James 5:12-20

Welcome

Introduction of newcomers

Warm up:

Prayer

The Lesson

I.                  Introduction

A.                In general, what your goal for coming to Sunday School?

1.                   To learn more about the Bible?

2.                   Because we’re commanded to by God?

3.                   Because the fellowship or teaching is good?

4.                   Because my ride goes to Sunday School?

B.                 All of these are well and fine, but are these good answers?

C.                 Talking to my wife about my reasons for teaching:

1.                   God’s call to serve

2.                   Because I like to teach and it is satisfying to be useful (as opposed to engineering)

(1)                 But, again, are these good answers?

D.                What is the purpose of this exercise we call Sunday School?

E.                 Key issue:  Realizing that S.S. really is not necessarily the things mentioned before, however good they are, but S.S. really is the discovery of our character in light of God’s character.

1.                   What is Christian character?

2.                   According to the American Heritage Dictionary, it is: “The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.”

3.                   So what is that to us?  Applied to Christians, it is those things that set us apart from non-Christians

4.                   As it applies to S.S., that means that what we do here is not:

a)                   To be able to understand theology, or

b)                   To fulfill obligations that we feel are placed on us by God or other men/women,

c)                   Nor is it because the teachers are cool.

5.                   We (teachers included) are here to build on our relationship with Jesus; to understand the characteristics of God as spoken through the Bible.

6.                   Understanding God’s attributes will result in changes in our lives as we discover how the Lord speaks to us.

F.                  How does James fit in?

G.                James fulfills that question, “What should I (the reader) be doing or can do that indicates a growing relationship with God?”  That is, what are the fruits, the signs of those who are walking with God?

II.               Prelude

A.                From last week, James addresses these questions in three areas (as I see them):

1.                    How the rich act  (counter example)

2.                    Waiting patiently for the Lord’s will

3.                   Endurance through trials, unjust treatment so as not to incur judgment.

B.                 This week is simply a continuation of James’ commands about behavior.  James is teaching us (the reader) about Christian Character.  It may not be couched in those terms, but it is essentially what is happening.

C.                 When I say character,

1.                   I speak not of that quality where we can withstand the wrongs of life, (although that is part of it) -- this is the Calvin and Hobbes type of character, y’know, “Do it, it builds character”.

2.                   I don’t speak of character as those who have a particular personality or some inner strength, (although they may be a part of it for some)

D.                When I say character, I speak about Christian Character:  the behavior or qualities that set us apart from others because God has made Himself known to us.

E.                 It is this through God’s continuing revelation of Himself to us that cause these qualities in us.

F.                  So now, what can this week’s passage say about character?

III.           Christian Character Means Being Trustworthy

A.                What is trustworthy? 

1.                   Warranting trust; reliable; dependable; responsible

2.                   Ask yourself right now, are you trustworthy?

B.                 What the passage tells us about keeping our word

1.                   Do not swear by heaven or earth or any other oath

2.                   Simply let your yes be “yes” and your no be “no”

3.                   => Let all that you say be truthful

a)                   You keep your word

b)                   You do not deceive

c)                   You are forthright in speaking

4.                   James is addressing an issue that Jesus spoke of that of speaking truthfully.

a)                   Oaths are taken to get somebody to believe in what you had said.  It is a statement made about the truthfulness of something said dependent on the value of what you swear by.

b)                   Jesus, in Mt. 23:16-22 spoke against those who had set up a system of oaths, whereby there were “less serious” oaths and “really serious oaths”.

c)                   Jesus, in Mt. 5:33-37 simply states, as James reiterates, to let your word be your truth.  No shading, no gray truth, no half-yeses.

5.                   In all things , you should conduct yourself in such a manner so that (as one person states) your word is your bond.  That is, in whatever you say you will do, do.  In whatever you say you will not do, don’t.  Our words and our truthfulness should be consistent with our actions to the point where they will not be questioned.

C.                 Illustration

1.                   If I were to tell you right now that I will not attend a single baseball game, nor purchase anything related to baseball for this year because of my personal convictions, what do you expect from me?

2.                   Now, what if I had told you that such thing and, say, two to three months from now, I got free tickets from a friend to go see the Dodgers and I went.  How would you perceive me then?

D.                What this means to our character

1.                   God desires us to be truthful, no lying.

2.                   Sometimes this means pain.

IV.           Christian Character Means Praying

A.                What the passage teaches about prayer

B.                 When are we to pray?

1.                   Pray during suffering

a)                   This means pray when we are encountering struggles, pains, sorrows.

b)                   Remember in James 1, he tells us to endure through trials; when we cannot understand those trials, we are to ask for wisdom from God.

c)                   It is natural for us to pray during hardship

d)                   It is probable that we will undergo hardship for the rest of our lives (it don’t get any easier, folks)

e)                   What does prayer accomplish?

2.                   Praise for blessings

a)                   We are to pray when things go well (cheerful)

b)                   This means to give our praise to God to thank Him for our current good state.  Remember: all good things are from God

c)                   What does prayer accomplish?

(1)                 Humility: understanding and perspective (James 1:17)

(2)                 Giving honor to God as it is due to Him

3.                   Prayer for others who are suffering

a)                   We are commanded to intercede for others when we see them suffer.

b)                   What does prayer accomplish?

