Good morning and happy Tuesday. The third day of the week. I’ve always wondered about that…what really is the first day of the week? I guess technically Sunday is the first day of the week but since it’s part of the weekend, it really feels like Monday is the first day of the week. Huh, deep thoughts right?
Margie and I have yet another amazing connection laid out before us this morning. God has connected us with several professors at Southwestern Seminary here in Fort Worth and as a result God has offered amazing connections to the world. A few months ago, I had lunch with the Pastor of the International Baptist Church of Singapore. Last week, I had a 3 hour meeting with the CEO of a coffee importing ministry based in Honduras. And this morning Margie and I will be able to meet the President of the Baptist Seminary of Venezuela and have lunch with him. I’m so excited to hear about the needs of effectively bringing the gospel to the people of Venezuela. It’s amazing to see the people of the world that God continues to put into our lives. For that I say, thank you God for allowing us to experience and interact with your world as we currently serve you here in Fort Worth, Texas.
This morning we will be finishing up the great book of James with the 5th chapter. Chapter 5 of James is one of order and rhythm. It is separated into 3 almost perfectly equal sections and they all deal with very separate topics. We talked about God being a God of order in yesterday’s 5MC and you can see that order all throughout His Word. The Word of God was written by men who were empowered and influenced and “carried along” by the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter 1:21) You can see that James had a great outline that he was following. An outline given to Him by God.
The three distinct topics come fast and hit hard. A warning to the rich, yet another lesson on patience and lastly, instructions on prayer through great faith. Let’s look at each.
Warning to the rich. Is it bad to be rich? It seems like every time I see a movie there’s a bad guy and he’s rich. He’s not only rich but mean, angry and just plain evil. Oh, man those bad rich guys. But is it bad in God’s eyes to be rich? Let’s look at our text on the rich:
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3Your 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. 4Behold, 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. 5You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.” James 5:1-6
Money and wealth in itself is neither good nor bad. If I have a $100 bill and I put it on the table, it just lays there. By itself it cannot do anything, it is after all, just a piece of paper. But the point here is what does it do in the hands of certain people? You see money is an amoral tool, it can do good or it can do bad. It just depends on who’s holding it. It depends on the heart that’s holding it. Our passage this morning is focusing on 2 major factors that in turn justify this warning to the rich. How men make their money and how they spend it.
If you notice in verse 4 it’s very clear how this particular man has created his great riches. By holding back pay from the laborers who have been tending his fields. He is dishonest and running a crooked operation. The people in their despair cried out to the Lord and He has heard their cries. The Lord despises the building of wealth through sin.
You’ll next notice that the Lord despises the accumulation of wealth for selfish reasons. We’re told that this person has “laid up treasures” meaning he is hoarding money. That is a sign of a selfish heart. But the gold and silver corrode, and fine clothing gets eaten by moths. His riches have rotted. You see whatever we can accumulate here on the Earth will stay on this Earth. I’ve heard the old saying that shrouds don’t come with pockets. Another example is about the death of one of the Vanderbilts. As the wealthy patriarch died, his family gathered outside, eager to get their share of his money. As the lawyer walked out of the room, an outspoken member of the family blurted, “how much did he leave?” The lawyer’s answer…”all of it.” You’ve never seen a hearse pulling a trailer have you? You see accumulating wealth and possessions on this planet is like running in quicksand, it gets you nowhere. Just think back to that $100 bill laying there on the table. The heart that will pick it up, will use it according to that heart. A heart that belongs to Jesus will use that bill differently. How we get and use our money is nothing more than a testament to the world about our walk with Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at our second topic. Patience in waiting on the return of the Lord:
“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. 8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, 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. 12But 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.” James 5:7-12
I’d have to really say that in the discussion of God’s Word in our churches today, that the coming of the Lord Jesus doesn’t really get discussed that much. You just don’t hear much preaching and heavy discussion about the return of Jesus. I mean even when I get together with believers for fellowship, our conversation about the Lord rarely moves to this topic. Why? It seems to me like it’s just so unpredictable that we have kinda put it on the back burner. I mean it’s been 2,000 years, so whats the point to think He’s coming back tomorrow right? Here we’re told about not only being patient for His return for us, but how to prepare for that glorious day.
