• James 1 – Patient when in trouble. (stand confidently)
• James 2 – Lives out who they are. (serve compassionately)
• James 3 – Controlling our tongue. (speak carefully)
• James 4 – Turn from selfishness, envy & Pride (seek humility)

 
WAITING FOR THE LORD
James 5:7-20
7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

• James closes up with where he started… “stay strong in your oppression… displacement.”
• This is not about theology and when Jesus is returning (rapture, tribulation, millennium), it is about their pain and suffering coming to an end.
• Those that lived immediately after the cross thought Jesus was going to return during their lifetime. Always be ready.
• We don’t live like we anticipate Jesus to come back any time soon.
• “Be patient” comes from the compound word meaning “long” and “temper”.
• Mature… get a longer fuse.
• Look ahead to the end of the race… the Lord’s coming.
• You can’t be a farmer unless you are patient.
• Parable of the sower and the seed: soil is our heart. Seed is God’s Word.
• What are we to grow? Fruit of the Spirit.
• Farmer works the fields… but is also patient.
• Be patient with others… They will grow at their own speed.

9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

• In relation to the farmer, they work together… cooperative.
• If we use the sickles on each other, we will miss the harvest.
• The judge… ever do something wrong in school and you realized the teacher was standing in the door watching?
• Several people have asked me about my thoughts on iTown opening up church today in the midst of this pandemic.
• I’ve only reminded them to stay focused.
• It is not my place to judge… Jesus is the ultimate judge.

10 Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience.

• Satan tells the faithful Christian that his suffering is the result of sin or unfaithfulness.
• Yet his suffering might well be because of faithfulness!
• 2 Tim. 3:12 - In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.[1]
• We must never think that obedience automatically produces ease and pleasure.
• Our Lord was obedient, and it led to a cross![2]

11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

• Notice that James didn’t speak about Job’s patience, but he speaks about his endurance.
• Job was impatient with God but persevered.
• God was full of compassion and mercy.
• Most people talk about Job’s loss… but they rarely know or talk about Job’s restoration.
• Job 42:10-17 - GOD RESTORES JOB
• 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and doubled his previous possessions. 11 All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances came to him and dined with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him concerning all the adversity the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold earring.
• 12 So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned fourteen thousand sheep and goats, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch. 15 No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance with their brothers.
• 16 Job lived 140 years after this and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died, old and full of days.[3]
• What if perseverance brought about Job’s blessing?
• Romans 5:3-5 - And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. [4]
• If we never have to “persevere” we might not ever get to experience the hope… the blessing.
• The valleys are what make the peaks so high!

 
TRUTHFUL SPEECH
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.

• James jumps from “perseverance” to “taking oaths”
• How many times have you been in a difficult situation and made an oath to God?
• If words are a proof of character, then oaths would indicate that there is yet work to be done.
• When Peter poured out those oaths in the courtyard (Matt. 26:71), he was giving evidence that his character was still in need of a transformation.[5]
• A person with godly character doesn’t have to defend themselves with promises.
• Can you ever just say, “yes” or “no”?
• Or do you have to continue to talk to prove yourself?

 
EFFECTIVE PRAYER
13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

• Mature Christians knows how to sing in the midst of suffering.
• Instructing them what to do because of their insensitivity level.
• I must admit that I am low on mercy.
• I say this all the time… I usually only go to the hospital if there is a newborn… or you are about to go home… and I am not talking about earthly home.
• James “should” on me.
• It has become easier to know about everyone’s afflictions thanks to social networking.
• I think about and pray for people all day long.
• I use social networking & texting & phone calls to encourage people all day long.
• Use your technology for good or bad…
• But have you ever been through a crisis/tragedy in your life and looked at your social network feed?
• At the same time you are grieving… other people are rejoicing.
• There will always be suffering and rejoicing at the same time in the world.
• Just know… when something terrible is happening in your life… something good is happening in somebody else’s life… and it is OK.

