People
James 5:13-14
13 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.
James broken into C’s
James 1 is Confidence – What a Christian has (maturity, the word, good influence)
James 2 is Compassion – What a Christian does
James 3 is Careful – What a Christian says
James 4 is Contrite – What a Christian feels
James 5 is Concerned – What a Christian is
Going to talk about types of people today as we finish James.
James 5
[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. [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. [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. [6] You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
[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.
[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.
[13] 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. [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.
[19] My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, [20] let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
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Types of people described here
Greedy
Grumbling
Patient
Prayerful/Praiseful
- Greedy
James 5:5
[5] You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
So it’s the greed and attitude that are bad, not money itself. Money is a tool to be used. Hopefully for good and the good of others. Don’t love money more than God.
- Grumbling
James 5:9
[9] Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Again a warning about the tongue and complaining and blaming others. This verse is in the middle of the passage on patience, but it fits. If we are impatient with where we are in life we tend to complain and even blame others. Don’t do it.
- Patient
James 5:7-8
[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.
Remember…if Jesus is who he says he is, then that changes everything? It’s true.
I understand it’s hard to be patient. Ask Marcia if I am good at it.
But what happens when we are impatient with the Lord is that we sin by lacking faith and trusting Him. We are saying He can’t handle it and we need to handle it ourselves….like worrying ever solved anything right? Or even jumping the gun and getting out in front of the Lord instead of waiting on Him.
Psalm 27:14
[14] Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
Isaiah 40:31
[31] but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Do this
- Pray
James 5:13-16
[13] 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.
Pray when you suffer.
Praise when you’re doing good. (Thank God for the simple things everyday)
Pray when you are sick.
Pray when someone else is sick.
Pray with faith.
Pray if you have sinned.
Confess those sins.
Be righteous….and if you need someone to pray for you seek out the righteous.
Do this.
How do we do all of this? What’s the prescription?
Jesus
When we come on Sundays and hear a message I hope that you hear hope, not just a list of “to-do’s” or a self-improvement speech…. Because if it all depends on you, it’s going to be tough. That’s why we have hope. If you know the Lord, and you know that you’re saved then you have that hope, faith, trust in Heaven…but you also have Jesus helping you walk through this world.
Matthew 11:28-30
[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”