JAMES 5:1-122009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: James 5:1-12

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2009.

There's four points I want to share with you out of James chapter 5 verses 1 through 11. As we've been looking at the book of James, we've seen that it's a very practical book. And there's lots of practical application. It's not a lot of doctrine and theories, but it's a lot of, this is what you need to do. This is how you must live. This is what you must stop doing. It's very down to earth, rubber meets the road. This is the way that James works.

And now in chapter 5, as he's dealing with the rich, he gives them some practical application. The practical application for the rich is you need to weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. The first thing we see here when it comes to the rich, James says, you need to, I need to heap up treasure in heaven.

He's talking to the rich who have heaped up treasure, not in heaven, but have heaped up treasure on earth. They've gathered together. They filled their lives with riches, with wealth, with treasure. And James says, here's some practical application for you. Weep and howl because of the miseries that are coming upon you. Weep and howl. Now, as we look at these things, it seems that James says,

has been dealing with those who are rich throughout the book. In fact, in chapter 2, he's addressing the subject of favoritism. And you remember the issue with favoritism was as rich and wealthy people would come into the congregation, they would show them lots of attention, they would treat them very nice, they would give them the seat of honor, and they treated them very special.

But then if someone poor came into the congregation, well, they were showing favoritism. They didn't care about the poor person. They showed him no attention at all. They gave him the lowest seat. They dishonored him. And the rich person they honored and they told them flowery words and gave them lots of attention.

And so there's this thing going on here that there's this rich people among them. There's these rich people around them. And it even appears that the rich people are the ones who are causing them lots of trouble.

In James chapter 2, verse 6 and 7, he deals with this. He says, look, you've dishonored the poor man, but is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into the courts? So there was this presence of rich people among them who were oppressing them. They were coming against them. They were persecuting them and causing trouble. Not only that, they were dragging them to the courts. And so they're going through litigation, going through all kinds of difficulties as a result of these rich people oppressing

And then in verse 7 he says, not only that, but they blaspheme the noble name by which you are called.

It's these rich people that are blaspheming the name of Jesus by their actions, by what they do, by how they live. They blaspheme the name of Jesus. And so there's this population of rich people that James is addressing. And the church is showing them favoritism and showing them lots of attention. But they're causing a lot of trouble and they're oppressing and they're taking to court and they're blaspheming the name of Christ by their actions and lifestyles.

And so James now addresses them here in verse 1, and he tells them that they are to weep and howl. It's kind of like the woes that we saw in Isaiah, the pronouncement of judgment. He's saying, guys, there's some judgment that is coming. Misery is coming upon you, and you need to weep and to howl as a result of those miseries.

Now, as we look at these things, I think it's good for us to consider for a moment this idea of being rich. And I would ask you to consider, is it wrong to be rich? Is it wrong to be rich? Is it sinful to be wealthy? And you say, I hope not, because I want to be one day, and that's the dream of mine. But...

The Bible does not say, the Bible does not specify, the Bible does not dictate that we're all supposed to be poor and that we're all supposed to have nothing but the clothes on our backs and we're supposed to sell everything that we have and just live off the dust of the ground. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible does teach that we can be good stewards, that we are to use the resources that God gives to us.

The Bible does teach that we're to make wise investments and things like that. To be rich in and of itself is not sinful, but for some people it is.

Who are those people? Well, Paul wrote to Timothy about this in 1 Timothy chapter 6, and he was telling Timothy the importance of being content, of being satisfied with his state and where God had him in life. And he tells him in 1 Timothy 6.10, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

You see, for some people, there's an issue of the love of money. It's not money that is the root of all kinds of evil, but it's the love of money, that desire for those material things, the desire for those financial things that causes all kinds of problems and leads people to do exactly what James has been dealing with and will be dealing with here in chapter 5.

And so for some people, money is a real problem and to be rich for them is a sin and it is wrong. We saw this with Jesus and that rich young ruler. You remember him? He came up to Jesus. He's a wealthy guy. He's young. He's got power. He's got prestige. He's got everything going on for him. He comes to Jesus and says, how do I get to heaven? What must I do?

And so Jesus talks to him about, you know, the law, the commandments. He talks to him about these things. And the guy says, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been doing those things for a really long time. I'm really good at keeping the law. I'm very faithful. I'm very religious. And he's explaining, you know, to Jesus how great he is. Well, Jesus sees his heart. He knows his real problem. And so he tells him, okay, so here's what you need to do. Go and sell everything that you have. Give it to the poor.

