Chanukah!

Chanukah is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a season of rejoicing, a season of thanksgiving, a season of praising the LORD. Chanukah begins at sundown on Sunday, December 2 and ends at sundown on Monday, December 10.

Fast facts about Chanukah:

·        It occurs on the 25th of Kislev (the ninth month on the Jewish calendar)

·        It lasts eight days and eight nights

·        It is called the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Dedication

·        Chanukah means in Hebrew "dedication"

·        Chanukah spelled in Hebrew is chet-nun-vav-caf-hey

·        The root word of Chanukah is chet-nun-vav-caf (pronounced "Enoch" in English).

·        Enoch was in the seventh generation from Adam. He lived 365 years before God took Enoch. "And Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for God had taken him" (Genesis 5:24).

·        Although many Christians believe Chanukah is not a biblical holiday, this is simply not true.

·        Chanukah has happened in the past and is prophesied to happen again in the future.

(Side note: In Judaism, everything happens in cycles. Things which have happened in the past will repeat themselves. This can be seen in the Torah reading in which the Torah is read through in a single year and then is rolled up to the beginning and started all over again.

Additionally, this concept can been observed in Scripture: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9. Chanukah has happened in the past; thus, the events of Chanukah will repeat themselves and happen in the future.)

The Number Eight

In the Bible, the number eight often signifies dedication and new beginnings. There are seven days in the week. The eighth day of the week signifies the start of another week.

2 Peter 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.

God saves Noah and eight people when God brings a flood to destroy the world. After the world has been washed cleaned, eight people are the start of a new beginning to the world's population.

Exodus 22:29-30 You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe fruits, and of your liquors: the firstborn of your sons shall you give unto me. Likewise shall you do with your oxen, and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eight day you shall give it to Me.

For seven days a person may keep his firstborn sons and animals and first fruits of his produce, but on the eighth day, the items are to be dedicated to God.

Genesis 17:9-12 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised through your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

The covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham in which males on the eighth day of life were to circumcised. Jewish tradition asserts that the eighth day is chosen for this important covenant because it means the child has survived through one full week which included a Shabbat. Once the young infant experienced God’s holy day, he could then enter into God’s covenant.

Leviticus 9:1, 23, 24 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

It was on the eighth day after Aaron and his sons were consecrated to become priests to the LORD that the glory of the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in the wilderness.

Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this month is the Feast of Booths [Tabernacles] for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD: it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.

The Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot) is a seven day celebration with the eighth day being a special day of assembly. The eighth day of the feast is also known as Simchat Torah. Every year the entire Torah is read once through completely. On Simchat Torah, the Torah scroll has reached the end of the last book of the Torah (the Book of Deuteronomy) and is completely unwound. The Torah scroll is then re-wound back to the very beginning to Genesis 1:1, and the Torah reading cycle is started all over again.

The Letter Chet

In the Hebrew alephbet, there are 22 letters. Each letter is assigned a number. Aleph is the first letter of the alephbet and is given the number one. Bet is the second letter and is given the number two. The eighth letter of the Hebrew alephbet is chet.

The word for life in Hebrew is chayim (chet-yod-yod-mem)

The word for grace in Hebrew is chen (chet-nun)

In Hebrew, God plays a word game with Noah’s name (spelled nun-chet in Hebrew) and flips the two letters to spell grace (chet-nun) in the Book of Genesis. (And remember that Noah was one of eight people saved through the world-wide flood.)

Genesis 6:8 But Noah (nun-chet) found grace (chet-nun) in the eyes of the LORD.

Chanukah in the Bible

Many Christians believe Chanukah is not a biblical event and does not appear in the Bible. This is quite erroneous. The word Chanukah appears multiple times in the Tanakh (Old Testament). The word "Chanukah" does not appear in our English translations because like most Hebrew words in our Bible, it is translated into English. Chanukah is translated into the English word "dedication".

1500 BC: Moses Tabernacle: Moses chanukah (dedicates) the tabernacle to the LORD
Numbers 7:1 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had appointed them, and sanctified them;

Numbers 7:88 And all the animals for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty goats, and sixty lambs of the first year. The was the dedication (chanukah) of the altar after it was anointed.

1000 BC: Solomon's Temple: On the eighth day Israel chanukah (dedicates) the altar to the LORD
2 Chronicles 7:1-2 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.

2 Chronicles 7:8-9 Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication (chanukah) of the altar.

500 BC: Rebuilt Temple
Ezra 6:3a, 5a, 16 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication (chanukah) of this house of God with joy.

In short, Moses chanukah the tabernacle to the LORD in the wilderness, then Solomon's temple is chanukah to the LORD and when the temple is rebuilt in 500 BC it is chanukah to the LORD. Again and again, Israel has celebrated chanukah (dedication) of God's place of worship. When the future temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, there is no doubt there will be another chanukah (dedication) celebration to the LORD.

Additionally, many Christians will protest Chanukah is not a biblical holiday because Jesus did not celebrate it. However, again, this is a fallacy. In John 10:22-24 we read, "Now it was the Feast of Dedication (chanukah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly"

Chanukah has happened in the past, and it will happen again in the future.

In the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 24, Jesus and His disciples sit on the Mount of Olives. Jesus' disciples ask about signs which are to come about Messiah's second coming. What most Christians do not understand is that Jesus is describing a future chanukah. By exploring texts about a previous chanukah which happened around 168 BC, we can understand Jesus' warning about the chanukah that is yet to come. 

Book of James Review

James: There are four men mentioned in the New Testament who are named James.

1. James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, the first apostle to be martyred. He is also known as James the Less (Matthew 10:2, Mark 15:40 and Acts 12:2).

2. James, the son of Alphaeus, another of the twelve disciples (Matthew 10:3).

3. James, the father of Judas (not Iscariot) (Luke 6:16).

4. James the Just, the half-brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55) and the brother of Jude (Jude 1), who led the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13).

