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This sermon is the ninth and final message in a series of sermons on the New Testament book of James. The sermon speaks about the topics of patience, prayer, and restoration in the believer's quest to reach the final goal - eternity with Christ.
Written Excerpts:
James
5:7 (NKJV) Therefore
be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer
waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it
receives the early and latter rain.
Introduction:
Today
I hope to conclude our series of messages in the book of James. (This is the 9th
sermon in the series.)
We
have repeatedly mentioned that James is writing about faith that is genuine and
living because it is a faith that applies to everyday life. It is a faith that
is practical and impacts one’s values, choices and conduct.
In
this brief letter James addresses a number of practical admonitions for his
readers to follow in order to show their faith is living and genuine. Remember
that we pointed out in the very beginning that there were over 50 imperative
verbs (commands) in this letter, which demonstrates that the admonitions James
offers are not mere suggestions. In
the closing verses of chapter 5, James exhorts his readers to keep practicing
their faith in the long-term pursuit of the final goal – eternity with Christ.
Let
us look at James 5 to learn important details on…
Reaching the Final Goal (5:7-20)
In
the first verse of this section James says, “Be patient… until the coming of
the Lord.”
Writing
to Christian believers that are dispersed throughout the whole region, James
wants them to understand that opposition and adversity will come in all kinds
of ways and from different sources. They must have a persistent determination
to keep practicing faith with all the endurance necessary until life is done.
The final goal is the end of this life – the coming
of the Lord.
A. Patience
is necessary to reach the goal. (7-12)
This section starts with the word “therefore” which
links it to the previous verses. In contrast to the disappointment and judgment
that the rich will experience, he urges his readers to endure until they are
rewarded.
1. Patience is encouraged. (7-8)
Actually, in the outline we’re using for this
study, I should have typed “Patience is commanded” rather than “encouraged.”
“Be patient” – (in v. 7 & v. 8) imperative
verb; endure with expectation.
Just like the farmer waits with patient expectation
for the “early & latter” (autumn & spring) rains in order to get his
crops, they also must practice patience or endurance.
“establish your hearts” – imperative verb; fortify,
prepare your hearts for the wait, however long that may be.
This can only be done by God as we “fortify
ourselves” through studying the Word of God. The Word of God and the Spirit of
God produces stability in our faith.
1 Thess. 3:12-13 (NKJV)
And
may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all,
just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts
blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all His saints.
2. Patience is practically applied. (9, 12)
Probably two of the most common expressions of
impatience are: grumbling and swearing, although the discussion about swearing
in this context probably does not refer to cursing or vulgar talk, but rather
the practice of invoking the name of God to support one’s claims.
a. Do not grumble. (KJV, Grudge not) Do not
allow yourself to nurse and/or express critical feelings.
Typically done “against one another.” (Tyndale) … [it means
that] believers should not grumble to others about their difficulties, or that
believers should not blame others for their difficulties (cf. NEB). It is
entirely possible, however, that both ideas are involved.
It is a natural human tendency to grumble about what
we’re going through. Yet, everyone of us have probably acknowledged at times
that other people have problems far worse than ours. So, James says let us refrain from grumbling
(which, by the way, expresses doubt concerning God’s care), and let us trust the
Lord to give us grace to make it through the test.
b. Do not swear.
v. 12 may or may not be directly connected to the
discussion about patience. (Some think so, and others don’t.)
One author (Tasker, Tyndale Commentary-earlier edition), says
this, “What James is denouncing is the levity with which the name of God…
tended to be uttered when men’s minds were disordered by impatience, and
self-control was abandoned.”
“above all”
– i.e. take care of this problem before anything else.
“do not swear…” – Probably referring to the
practice of invoking the name of God to “prove” I’m telling the truth. It often
was done precisely because they were NOT telling the truth, or they could not always
be trusted to tell the truth.
“any other oath” – any of the common substitutes
people use in place of God’s name, but still accomplish the same purpose – i.e.
emphasize that what I say is REALLY TRUE!
“let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’…” – speak and live in such
a manner so everyone who knows you will be confident of your integrity and the
truthfulness of what you say.
We’ve all probably met those people who often share
“information” that we must take “with a grain of salt” because we’ve learned
from experience that the actual truth is sometimes different than what they shared.
3. Patience is illustrated. (10-11)
James refers to the OT prophets and to Job as
examples of people who practiced endurance and patience in order to let God’s
will and God’s timing to be accomplished. God was faithful to all of them to not only bring them
through the trials and adversities they faced, but in some cases, He also
caused their latter situation to be far better than what it had been. For every Christian who endures to the end, our
latter situation (eternity with Christ) will be far better than our present
situation!
