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Post by Admin on Dec 9, 2018 11:56:56 GMT -6
Study Begins: December 09, 2018
Discussion Begins: December 16, 2018 |
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. English Standard Version
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John R
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Post by John R on Dec 10, 2018 10:55:38 GMT -6
Waiting on the Lord is a theme throughout the New Testament. The 10 virgins with their lamps; parable of the talents; and servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet (Luke 12: 36-48).
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "...neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8:11) Is this not a statement requiring patience and longsuffering from both God's and humanity's perspective? Surely, in our humanity we cannot live lives free from sin. However, I believe what Jesus is telling us is to "be holy for I am holy." (Lev 20:7, reiterated in 1 Peter 1:16). Learning to walk in the ways of Christ (another commandment by Jesus) takes time, perseverance and patience from God and us.
"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9) To abide in something means "to wait for, to await, to remain, to dwell in, to continue permanently. If we abide in Christ we enter into the life we will live in eternity, that is why the bible continues to tell us now to proceed into our new lives in Christ with patience and perseverance, because we will live this way forever, if we remain without sin. Let's start now!
Blessings! John |
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Eric B
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Post by Eric B on Dec 16, 2018 0:48:16 GMT -6
James 5:7-8 "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. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
There is nothing the farmer can do to speed up the harvest. The farmer must wait until it gets the early rains that are needed for planting and the late rains that come before harvest. Likewise in our lives, we cannot be impatient. We must wait, no matter how long it seems.
Yet we are given instructions during that time of waiting. We are to establish our hearts, that is, to strengthen the heart in faith while we wait.
James 5:8-11 "You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 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."
I called this, Instructions in Patience.
1. Vs. 8. As stated above, strengthen your heart in faith. How is this done? It is by living a holy life. A holy life and power are in-separable in the scriptures. It is seen in 2 Peter 1:3-4 and again in vs. 5-8. 2 Peter 1:8 states, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is seen in the negative in 2 timothy 3:5 “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”
2. Vs. 9. "Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door." This is a snare in our walks with the Lord. It is as a thorn and thistle. It incurs the anger of the Lord. As Korah found out when his people complained against Moses and Aaron in Numbers 16:1-35. We are also reminded in 1 Corinthians 10:10 the consequence of murmuring can be death.
3. Vs. 11. "…You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings…” We are to have endurance. One of the greatest examples of endurance in the bible is found in 2 Samuel 23:10 “He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day;…” Eleazar would not and did not let go of the sword. He endured. We, as believers, are to do the same. We are not to give up, no matter what.
James 5:12 "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." A simple “Yes” or “No” will do. But then keep your word and the Lord shall honor that. Psalm 24:3-5 states,
3 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
God bless, Eric
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JB
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Post by JB on Dec 16, 2018 17:57:36 GMT -6
James 5:7-9
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 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
As crucial as it is for us to apply the Bible to our lives, I’m afraid we can’t fully do that with this passage. I’m afraid we 21st century Christians aren’t prepared to receive it… that we can’t connect it to our lives. Why do I say that? Because we aren’t living daily in expectation of Christ’s return. Not that we don’t believe in it doctrinally. We know He’s coming. But in practice, it’s just a doctrine. The current passage is one of many that show the early Christians - messed up as they were - anxiously expecting Jesus to come back at any moment Here are some more: - 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10
The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia-your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. - Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Romans 8:19,23
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed...Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons. - 1 Corinthians 1:7-8
You do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait eagerly for our Lord Jesus to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will blameless. - Titus 2:12-13
Live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age while you wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. - Hebrews 9:28
[Christ] will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. - Jude 21
Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.
And in the following verses the writers either instruct or assume those Christians are waiting for Him any time now: - Romans 8:23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. - Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, - 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead -- Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. - 2 Timothy 4:8
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord …will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - 1 Peter 1:13
… prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. - 2 Peter 3:12-14
…as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. …in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
After reading all of those, do you feel as “under-wait” as I do? To be honest, practically the only time I give more than a passing thought to the second coming is when someone engages me in a doctrinal discussion of the end times. Shame on me! James didn’t need to tell these original readers to wait for Jesus’ return. He knew that Christ’s coming was fueling their faith and giving them perseverance daily. That’s why the Lord’s Supper was instituted and observed at their meetings – to proclaim His death until He comes. In fact, their anticipation of His return was so strong that James had to exhort them in verse 7 to be patient because His return is at hand! Twenty Centuries later, we fail miserably in this area. Q: Is anything evident in the life of modern Christians that passionate anticipation of the Lord’s coming is in the forefront? Could James have meaningfully written those words to us?
Q: Considering the context of these verses, what prompted this impatience for James’ readers?
Q: What was a farmer’s life like, especially in the ancient world, that would require patience?
Q: These Christians had been treated very wrongly. What is our natural reaction to being mistreated?