Traditionally, the book of James has been attributed to James the Just.

Jesus' earthy life
During Jesus' time on earth, He grew up in a home that was probably as normal as any other Israeli family. His earthly father (Joseph) was a stone worker (aka, a carpenter), constructing buildings. (Remember that in Israel, the land is full of rocks. Most buildings in Jesus' time were constructed using rock. Carpentry of the day comprised of being a stone mason.)

Jesus was the son of Mary, but His biological father was not Joseph. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit as a new Adam; however, He was not made of the same flesh as the first Adam. But Joseph and Mary had other children conceived in the natural way. ("Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?" Matthew 13:55-56)

One of Jesus' half brothers was a man named Jude, who wrote the New Testament letter by the same name.

Another half brother of Jesus was a man named James. James is a name translated from the Hebrew to Greek to Latin to English. James's name in Hebrew is Ya'akov (or Jacob in English). Named after the patriarch, Ya'akov means "he supplants" or "heel catcher".

Both Jude and James grew up with their older half-brother Jesus, living and working in Nazareth. We know nothing about the boys' early years together. When Jesus is about 30 years of age, He begins His earthly ministry. He begins teaching in the Galilee. His very first public declaration that He was Messiah was made in His hometown of Nazareth in the synagogue. It is likely that Jesus' half-brothers were present that day in the synagogue when they heard Him declare that He fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of a coming Savior. His brother received the news with much skepticism.

In John chapter 7, we see Jesus' brothers showing nothing but contempt for Jesus' claim that He was the Messiah: "Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. Therefore His brother said to Him, 'Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.' For not even His brothers were believing Him" (John 7:2-5).

Jesus' brothers advised Jesus to go to Jerusalem to declare Himself to be Messiah. They saw His claims and did not believe Him. Teaching and preaching in small towns in the Galilee would only attract a small audience. They encouraged Jesus to go to Jerusalem so that He might be seen by the whole world.

After Jesus' death and resurrection
According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:7, Jesus appeared to James after Jesus' death and resurrection. ("then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles" 1 Corinthians 15:7.) This was probably the cause of James's conversion because up to this time, the brothers of Jesus were not supportive of His message and mission. It seems after this encounter, James became a faithful apostle and leader of the church in Jerusalem. James followed the Lord with great devotion. An early history of the church says that James was such a man of prayer that his knees had large and thick calluses, making them look like the knees of a camel. It also says that James was martyred in Jerusalem by being pushed from a high point on the temple. Yet, the fall did not kill him. On the ground, he was beaten to death, even as he prayed for his attackers.

James never describes himself as the half-brother of Jesus. Forgoing his claim to any fleshly relationship with Jesus, he instead identifies himself by his spiritual association--as a bond-servant of God and Christ.

Chapter One
Consider it joy when you face trials. They are tests sent by God the Father to allow us to demonstrate our spiritual maturity. This is such a life changing perspective. It causes us to reconsider the way we face challenges. It helps us recognize we need to glorify God to overcome these trials. We need to turn these obstacles into success stories and change what we perceive as bad circumstances into opportunities for good.

Favorite verse: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)


Chapter Two
Do not show favoritism. When faced with men of different social or economical status, we are to treat every one as equal. We are not to show hospitality to the rich while shaming the poor. We are not to judge others. We are to view our brothers and sisters as God does. When we show favoritism, we violate the Royal Law. When we are able to set aside earthly status and regard every one as equal in Christ, we are able to pass this test. We are able to declare our inner faith by outward deeds.

Favorite verse: "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." (James 2:15-17)


Chapter Three
Guarding our speech is a key to avoiding a life of disobedience. When we yield our speech to the Spirit, we allow Him to take control of our lives. Often, our tongue is the last thing Christians are willing to release to the power of God. When we cannot bridle our tongue, we quench God's ability to use us, to use our testimony and to glorify Him. When unbelievers hear Christians using abusive or words which do not bring glory to God's kingdom, they assume that being a Christian is no different than the people of the rest of the world. When we yield to the Spirit to control our tongue, counseled by God's word, we endeavor to put into action what we learn.

Favorite verse: "For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well." (James 3:2)


Chapter Four
If instead we seek for the world's wisdom and riches, it leads to discord and rivalries in the church. When we search for the riches of this world, we lie against the Gospel by acting like the world. We do not rise above the self-help worldly wisdom; we do not seek God. Our prayers go unanswered because we are praying with selfish motives. James gives us a warning--the self-sufficient and prideful Christian does not respect God's sovereignty.

Favorite verse: "You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:2-3)


Chapter Five
Misuse of riches leads to a life of earthly pleasure which will be a witness against them in the judgment to come. When we withhold wages from our employees or hold our goods, although we may appear to have gained great wealth, in reality, we are setting ourselves up for great judgment. We need to be patient and strengthen our hearts until the coming of our Lord. We should confess our sins, pray and turn our brothers and sisters back from their ways of error. "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (James 5:16).

Favorite verse: "We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful." (James 5:11)


Summary
In all five chapters, James writes about one convicting message after another. The conviction is so powerful because James is driving headlong into many of the core issues of the Christian walk. We all struggle with a faithful walk, with improper speech, with a selfish prayer life, with favoritism and with seeking godly goals and with an unwillingness to live out our faith in righteous works. May God's word bring us closer to Him, each and every day of our lives.

James Chapter 5 Part Three (Verses 13-20)

C. Exhortations for Christians to care for one another

1. (James 5:13-14) How to meet needs arising among Christians
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Is anyone among you suffering: The Greek word for suffering means to endure hardship. James is asking if anyone is enduring a difficult situation. Who would not answer that question "Yes"? James expects the reader to answer yes. So, here is his advice for how to respond to difficulties in a patient, godly way. We pray, which is the purest form of patience and waiting on the Lord because it is an appeal on God's strength, will and ability. The act of praying requires us to stop acting.