B. Prayer is
necessary to reach the goal. (13-18)
If we want to maintain our faith all through life
until we reach the final goal, then we not only need endurance, but we also
need prayer. The topic of prayer is a logical conclusion to the
book by indicating that the Christian faith finds its center of power in a
vital relationship with God through prayer in all the experiences of life.
1. Prayer is appropriate for all circumstances.
(13-15)
Kinds of circumstances:
Afflicted? i.e. suffering; same word
used in v. 10 in reference to the prophets. It is a general term denoting all
sorts of afflictions and trials. (Tyndale)
Merry? i.e. cheerful; it is the same sense of
well-being that the Apostle Paul encouraged his shipmates to have in the midst
of the storm. (Tyndale)
Sick? i.e. without strength, illness.
Appropriate responses:
Pray – take our burden/problem to the Lord
Sing – singing a psalm = prayer of praise
Call – for others to pray; grammatically = call for
oneself. i.e. the one who is sick should call for the elders.
Calling indicates faith.
Anoint – Some disagreement
whether it is speaking of literally using oil when we pray for healing, or if
the reference to anointing with oil was reference to the common “medical practices”
in that time. Thus, it could be a reference to use the common medical practices
of the day, but it was more than that because the elders (not doctors) were to
anoint. But the healing comes from the Lord. In any case, the wording in
the original language refers to “real” anointing with oil, and not a spiritual
anointing such as Jesus mentioned when He quoted Isaiah, “… the Spirit of the
Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...”
Mark 6:13 (NKJV) And they [the twelve disciples] cast out many demons,
and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
Prayer of faith…heal the sick – God is the one who
heals.
Sins… forgiven – lit. it will be forgiven,
i.e. the fact that sins have been committed. Sometimes illness is caused by
sins committed. When praying in such cases, pray for forgiveness and healing
both.
2. Prayer hindrances need to be removed. (16)
Confession of sin. i.e. sins that may have caused
the sickness, but also any sins.
“confess” – lit. say the same thing; admit the
truth about ourselves.
Confession removes obstacles to faith and enables
the Lord to move in our situations and in our lives.
cf. 4:6 “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.”
“effectual, fervent prayer” – lit. prayer in its
working; a supplication or petition. Probably meant to have a connection with the first
part of the verse, i.e. to be effective and fervent prayer needs to be preceded
with confession.
3. Effective prayer is illustrated in real life.
(17-18)
“prayed fervently” – lit. he prayed with prayer. Emphasizes the fact that the OT prophet wasn’t some
kind of superhuman but was like all the rest of us. God answered his prayers. The implied truth is that
God will do the same for anyone. We must always believe in the effectiveness of
prayer and practice it faithfully in order to endure through life until Jesus
returns.
C. Even the
wayward may reach the goal. (19-20)
These
last two verses are a call to action (per Tyndale Commentary) and emphasize the importance
of everyone making it, even the ones who have strayed. Part
of our desire to endure to the end should be to help everyone else to make it
as well.
“cover
a multitude of sins” – probably referring to the sins of the one who has been
restored to salvation and saved from death. But could also include the
blessings God gives to those who minister to others. The notion that our
efforts to bring others to repentance will bring benefit to our own spiritual
standing is certainly biblical. – (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)
Gal. 6:1 (NKJV)
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore
such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be
tempted.
When
we attempt to restore a wayward brother, we are to consider our own condition,
so we do not stray as well. This process will help “cover a multitude of sins”
in our own lives as well.
Conclusion:
In
these closing paragraphs of James, we have emphasized the importance of
patience and prayer in order to keep our faith alive until Jesus returns. We need to keep the right perspective on our
trials (they’re only temporary), and a right perspective on our deliverance (only
through the prayer of faith).
It
seems significant that James ends up the letter with an appeal to restore any
wayward brother (or sister). Jesus
was always concerned with the lost and James shows the same concern.
As
we finish up this series of messages over the book of James, I want to ask you
today if your faith is really alive? Does
your faith enable you to live out God’s will in a practical way day by day? Or
are you living in willful violation of God’s Word while at the same time
comforting yourself in the fact that you still believe in God? Have
you wandered away from the truth like James describes in the closing verses?
Whether
you have discovered that your faith really wasn’t genuine at all, or if you
have wandered away from the faith you once practiced, I want to invite you to
give Christ your whole heart and life today. We
are going to sing an invitational hymn to close the service today. If anyone
realizes you have a spiritual need, I hope you will come forward and seek the
Lord today.
Jesus, I Come
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