14 Is anyone among you sick (weak)? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick (weak) person, and the Lord will raise him up;

• Prayer for healing and prayer for endurance.
• Logically: James knew that not everyone would be healed or there would never be death.
• What heals the person? Elders? Oil? Anointing/massage? Faith? Or the Lord?

if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

• This last statement concludes that it is their sin that has made them sick.
• This has to be in reference to salvation of the lost.
• These are people that are walking away from their faith.
• I do know this… I have prayed for many physical healings in my lifetime… and they have not been answered according to my will.
• But I have also prayed for the salvation of many sinners. If they choose to have faith, they have received it.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

• For one thing, disobedience to God can lead to sickness.
• This was David’s experience when he tried to hide his sins (Ps. 32).
• Second, sin affects the whole church.
• We can never sin alone, for sin has a way of growing and infecting others.
• This man had to confess his sins to the church because he had sinned against the church.
• Third, there is healing (physical and spiritual) when sin is dealt with.[6]
• “Accountability” to who?
• Who is righteous? You are…
• We are lead to believe that others are more righteous based upon levels of “doing”.
• Interesting that during this pandemic, the Pope has allowed parishioners to go directly to God for the confession of their sins instead of the local priest.

17 Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.

• Elijah had to endure too.
• 1 Kings 17-18
• King Ahab & Jezebel were persuading Israelites to follow Baal instead of Jehovah God.
• They were being led astray.

19 My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.[7]

• Show kindness
• Show mercy
• Show endurance
• Show grace
• Show hope
• It will be this Spirit in you… love, joy, peace…
• That leads those struggling in their faith to turn from their sin (repentance) and seek the Truth of the Gospel… That Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and wants to reign as the Lord of your life.
• In this new day, of pandemic, the sharing of the Gospel is not dependent on a Church program.
• What you have learned through your life is now being implemented.

Be the Church!

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 3:12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 379). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Job 42:10–17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 5:3–5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 381). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 383). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 5:7–20). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

• Think of all that is involved in life: today, tomorrow, buying, selling, getting gain, losing, going here, going there.
• Life is made up of people and places, activities and goals, days and years; and each of us must make many crucial decisions day after day.
• Apart from the will of God, life is a mystery.
• When you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and seek to do His will, then life starts to make sense.
• Even the physical world around you takes on new meaning.[1]
• Living in this pandemic… you can either listen to the news and statistics… or listen to the Spirit.

 
OUR WILL AND GOD’S WILL
James 4:13 – 5:6
13 Come now (now listen), you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”
 

• In reference to the traveling salesman who settles in one place for a season to make a buck and then moves on to the next.
• A beauty salon ad defined a term which has long needed clarification. It read: “Permanent Waves. Guaranteed to last three months.”
• So, permanence is the quality of lasting three months![2]
• Keep this in context of James speaking to an unsettled group that is looking for a home.
• This is a group of people who are going through a major transition in their lives and trying to figure out how to maneuver through the course.
• I can sympathize with James… He’s gathering all his chicks and trying to encourage them through a rough transition.
• Some of them are doing really well in the situation and others are really struggling.
• But he is writing to a group of people who have at least one thing in common which is learning how to live out of their new heart.
• There is still a struggle to live out of their own will or live out of God’s will. (walk by the Spirit)
• In this sense, they are creating community among themselves.
• There is something to say for longevity in a community. Invest in people.
• Community helps keep you focused and grounded.
• Who you hang out with greatly impacts your life.
• Disaster Relief – Home Depot or Lowes pops up but then they also stick around.

14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.

• Man’s plans are always tentative.
• His plans are not his own.
• Time is not his own.
• In fact, life is not his own.[3]
• If we can zoom out on this current situation, we will see that it most likely makes the history books.
• But the reality is, most likely, in a couple of years it has already become history.
• That doesn’t mean that it didn’t change the way we did life just a couple months ago but we have moved on to a new way of doing things.
• But still… in the big picture… it is a blip on the radar screen.
• 3-4 months of “quarantine” may seem like a huge deal now… but this reboot will not be given much thought after the next reboot.
• James refers to life being a vapor/mist which is very similar to what Solomon was saying in Ecclesiastes & Proverbs.
• I tried to explain this to a family last night who is on the brink of losing one of their own.
• It is hard to see the bigger picture when reality says “look at this right here”.
• Their answers are probably more visible when they can see the bigger picture… as time goes by.
• Proverbs 27:1 - Don’t boast about tomorrow,

for you don’t know what a day might bring.[4]