Can any of us honestly say that our first response to circumstances that make us angry, sad, frustrated or scared is to stop and pray? But now we can see how patience and faithful waiting on God requires prayer rather than taking matters into our own hands.

Is anyone cheerful: On the other end of the spectrum, James asks if anyone is cheerful. Here is the opposite side of impatience. In our society, it is at least as common as the first problem. When life is good and we are pleased with our circumstances, do we stop and consider the source of our joy? Do we praise the Lord in our joy? Do we congratulate ourselves and then make plans to increase our joy? We have as much an obligation to send up prayers of praise as we do prayers of petition.

In both cases of joy and sorrow, our patience and dependence on God is best displayed in a patient prayer life that turns to God first. It consistently relies on God instead of making Him last or perhaps making Him a sporadic habit.

Like the little girl who turned to God too late in her prayers:

It is bedtime, and a little girl is saying her prayers. "God bless mommy and daddy and me. And please make Madrid the capital of Australia." Her mother, who is with the little girl asks, "Why do you want Madrid to be the capital of Australia?" The child responds, "Because that is what I put on my geography test!"

Is anyone among you sick: How does someone respond in a godly patience to a sickness? James says to call the elders and have them pray over the sick and anoint the person who is asking for healing. The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise up the sick person and forgive him for the sins he has committed.

This promise of Scripture is one many Christians have puzzled over, and many teachers have confused. This is a specific kind of suffering James is describing. He is giving the proper way for a Christian to deal with this particular kind of suffering.

Examining the text carefully, we have a sick person who needs healing. This sickness is an incapacitating sickness. The Greek work is astheneo, from which we get a similar English word anesthesia. It literally means to wake up. This sick person is weak and unable to get up.

Secondly, the elders are summoned to pray. The one who is sick is the one who is to call the elders.

Third, the elders are to pray over this person and anoint the person with oil. It is important to note that the elders are the ones to pray. We are not talking about the sick person praying. And the elders pray in faith. This phrase is similar to the instruction found elsewhere in Scripture in which we are to ask "in the name of the Lord". The point is that the prayer is directed by the Spirit and is in accordance with God's will. The elders are not praying with a belief in their ability to heal the person. They are praying with faith that it is already God's intention to provide the healing. If they do not share that faith, then they would not participate in the prayer.

Fourth, the result of the prayer of faith will be the Lord raising up the person. The Greek word for raise up is egeiro, which means to waken or bring to his senses. We are not talking about raising up in the sense of salvation or resurrection. We are talking about raising up in the sense of a physical cure, strengthening the body.

Fifth, the sins of this sick person will be forgiven. Now why does James mention sins at all in this context? What do sins have to do with the sickness or healing? The answer comes from several clues. First, notice that the one who is sick must be the one to call for the prayer support. It must be initiated by the sick person taking a step to appeal for help. Then, notice that the ones to be called are the elders, not men with gifts for healing or prayer. James wants men of authority in the church to attend to this issues. Then, in verse 16, James summarizes his instruction by saying that confessing sins to one another and praying over one another is the condition for healing and forgiveness.

James links all these clues because he is talking about a healing taking place in a certain situation. The situation is when a Christians is under God's discipline for an unconfessed sin. The discipline has taken the form of a physical sickness or weakness. The sick person is suffering under judgment and discipline. But if they take the step of patiently relying on the Lord for His mercy and forgiveness, they can be healed physically. The elders are involved to provide the opportunity for confession and prayer. The prayers of these righteous men can accomplish much good. And James wants those in the church who have been sinning and receiving God's penalty in their bodies to repent and be healed in this manner.

This is similar to the situation that Paul describes in the Corinthian church:
"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep." (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

How often have these verses been misconstrued to suggest that if the sick person has enough faith, they will be healed from their illness? Besides the obvious mistake in interpretation, it also defies common sense and logic. No one can be healed forever. If these verses were intended by James to mean that we can expect a guarantee of healing provided we have enough faith, then take it to it's logical end. Can I live forever if I maintain a perfectly faithful prayer life? If I die of disease, does that mean the my faith ran out?

All of these conclusions are absurd. Therefore, they reveal the ridiculousness of the entire suggestion. As we see in the text, James was not promising that faithful prayer will always heal our bodies from illness. He was promising that faithful confession of sins in the midst of praying elders will result in God's mercy and healing.

When we find ourselves in this situation, the keys to healing are repentance and confession. Until we are willing to confess out secret sins, we have no hope of receiving God's mercy. We are not talking about salvation prayer; we are talking about sanctification issues. Secondly, we must be willing to confess to others our faults. Private sin requires private confession. Public sin requires public confession.

Real, deep confession of sin has been a feature of every genuine awakening or revival in the past 250 years. But, it is not anything new as demonstrated by the revival in Ephesus recorded in Acts 19:17-20. It says, "Many who believed came confessing and telling their deeds." This was Christians getting right with God. Open confession was part of it.

Some guiding principles about confession:

Confession should be made to the one sinned against. Most Christians display a preference for confession in secret before God, even concerning matters which involve other people. To confess to God seems to them to be the easiest way out. Real confession and forgiveness of sin should involve the offender confessing his sin to the other person.

Public confession must be discrete. Often confession needs to be no more than what is necessary to enlist prayer. It can be enough to say publicly, "Pray for me. I need victory over my sin." It would be wrong to go into more detail; however, we should say something. If we fail to confess publicly, we become "pretend Christians" who act as though everything is fine when it is not.

Distinguish between secret sins and those which directly affect others. If you sin secretly, confess secretly, confessing publicly that you need the victory but keeping the details to yourself. If you sin openly, confess openly to remove stumbling blocks from those whom you have hindered.

Confession is often made to people but before God. One of the interesting things about confession of sin is that the confessions are almost always addressed to people and not to God. It is not that you confess your sin to God and others merely hear it. You confess your sin before others and ask them to pray for you to get right before God.

