James 5:7-20

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: James (Acts)

Rusty's Notes

• 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.