Welcome back everyone!

We took a break last week from James to take part in a traditional Seder.

But we’re back this week ready to jump back into James

And this week we’re starting the last chapter of the book. 

Which is a little sad! 

I’ve loved listening to this sermon series and getting to take part in this little experiment. 

And I think I can speak for the rest of the guys in saying that we appreciate the leadership of our church taking a calculated risk with us. 

We’ll be in verses 1-12 of chapter 5 tonight. 

So if you haven’t already - take a second and flip there or scroll there. 

As you glance over it you might realize something

It’s not a light text. 

We won’t leave here tonight floating on biblical rainbows.

But I think this passage is one of the most important passages of practical encouragement to believers in this book.

The section of scripture that we’re covering tonight can be broken up into 2 halves.

The first half deals with topics of persecution and worldly cares.

That’ll be verses 1-6.

And the second half is an encouragement to believers.

That’ll be verses 7-11

And we’ll hit verse 12 too at the very end. 

Before we get going - let me pray.

-Pray here-

James is

So let’s get into it, starting with verse 1.

James 5:1 ESV

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

James starts off in a similar way as verse chapter 4 verse 13. 

He says “Come now”

Which carries with it the sense of an authority figure calling someone to pay attention.

It’s the banging of a judge’s gavel.

If you can picture James delivering this message personally, he would be making a lot of eye contact, and he might even have a finger in the chest of his audience.

He’s writing to “you rich” - but he doesn’t get specific about who the “rich” people are that he’s talking to

It might leave us a little confused and a little uncomfortable

What tax bracket is he speaking to? 

What if I have a huge salary, but I have it wisely invested? 

How about those who give away most of what they make? 

Is he talking to those people?

By the end of verse 6 we should have the answer to these questions.

And believe me we want to know who he’s talking to.

Because whoever that is has some nasty things coming their way.

Let’s keep reading in verses 2-3

James 5:2–3 ESV

2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 

3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

It reads very much like a woe

And if you’re not sure what a woe is

It’s defined as “An interjection denoting pain, discomfort, and unhappiness. It is a distinctive form of prophetic speech, and is found both in the OT and in the NT.”

Jesus pronounced woes, there’s woes in Revelation, the prophets pronounced woes.

They’re not necessarily warnings, about future judgment or miseries.

But rather statements - promising a future of ill fortune.

And this section of verses shares that woe-like forward looking pronouncement of judgment.

That’s actually our first sub-point tonight under James is

• James is proclaiming a future judgment for the wicked rich.

• It’s like James is seeing a vision

• He’s seeing the future of the rich flash before his eyes.

• Rotted riches

• Moth-eaten garments

• Corrosion of gold and silver

• Fire consuming flesh

Not a pretty picture and certainly a reason to weep

I think God also hid a small detail in this text as an extra jab towards the rich

The chemistry minded folks in the room might know where I’m going.

You see pure Gold is very difficult to corrode.

It doesn’t react with other substances.

That’s one of the reasons why we love it so much.

When a metal reacts with another element it often fades or gets corroded. 

Most of the time the metals we see react either oxygen in the air, or minerals of some sort.

But pure gold never fades, it always shines, it never loses its luster

And that makes it desirable

And because of its desirability it’s expensive

Any man who has ever thought about buying his wife some nice jewelry can tell you that. 

And because it’s so expensive oftentimes in order to make gold more affordable it’s mixed with other metals.

It’s like adding a cup of water to a pot of soup

It makes “more” soup

But it dilutes the good stuff.

These mixtures of gold and other metals are called alloys

And alloys are susceptible to rust and corrosion. 

Do you see what the Lord is saying here? 

God is poking fun at the treasure of the wicked rich.

He’s is comparing the rich man’s precious gold with cheap jewelry that corrodes 

He’s saying - “that gold that you think is so fine will corrode like cheap gumball machine jewelry”

This status symbol is eternally worthless, and in the face of the Lord it corrodes like a common metal

The application here is obvious - every trapping of wealth is bereft of worth when compared to the sublimity of the glory of God and knowing him.

Nothing on this earth can come close to the joy felt by those who glorify God and truly know him.

And those who are being addressed in this passage have traded that -

- something that’s infinitely valuable for a piece of scrap metal

That’s the reason for judgment coming upon the rich. 

These wealthy individuals have sought power, status, security, esteem from their wealth. 

But they didn’t seek God or His word.

James says they laid up treasure in the last days. 