Confession should be appropriately specific. When open confession of sin is appropriate (more than the public stating of spiritual need), it must be specific. "If I made any mistakes, I am sorry," is no confession at all. You sinned specifically, so you must confess specifically. It cost nothing for a believer to say "I ought to be a better Christian." It costs the believer something to admit, "I have been a trouble-maker in this church," or "I have had bitterness of heart towards certain leaders to whom I should definitely apologize."

Confession should be thorough. Some confessions are not thorough. They are too general. They are not made to the person concerned. They neglect completely the necessary restitution. Or, they make no provision for a different course of conduct in which the sin is forsaken.

Confession must have honesty and integrity. If we confess with no real intention of battling the sin, our confession is not thorough, and it mocks God. The story is told of an old Irishman who confessed to his priest that he had stolen two bags of potatoes. The priest heard the gossip around town and said to the man, "Mike, I heard it was only one bag of potatoes stolen from the market." The Irishman replied, "That is true Father, but it was so easy that I plan on taking another bag tomorrow night."

Lastly, those who hear confession of sin also have a great responsibility. Those who hear the confession should have the proper response: loving and intercessory prayer. They should refrain from giving human wisdom and gossiping or "sharing" with others the offender's confession.


James now offers a classic example of this process.


2. (James 5:15-16) God's answer to the prayers of His people
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours: James uses Elijah as an example. To make sure we are prepared to see the prophet as someone we can relate to, James reminds us that he was a man with our nature. Elijah was not superman with super human power. He was just like us. Following God's instructions, Elijah prayed and stopped rain in Israel for three and a half years. When God was ready, Elijah prayed again and restored the rain to the land.

He prayed earnestly: Literally, the Greek reads "prayed with prayer". To pray with prayer is a Hebrew idiom which means to pray fervently. Elijah did not half-heatedly pray once and hope God would answer his prayer. No, Elijah prayed with all his heart, mind and soul, and God answered.

Much of our prayer is not effective simply because it is not fervent. It is offered with a lukewarm attitude that asks God to care about something in which we care little about. Effective prayer must be fervent not because we must emotionally persuade a reluctant God but because we must gain God's heart by being fervent for things He is fervent for.

What do we learn from this example?
First, what or who stopped and then started the rain? God, of course. It was not Elijah but God. Secondly, how were God's actions connected to Elijah? God made it clear to Elijah what He was prepared to do. In both cases, Elijah sought for God's will to be done through his prayers. In this way, Elijah's prayers given in faith were able to accomplish miraculous things because they were in accordance with God's will. Our prayers can be equally effective in ending sorrow and weakness when we are appealing to God's will and for restoration of those in sin. What a wonderful promise and privilege we have!


4. (James 5:19-20) Helping a sinning brother
My brethtren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Since James has just been dealing with the situation of the brother suffering as a result of his sins, he finishes with a general call to restore our sinning brothers and sisters.

If any among you strays from the truth: This is a verse worth thinking about and meditating on. How do we get into situations where we are suffering under God's discipline? Why do we become spiritually weak and in need of healing prayer? It is because we depart from the truth.

Departing from the truth means we walk away from what we know in Scripture. It means we walk away from what we have learned from the Bible. It mean we might just walk away from the Bible completely.

As we look around and see so many churches and believers departing from the truth, is it any mystery why so many are facing numerous sorrows and weaknesses? Could we be witnessing the mass discipline of the Lord against many of His children in an age of disobedience? The Apostle Paul said it would happen. He called it a great apostasy and said it was one of the signs of the end times.

But James gives us hope.

He who turns a sinner from the error of his will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins: James says when a brother or sister turns one of these disobedient Christians back to the truth, to the word of God, he will save the person from death. The Greek word for soul is psuche, which is commonly translated as "life". In Greek, it means the sum of our earthly life. In this context, it does not mean preserving salvation. Rather it means preserving the physical life. The reality of Scripture is that continual sinning has the potential to bring an early physical death as God's judgment upon disobedient believers.

Turning these brothers and sisters back to the truth should be our goal in fellowship. We should encourage each other to remain in the truth and dedicated to knowing and following it. To the extent that we are able to accomplish this task, we are covering a multitude of sins.

James concludes with this because this is exactly what he has been endeavoring to do throughout this letter--to confront those who have wandered from a living faith, endeavoring to save their souls from death by demanding that they not only hear the word, but do it.

James Chapter 5 Part Two (Verses 7-12)

B. A call for patient endurance in light of the coming judgment

1. (James 5:7-8) Imitate the patient endurance of the farmer
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

Be patient: The Christian response to injustice is patience. The word for patience in Greek is makrothumeo, which means long tempered or a delay in taking action.

Until the coming of the Lord: We are to have an attitude that looks forward to the return of the Lord.

The farmer waits: We are to be like the farmer who waits patiently for the harvest to come in. The farmer waits for the early rains. The early rains come in the fall of the year after the farmer has planted his produce. The late rains come in the spring of the year, which is important for watering the produce and maturing it just before it is to be harvested. In farming, the principle is not to become impatient and assume that the early or late rain will not come. We are to wait for the rain to come.

Likewise, we are not to rush the harvest. We are to wait for God to ripen the harvest and make ready the goods. Applying this to justice, we are not to rush along justice because it does not happen as soon as we want it to. Instead, we are to wait for God's timing.

When we think about it, the waiting and need for endurance we have in the Christian life is very much like the waiting of the farmer.
-He waits with a reasonable hope and expectation of a reward.
-He waits a long time.
-He waits working all the while.
-He waits depending on the things out of his power with his eye on the heavens.
-He waits despite changing circumstances and many uncertainties.
-He waits encouraged by the value of the harvest.
-He waits encouraged by the work and harvest of others.
-He waits because he really has no other option.
-He waits because it does no good to give up.
-He waits aware of how the seasons work.

For the coming of the Lord is near: James says believers are to respond to injustice by strengthening their hearts and reminding themselves that the coming day of the Lord is not far off. The Bible's teaching that Christ is at the door is a teaching that recognizes that the end times are close at hand.