• Luke 12:16-34 - 16 Then he told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? 18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’
• “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
• “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

 
THE CURE FOR ANXIETY

• Then he said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
• “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith? 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
• “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.[5]

15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

• The key to avoiding boasting is a godly perspective.
• Arrogance mentioned once again.
• Man’s boasting only covers up man’s weakness.
• Paul did not consider the will of God a chain that shackled him; rather, it was a key that opened doors and set him free.[6]

17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

• These people know the will of God but choose to disobey it.
• This attitude expresses even more pride than does the first; for the person says to God, “I know what You want me to do, but I prefer not to do it. I really know more about this than You do!”[7]
• This attitude only sees a small part of the big picture.
• “How does this affect me now?” doesn’t allow you to see the bigger picture in how it will affect you 10 years from now. Or how it will affect your generations to follow.
• Family tree… They made decisions in the heat of the moment that are reflected long after they are dead and gone.
• Selfish perspective… God perspective.
• Ephesians 6:6 - Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.[8]
• How do you “do God’s will from your heart”?
• Know Him
• Know what He has given you
• Obey what you know

 
WARNING TO THE RICH
James 5
1 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you.

• “rich” is a relevant term.
• What is rich?
• In today’s definition it could easily be defined as one without debt.
• That has changed in the last 50 years.
• A rich person could be determined by Forbes
• A rich person could be determined by material possessions: House, car, boat, etc.
• A rich person could be determined by how they share what they give away.
• James did not say it was a sin to be rich.
• Abraham was a wealthy man, yet he walked with God, and was greatly used of God to bless the whole world.
• James was concerned about the selfishness of the rich and advised them to “weep and wail.”[9]

2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

• Deuteronomy 24:14 - “Do not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether one of your Israelite brothers or one of the resident aliens in a town in your land.[10]

5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you. [11]

• In the scramble for more wealth, the rich used their influence in courts of justice, and in the process were guilty of bringing condemnation and even death to innocent men who offered no resistance.
• “innocent men” is lit., “the righteous one” though it probably refers to a class of people rather than to one individual.
• What began as an interest in money ended as an insensitivity to murder.[12]
• 1 Corinthians 4:2 - In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful.[13]
• Just in the last 8 months, you have:
  • Supported the local community financially and physically
  • Supported several families in the need of counseling
  • Supported a single mother who has MS and relies on caretakers every day.
  • Paid an electric bill for a family so they could turn their heat back on for the winter.
  • Supported local businesses that are need.
  • Several families in financial need.
  • Supported a couple of ministries (inside of Leavener) that meets physical needs of others in the community.
  • Several individuals on missions.
  • A family that is pursuing ministry and encouraging them to teach from their identity.
• Thank you for being faithful, caring and supportive.

And thank you for always taking care of my family.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 371). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Tozer, A. W., & Eggert, R. (1998). The Tozer Topical Reader (Vol. 2, p. 242). Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread.
[3] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 831). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Pr 27:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 12:16–34). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 372). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 372). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Eph 6:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 374). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 24:14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 4:13–5:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 833). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Co 4:2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

• Do you even realize you are saying it?

Ever since…

• The preposition “since” is used to refer back to a previous point in time: “It's been weeks since I got a hug from you.” 

• “Ever since” is used when you want to emphasize that something has been true from "from that time to this".
• Our friend, Anna McCord, turns 100 years old on April 24…
• And Rachel Di Salvo will turn 18 on the same day.
• But there is a vast difference when Anna McCord says “Ever since I…” then when Rachel Di Salvo says, “Ever since I…”.
• There is a lot more “Ever since” in Anna’s life than there is in all our lives.

Think about 9/11…

• Ever since 9/11, it ushered in a new generation of policies like the USA Patriot Act, prioritizing national security and defense, often at the expense of civil liberties.
• Ever since 9/11, our military involvement in Afghanistan, which continues today, has turned into the longest-running war in U.S. history.
• Ever since 9/11, we have the Department of Homeland Security.
• Ever since 9/11, airport security underwent a series of major overhauls. And a service that was once largely provided by private companies is now primarily overseen by the massive Transportation Security Administration known as TSA.
• Not so long ago, it wasn't unusual to show up at the airport a half-hour before a domestic flight, keep your shoes tied tight, and skip through the metal detector while sipping a Big Gulp, all without ever having to show an ID.
• Ever since 9/11, we are under constant surveillance and additional security checks as we enter government buildings, public attractions and sporting events.
• We are limited to what we can even carry into events.