Come and follow me. He tells him liquidate everything. Just get rid of everything sell everything take the money you make from it Give to the poor bless the poor and you come follow me Well that rich young ruler went away Sad Thinking to himself it's impossible for me to inherit the kingdom of God I can't get to heaven because he was not willing to part and

with his material wealth, with his possessions, with his finances. Now, it's not a command to everybody. Again, it's not saying all of us were supposed to live as poor people and not have anything and sell everything that we have. That's not what it's saying. But for this man, the love of money was a real problem for him. And so if that's a problem for you, I'm sure there's lots of others here who don't have that problem and you can help them out. Sell everything you have, give to the poor.

James is not just talking about rich people or those who have wealth or those who are well off, but he's talking about those who are corrupt in their riches.

And so to be rich in and of itself, not necessarily sinful. For some people it is. But look at who James is talking about. We can see a good description of them in verses 4 through 6. It says, Indeed, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out. And the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury. You have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned. You have murdered the just. He does not resist you.

He's talking to a group of people who are wealthy and in their wealth. And maybe that's why they're wealthy or maybe that's how they maintain or grow their wealth. They're ripping off others. They're stealing from others. They're withholding proper wages. He says the wages of the laborers that you've withheld, you've kept back by fraud. They cry out to the Lord.

And so there's these wages that have been withheld. They're not paying their workers appropriately. They're holding back what's rightfully due them. They're making up excuses. They're, by fraud, keeping back what is rightfully the laborers.

And he says those wages that you've kept back are crying out. They're those who are holding back, not paying people appropriately. They're not paying appropriately for the services that they're receiving. And the reapers, they're not getting. And so you see the idea is that they're conning people. They're conniving. They're scheming. They're stripping people of what is rightfully theirs.

Not only that, but in verse 6 it says that you've condemned, you've murdered the just, and he does not resist you. You're powerful, you're abusing your status, you're abusing your position, you're condemning, you're murdering. Rather than paying what's rightfully due, you just make arrangements to condemn people, to put them to death, to get rid of your problems in that way. We're talking about real corruption here.

And that's the people that James is talking to. And so it's no wonder that he says, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. But also notice in verse five, he says, you have lived in luxury on the earth in pleasure. I'm sorry, you've lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury. You have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter, a day of slaughter, like a feast day.

You've lived your whole life as if it's a feast. You're just partying all the time. You're just having a good time. You're living your life as one big party. You're living in pleasure and luxury. This is the state of those who are rich. Now, to those people, James says, weep and howl. You're living it up. You've got it all going on. You've got riches. You've got wealth. You've got wealth.

You're living in pleasure and luxury, but you need to weep and howl because you don't know what's coming for you. And what is coming for them? Why is it important or why should they be weeping and howling? Well, you don't have to turn there, but I encourage you to look it up later. Luke chapter 16. Jesus tells the story of a rich man and another man who's poor. His name is Lazarus. And the rich man was well off. He lived just like Lazarus.

James is talking about here. He lived in pleasure and luxury. His whole life was a great feast. It was a great party. And he comes and goes. He's living his life. And Lazarus is there at his gate every day. Lazarus is poor. He has nothing. He's just hoping for some crumbs off his table, some leftovers, just anything to help him survive.

And as Jesus is telling this story, you see the contrast between this very wealthy man and then this poor man. Well, the problem was this very wealthy man, this rich man, had no relationship with God. He had no real relationship with God. And so when he died, Jesus explains that he went to a place called Hades. Hades.

And this place called Hades, it's not the lake of fire that is the ultimate judgment that will come, but it was the temporary place of judgment until judgment day, until the final judgment. This place of Hades where this rich man went was a place of torment. He was in misery. He was in anguish, he describes it.

And he looks across, there's this chasm, there's this great divide. He looks across and he sees Abraham there and this poor man, Lazarus, who had also died. So they both died. They've gone from this life, life on this world, because life is not just what we live here on the earth. It's not just the 70 or 80 years that we get here, but we are created to live forever. Forever.

And we're going to live forever, as this story shows, as Jesus shares. This man, he died, but he continued to live. This other man, Lazarus, died. He continued to live. One was in a place of comfort. The other was in a place of torment and anguish. And so Lazarus is there with Abraham in a place of comfort. He did have a relationship with God. He did know the Lord. And so he is there in a place of comfort, in a place of rest.

And the rich man calls out to Abraham and says, Abraham, send over Lazarus. Can he just dip his finger in some water and then come over and touch it to my tongue because I'm burning and I'm in anguish. I'm in terrible pain. This is cause to weep and howl because this is the end. This is the judgment of those who are rich, James says, of those who are living this way, of those who have no relationship with God.