On Sunday Tony talked about a big meteorite that nearly collided with earth

One way to think about it would be making a mad rush to gather wealth on the day before that meteorite obliterated the planet.

If we take a moment to really consider this scripture we’ll see that James’ pronouncement of judgment serves a double purpose

First and most obviously he’s speaking to the unbelieving, worldly, unrighteous rich people in the church.

He’s letting them know what sort of returns or dividends to expect on their worldly investments

This dividends are divine judgment, torment, and regret.

But James is also offering an implicit warning to the believers who may get drawn away by the cares of the world 

That’s our second sub-point 

James is offering an implicit warning of the dangers of the cares of the world .

It’s implicit in that he’s not talking directly to believers 

But believers can certainly learn from it

He’s warning us against the pursuit of stuff.

Against the pursuit of amassing wealth so we can feel secure.

Against the feeling of pride that wells up when people notice our displays of wealth.

James description of the behavior of the rich stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ words in 

Luke 12:33

Luke 12:33 ESV

33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

Jesus is encouraging us to be open-handed with what the Lord has given us.

Understanding that its value pales in comparison to treasure in the heavens.

There is nothing on earth that compares to treasure in heaven. 

James’ warning applies to all of us - so I would encourage you to take a moment later this week and reflect on the source of your joy.

If you find that your joy mostly wrapped up in stuff that exists in this world - I would suggest to you that your joy is misplaced, because scripture says that this world and everything in it is passing away.

James moves on to describe some of the ways these unrighteous rich have cheated the poor and lowly of the world.

Verses 4 and 5 read as follows

James 5:4–5 ESV

4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 

5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

This is where we really start to see the character of “the rich” come out. 

Actions speak louder than words sometimes, right? 

The rich that James is speaking to have been holding out on laborers. 

The wealthy people in question are toying with the livelihood of the poor who were working for them.

Many of us get paid every two weeks, some of us get paid monthly, and I would venture to say that a small percentage of us get paid daily. 

That’s not how it worked for laborers in this society. 

Most laborers received payment FOR the day they worked ON the day they worked AFTER the work was done.

This puts them in a slightly vulnerable position.

And God in his omniscience knew that there would be men with sinful inclinations in their hearts to take advantage of that vulnerability.

So He addressed this issue in His law to Israel.

One such law can be found in Leviticus 19.

Don’t worry about flipping there, you can read it on the screen.

Leviticus 19:13 ESV

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

Another reading of that same law is in Deuteronomy 24:15

Deuteronomy 24:15 ESV

15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.

These laws help us understand the position of the laborer a little better.

And consequently it helps us understand why refusing to pay a laborer is so evil.

These laborers were poor

They didn’t have a formal credit system

And even if they did, who would give credit to a poor man anyways?

If a rich man were to lend money to a poor man he would have to accept that he will likely never get paid back

There’s almost no hope of being repaid because he’s just working to keep food on the table

The poor man would have to go hungry, or make his family go hungry in order to pay back a debt

Because they didn’t have a credit system, these laborers often lived a lifestyle that we describe as living paycheck to paycheck

They got paid at the end of every day

So they would work a day, get paid, have enough to buy a day’s worth of food for their family

They likely had no reserves to dip into if there’s an interruption in that flow of money

If you don’t get paid, you don’t eat.

It’s clear what Deuteronomy means when it says that the laborer counts on his pay.

I hope you can appreciate how cruel and evil it would be to fraudulently keep a laborer’s wages from them.

This behavior helps to flesh out the character of the unrighteous rich that James is writing to.

There are people who prefer leveraging power rather than showing mercy.

These are people who prefer their riches over God..

They’re so consumed and entranced with wealth that they trade an eternity of pleasure with God for some coins.

James continues roasting "you rich” in verse 5

James 5:5 ESV

5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

James calls out their self-indulgent lifestyles, and the foolish fattening of their hearts in a day of slaughter.

Again they’re gathering resources, luxuries, and comfort on the day they die. 

Have you ever had wagyu beef?

It’s a specific type of beef that only comes from a few different types of cows. 

These cows are fed a special diet of grasses, wheat and other grains.

This diet causes them to have an extraordinary amount of fat stored throughout their body.

Many farmers take special care to fatten up their cows right before slaughter to increase their weight.

James is drawing that parallel here.

Saying the rich who pine after money and stuff are just fattening themselves up before the slaughter.

He says on the day of slaughter they’ll be like cows gobbling up worldly luxuries, not even recognizing the cold blade of judgment resting on their necks.