James 5:10-1210 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear-not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
Job, as we all know, was wiped out. He lost everything but his faith. God allowed it because He knew Job could stand up under it, though Job didn't seem quite as confident as God was. But the story ended like this: "The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations." (Job 42:12-16)
Job was an example of what we will experience in the end times: Right now we suffer and long for a new life. But in those days that life will already be ours, and it will be blessing beyond anything we’ve encountered before. It's not going to come easily, though. We will experience severe persecution - as so many Christians in other parts of the world experience regularly. And we must know how to rightly persevere when persecuted. We must do right when wrong is done to us. We can learn a lot about how we should react to mistreatment from Peter: " Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God." ( 1 Peter 2:18-20) Peter’s message is that it’s easy to act respectfully when things are good, and there’s nothing remarkable about being respectful when you deserve to be treated harshly. But when someone causes you undeserved suffering and you act respectfully toward him or her because you are conscious of God, that is remarkable, supernatural, and is commendable (brings grace) before God. James likewise exhorts us to let our passionate anticipation of the Lord’s coming motivate us to be patient in suffering. Q: Read Hebrews 11:32-40. What are the qualities of the patience of the prophets?Finally, I'm going to reprint here a wonderful section from the writings of William Barclay: - “We generally speak of the patience of Job which is the word the King James Version uses. But patience is far too passive a word… As we read the tremendous drama of his life we see him passionately resenting what has come upon him, passionately questioning the conventional arguments of his so-called friends, passionately agonizing over the terrible thought that God might have forsaken him...But the great fact about him is that in spite of all the agonizing questions which tore at his heart, he never lost his faith in God… “I know that my redeemer lives (19:25).” His is no unquestioning submission; he struggled and questioned, and sometimes even defied, but the flame of his faith was never extinguished. … The word used of him is not that great New Testament word… which describes, not a passive patience, but that gallant spirit which can breast the tides of doubt and sorrow and disaster and come out with faith still stronger on the other side. There may be a faith which never complained or questioned; but still greater is the faith which was tortured by questions and still believed. It was the faith which held grimly on that came out on the other side, for “the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” (William Barclay, William Barclay's Daily Study Bible, on James 5:10-11)
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Eric B
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Post by Eric B on Dec 16, 2018 20:03:06 GMT -6
Jb,
Your study was well thought out. You asked under James 5:7-9 "As crucial as it is for us to apply the Bible to our lives, I’m afraid we can’t fully do that with this passage. I’m afraid we 21st century Christians aren’t prepared to receive it… that we can’t connect it to our lives.
Why do I say that? Because we aren’t living daily in expectation of Christ’s return. Not that we don’t believe in it doctrinally. We know He’s coming. But in practice, it’s just a doctrine. "
This is very true of the modern church today. Many either go through the motions (church attendance, lip service, dutiful service) to perform what is "good enough" or complete service due to a guilty conscience. I find very few that serve out of love and in expectation of His soon coming. The Word of God confirms this. Matthew 24:12-13 "“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."
2 Timothy 3:1-5. Verse 4, "...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,"
It seems this selfish love is everywhere and lawlessness abounds. It has taken the church by storm and weakened the effectiveness of God's people. People cannot look for Christ's return when something else has their heart.
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John R
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Post by John R on Dec 17, 2018 8:39:38 GMT -6
"Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door." This is a snare in our walks with the Lord. It is as a thorn and thistle."
Amen Eric! This is a snare and I might add, all of this is directed toward fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! Those who proclaim to be "Christ followers," are often most antagonistic against other fellow believers. If one of our brothers and sisters has a different viewpoint on a biblical interpretation, it is can be the cause for such strife and division as evidenced by thousands of denominations. This bible study group has taught me that the scripture must be interpreted by the scripture. We must read and learn the precepts of God from the Word of God and not our favorite pastor or bible teacher. I pray that going forward we can continue to have this place to think and reflect with brothers and sisters who are civil with one another. Be blessed everyone! John
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Post by Admin on Dec 26, 2018 13:02:30 GMT -6
Jb,
Your study was well thought out. You asked under James 5:7-9 "As crucial as it is for us to apply the Bible to our lives, I’m afraid we can’t fully do that with this passage. I’m afraid we 21st century Christians aren’t prepared to receive it… that we can’t connect it to our lives.
Why do I say that? Because we aren’t living daily in expectation of Christ’s return. Not that we don’t believe in it doctrinally. We know He’s coming. But in practice, it’s just a doctrine. "
This is very true of the modern church today. Many either go through the motions (church attendance, lip service, dutiful service) to perform what is "good enough" or complete service due to a guilty conscience. I find very few that serve out of love and in expectation of His soon coming. The Word of God confirms this. Matthew 24:12-13 "“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."
2 Timothy 3:1-5. Verse 4, "...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,"
It seems this selfish love is everywhere and lawlessness abounds. It has taken the church by storm and weakened the effectiveness of God's people. People cannot look for Christ's return when something else has their heart.
Eric, The following despicable article from today brought your comments here to mind....
This should never have needed to be printed. It never should have existed. But we must face the reality of what is happening under the cover of "Christianity" today. The world sees this and is further blinded to the hope held out by Christ.
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