Times have changed we don’t even think about it as we ease into our new norm.
We complained about each change as it was implemented but then we quickly fell into compliance.
Think about Anna’s “Ever since…”

• Anna was 5 months old, women gained rights.
• The Great Depression of 1930’s
• The Holocaust, WWII and Pearl Harbor
• The 1st man in space in 1961
• The Civil Rights Act in 1964
• Crack Cocaine in 1977
• AIDS in 1980
• The OKC Bombing in 1995
• Columbine Shooting in 1999
• Television, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the microwave oven, the cell phone, the smartphone, etc.

Now… today… Ever since the Corona Virus…

• What is going to change?
• Masks?
• Hygiene?
• Cleanliness in public places?
• Working from home?
• We have no idea how this is going to impact our future

But think back with me… what if you were a Jew during the time of Jesus’ ministry?

• Ever since Jesus came along… things changed.

I was reading out of Neb Hayden’s devotional book (Walking with a Limp) this week…
Do you realize… Ever since eternity past that God & Jesus determined the exact moment that He would not only be born earth but also die on earth?

• This is why the prophets were able to talk about it years in advance of its happening.
• Yes, Jesus was born to die!
• Jesus knew it… John the Baptist knew it.
• His disciples didn’t know it.
• They thought death should be avoided at all cost.
• Jesus kept telling the disciples He was going to die and Peter kept objecting.
• Peter wanted to change what God and Jesus had already determined in eternity past.
• The disciples saw Jesus’ death as a failure where as God & Jesus saw it as a victory!
• Think about this… the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus so they personally could remain in power.
• But God and Jesus were wanting Him to die for a completely different purpose.
• People may say Jesus dying on the cross as “close, but no cigar” but this story is what God had always planned as a gift to you!
• A man… born to die!

This story is found in:
        Matthew 28:1-20
        Mark 16:1-13
        Luke 24:1-35
        John 20:1-18
        I Corinthians 15:5
 

• The goal of the four Gospel writers was to give evidence for the resurrection rather than give a detailed history of the events surrounding it.
• What is clear is that Jesus was raised – all else is secondary.

 
Matthew 28:1-4 - 1 Dawn was breaking on the first day of the week; the sabbath was over. Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, had come to look at the tomb, 2 when suddenly there was a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. He came to the stone, rolled it away, and sat down on top of it. 3 Looking at him was like looking at lightning, and his clothes were white, like snow. 4 The guards trembled with terror at him, and became like corpses themselves. [1]

• Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday.
• Mary Magdalene (Mark 15:40)
• Mary, the mother of James & Joseph (Matt 27:55-56)
• Salome, the mother of James & John (sons of Zebedee)
• Mark 16:1 – Spices were bought after sundown.
• These spices would be in addition to what already had been used or purchased.
• Joseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus were the ones who quickly wrapped and anointed Jesus on Friday to get him inside the tomb before sundown.
• Mark 16:2 – They traveled to the tomb at sunrise (yet it was still dark according to John).
• 1) A great earthquake took place
• 2) An angel whose appearance was like lightning and garment was white as snow, rolled away the stone and sat on it.
• 3) Romans soldiers were watching began to shake and then passed out as if they were dead.
• The angel is the one who broke the seal and the penalty for that was death… good luck with that one.

 
John 20:1-2 - 1 On the first day of the week, very early, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark.
She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 2 So she ran off, and went to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.
‘They’ve taken the master out of the tomb!’ she said. ‘We don’t know where they’ve put him!’ [2]

• Mary Magdalene came to the tomb first, while it was still dark.
• She did not see the two angels because she left so quickly to tell Peter & the disciples.

