James 4:13-5:19

Verses 13-16

And just in case we forgot that we are in constant need to closeness to God by His grace, James now drives the point home that the grace of God and the intimacy afforded to us because of it is about far more than just repenting and getting right with God.

We need His grace and that closeness for daily direction for our lives too. God doesn’t just save us and step in once in a while when we are in trouble only to abandon us in our day to day lives.

He loves and desires to spend time with us and to guide and direct our lives. Remember that James just dealt with sin as an issue of spiritual adultery. Well just like Liana and I are an intimate part of each other’s day to day lives, so God is to be a part of our day to day lives.

So now the word of warning or caution from James. It is really based on

Proverbs 27:1 ESV

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Psalm 90:12 ESV

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

But please know that this idea of closeness and the word of warning come to those who have properly repented and have no desire to stray from God again. Stay close to God in the daily decisions keeps us from getting away from Him and His will for our lives. Separation from God always results in sin against God, just as our sin will always separate us from God.

The thing is, the time is far too short for us to waist anymore of it in sin. Our lives are as a mist or a vapor that so quickly passes away.

Verse 17

Throughout the letter James has continually brought the church back to the truth that doing is the evidence of knowing. Faith without works is dead, and here knowledge without action is much worse than useless, it is sin against God!

Let us not be willing sinners my brothers and sisters.

Chapter 5

Verses 1-3

As we get into chapter 5 let’s not forget that James just told us about where fights and quarrels come from, and that we need to be fully dependent upon God and not of this world for our needs. So when he addresses the rich here he is still it seems addressing those who walk in the wisdom of this world and not in the wisdom of God.

So this section is directed toward those who would take the world’s wisdom and the world’s goods over the wisdom of God found in the word of God.

Matthew 19:23–26 ESV

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Verses 4-6

God’s law forbids a Jew to defraud a worker...

Deuteronomy 24:14–15 ESV

14 “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. 15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.

Leviticus 19:13 ESV

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

Jeremiah 22:13 ESV

13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages,

Exodus 20:15 ESV

15 “You shall not steal.

Romans 13:9 ESV

9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Verses 7-8

Verse 9

Verses 10-11

Verse 12

There is no reason to swear by anything if you are already an honest person who has integrity.

Verses 13-14

In the good and the bad in the best and worst of the seasons in our lives James exhorts us to run to God! This is what he has been saying from the beginning of the letter and is a great way to close the letter.

I do find it important to note that the person in need of healing is to call for the elders of the church, not the elders noticing the need for healing and calling the sick to be prayed for as is most often the case.

Often times the sick person is either too proud to ask for prayer, is unaware that God heals in that way today or worse, does not believe that God can and does heal in this way today!

It appears that James wants and expects the sick to exercise their faith first by asking for prayer.

The interesting thing about this, is that the anointing with oil especially pure olive oil had a twofold purpose. Olive oil has been used in that area of the world and in many other places a as a medical treatment for all kinds of ailments, and yet at the same time the anointing with oil in scripture is representative of the Holy Spirit and thus a clear invitation for divine intervention.

Verses 15-16

The order of things is clear, if you are sick step out in faith and ask the elders for prayer, if you are an elder then pray a prayer of faith having full faith in God’s ability, then leave it there for God to do as He wills.

Does God bring miraculous healing through this method? YES YES YES. We have seen it many times in this very sanctuary.

Does God always bring miraculous healing (restoring of health) if we follow this pattern? It appears to me that He does not. That is God’s prerogative. If you ask us to pray, we will pray with all faith trusting God’s ability, but we cannot and will not demand anything from God. We will simply pray fully trusting God for the ability to heal and at the same time we will fully surrender you and our sincerest hope of your physical healing to Him who is perfect.

Now I will also say that in my best understanding of the scriptures I believe there are times when we come to God without faith and therefore do not receive what we have asked for. James has taught us that principle a couple of times already. Do not be doubleminded, ask by faith...

While it is true that confession does not have to be made to a Pastor or Priest, it is also true that not every brother or sister is mature enough to hear your confession. Use discernment with who you share your most intimate faults and failures with.

What is confession? The word means to “say the same thing”. Confession is to agree with God about what He says in the Bible.

Confession does not have to be detailed either. A simple, pray for me because I have fallen into sin is enough. We must guard our hearts against wanting to say or know too much. Some people want to know too much about others, while some people want to reveal more than they should.

There is however the need for specific confession if we have sinned against another and need to confess that to them in seeking their forgiveness and restoration of the relationship.

What is interesting to me is that when you look at any recorded revival in history you will always see a public confession of sin and a genuine repentance by those experiencing revival.

Verses 17-18

Verses 19-20

And just as directly as James began his letter so he ends it abruptly. No extra pleasantries. just the necessary teaching for the Christian...