Well, Abraham explains to the rich man, well, he can't, there's this divide, you know, we can't be crossed. So the rich man says, well, can you just send them back to my family? I don't want them to come here. Let them know about this place because he was in anguish because of the great pain that he was experiencing. That is the reason why James says, weep and howl.

Look, you're living your lives, you're corrupt, you're living your life as if it's one big feast. You're living in pleasure and luxury. You need to weep and howl. In Proverbs 11 verse 4, it tells us that riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Riches don't profit us beyond the grave. How much ever we're worth on this side of eternity does not matter once we enter into eternity. They don't profit us in the day of wrath.

You won't stand before God and say, well, but look how much money I made. Or look how much money I gave. It comes back to a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The only thing that delivers from death is righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. Not good works, but believing in Jesus Christ and the finished work that he did for us upon the cross. These rich people.

Although they may place upon themselves the name of Christian, their activities, their actions clearly show that they are not. And so James says you need to weep and howl. Well, verses 2 and 3 here in James chapter 5, he explains a little bit more. He says,

Then he ends by saying, you have heaped up treasure in the last days. So he tells them, look, your riches are corrupt, as we saw that in verses 4 through 6. Their garments are moth-eaten. Their garments, their riches, their gold, their silver, all of their wealth is going to be a testimony against them. It's not going to help them. It's not going to help their case when it comes to the time of judgment. It's going to be the witness against them because of their corruption and the way that they've been behaving.

But he says there at the end, you have heaped up treasure in the last days. And I think this is a very important key for us. Now, you may or may not consider yourself to be rich. But I would ask you and I would challenge you not to put a burden or guilt trip on anybody. But I would ask you and I would challenge you to consider and to take some time to let the Lord speak to you in regards to this. Because you and I, we may not consider ourselves to be rich, but we

What does it take to be rich? What level of income do you have to have? Or what level of net worth? And you could look around, you could try to find, there's lots of different opinions. How do you define rich? Usually we look at the people around us and we base whether or not we're rich upon that. But I would ask you to take into consideration the population of the earth. And not just the United States, but the world.

In most of the world, our standard of living is a standard of living for the rich. It's something that is unattainable to most of the world. If I compare myself to you, I may not be rich, but if I compare myself to someone who makes 50 cents a week, well, now I'm really wealthy. If I compare myself to someone who doesn't know where the next meal is going to come from and I can just go to McDonald's, I'm really wealthy.

And you say, well, no, see, I'm not wealthy because, yeah, I can go to McDonald's, but I have all this debt. Well, that doesn't mean you're not rich. It just means you're a bad steward. And I say that to myself, too. OK, I'm not saying I never mind. Anyways, we won't go there. The point is, we're just, you know, we got a lot. We've been blessed tremendously and we just we handle it horribly. And I would say that we need to be challenged in this.

And we need to examine our hearts and allow God to speak to us. Because the issue here for these guys, James says, you have heaped up treasure in the last days. The problem with these rich guys was that they were focused on here and now they were consumed with this life and heaping up for themselves treasures and riches. But notice he says, you've heaped up treasure in the last days. See, the point here is that we're living in the last days.

And now is not the time for us to be heaping up treasure for ourselves, to be gathering together and amassing for ourselves all of this wealth and this abounding financial or material or whatever treasure. That's not appropriate because why? We're living in the last days.

Consider it this way for a moment. Let's pretend that the dollar system was going away. The government said, okay, we're going to cut the whole dollar system. We're not going to work on those dollar bills, those ones, those 20s, those 10s that you have. They're not going to be good anymore. We're going to work on this new gold coin system, let's say. And so what you need to do is you need to come bring all your dollars, bring all your money. If you have it in the bank, that's fine. It'll be transferred automatically. But your cash, your actual cash that you have, come bring that in and exchange it and it will give you these gold coins. Okay?

Now, that's not real. I'm just making this up as I go. But let's say that's what happened. Then sometimes I wonder, if I make it up as I go, how does it end? I don't know. But...

Let's say the deadline is in two months. It would be very important for you to go and get whatever cash you had, the change, you know, find all the change that you got, get it all together, go exchange it so now you could get this new money system so that it would have value that you could continue to buy and sell and do what you need to do.

So that's the case. That's what's happening in two months. Now, how foolish would it be in that circumstance for you to say, I'm going to gather up as many bills as I can get. I'm just going to store them here. I'm going to just get warehouses. I'm going to stack it just to the roof of all these 20s and all these 10s and all these 50s and all these 100s. And I'm just going to have storehouses and warehouses. I'm going to get a Walmart and I'm going to fill the whole Walmart just with this old cash.