2. (James 5:9) Practicing patient endurance among God's people
Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

Do not complain: We are not to let our troubles and frustration lead us to speaking negatively against others, especially those in the faith. When we speak badly of others, we judge them. That is not something we want to be doing when the true Judge arrives. God might chose to use our patience and long-suffering as an opportunity to bring someone to faith. We can be sure that God is far more likely to use our patience than to use our impatience should we seek retribution against those who have wronged us.

James offers an example for us to follow in living out this difficult command.


3. (James 5:10-11) Following examples of patient endurance
As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

Take the prophets: The New Testament gives us a wonderful summary of what the prophets faced in Hebrews chapter 11.

"And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground." (Hebrews 11:32-38)

James uses these men who suffered as our example. This is a far cry from the pride and arrogance which has come to dominate parts of the church, particularly the American church. We are not destined to conquer and dominate the world. We are not called to overcome the world with might and power. The United States is not God's country. It is just another nation lost with dying sinners.

I am as much a patriot as the next person, but as Christians when we consider how we are to respond to injustice and persecution, the Bible calls us to remember not the Founding Fathers, but the prophets of Israel. We should use them as our example so that we never presume to encroach upon God's role as judge.

James then gives his own example using Job, who endured more sorrow and injustice than any of us will likely face in our own lives. And still, he faced his situation with patience and endurance. He refrained from condemning the LORD. In fact, he endured his circumstances while still praising the LORD. And James says we should take note of God's compassion and mercy which He showed Job in the end. We are to remember how Job became an example to us of how righteous men should respond to injustice and suffering.

The Lord is full of compassion and merciful: This is not immediately apparent in the story of Job. We can quickly think that God was cruel to Job. Yet, upon consideration, we can see that God was indeed very compassionate and merciful.

God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because He only allowed suffering for a very good reason. God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because He restricted what Satan could do against Job. God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because He sustained Him with His unseen hand through all his suffering. God was very compassionate and merciful to Job because in the whole process God used Satan. At the end of it all, God had accomplished something wonderful--to make Job a better and more blessed man than ever before. Remember that as good as Job was at the beginning of the book, he was a better man at the end of it. He was better in character, humbler and more blessed than before.

4. (James 5:12) An exhortation in light of the coming judgment before Jesus
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

James opens chapter five with a warning against the rich who persecuted the church. Now, he finishes with a series of exhortations on how to live until the Lord returns. James must have known that his letter would leave his readers reeling from so many blows to the ego and pride. Although the hits were necessary and appropriate, James does not want to leave us without a word of encouragement as well.

In the beginning of chapter five, James encourages us to practice patience by keeping our mind focused on the return of the Lord. We should not be angry; we should not take matters into our own hands. Patience is knowing that what we want is coming without our need to get involved.

Joke Time
A small boy was looking at the red ripe tomatoes growing in a farmer's garden. "I will give you my two pennies for that tomato," said the boy to the farmer, pointing to a beautiful, large, ripe tomato on the vine. "No," said the farmer, "I get a dime for a tomato like that one."

The small boy pointed to a small green tomato. "Will you take two pennies for that one?"

"Yes," replied the farmer. "I will give you that one for two pennies."

"OK," said the small boy, sealing the deal by placing his coins in the farmer's hand. "I will pick it up in about a week."

From patience, James moves on to reminding us of the prophets and the need for endurance. Said another way, we are to prepare for whatever life brings knowing it is all temporary. By our endurance, we please the Lord who will reward our patience and faith.

Do not swear, either by heaven or by earth: Before we can understand James's concern here, we need to understand the specific action James is describing. He says we should not swear an oath by heaven or by earth. He is speaking about making a promise or commitment and then giving an oath to assure a witness that we will keep our word. James is not talking about the kinds of vows that our law requires as in a courtroom. He is talking about voluntary vows we take upon ourselves to assure someone that they can trust us. James says we are not to bind our trustworthiness to someone or something.

Within the Jewish culture, any oath that mentioned God's name in any way was considered to be a binding vow. Breaking that commitment was punishable by law. However, oaths sworn by other things such as things in heaven or things on earth were not considered to be binding. The Pharisees would take advantage or this self-made loophole to avoid obligations when it suited them. This meant that their word could not be trusted because they might swear upon things that sounded binding, but later they were deemed to be not important. Jesus expounds on this hypocrisy in the Book of Matthew:

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.' You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold ot the temple that sanctified the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever sweats by the offering on it, he is obligated.' You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it." (Matthew 23:16-22)

The first problem with vows is that they are not necessary for Christians. Consider what a vow means. Oaths invoke the name of another entity as a judge or as a witness to your statement. It implies that a judge will be necessary to ensure we keep our word. Instead, James says if we want people to trust our word, just let our yes be yes and our no be no. We should speak the truth. We should keep our word. Then, we will not need vows or judges. Believers should be honoarble in our promises and trustworthy in our speech. Thus, vows should be unnecessary.

Secondly, vows about the future are a form of impatience in waiting on God's plan. When we obligate ourselves to some future action by binding a vow, we are presuming to know God's plans for the future. In our impatience to produce the future we prefer, some Christians may be tempted to make vows invoking God's name.

However, James warns against this because we are at risk for bringing judgment upon ourselves. If we swear by God that you will do something in the future, but then God's plans for your life prevent you from keeping the vow, you are still obligated by your vow. And God will bring condemnation upon you for failing to keep the vow. Remember, if you choose to make a vow by invoking God's name, Scripture says that God will bring a penalty upon you for failing to keep that vow.

"When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)

These vows are binding in God's view. Jesus gives the same warning as James in the Gospels.

"Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the LORD.' But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Now shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is evil." (Matthew 5:33-37)

Both Jesus and James are saying the same thing. If you vow by God's name, you are gambling that the future will turn out as you expect it to be. In your impatience to know and predict the future, you risk being wrong. And when you are wrong, God will hold you accountable for your rash vow. This is why James states in verse 12 that we risk falling under judgment when we make a vow.

