Sunday PM
James 2019 #11
“Responding to Struggles, Hardships & Joys”
James 5:13-20
June 2, 2019
by Pastor Rod Harris
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Intro:
James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, has been writing to scattered believers forced to leave their homes as a result of the first round of persecution against the church. At times his words have been blunt and to the point. What is clear throughout is his love for the Church and his affection for the scattered flock. He is urging them to “grow up” or mature in their faith. He wants them to see the providence of God in all things. He wants them to understand that God is always at work for their good and his glory. Thus they can, “Count it all joy when ambushed by life’s trials.” They can rejoice in the face of hardship because God is working in them for their eternal good. Tonight we conclude our study of this book by looking at the last 8 verses of chapter 5. Letters, handwritten (some of you are too young to know about such) often followed a pattern. At the start of the letter careful attention is paid to the wording. Longer sentences, full expression of thought but then when you realized that you where running out of paper, you start spitting out short bursts of information, trying to get as much in as possible. That seems to be the case with James. He’s either running out of parchment or he has to send the letter immediately. The last part of the letter seems hurried and a laundry list of items. Yet, there is valuable information for us in these closing verses.
Text: James 5:13-20
James addresses 4 groups of people in these closing verses:
- The suffering
- The cheerful
- The sick
- The wayward
With the first 3 he says the individuals experiencing these things are responsible and should act accordingly. In the case of the 4th, the church, as a whole, is to act to see the wanderer restored.
As we work through this text we discover that…
Thesis: The mature believer responds appropriately to life’s struggles, hardships and joys.
James has made it clear that he expects these folks to be “doers of the Word” and not “hearers only.” He had called upon these folks to live out their faith, to put actions to their words. That is what this section is about.
- Suffering drives the mature believer to his knees. (5:13)
- Joy causes the heart of the mature believer to sing. (5:13)
- Sickness drives the mature believer to seek the ministry of the church. (5:14-18)
- The wandering brother provokes the mature believer’s compassionate intervention. (5:19-20)
Conclusion:
Following Sinclair Ferguson: We cannot leave this passage or this book without asking:
What kind of believer am I? Am I a doer of the word or a hearer only?
What kind of church are we? Do we care about the eternal destiny of others?
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