Living in Light of the End (James 5)

This is your worship at home guide for Sunday 5/31/20. It's part of the "Journeying through James" series for May (see the post about this series here).

You can consider lighting a candle to set the environment for worship and to symbolize God's presence with you.

Families with little kids: There are questions in here to help your kids engage.  You may need to reword content, depending on the age of your kids.

Introduction

As we come to the end of James' letter, James talks about two kinds of ends. First he talks about Jesus' return to judge the living and the dead. Then he talks about praying for someone who is near the end of their life, sick on their death bed. Both give plenty to discuss so let's dive in.

Patience in Light of Christ's Return (5:1-12)

In this first section of chapter 5, James is going to be talking about Jesus' return to judge the living and the dead and you'll notice that he talks about it like it's going to be happening soon. This might seem kind of strange because this letter was written 2,000 years ago and it hasn't happened yet. So was James wrong? No, James wasn't wrong. Jesus taught his followers to be ready and prepared for him to return. He tells us to do the same. James says they are living "in the last days" in verse 3 and we are still living in the last days. We aren't living in the first days of the world or the first stages of God's plan of salvation, we are in the last part in between Jesus' first coming and his second coming. And we need to live with constant expectancy for his return.

I find it helpful to think about it like this. It's like we are in the fourth quarter of a football game. There are only four quarters, so this is the last one. Once this quarter is done, it's over. But we don't know how much time is left until the quarter ends. That information isn't made available to us. Therefore we need to live with constant expectancy for when the quarter is going to end. Every play could be the last play before the whistle is blown and the game is over. With Jesus' return, we know we are in the last days, we don't know how much time is left, and it could be over at any time and we'll be standing before him.

With this in mind, let's start reading:

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. (James 5:1-6)

James' readers are not rich people, but here James addresses rich people who don't seem to be following Jesus at all by how they are living. So why is James addressing people who won't even be reading this letter?

To return to the football analogy, imagine we are in the fourth quarter of the game. You will play a lot differently in the fourth quarter based on whether you are winning or losing. James' readers are suffering at the hands of these rich people. They are being mistreated, cheated out of wages, and are feeling powerless to do anything about it. James wants them to remember that those who trust in Jesus will win in the end. The Judge will come soon. Justice will be done. He wants them to remember that they are in the fourth quarter and their King has already won.

When we hear warnings to rich people like this, our immediate response might be to think, "This doesn't apply to me because I'm not rich and I don't act that way." But when you see a warning label on a package or a warning sign on the road, you shouldn't think, "Oh, this doesn't apply to me so I don't need to worry about it." The warning is telling you about something you should pay attention to so you can avoid danger and death. That's what we need to do here. We want to avoid any temptation to go down the path these rich people have found themselves on.

• What are the things these rich people are doing that is so bad?
• What do you think motivates them to live that way?
• Do you have any hint of those motives in you?
• If Jesus returned right now, would it look like you've lived generously with your money and possessions or stored them up for yourself?

James uses the judgment of these rich oppressors as the basis for how the believers should live:

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. (James 5:7-11)

In verse 7, James says "therefore". Everything he says in verses 7 through 11 is based on the reality that the rich oppressors will be judged. The Lord is coming and he's coming soon. Why is it helpful for them to remember that?

First, Jesus' coming reminds them where their true treasure lies (verses 7-8). James tells them to be patient until the coming of the Lord and to establish their hearts for the coming of the Lord. Why? Because like the farmer, they'll receive the fruit they've been waiting for: eternal life in Jesus' kingdom. Those who reject God's ways, like the rich people oppressing them, will receive judgment. 

Second, Jesus' coming reminds them who they live for (verse 9). He tells them not to grumble against one another so that they may not be judged too. When we are treated wrongly, we can tend to take it out on others. Thinking of their Lord who is about to return keeps them living rightly to please him.

Then James gives them two examples from the Old Testament. First, the prophets suffered with patience for speaking in the name of the Lord. Now they too need to suffer with patience as God's people who are being poorly treated.

James' second example is Job who reminds us of the steadfastness in trials from chapter 1. James' readers are suffering hurt and loss but he wants to remind them of God's purposes by pointing them to Job who went through a horrible trial of immense suffering. But in the end, God blessed him. James wants his readers to remember how the Lord is compassionate and merciful toward them just like he was toward Job. He wants them to remember what he said in chapter 1:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

The example of Job is encouraging for us because Job really struggled with his situation. He was upset with God, he questioned God, and he was depressed. But God said that in all of this, Job did not sin. Job remained steadfast and faithful to God. He never left God. And he learned wisdom. He learned that his perspective on his life is small and that he needs to trust God, who has a much bigger perspective.

• What kind of trial are you going through right now?
• How would it help you to remain steadfast in that trial if you remembered where your true treasure lies?
• How would it help you to remain steadfast in that trial if you remembered who you live for?
• How would it help you to remain steadfast in that trial if you remembered God's purposes and his compassion and mercy toward you?

James finishes this section with a prohibition on swearing oaths:

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. (James 5:12)

Jesus addressed the same issue of swearing oaths (see Matthew 5:33-37). James might be bringing this up because under stressful circumstances, we might be extra tempted to convince people that we really mean what we say so they'll believe us or do things for us by saying stuff like, "I swear to God I'm telling the truth" or "I promise." But James says to be simple people of integrity who say "yes" or "no" to people and don't go beyond that.

The Place of Prayer (James 5:13-18)

If the previous verses brought us back to God's purpose in trials, these verses bring us back to prayer in trials (see James 1:5-8). But instead of praying for wisdom in trials, the goal of this prayer is different:

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (James 5:13)

There's a great picture here of going to God with both the highs and lows of life, with suffering and cheerfulness. God wants to hear about and is receptive to both! We have a tendency to perhaps go with only one or the other.