For those Christians who prefer action over patient waiting, James gives the proper Biblical way to live in a godly, patient way.

Jame Chapter 5 Part One (Verses 1-6)

LIFE OF A LIVING FAITH
A. A rebuke of the ungodly rich

1. (James 5:1-3) The rich and the illusion of wealth
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

In Chapter five, we see the second of two warnings. Last week, we saw the first warning ("Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit'" (James 4:13).) Both warnings begin with "come now..." Both also deal with the pride of life, and the arrogance or living apart from God's will. In the first warning, the believer was at risk of offending God through a life of sin that either avoided God's will or ignored it. But now, James's second warning, becomes even more serious.

Come now, you rich: Rich here means rich in every sense of the word. It means to be financially wealthy in power, knowledge and status. James has developed the idea of the need for complete dependence on God. How naturally he now rebukes those who most likely live independently from God--the rich.

While Jesus counted some rich people among His followers such as Zaccheus, Joseph of Arimithea and Barnabus, we are compelled to observe that riches present an additional and significant obstacle to the kingdom. ("And Jesus said to His disciples, 'Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, 'Then who can be saved?' And looking at them Jesus said to them, 'With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'" (Matthew 19:23-26).)

It is also true that the pursuit of riches is a motivation for every conceivable kind of sin. ("For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:10).)

James speaks to the wealthy as not simply rich (for riches and grace may sometimes go together), but he speaks to them as wicked. They not only wallow in wealth, but they also abuse it to oppress, gain luxury and cruelly treat others.

Howl and weep: In the style of an Old testament prophet, James tells the rich to mourn in consideration of their destiny (the miseries that are coming upon them). In the life to come, their riches will be revealed as corrupted, moth-eaten and corroded.

James probably refers to the destruction of three kinds of wealth. Stores of food are corrupted (or rotted), garments are moth-eaten, and gold and silver are corroded. Each one of them comes to nothing in their own way.

More than that, James adds that the rust will devour their flesh like fire. They will are so bound up in their greedy gains that when their wealth perishes, the rich will perish with it, eaten away in burning pain.

Will be a witness against you: The corruptible nature of the wealth of the rich will witness against them. On the day of judgment, it will be revealed that they have lived their lives in the arrogant independence of God James previously condemned. They are heaping up treasure in the last days, when they should have been heaping up treasure in heaven. ("'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'" (Matthew 6:19-21).)

Now, James gives examples of how these corrupt people obtained their wealth.


2. (James 5:4-6) The sins of the rich are condemned
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of the Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

The pay of the laborers who mowed your fields: First, the wealthy cheated day laborers who worked for them. Mowing fields refers to men who harvested the stalks of grain. These men would typically work for one day at a time. They expected to receive their wages for each day at the end of the day. They would use these daily wages to buy food and other goods they needed to get through the next day. However, at the end of the day, the rich would use some technicality to deny them their wages.

In the Torah, God states two times an employer must pay his employee. In the book of Leviticus, we read: "Do not withhold that which is due your neighbor. Do not let a worker's wages remain with you overnight until morning" (Leviticus 19:13). And again in the book of Deuteronomy, we find: "Do not withhold the wages due to your poor or destitute hired hand, whether he is one of your brethren or a proselyte living in a settlement in your land. You must give him his wage on the day it is due, and not let the sun set with him waiting for it. Since he is a poor man, and his life depends on it, do not let him call out to God, causing you to have a sin" (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

In the Talmud (a compilation of Jewish commentaries on the Torah), it is stated that paying a creditor is a mitzvah (commandment).

The outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth: The title "Lord of the Sabaoth" should not be confused with the similar title, "Lord of the Sabbath" used in Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5. Instead, it is a translation of the idea behind the Hebrew term "Lord of Hosts", which means "Lord of armies". It specifically has a sense of heavenly and angelic armies. It describes God as a warrior, the commander-in-chief of all the heavenly armies.

The use of this title was meant to give the unjust a sober warning. The cries of the people they had oppressed had come to the ears of the Lord who commands the heavenly armies--the God of might and power and judgment.

You have condemned and put to death the righteous man: To top off everything the wealthy have done, they put to death the righteous man who did not resist their injustice. Take it either literally or metaphorically, the extortioners not only rob, but they ravish the poor that have fallen into their nets. Moreover, often those who are poor and without power in this world have little satisfaction from justice. Yet, God hears their cries. He is the one who guarantees to ultimately right every wrong and answer every injustice.

Today, we are still confronted by those in the church who use their wealth and leadership roles to take advantage of others. When we see these injustices taking place, it is only natural to react against these people. We either speak in a critical way against them or even rise up against them in some way.

I am not talking about self-defense but rather retribution. When we find ourselves in these situations, we need to consider our response carefully. James says those who were persecuted did not resist their oppressors; yet, they still experienced death.

Paul gives a stern warning about repaying the oppressors in this lifetime:
"Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is writeen, 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,' says the Lord. 'BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THRISTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.' Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no autority except from God, and those which exist are established by God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves" (Romans 12:17-13:2).

We are to leave revenge to God. We can trust that He will bring about justice. But we need to understand true revenge and justice is not achieved in this world. It will happen in eternity. We can actually interfere with God's plan of retribution when we try to take matters into our own hands.

Even if God's plan does not take effect until after evil men have put us to death, it is still a better plan than the one we can enact on our own. We may win the fight in the moment, but what we are risking eternal loss because we resisted authority or did not leave room for the wrath of God.

When we refuse to take matters into our own hands, we acknowledge a form faith in God's sovereignty over our situation. We leave room for the wrath of God, Who can do far more in revenging injustice than we could ever do. Our kindness in the face of injustice against us brings further condemnation to those who are intent on harming us. It is an act of faith to withhold retribution.

James has addressed the sins of the rich who persecuted the righteous, but what should the righteous do in response to these men?