Let’s move on to Verse 6

It says

James 5:6 ESV

6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

• You have condemned and murdered the righteous person

• This is the back cover of the book of offenses done by the unrighteous rich. 

• We don’t have to look too hard in scripture to find examples of this.

• John the baptist

• Stephen

• The apostle Paul

• Jesus

These are all examples of those who didn’t resist their death at the hands of persecutors.

They went to their death without a bloody struggle

Willingly dying on behalf of the gospel without so much as a sarcastic word to their murderers.

They trusted the Lord’s purpose in their deaths, and they sacrificed themselves for the sake of God.

In this verse and the few before it James is looking into the eyes of the poor and those who are being persecute and he says

I see what’s happening to you.

And more importantly God sees what’s happening.

God is not unjust. He won’t let this sort of exploitation go unpunished.

James is acknowledging the suffering of the poor and disadvantaged.

That’s our last subpoint for verses 1-6. 

James will spend more time on steadfastness in the face of persecution and even death in verses 10 and 11 so let’s head that direction.

We are steadfast because

Starting in verse 7 let’s read until verse 11

James 5:7–11 ESV

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 

8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 

9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 

10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 

11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Notice how he begins by mentioning the brothers again

We’re used to this by now and I don’t think it’s necessary to define what “brother” means to James

But I do think it’s necessary to note the switch in audience.

From the unrighteous rich to the brothers

And the implicit warnings from earlier are now being voiced out loud.

He’s no longer being implicit he is now being explicit. 

He’s talking directly to the believer.

And James, true to form, gives us an imperative immediately

We’ve been talking about imperatives a lot during this study

It’s just a fancy word for a command. 

When you were growing up and your mom told you “go clean your room”

That was an imperative. 

The imperative here “Be Patient.” 

And it’s followed closely with a “therefore”

That means that what he just said is related to verses 1-6. 

How is patience related to the rich and their behavior? 

We just read about the mistreatment of some people

The laborers who didn’t get their wages.

The righteous person who is slain without resisting.

This mistreatment is what James is encouraging the brothers to be patient in the midst of.

James is saying all this bullying, persecution, and suffering is happening to you. 

And it’s horrible and I know you’re tired.

But be patient. 

Be patient until the coming of the Lord.

This persecution is inevitable

Jesus says to the believer “I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you”

Around the world this is commonplace

People are tortured, beheaded, executed for clinging to Christ

Persecutors of Christians often have family members tortured or killed in order to pressure the believer into renouncing Christ

These are the types of situations that James is telling us to be patient in the midst of. 

We even see it today in our country.

Just like the church that James is writing to - we have our own troubles.

And just like them - through God’s providence - James is also writing to us.

This is a tender moment in this book. 

He understands the difficulty of living in a world hostile to the gospel.

He’s saying “I know that you’re being mistreated, cheated, imprisoned, and killed”.

“Be patient”

He’s writing the same message to us.

To the believer who is sitting in jail for offering counsel to women trying to abort their babies

“Be patient”

To the Christian who’s life has been ruined by a slew of targeted lawsuits

Robbing them of peace and stability

“Be patient”

To the new Christian who is mocked or ostracized by their family

“Be patient”

And when you’re in the midst of it - and you’re wondering what could be worth it at the end of all this pain?

What’s the point of continuing? 

Scripture has an answer for you. 

2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

That’s the point.

That’s the why

Wait for the precious fruit that’s promised to the believer who is steadfast until the end.

Our obedience produces precious fruit .

That’s our first point of this section.

His encouragement contains an illustration to help orient our minds around this idea of patience.

He starts talking about rain.

And when I think about the land of and surrounding Israel - I don’t think about rain.

But there are two micro-seasons (if you will) of rain in that area.

The first rain softens the soil

The farmers take advantage of this to plough their land

then they plant their crop

And the late rains help to ripen their crops so that when the time comes, they’re ready to be harvested.

James likens the patient believer to the farmer waiting for his crop to come in

Do you see that in verse 7? 

James 5:7 ESV

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

Imagine a farmer who after the first rain, ploughed and planted

And after a few months - before the late rains he starts pulling up his crops

What will those carrots, or tomatoes, or berries be like? 

Have you ever bit into an unripe berry? 

It’s not pleasant

And the difference between an unripe berry and a ripe berry ready for eating is massive.

So if the farmer had pulled up his crop before the second rain - he would have underdeveloped crops, not suitable for eating

But a wise farmer waits until the fullness of the rain has come, until the season of harvest. 

He doesn’t quit before then.

