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.