James Chapter 4 Part Three (Verses 11-17)

4. (James 4:11-12) The solutions for strife: get right with other people
Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

Do not speak against one another: As before, the secret begins with speech. In this case, it is how we speak about our brothers and sisters in the faith. James is probably referencing back to the quarrels that started when members of the church competed for positions of authority or other privileges.

James does not say do not speak against your brother. In the Greek, the phrase literally means "to speak down against". The same Greek word is translated as "slander" in 1 Peter 2:12. In other words, do not put someone down in your speech or say bad things about a fellow Christian.

James is not prohibiting legitimate criticism such as when applying church discipline or holding a brother accountable. The Bible gives clear guidance for how to address misbehavior in the body and how to deal with it privately and publicly. We are talking about speaking negatively about a brother simply because we do not like something about him or because we are disputing with him over something.

When we speak in unflattering ways against a fellow Christian, we do three sinful things:
1. We judge our brother or sister. A hateful or negative statement about others in the faith is a form of judgment against another.

2. Our speech itself is a violation of the Royal Law. It goes "against the law", which means that our harmful speech violates the law. The Law requires that we treat others with the love we show ourselves. Literally, we break the very law we are accusing our brothers and sisters of violating. We do not accuse ourselves of violating the Law; so, we should not speak badly about others in the faith.

3. We place ourselves above the law, as a judge. We pretend the rules do not apply to us. This is the sin of hypocrisy.

Of course, James sets the record straight in verse 12.

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge: There is only one God, and we are not Him! We please Him when we keep His Law rather than making ourselves a law of our own.


B. A humble dependence on God

1. (James 4:13-16) A caution against an attitude of independence from God
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

Come now: Notice that the two warnings given both start with the phrase, "come now". James speaks about living ignorant of God's will. But notice that the beginning of this sin is again a form of speech. We tell ourselves something in the sense that we decide what we will do without consulting God's will.

The problem here is not that we make plans. Planning is not the problem. God is a God of order and planning is a necessary discipline that leads to an orderly and productive life. In Genesis, God gave Joseph a detailed plan covering 14 years in his dream about the lean and fat cows. The issue is when we go forth with our plans.

We will go to such and such a city: The man in verse 13 is saying what he wants to do. He presumptuously decides what that plan will be without considering God's will first. When we live this way, we are not living by faith in God's word and will. We have set those things aside, and we are living in our flesh. We are making assumptions about what tomorrow holds. We are not leaning on God. We are back to acting proudly rather than humbling ourselves.

You boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil: James describes this lifestyle as arrogant and boastful. It is a kind of proud living. We have stupidly forgotten how short life is, and how quickly it can end.

You are just a vapor that appears for a little while: When we begin to plan a life without God's input, we are pretending we can direct our future. But God has numbered our days already, according to Job 14:5: "Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass."

If the Lord wills: James gives us a different plan. He says we should say, "If the Lord wills..." Let us be clear what James expects. First, notice that the process begins again with speech. Our sin is often tied to speech, and so is our obedience. But, sin does not end with speech. Out tongue is the rudder that then directs the entire ship into the rocks. Likewise, godly speech is the means to a godly outcome. It is not the end in itself.

So, James is not expecting us to go around saying, "if the Lord wills", but then we fail to act that way. I have met many Christians who use this phrase, but I wonder how often they actually live their lives according to the principle. Do we consult God's will before we make plans? Do we announce our own plans, and then we casually add "if the Lord wills".

James counsels us that we should not arrogantly declare our plans without consulting God first. If we are not in the habit of asking God for His counsel before we make our plans, then we are walking around blindly. We are forgetting that we have a very short time on Earth. We are forgetting that time will come to an end as God determines.

When the plans of our life are made independently of God's will, we are acting in an arrogant and boastful way. Remember, the issue for James in this chapter was the problem with living in an independent and prideful way. The church was seeking worldly gain. They were setting their priorities according to worldly values. Then, they were quarreling with others when their worldly pursuits were frustrated by God. So James says we should acknowledge God's sovereign will and set our plans according to that will. We should seek to conform our lives to Him in humble obedience.


2. (James 4:17) A challenge to live according to what we know in the Lord
Therefore, to the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

To him who knows to do good and does not do it: James knows that it is far easier to think about and talk about humility and dependence on God than it is to live it. Yet, he makes the mind of God plain: as we know these things, we are accountable to do them. Here James returns to his consistent theme throughout the letter--the idea that genuine faith is proved by action. Yet, we also see that the uncertainty of life, to which James referred to in the previous passage, should not create fear that makes one passive or inactive. The uncertainty of life should make us ready to recognize what is good and then do it.

To him it is sin: Clearly, it is sin to live our lives without consulting God's will. But in verse 17, James now says it is also a sin when we consult God's will, but we fail to follow it. This is the person who knows the right thing to do. The right thing to do is the thing that God is directing us to do. It is when we learn God's will when we see it revealed in His word or in our prayer life, but then we dismiss it in favor of our own desires. This is sin.

It is a sin of omission. We fail to do what God expects of us. Even if we do nothing, we are sinning because we did not do the right thing.

The Gospels tell us a story with much the same point in Luke 18:18-30, Matthew 19:16-30 and Mark 10:17-31. A rich young ruler asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. After some discussion, Jesus ends his discourse by testing the man's heart with a command to sell everything and follow Him. The ruler responds by doing nothing. He just walks away. For this man, he was told the right thing to do; yet, he did not do it. This is sin.

Jesus gives a similar message in the Book of Luke in which He obeying His word with a building constructed on a firm foundation.

"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when the flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and had not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)

Consider the wisdom of James. We are to seek God's will. We are not to follow worldly wisdom or desires. We are to prepare ourselves for distractions and schemes conceived by the enemy by studying God's word. We are to chart a course in life based upon the will He reveals to us. We are to humble ourselves. We are to pursue a life that worships God every day. We are not to sin against our brothers and sisters.