So what can we take from this illustration? 

I think Galatians 6:9 has the answer for us

Galatians 6:9 ESV

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Just like the farmer, we will reap precious fruits if we do not give up

Well how long do we have to endure for? 

When does the buzzer sound?

Until the coming of the Lord.

If you were here when we went through 1 Thessalonians you might remember that the coming of the Lord is a specific event wherein Jesus appears in the sky and those who believe are caught up with Him in the air

So until that happens James is calling us to be steadfast

To be patient

Just like the farmer

And James gives us a little bit more here in verse 8

James 5:8 ESV

8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

The coming of the Lord is at hand.

Here’s another taste of that “end-times” language. 

James isn’t writing this suggesting that we consider establishing our hearts

This is a clarion call.

A tornado siren. 

Those only sound when a major event is imminent. 

That’s what this is. 

James is letting us know “this is coming soon - so be ready”

He says it’s “at hand”

That means it’s close

He’s trying to help give us perspective as we accomplish our mission of being patient and steadfast.

Me and my wife have been working out for several years.

I wish that fact was more self-evident 

I thought that by now I would look like Thor or The Rock or Arnold Swarchzenegger.

But here I am - pretty average looking.

Anyways we do workouts that have us doing some movement for intervals of time

So you’ll be doing push ups for 30 seconds and then you do sit ups for 30 seconds

Or burpees for a minute before moving on to something else.

Sometimes these workouts last upwards of 20 minutes.

When I’m doing a workout like that and I see that the whole workout only has 10 seconds left - what do I do? 

Stop? Say that’s good enough. 

NO! I push through until the end.

It’s not pretty. 

My form is atrocious

I’m either crying or drooling or both.

But there’s no time to stop. 

There’s only 10 seconds left.

That’s what James is encouraging us to do

10 more seconds! 

You can do anything for 10 seconds!

Keep going! 

You’re almost done! 

Don’t quit!

It doesn’t have to be pretty, but don’t quit pursuing God. 

Don’t quit establishing your hearts

THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND.

After this heavy dose of exhortation we get another imperative. 

James 5:9 ESV

9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

On first reading this warning feels out of place 

We’re all fired up about staying steadfast amidst trials

Now he’s reminding us to tame our tongues. 

But God is our creator knows our nature. 

He knows our proclivity to grumble when the going gets tough.

When we’re getting squeezed by some circumstance we feel the urge to take it out on someone else.

Have you ever seen that in a movie?

The team is down, people start pointing fingers.

Ever seen that in yourself?

When things get hard, we naturally look for somewhere to lay the blame.

Somebody that’s dragging us down, misrepresenting us, or just not living up to our standards.

I think there’s a great example of this in the book of Numbers, which is in the Old Testament.

God has directed Moses to lead Israel out of Egyptian captivity.

They crossed the red sea, safe at last from the Egyptians who were pursuing them

They were miraculously protected and provided for by God

Then they began a very bumpy journey to the promised land.

The land that would allow them to rest.

The land which would become their own.

So they get close to the land and send out some scouts.

The scouts return with great news. 

This land was everything they dreamed it would be! 

I remember in old bible cartoons the scouts were depicted carrying back huge clusters of grapes

Like as big as a couch

I’m not sure how accurate that was but it illustrates the point.

THIS LAND IS AWESOME.

But that’s not all the scouts found in the land.

They also found giants.

Living in fortified cities.

Which means that it would be difficult for Israel to subdue them.

Upon hearing this Israel lost it. 

The completely lost it. 

Scripture says they raised a loud cry and wept all night. 

The going had gotten tough.

Their hope was in this land. 

And now they’re being told they can’t have it. 

And what happens next

Numbers 14:2 ESV

2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!

They really said “I wish we would have died in Egypt, or at least somewhere else in the wilderness”.

They’re questioning the Lord. 

Questioning His goodness and the wisdom of His provision.

These doubting cowards let their frustration and fear rule them. 

Despite all the miraculous ways that that Lord provided for them and cared for them. 

Even appearing to them in unfathomable ways

They still say Numbers 14:3

Numbers 14:3 ESV

3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

“You brought us all the way out here for this? I would’ve rather stayed in Egypt and died!”

Effectively spitting in the face of God with their grumblings. 

That word - grumbling. We tend to think of it as a pretty harmless word. 

Someone who’s expressing their angst in a quiet, subdued way. 

We sort of chuckle at grumbling, right?

But did not God chuckle at their sneering cowardly complaint.