 
Mark 16:3-5 - 3 They were saying to one another, ‘There’s that stone at the door of the tomb—who’s going to roll it away for us?’
4 Then, when they looked up, they saw that it had been rolled away. (It was extremely large.)
5 So they went into the tomb, and there they saw a young man sitting on the right-hand side. He was wearing white. They were totally astonished. [3]

• Luke 24 says there were 2 men in dazzling clothes.
• The other women arrived after Mary Magdalene had left.

 
Matthew 28:5 - 5‘Don’t be afraid,’ said the angel to the women. ‘I know you’re looking for Jesus, who was crucified.[4]
 
Luke 24:5-8 - 5 The women were terrified, and bowed their faces towards the ground.
But the men said to them, ‘Why look for the living with the dead? 6 He isn’t here—he’s been raised! Don’t you remember? While you were still in Galilee he told you that 7 the son of man must be handed over into the hands of sinners, and be crucified, and rise again on the third day.’
8 And they remembered his words. [5]
 

• Imagine what they must have thought standing there holding anointing oils/perfumes when they realized what Jesus had said was now truth.

 
Mark 16:8 - 8 They went out, and fled from the tomb. Trembling and panic had seized them. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. [6]
 
John 20:2-10 - 2 So she ran off, and went to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.
‘They’ve taken the master out of the tomb!’ she said. ‘We don’t know where they’ve put him!’
3 So Peter and the other disciple set off and went to the tomb. 4 Both of them ran together. The other disciple ran faster than Peter, and got to the tomb first. 5 He stooped down and saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the napkin that had been around his head, not lying with the other cloths, but folded up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who had arrived first at the tomb, went into the tomb as well. He saw, and he believed. 9 They did not yet know, you see, that the Bible had said he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. [7]

• Mary Magdalene was reporting to Peter & John that Jesus’ body had been stolen.
• John made sure it was recorded that he outran Peter.

 
Luke 24:9-11 - 9 They went back, away from the tomb, and told all this to the eleven and all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the others with them. They said this to the apostles; 11 and this message seemed to them just stupid, useless talk, and they didn’t believe them. [8]

• Mary Magdalene had already been there but all she saw was that the stone had been moved.
• Mary & Salome told the “rest of the disciples.” Peter & John had already ran to the tomb at this point.
• Remember, after Gethsemane, all the disciples had been scattered.
• Mary & Salome were reporting that Jesus’ body had been resurrected according to what the angel had told them.

 
John 20:11-18 - 11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she wept, she stooped down to look into the tomb. 12 There she saw two angels, clothed in white, one at the head and one at the feet of where Jesus’ body had been lying.
13‘Woman,’ they said to her, ‘why are you crying?’
‘They’ve taken away my master,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they’ve put him!’
14 As she said this she turned round, and saw Jesus standing there. She didn’t know it was Jesus.
15‘Woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘why are you crying? Who are you looking for?’
She guessed he must be the gardener.
‘Sir,’ she said, ‘if you’ve carried him off somewhere, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.’
16‘Mary!’ said Jesus.
She turned and spoke in Aramaic.
‘Rabbouni!’ she said (which means ‘Teacher’).
17 ‘Don’t cling to me,’ said Jesus. ‘I haven’t yet gone up to the father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I’m going up to my father and your father—to my God and your God.”’
18 Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples, ‘I’ve seen the master!’ and that he had said these things to her. [9]

• When Jesus called her by name… she knew immediately.
• “Don’t cling to me” – It was not about Mary touching Him because he lets Thomas later.
• Jesus wanted others to see that He had resurrected.
• The oral law placed many restrictions on what a woman could say in a court of law.
• Testimony from a woman first would have been rejected.
• If this was a hoax by the disciples, they wouldn’t have Jesus appear to a woman first.

 
Matthew 28:9-10 - 9 Suddenly, there was Jesus himself. He met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ They came up to him and took hold of his feet, prostrating themselves in front of him. 10 ‘Don’t be afraid,’ said Jesus to them. ‘Go and tell my brothers that they should go to Galilee. Tell them they’ll see me there.’ [10]

• This appearance was to other women.
• This is the third time the disciples had been told to meet Jesus in Galilee.
• They remained in Jerusalem in disbelief.

