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
He truly is!
Let’s move on to James 5:12
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
If you’d like to hear more in detail on this specific verse I would encourage you to go on our website and listen to the sermon on Matthew 5:34 in the Sermon on the Mount series.
But to sum this section up James is saying...
When we’re in crisis we make rash or fast decisions, take oaths, promises and we shouldn’t.
James, in verse 12, takes from Jesus’ words in:
But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Instead of making groundless oaths or promises, we should be devoted to truth, because the truth dwells in us.
We should take heart through this Scripture...
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
We know that sin has created the curse of death
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But as Christians we are more aware that the hope of redemption, the hope of eternity and answer to our present suffering is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
And we look forward to the day when all tears will be wiped away.
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
On that day suffering will end and God’s peace will reign.
Until that day, through the confusion of life, burden of trials and temptations, in the midst of pain and suffering we should look to Psalm 61 for encouragement.
READ Psalm 61
When we go through trials in life, when we are backed against the wall and have to choose truth or lies, when we are discouraged because we feel that the Lord’s presence is so distant and when we get impatient, we can get encouragement from Psalm 61.
(SLIDE) “Lead me to the Rock, that is higher than I.”
When we remove our focus from ourselves on to the hope of the Lord and His glorious return we remember who is in control and what the greatest reward is.