Not for a moment. 

How did God react to their grumbling?

He made sure they got their wish. 

His judgment on them was to make sure that none of them would see the promised land. 

They would die in the wilderness. 

Just like they wished. 

Two chapters earlier in Numbers God strikes Miriam with leprosy after her and Aaron grumbled against Moses. 

In these instances God judged their grumblings in their earthly lives. 

And that could definitely happen to us as well.

But like we’ve been talking about throughout this series - there’s a judgment coming for believers. 

In that judgment we’ll be judged based on our obedience to God’s word.

James brings that up again here - “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged;”

We know that we will without a doubt receive a judgment.

But James is cautioning against receiving a negative judgment. 

Or a withholding of reward due to a lack of obedience. 

And again look at what James is saying here “behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

Who is the Judge? 

God is the Judge. 

What does it mean that he’s standing at the door? 

It’s another way of saying that it’s close.

Just like that phrase “at hand” 

This is similar.

Jesus gives us an idea of the outcomes of unchecked grumbling in the church.

He says in Matthew 24:10

Matthew 24:10 ESV

10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

Just to be clear, he’s speaking about the church here.

Grumbling against one another causes disunity . 

Write that down as our second point under we are steadfast because

Disunity isn’t the end of the chain - disunity breeds contempt and hatred for each other

Matthew 24:10 lays out for us what awaits the believer who lets their grumbling go unchecked.

Betrayal and hatred follow disunity and criticism.

A fractured, useless church.

Empty of light.

That brings no glory to the Lord

A group of backbiting, gossiping, people competing for prominence or piety

Hating one another all the while

I don’t want to be a part of that

Let’s follow James exhortation

Don’t grumble against one another.

In fact let Paul’s words from Romans wash over you.

Romans 15:5–7 ESV

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 

6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

That’s our purpose. 

That’s how we treat each other.

Let’s not forget that in the coming days.

This task is simple, but it’s not easy. 

Just like in the very beginning of this book James says

James 1:2 “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” 

Count it joy because it’s another opportunity for you to obey the Lord.

That is a tough job.

And because of that James wants to equip us for this task.

He points us in the direction of the prophets.

He says...

James 5:10 ESV

10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

We’ve actually been making our way through some of the prophets in a series here.

One of our pastors Mike Morris has been teaching through the 12 minor prophetic books. 

I think he’s through 6? I think that’s right. Don’t quote me.

So if you interested in hearing more about what the prophets had to say - check out that series on our website. 

Anyways James points us to the prophets

He’s wants us to focus on how the prophets demonstrated patience through suffering.

If you’ve read some the prophets you know that it wasn’t a cush job.

Hosea

God had him marry a prostitute and not a retired prostitute mind you.

Hosea suffered patiently through his unbelievable marriage.

Ezekiel

The Lord asked him to act out some of his prophecies in some pretty demanding ways.

And he patiently obeyed.

Daniel

Thrown to the lions by the king.

Patiently trusted in the Lord to do His will.

And the final example is the best.

Jesus

He came to show the way to those who were lost  

He came offering them eternal life

And how was he received? 

He was hated and reviled

He was slandered and misrepresented

Abused, tortured, betrayed and killed. 

And he patiently suffered through it all.

Isaiah 53:7 “7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” 

The world met him with opposition - and he was patient and gracious through it all.

And he promised that if we followed him - we would receive similar treatment.

It’s important that we realize this.

It’s a losing game to win over the world. 

Because it’s not us that is hated

Most of us are probably pretty likable.

Most of us.

No the world hates what we believe

The world hates the truth of the gospel.

That’s the roadblock to their affection.

So what’s the solution in their eyes?

Change what you believe.

Let go of your convictions and let truth be relative.

But Jesus doesn’t compromise.

He says I am THE way, THE truth, THE life. 

There is no other. 

Jesus does not compromise.

As the world continues its rampant pursuit of sin we need to understand that our faithfulness to Jesus will be a stench to unbelievers.

As the world continues to call good evil and evil good, our devotion to the Lord and His righteousness will naturally draw hate.

So we need to establish our hearts, just like we’re instructed in verse 8.

And if we don’t -

If we don’t patiently establish our hearts Jesus made another promise about what would happen.

Matthew 24:12 “12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” 

Don’t let your love grow cold.

Hold fast to Christ and the joy that your salvation brings

Don’t give up - eternity is just around the corner. 

Remain steadfast in the midst of your persecution

This brings us to verse 11 where James offers us a little more encouragement

James 5:11 ESV

11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

It’s in this verse that James is pointing us toward another example.