 
Matthew 28:11-15 - 11 While the women were on their way, some of the soldiers who had been on guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 They called an emergency meeting with the elders, allotted a substantial sum of money, and gave it to the soldiers.
13‘This’, they told them, ‘is what you are to say: “His disciples came in the night, while we were asleep, and stole him away.” 14 And if this gets reported to the governor, we’ll explain it to him and make sure you stay out of trouble.’
15 They took the money and did as they had been instructed. And this story still goes the rounds among the Jews to this day. [11]

• They knew if Pilate found out the seal was broken they would be killed.
• Imagine telling Pilate you were sleeping on duty.
• How could the guards know who stole Jesus’ body if they were sleeping.

 
I Corinthians 15:5 - 5 he was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve; [12]

• Not reported in the Scripture but is alluded to here.
• Obviously Peter’s denials were forgiven and forgotten by Him.
• He went to Peter first.

 
Matthew 28:16-20 – 16 So the eleven disciples went off to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had instructed them to go. 17 There they saw him, and worshipped him, though some hesitated.
18 Jesus came towards them and addressed them.
‘All authority in heaven and on earth’, he said, ‘has been given to me! 19So you must go and make all the nations into disciples. Baptize them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. 20Teach them to observe everything I have commanded you. And look: I am with you, every single day, to the very end of the age.’[13]
 
Ever since Jesus was resurrected…
 
Basics of the Exchanged Life

1. Old Covenant became obsolete and the New Covenant was established.
2. New nature is in sin nature is out.
3. Forgiveness is complete at the point of salvation
4. Sanctification is both past tense & present tense.
5. Jesus lives through you
6. You have the mind of Christ
7. Adversity leads to perseverance, perseverance proven character, proven character hope that doesn't fail

Ever since…
Romans 8:11 - 11 So, then, if the spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives within you, the one who raised the Messiah from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies, too, through his spirit who lives within you. [14]
 
REESE PRAY!!!!

[1] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mt 28:1–4). London: SPCK.
[2] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Jn 20:1–2). London: SPCK.
[3] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mk 16:3–5). London: SPCK.
[4] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mt 28:5). London: SPCK.
[5] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Lk 24:5–8). London: SPCK.
[6] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mk 16:8). London: SPCK.
[7] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Jn 20:2–10). London: SPCK.
[8] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Lk 24:9–11). London: SPCK.
[9] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Jn 20:11–18). London: SPCK.
[10] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mt 28:9-10). London: SPCK.
[11] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mt 28:11–15). London: SPCK.
[12] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (1 Co 15:5). London: SPCK.
[13] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Mt 28:16–Mk). London: SPCK.
[14] Goldingay, J., & Wright, T. (2018). The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation (Ro 8:11). London: SPCK.

James 4:1-12
PROUD OR HUMBLE
James 4:1-12
1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? (rhetorical?) Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?

• Conflict comes out of inner sensual lusts or pleasures (hēdonōn).
• Hedonism, the playboy mindset that makes pleasure men & women’s goal.
• Fighting in the Church has gone on forever!
• Lot caused a quarrel with his Uncle Abraham (Gen. 13).
• Absalom created a war for his father David (2 Sam. 13–18).
• The disciples created problems for the Lord when they argued over who was the greatest in the kingdom (Luke 9:46–48).
• When you examine some of the early churches, you discover that they had their share of disagreements.
• The members of the Corinthian church were competing with each other in the public meetings, and even suing each other in court (1 Cor. 6:1–8; 14:23–40).
• The Galatian believers were “biting and devouring” one another (Gal. 5:15).
• Paul had to admonish the Ephesians to cultivate spiritual unity (Eph. 4:1–16).
• Even his beloved church at Philippi had problems: two women could not get along with each other (Phil. 4:1–3).[1]
• Explain the war inside… POS