I love the parable we’re given about the return of the master in Luke 12:36-48. If you haven’t read this in a while, please stop and do so. It’s such a beautiful picture Jesus gives us about our responsibility to Him as we wait for His imminent return for His body of believers.
I love the wisdom we are given to adhere to as we wait for His return. Be patient. We know not when the Lord will return but we should first be patient. Next we should ready. Establish your hearts. Folks that would remedy the world today if people would establish their hearts in Jesus as they ready for his return. To establish means to “set up on a firm or permanent basis.” Our hearts and lives should be built upon the rock of Jesus. Notice next we get a little practical advice and I love it. “Do not grumble against one another.” I’m leading the Early Birds class through Moses’ Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and guess what they were constantly doing? Grumbling. Complaining. Arguing. Whining. Don’t dare do this towards God and His provisions for your life, but also folks, we’re not to do this to each other! You see grumbling towards God means you’re not happy with Him, His plan for you or for how He is providing for you. If you are grumbling against another you are voicing your displeasure with whom God has placed in your life. If you are grumbling against another you are well, just being whiny. You’re not happy with the current situation so instead of being in acceptance you’re voicing you’re displeasure. A key thing to remember here is our context…the return of the Lord. If Jesus were to come back today would you be whining and complaining about all the people in your life? Not a great place to be huh?
The last practical piece of advice in this section is verse 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.” I have a question for you. Today, right now, right at this moment what is your word worth? If you tell a friend you’ll do something, what is your word worth? When I was growing up my Dad worked for the Dallas school district. As a result he was a member of the Dallas Teacher’s credit union. I remember when it was time to get one of my first cars, I needed a few thousand dollars and Dad took me to the credit union to help me out. We walked into an office and the old banker looked and my Dad and said, “how much do you want?” The guy went and got the money, and only after, did my dad sign a piece of paper. It was mere minutes. Why. A man and his word. My dad had built a level of trust and respect through his past actions that established his future character. What is your word worth today?
Let’s move on and look at our third and final topic of the chapter. Prayer in Faith.
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[a] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” James 5:13-18
Oh, the beautiful, glorious power of prayer to the Lord. Are you suffering? Pray. Are you cheerful in the Lord? Rejoice and sing to Him. Are you sick? Ask others to pray for you. Illness and disease is not meant to be a journey you walk alone, ask others to pray for you. Are you struggling with sin in our life? Confess it to Jesus and beg for His forgiveness. He is rich in mercy and forgiveness. Have you wronged another? Confess your fault towards them and ask for their forgiveness. And finally one of my favorite truths in all of God’s Word:
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Folks, we completely underestimate the power of our prayers because I think we completely underestimate the power of our God. He created the universe with His Words. He placed the stars in the sky. He has created universes that astronomers haven’t event discovered yet. He built a human body that has a DNA sequencing structure so complex and with such depth that scientists may never fully understand it. He created the atom that in its minute appearance is naked to the eye, but yet it holds the power to destroy entire cities. If you are suffering you can pray to the God that hung the stars. If someone in your life is struggling with cancer, you can pray to the God that created all life. If you are struggling with the bondage of addiction in your life today, you can pray to the God of all creation. My good friends, get down on your knees today and pray to God. Pour your heart out to Him. Be honest with Him. Share your heart with the God that made it. As you do we are promised in His love letter to us that “it will have great power as it is working.”
Praise Almighty God for His grace, His mercy and His goodness towards us. We serve such a loving, caring God. He wants nothing more for than for us to walk in joy, peace and harmony with Him and each other today. All of these can be had. They can be had through His Son Jesus Christ. I pray today that you are full of peace, joy and freedom. If these things seem very foreign to you and you wonder how you can claim them in your life, there is but one way. Jesus Christ. Admit the sin in your life is out of your control. That you cannot control it and you cannot come to God as you are. You need a way. You need a Savior that can save you from your sins towards God. Romans 10:13 tells us that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” Call upon the name of Jesus today and He will give you a new life. One that is not just life, but life to the fullest. Life in abundance.
God bless you and if you’re reading this, you’re being prayed for.
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