This time of a man named Job. 

There’s a whole book of the bible about this man and his name is most commonly associated with suffering.

If you haven’t read the book before - I would encourage you to read it. 

I’ll give you some high points....or maybe low points of the book so that we can get our hands around what Job’s suffering looked like.

Job’s suffering was inflicted by Satan, who was given permission by God to bring Job low

And I mean really low

In the span of about 47 seconds Job was notified that he had lost

• His oxen

• His camels

• His sheep

• His servants

• His children. 

• That would be like someone telling you

• You’ve been let go.

• Your bank accounts have been drained.

• Your 401k is gone.

• All your family has been killed.

And how did Job react? 

Job 1:21 ESV

21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job had a God-glorifying approach to his wealth.

He says naked shall I return.

He knows that he’s not taking anything with him.

So he’s willing to accept it when the Lord takes it away.

Oh! I almost forgot - Job was also struck with sores that oozed fluid continuously

An ancient treatment for such a malady was to put maggots on the sores to eat away the dead flesh.

So Job, once a man of wealth, power and status now spends his days scraping worms out of his open wounds, while his sits in ashes grieving and mourning.

That would be enough to anyone crumple.

But Job - so fully convinced of God’s love for Him and now completely devoid of reason to boast simply says 

“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”

That is true steadfast faith in the Living God.

After being shredded and plundered of all earthly joy, we see the glorious underpinnings of Job’s faith.

Like a piece of land, scraped of all its earth to reveal a bedrock of diamond.

• Immovable

• Steadfast

• Resolute

• And eternally valuable.

That’s who James holds up as our example of steadfastness

James tells us that the Lord has a purpose in all He does

Our suffering in this world is never in vain.

He tells us that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

The Lord is always purposeful, compassionate, and merciful in our suffering.

That’s our last point of the evening.

The example of Job should remind us of Christ.

We should be reminded of Jesus, as the preeminent example of steadfast patience in suffering.

The Lord’s purpose in Jesus’ suffering is clear to us now, we have the benefit of reading God’s stated purpose in His complete word

But the disciples didn’t have such a luxury. 

They didn’t understand the Lord’s purpose 

When Jesus died - some of them thought it was all over.

But we can see the larger purpose

We can understand God’s mercy in such barbarity

We can recognize God’s compassion being expressed in the death of His son.

His purpose was to provide a suitable substitute for sinful humanity.

God mercifully put Jesus forth as the one who would bear the punishment that you deserved

That I deserved.

Jesus lived a sinless life, and is the only one who could stand in our place.

His infinite perfection covers our infinite deficiency.

And it’s through believing in His death and resurrection, and confessing that Jesus is Lord that we can be saved from hell through God’s purposeful act of mercy and compassion.

Believe in Christ. Confess Him as the Lord of your life and turn your eyes to an unending life of joy spent with Him.

Knowing what awaits those who have faith in Christ is enough to fuel our endurance. 

Let’s look at the last verse we’ll cover tonight. 

James 5:12 ESV

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Pastor Tony has been talking about oaths in the Hebrews study.

So you might remember that it was a common practice at the time to swear on something sacred or precious to you

With the intent being that if you break your oath consequences will be leveled against the thing that you swore on.

James is telling his audience “don’t create a hierarchy of truth telling” 

Say what you mean and do what you say

Believers shouldn’t need to swear on something in order to get their point across. 

This might seem like another random placement of a strong imperative. 

But we should recognize that all these imperatives are tied together with a singular theme

That singular theme is righteous living with an eye towards eternity.

And just like the imperative in verse 9 this one comes with a warning.

If a believer is to make rash oaths, swearing by heaven or earth, or even God - you put yourself in danger of violating that oath and incurring a weight of judgment that you don’t want to bear.

Again - since James is talking to believers this condemnation is not eternal. 

But it is serious. 

Failing to live in obedience to God always has consequences.

In this instance the consequences that await the believer are a lack of reward.

So as we wait for the coming of the Lord don’t lose heart.

Take James imperatives seriously.

Don’t get drawn away from obedience to Christ by a preoccupation with wealth or earthly things.

Be patient like the farmer, waiting for your obedience to yield precious fruit

Don’t grumble against your brother as the world starts closing in.

Establish your heart in the scriptures and the examples of steadfast patience given to us.

Live by your word. 

Praise God for the book of James, I pray that we would keep its words in our minds as we finish up our week.

Pray with me.