(1)                 Much:  the prayer of a righteous man availeth much

(2)                 These accomplishments may come in several flavors:

(a)                  God’s deliverance from our afflictions

(b)                 Changed attitudes

(3)                 We have to realize that just because we pray for something, it may be out of God’s will

(4)                 ex: lottery, car, s/t sinful

C.                 So how do we pray?  With right attitudes.

1.                   If we have the heart of God, we cannot go wrong

2.                   How do we have the heart of God?  What does it mean to pray with the right attitude?

a)                   Having God’s heart -  we are concerned for the sick; that is why we are there in the first place.  We are praying for the well being of those we pray for and not for selfish reasons (e.g. to be perceived as righteous, to attempt to “buy” God’s favor, etc.)

b)                   Knowing God’s sovereignty -  we must understand that God is in sovereign control of all things and that a prayer offered in faith will be a prayer that understands that God has final say in all matters.  When we pray, we know that God will answer the prayer, but it may be in a manner that we may or may not like.

c)                   Knowing God’s desires for us - if we understand where God desires us to be, if we can be content in how the Lord is leading us (even if we do not know), then we are able to effectively pray.  A clear sense of what God desires of us will lead to prayer aligned with what He desires for us; making prayer that much more effective.

D.                The example of faith and prayer: Elijah

1.                   Elijah was a man of faith

2.                   Remember that he is one of two men who did not die

3.                   His heart of close to God’s -- always following where the Lord sent him

4.                   Elijah always knew that the Lord was in charge (1 Kings 17:20-21)

5.                   In the account of his encounter with Ahab, we see that Elijah had much faith in God, not even speaking (as far as the text mentions) with God before the challenge.  And yet, God answered Elijah’s request -- he had that much faith.

E.                 What does this mean to us?

1.                   Pray for all things -- Pray without ceasing (Eph 6:18)

2.                   Get close to God -- this will enable us to understand what the Lord desires and help us to be effectual in prayer

3.                   As we get closer, God will use the strengthening relationship to perfect us.

V.               Christian Character Means Evangelism

A.                What the passage teaches us about evangelism

1.                   This passage is one of the more difficult to interpret, but not impossible.

2.                   If a believer strays from the truth and he is later turned back by a fellow believer, he will be saved from death.

3.                   In verse 19, the one who strays, is he/she a Christian?

4.                   The verb for strays means to be deceived; that is, the person who strayed was deceived from the truth.  Odds are, that the person was probably not truly saved to begin with (not knowing the truth).  Perhaps this is a fellow churchgoer (but if you go to church, does not mean you’re saved).

5.                   If we understand this to be the verb, then all else falls into place:

a)                   If that person is corrected, then that sinner (we all are) will be saved from death.

b)                   This death is a spiritual death, note that verse 20 speaks of saving the soul of the sinner.

c)                   Saving the soul from death essentially means that Christ’s sacrifice (implied here) has covered the sins of the erring.

6.                   Why is this passage here?

a)                   To alert the reader to the consequences of one who does not know the truth:  death  (Rom. 6:23:  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)

b)                   To exhort the reader to the urgency of salvation and the subsequent need for evangelism.  If we understand the seriousness of the consequences of non-belief; if we truly understand that the final disposition of those who do not call on the name of Jesus as savior will not be pleasant, then we will be spurred to action.  This is like seeing the wounded and dying, what will we do to help?

VI.           Conclusion

A.                Truthfulness:  Conducting ourselves in a manner where trust is a given

B.                 Prayer:  Always putting ourselves in faithful prayer for all our needs and praises.

1.                   Pray for all things -- Pray without ceasing (Eph 6:18)

2.                   Get close to God -- this will enable us to understand what the Lord desires and help us to be effectual in prayer

3.                   As we get closer, God will use the strengthening relationship to perfect us.

C.                 Evangelism:  Heeding God’s call for us to make disciples of all the nations; understanding the consequences of those who will not or can not hear.

D.                Now, these commands we look at today are not a complete outline of how a Christian should be like or how he/she should act, but rather just some of the outgrowths of good Christian character (those things that set us apart from those who do not believe in God).  And remember, some of these things may take time to develop or understand as we walk at various speeds with Jesus.

E.                 As we spend time building our relationship with Jesus, His character will undoubtedly change ourselves to a character that is like His.

F.                  As we continue in this Sunday School class, we must realize that we’re not here for entertainment (however dry it may be); we’re not here to support our friends (although that may be a part) -- we’re here to build our relationship with God and, as a result, to grow mature and confident in our faith in Him.  We will develop this as the year goes on.

James 5:12-20 Small Group Questions

Part I: Trustworthiness

Explain how being trustworthy is more than simply a matter of being truthful to another person.

For each of the situations listed below, describe some of the consequences (and to whom, if applicable) if you were not to be trustworthy, reliable or dependable in some way:

·         Home, Christian Family

·         Home, Non-Christian Family

·         Working on a lab project in a group

·         Helping out with a fellowship prayer ministry

Part 2: Prayer

When Paul wrote “¼pray without ceasing¼” (1 Thess. 5:17), did he literally mean that we are to constantly be in prayer (including, but not limited to: showers, studying, cleaning the house)?  If he did, why?  Or if he did not, why not?

Part 3: Evangelism

Ask yourself the question, “Do I really comprehend the urgency of salvation?”  Share your thoughts with others.

How does your answer to the question above affect how you relate to

·         Christians?

·         Non-Christians?