2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

• In reference to class wars (rich vs poor)
• This is not the trusting child asking for a meal but the greedy child asking for the best piece or the spoiled child demanding his or her way.
• They are asking God to bless their schemes; God will have no part of it.[2]
• But the real battle is between your focus on God and worldly things.
• First, wanting what they do not have and second, coveting what they cannot obtain.[3]
• The essence of sin is selfishness.
• Often we veil our religious quarrels under the disguise of “spirituality.”
• We are like Miriam and Aaron who complained about Moses’ wife, but who really were envious of Moses’ authority (Num. 12).
• Or we imitate James and John who asked for special thrones in the kingdom, when what we really want is recognition today (Mark 10:35–45).
• In both of these instances, the result of selfish desire rubbed hard and brought division among God’s people.
• Selfish desires are dangerous things.
• They lead to wrong actions (“You fight and war,”)
• They even lead to wrong praying (“You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.”).
• When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong.
• It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth.[4]
• Selfish living and selfish praying always lead to war.
• There is always war on the inside, but there doesn’t have to be war on the outside.
• It is called “walking by the Spirit”, rather than “walking by the flesh”

4 You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.

• A figure of speech designating the unfaithfulness of God’s people in their relationship with Him[5]
• By the “world,” James means, of course, human society apart from God.[6]
• Friendship with the world is compared to adultery.
• James is not referring to quit talking and loving on people with worldly behaviors.
• James is referring to not doing worldly behaviors.
• James is not talking about disassociating yourself from people who do worldly behaviors.
• James is referring to disassociating yourself from worldly behaviors.

5 Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?

• Do not grieve the Spirit…
• How can you have what you have and not see this thing?

6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

• God resists the proud… those who are not redeemed…
• I have been made humble… sometimes I walk in my flesh.
• Know who you are.
• James has taken the sword and said this is the enemy of God and this is the friend of God.
• Know the difference… know who you are.
• You can depend on your own pride… or you can depend on God’s grace.

7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

• This word is a military term that means “get into your proper rank.”[7]
• Submit… why do we have such a hard time with this word?
• Pride
• But resist the devil…

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

• You will have no problem with submission if this happens.
• The more you know God… the more you will feel His presence with you.
• The more you know God… the more aware you will become of the things God does around you.
• Submission becomes a fruit.

Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

• Don’t just say you believe in God.
• Believe in God.
• Pursue God!
• During this Corona Virus era, you are changing the way you do life.
• You are shedding your old habits… some that you have been doing a long time.
• Now you are having to re-think how to do life.
• You are creating new habits…even if it is subconsciously.
• Process what you are doing with your time.
• We are going to come out of this stage in life and it is going to impact you forever.
• How many times have you said, “If I just had time to pursue the Lord, I would do this or that.”?
• Now is the time.
• It is the same thing James was saying to the believers 2000 years ago.
• Think about what you are doing.
• Focus on the Lord. Pursue this living God that wants to literally help you breathe every breath.
• And wash your hands!

9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

• I imagine most people translate this as written to the believers since this is who the letter is written to.
• The previous verse is directed to non-believers… sinners.
• Be miserable and mourn about your worldliness…
• Let your laughter and joy that is based upon worldly things turn to sorrow and repentance.
• Humble yourselves… cast aside your pride.
• Let go of your old stone heart, be transformed by the grace of God and learn how to live out of your new heart.

11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? [8]

• The saints were speaking evil of one another and judging one another.
• Christians are to speak “the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15); they are not to speak evil in a spirit of rivalry and criticism.
• If the truth about a brother is harmful, then we should cover it in love and not repeat it (1 Peter 4:8 - Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.[9]
• If he has sinned, we should go to him personally and try to win him back (Gal. 6:1–2 - Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.[10]).
• James was not forbidding us to use discrimination or even to evaluate people.
• Christians need to have discernment (Phil. 1:9–11 - 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.[11])
• We must not act like God in passing judgment.
• We must first examine our own lives, and then try to help others (Matt. 7:1–5).
• We never know all the facts in a case, and we certainly never know the motives that are at work in men’s hearts.
• To speak evil of a brother and to judge a brother based on partial evidence and (probably) unkind motives is to sin against him and against God.[12]
• There is a Spirit inside of you that will provide you with wisdom on when to speak and even when not to speak.
• Know God and you will learn to live out of your new heart.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 366–367). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Davids, P. H. (2011). James (p. 100). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[3] Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, p. 174). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 367–368). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Jas 4:4). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 368). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 369). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 4:1–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Pe 4:8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 6:1–2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Php 1:9–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 367). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.