James Chapter 4 Part Two (Verses 6-10)

3. (James 4:6-10) The solutions for strife: in humility, get right with God
But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your heart, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

In verse five, which we read last week, James says that God demands perfect allegiance and devotion from His people. How do we meet such a demanding standard? Are we ever perfectly devoted to anyone or anything? Fortunately, James makes it clear that our opportunity to remain devoted to God is a problem God is ready to solve on our behalf.

He gives a greater grace: God's grace is greater than our failures to remain devoted to Him. When the world begins to pull us away and entice us with one thing or another, God's grace strengthens us in the face of these trials. God's grace is sufficient to bring us through these challenging times. James explains how this works in verses 6-10.

God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble: God follows a simple, yet powerful principle. He frustrates the proud but gives his greater grace to the humble. If we resist his will, He will bring our resistance to futility. But, when we recognize we are weak and powerless, God steps in to strengthen us and to direct us to better choices in His grace. We can either push against Him, or we can lean on Him.

Paul expands on this concept in Philippians chapter two:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:5-9).

We are to follow Jesus' example, lowering ourselves in our own eyes. We are to accept that God's way is better than our own.

Submit therefore to God: James says the first step is to submit to God. Submission is the starting point of becoming humble. Submission is a heart attitude that leads to obedience. Failing to submit is the same thing as seeking after the world. We are not agreeing with God's priorities, standards and desires. We are not submitting to His decrees.

When we set aside what the world gives us as priorities, we take the first step toward submission to God. We set aside our personal ambitions, and we make God's ambitions our own ambitions.

In my own life, it seems the issue is mostly one of time. I make myself God's enemy when I set His will aside and pursue my own agenda. When I want to demonstrate submission, I give me time to those things God wants me to pursue...when I follow His will.

Where do we find God's will?
First and foremost, we find it in His word. When we read His word and heed it, we take the first step to submission. Finding God's will in His word is the context for the rest of verse 7.

Think about how the enemy works to undermine the lives of Christians. He distorts and twists God's word in order to cause doubt and to cause us to disregard God's word. He brings us to a point where we are willing to set aside God's decrees and pursue the world's decrees instead. Just as in the Garden of Eden when he brought Woman to a point of doubting God's word, so too we are deceived into believing the devil's lies. The key to overcoming the devil is to focus on God's word, which is the manifestation of His will for his children.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you: A better translation of the word rendered "resist" would be "to take a stand against". We are to take a stand against the devil's schemes by taking a stand against the worldly sources of wisdom. We are to take a stand by remaining in God's word and seeking the truth there. We are to take a stand by fighting against the enemy by knowing and following God's decrees and resisting any temptation to follow the world.

Taking a stand against the enemy is a step of preparation; it is not a strategy for battle. Armies fdo not prepare and train for combat while they are engaged with the enemy. They train before the battle. They work against one another in friendly combat. They study and practice their drills and review their orders so they will be ready for the day of combat.

Christians do not prepare for battles with the enemy by waiting until they are in a moment of combat. When we study our Bible, we practice righteousness and we encourage each other for the day of combat. And when we face the enemy well prepared to resist him, James says he will flee away from us.

Paul says the same thing in Ephesians chapter six:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having everything, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:10-13).

So James says quarrels in the body will end when we seek God's grace to overcome our wandering hearts. First we humble ourselves. Then we submit to God's will. Third, we take a stand against the enemy and his efforts to pull us back from following God's will and into the world's desires. Fourth, we draw near to God.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you: The term "draw near" is a Jewish phrase which means to enter into worship. It comes from Leviticus where the nation of Israel is called to worship the Living God. We need to engage in regular, continual worship of God, drawing near to Him in corporate and personal worship. James is not talking about a place or an event necessarily. He is not saying, "Make sure you go to church on Sunday," though that would not be a wrong way to implement this command.

Worship is drawing near to God in our daily lives.We certainly want to join together periodically to allow for an outward expression of worship. But, never confuse this 60-90 minute event with worshiping God. Our weekly event is actually a training event that prepares us for the battles of our daily lives, where we truly worship God. The worship that takes place outside the building is much more significant than what happens inside.

When James says draw near to God, he is talking about establishing a daily pattern of worship similar to Romans 12:1-2:
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2).

Draw near to God means patterning your life in a worshipful way, so that everything you do is an outward sign of worship. Paul said this style of living will be the opposite of conforming to this world. (This echoes James remarks.) Paul says it happens when we renew our minds so that we demonstrate the will of God. So, Paul gives us the same pattern James gives us--conform to God's will, which we come to know as we learn His word, and this enables us to enter into a life of worship.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your heart, you double-minded: People who draw near to God cleanse their hands and purify their hearts. This is another Levitical phrase which means to put aside both outward sinful acts and inward sinful thoughts. We are not to be double-minded or hypocritical. We are not to accept the pattern in ourselves of saying one thing and doing something else.

Be miserable and mourn and weep: "Miserable" in Greek means "in distress". We should not be happy or ambivalent over sin. We should mourn over it. We should be distressed over it. We should let the laughter and gaiety associated with worldly sinful living turn into repentance and sorrow.

Do not think that James is saying sinners have fun, and Christians are miserable. Rather, he is talking about a heart attitude which takes pleasure in the world, and takes joy in sin. This is enmity with God. Instead, we are to mourn over sin as God does. Do these things, James says, and we will humble ourselves before God, and God will exalt us.

You may not have noticed, but James has been teaching how to fulfill the first commandment of the Royal Low. Remember James is teaching how to live out our faith in actions rather than merely in words alone. And in chapter two, James says we are to speak and act as those who will be judged by the Royal Law. The Royal Law is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.

In chapter four, James says to these churches that they live in quarrels and disputes because they were not living according to the law of their faith. They were not loving God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. And up to this point in the chapter, James has been describing how to live according to that first command. Now he turns to the second half of the Royal Law, the commandment to love our neighbor as our self.