Post on 20-Jan-2016
James: Hands-On Christianity….
James: Hands-On Christianity….
James 5:7-12James 5:7-12
Walking away
sounds cowardly,
doesn’t it?
Our nature prompts us
to fight back.
Our nature prompts us
to fight back.
“Revenge is kind of
wild justice.”
How He wish we would learn how to respond rightly when we have
been done wrong!
God wants us to
overcome our natural reaction with a
supernatural response.
“18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.19 For it is commendable if
you bear up under the pain of ….
…. unjust suffering becauseyou are conscious of God.
20 But how is it to your creditif you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?But if you suffer for doing
good and you endure it, this is commendable before
God.”(TNIV)
Peter says twice …
“this is commendable
(favor)”
by God
(verses 19-20).
(favor)
…original
Greek text is
CHARIS –
“GRACE.”
God considers patient
endurance of injustice
A GRACE, something
commendable because
it is beyond ordinary
human response.
Let’s make some
observations about
James 5:7-12 that
will give us some
perspectives.
i) The Passage Is Addressed To The Believers
The kind of patient
“ENDURANCE” to which
James was referring tois found only in a person
whose daily life is
“CONNECTED” to God.
ii) These 6 Verses Are Directly Related To The Previous 6
James gave the
Christian victims advice
on how to live in this
intolerable situation.
James gave the
Christian victims advice
on how to live in this
intolerable situation.
iii) James’ Advice Is Found In 4 Commands …
The first 2 (positive)are given in a tense
that essentially says ….“Do this right now!”
The last 2 (negative)are saying….
“Don’t even start that habit.” or “Stop doing
this!”
iv) 4 Vivid Illustrations That Shed Light On Each Command
James gave us
no reason
to miss his
meaning!
God wants us
to cultivate
“patience!”
“Be patient, then, brothers
and sisters, until the Lord’s
coming….” (TNIV)
In Greek, “patience” is actually a combination of 2
words:
“a long way far”
“passion, heat, rage of anger”
2 Things about this quality…
i) It Is Love’s First Response
… will motivate a person to overlook the offense, to delay the anger, to suffer long.
ii) Patience Is Essential To Learning
When we’re irritable and impatient, we can never learn the lessons God has for us.
“7b …. See how the farmer
waits for the land to yield
its valuable crop, patiently
waiting for the autumn and
spring rains. 8a You too, be
patient and stand firm ….” (TNIV)
James is speaking of howthe Lord comes to our rescue
in times when we’ve been wronged.
“… and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming
is near.” (TNIV)
in the faith and not doubt
that God will vindicate the
righteous – when he had been
done wrong. James says to
let the Lord support your heart
and help you in this situation.
“Cast your cares on the
LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the
righteous be shaken.” (TNIV)
“Cast all your
anxiety on him
because he
cares for
you.”(TNIV)
“You intended to harm me
(for evil), but God intended it for good to
accomplish….” (TNIV)
Rather than looking at ourselves or the unfair
circumstances, the
50:20 principleenables us to
FOCUS ON GOD!
“Don't grumble (complain) against one
another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is
standing at the door!” (TNIV)
The word translated
“grumble” or “complain”
literally means
“to groan or sigh.”
This GROANING reveals
an internal, unexpressed attitude of bearing a grudge.
“10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord. 11a As you know, we
count as blessed those whohave persevered….” (TNIV)
“…. You have heard of Job's
perseverance and have seen
what the Lord finally brought
about. The Lord is full of
compassion and mercy.”(TNIV)
deepens our understanding of Job’s endurance by saying…
“We generally speak of the
patience of Job which is the
word the Authorized [King
James] Version uses. But
patient is
far too passive a word. ….
…. As we read the tremendous drama of Job’s life, we see him passionately resenting what
has come upon him, passionately questioning the
conventional arguments of his so-called friends, passionately
agonizing over him. But the great fact about him is that in
spite of ….
…. all the groaning questionings which tore at his heart, he never lost his faith in God. …. ‘I know that my redeemer lives’ (Job
19:25). His is no unquestioning submission; he struggled and questioned, and sometimes
even defied, but the flame of his faith was never extinguished.
….
…. The word used of him isthat great New Testament
word ‘hupomone,’ which describes, not a passive
patience, but that gallant spirit which can breast the
tides of doubt and sorrow and disaster and come out with faith still stronger on the
other side. ….
…. It was the faith which held grimly on that came out
onthe other side, for ‘the Lord blessed the latter days of
Job more than his beginnings’(Job 42:12).”
“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.” (TNIV)
The Greek word for “swear,”
as used in the New Testament,
means “to grasp something
sacred firmly, for the
purpose of supporting what
you’re saying or doing.”
In the midst of suffering, it is easy to make oaths we can’t keep.
Instead, we should wait quietly for the outcome,
because that is
when insight will come.
James seems to be
advocating plainness of
speech for Christians.
James seems to be
advocating plainness of
speech for Christians.
We should avoid appearing super-
spiritual and endure trials with humility and
simplicity.
We should avoid appearing super-
spiritual and endure trials with humility and
simplicity.