Then James expands the circle of involvement in prayer to the leaders in the church:

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 (James (5:14-15a)

"Elders" in the New Testament were those charged to be the shepherds of the church. We typically use the word "pastor" today. Elders were the shepherds. James gives this picture of a sick sheep calling for its shepherds.

The sickness here appears to be serious with the person possibly on their deathbed - not a case of the sniffles. The person had to call for the elders to come to them.  Remember, this isn't a time of phone calls. Someone would have had to go to each of the elders' houses to ask them to come to the sick person's house.

And what do the elders do? They pray over the sick person and they anoint them with oil. Anointing with oil isn't magical but a way to mark someone as cared for by the Lord. What would be the result of their prayer? Verse 15 says: "And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up." What does that mean? Does it mean if you are deathly ill, you should call me to pray for you and if I can just work up enough faith when I pray that you will be healed and better in no time? And if you don't get better, then it means I didn't have enough faith when I prayed? Maybe none of us have to be afraid of contracting COVID-19 as long as I just have enough faith to heal everyone. Is that what James is saying?

The key to understanding this verse is to skip down a little bit to what James says starting at the end of verse 16:

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. (James 5:16b-18)

What are we to take away from Elijah's example? First, that he is just like us. Elijah isn't some sort of super person. We can be like him. Second, God worked powerfully through his prayer. Elijah prayed and it didn't rain for three years in the land of Israel. Then Elijah prayed again and it rained to end the drought (read the story in 1 Kings 17-18).

What's important to understand about this story is that Elijah wasn't just praying for rain to stop and start for the fun of it. He prayed for the rain to stop and start because God told him to. God also had specific reasons for stopping and starting the rain. The rain was stopped because Israel was unfaithful to God. God told them drought would come if they worshiped other gods and they started worshiping the false god, Baal, so God sent a drought. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah had a showdown with the prophets of Baal on a mountain and he won. The people of Israel responded by recommitting to God. So God told Elijah to pray for rain and God sent rain. So what was Elijah doing when he prayed? Elijah was praying God's will. Elijah was praying in line with the will of God. So the prayer of a righteous person is powerful not because they pray and get whatever they want but because they know God's will and pray it.

• How can we know what God's will is so that we can pray for it?
• What do you usually pray for? Are you usually focused on praying for what you want? Or are you focused on praying for God's will to be done?

So what is the prayer of faith? The prayer of faith is when we pray and we have a God-given confidence that God is going to do what we've asked because it's his will. It happens when we have prayed in line with God's will and in that moment God assures us he is going to do what we've asked. It's God enabling you while you are praying to know that he is going to do what you are asking.

In this instance, the assurance sometimes comes while the elders are praying for someone to be healed of sickness. As the elders pray over the person, they don't know if it's God's will to heal them or not. But as they pray, God may grant confidence as they are asking for healing that it is his will to heal this person and raise them up from their illness and he will do so through those prayers. But it's his will to do it or not. 

James also brings up the reality that sin can cause sickness and he isn't the only one to teach that in the Bible. At the end of verse 15 he says:

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. (James (5:15b-16)

Sin isn't always the cause of sickness but it can be (see 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 for example). So if someone has a serious illness, James sees it as an occasion for someone to confess their sins. And he believes we should make it a habit to always be confessing our sins to one another so that it isn't a hindrance to our healing.

The good news for the follower of Jesus is that even if we are not healed of diseases or sickness in this life, the Lord will save us from all of them in the life to come. Even if we are not raised up from sickness now, the Lord will raise us up with new bodies in the life to come.

James' summarizing words of his letter are these:

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. (James 5:19-20)

This is exactly what James has been doing in this letter. He's been calling us back from wandering. And he gives us the same charge in our lives: to be people who bring each other back from sin to the truth. He wants us to be hearers and doers of the word  in our own lives. But he also wants us to help others be hearers and doers of the word. He wants us to be a community that looks out for each other. He wants us to be a community walking with Jesus together, helping each other live out the truth that we profess to believe and keeping one another from sin. 

Response

The driving theme of this letter has been: What does true, genuine faith look like in someone's life? Today, we've circled back to the reality of suffering and seen: 

1. Faith in Jesus' coming keeps us going in hard times because of what awaits us.
2. Faith looks to God in suffering, cheerfulness, and sickness.

Some possible responses for today:

• If Jesus assessed how you use your money and possessions, would he say you are laying up treasure on earth or in heaven? Do you need to make any changes?
• Do you think about Jesus' coming? Are you patiently waiting for it? Does it establish your heart? Are you excited about what awaits you?
• How is your prayer life? Do you talk to God about your suffering? Do you talk to God about what's cheerful and joyful in your life?
• Are you bringing others into your trials and troubles or are you trying to bear them on your own? James believes in the power of prayer on our behalf.
• Are you telling others about your sin? James believes in the power of confessing our sin to others.

Worship with others:

As a church, we want to encourage one another every Sunday by worshiping together on WhatsApp. Take a few minutes to post in the Encouragement group on WhatsApp.

Here are some examples of what you could post:

• how God spoke to you through your time of worshiping at home
• a verse that stood out to you
• a song that touched you from the worship playlist
• a truth that God reminded you of that you needed to hear
• what God is teaching you
• a prayer
• thankfulness to God - who he is, what he's done
• and more!

Bonus

If you haven't heard of The Bible Project, they are great. They make short, animated videos for books of the Bible and themes in the Bible. Here is their video for the book of James.