How valuable would that be? In two months, it's going to be nothing. It's not going to be worth anything. No, you need to turn it in. You need to exchange it and get something that will last and that will work ongoing. Well, in the same way, we need to cash in for eternal rewards.

Because all that we have, the money that we have, the resources that we have, the funds, the materials, everything that we have, it's not going to last. In a very short time, we're living in the last days. The return of Jesus Christ is near. It could be at any moment. And at that moment, everything that we have, well, it's worthless. It's worthless.

It doesn't go beyond the grave. You don't take any of it with you. And so you need to trade in your cash for eternal rewards, for something that will last, for something that will have value ongoing. And so they're heaping up treasure in these last days, but that's so inappropriate. Instead, we need to heap up treasure in heaven, where it will last, where it will endure. Again, looking at the rich young ruler in Matthew chapter 19 says,

Jesus tells him, look, if you want to be perfect, go sell what you have, give to the poor. And he tells him, and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me. See, the problem with this rich young ruler is that he had treasure on earth that he wasn't willing to let go of.

And he wasn't willing to cash it in for treasure in heaven. He wanted to hold on. And so he went away saying, I can't be saved. I want to hold on to this treasure that I have here. He was focused on and consumed with this life and the treasures here. And Jesus says, you need to have treasure in heaven. That's where it counts. That's where it's going to last.

Remember last week I made reference to Luke chapter 12, where there was this guy, he was a farmer, he had a bountiful crop and it was just wonderful and he filled his barns. He was like, man, I don't even have room and next year is going to be even better. So what am I going to do? Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll tear down these barns and I'll build bigger barns and I'll fill them up and man, life's going to be great and I can tell myself rest and just relax and just, you know, enjoy life. You've got many things stored up.

And God told that guy, you're a fool because this night your life is required of you. You're going to die tonight. And then whose things are all these going to be? They're not going to be yours. They're not going to go with you, God says. You're a fool.

He's heaping up. He was storing up treasure for himself. And so Jesus concludes that teaching in Luke 12 saying, so is he, just like that man, is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. You see, the point is we need to be rich towards God. We need to lay up treasure in heaven. We need to cash in these things that will not last for things forever.

Of eternal value. So the point is to set your focus on eternity. To fill your life with the things of God. And to use the resources that God has given you. For his glory and for what he desires. And in the way that he directs.

Because we're in the last days. Now is not the time to be playing in sin, to be just messing around, partying all the time, living a fiesta. Today is not that time. We're in the last days. It's not time to be heaping up treasure for yourself. So heap up for yourself treasure in heaven. Prepare the way by walking with God, having a right relationship with God.

and being obedient to him. Prepare the way. Prepare your entrance into eternity.

Well, number two this morning, as we go on in verses seven and eight, is to patiently establish your heart. He says in verse seven, therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruits of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

You see how James continues to point us to eternity. He's saying, set your focus on eternity. That's where we need to be looking. That's where we need to pay attention. And he tells us three times in verses 7 and 8 about this idea of patience. He says there in verse 7, therefore be patient. The farmer waits patiently. You also be patient, he says.

This word patient means to be of a long spirit or to not lose heart. He's telling them, do not lose heart. It also means to persevere, to continue on to endure even in misfortunes and troubles. It also means to be, well, patient.

To be patient in bearing with offenses and injuries that others bring upon us. To be slow in avenging ourselves. To be long-suffering or suffering for a long time. That's this idea of patience. He says, be patient, brethren. Endure for a long time. Don't lose heart. Persevere and don't avenge yourself.

Now, again, it seems that there's this relationship between the rich and the brethren, and there's this oppression and there's these difficulties. And perhaps it's directly towards that that James is telling them they need to be patient. Yes, I know there's injustice, James is saying. Yes, I know it's difficult. Yes, I know it's not fair. Yes, I know they treat you this way. Be patient. For how long? It's kind of like Peter asking, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me?

How long must we be patient? He says, until the coming of the Lord. How long must I be patient? Until the very end. Until he returns or until you go to be with him. Be patient until the coming of the Lord. Jesus said, look, I'm going, but I'm coming back. I'm going to prepare a place for you, but if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again that you may be with me where I am.

Jesus promised to come again. He promised that he would return. The Bible teaches of the rapture of the church where the church will be caught up together with him in the clouds in an instant, in a moment. And it could happen at any time. There's nothing else that must be done in order for Jesus to return. He could do it today. He could do it tomorrow. He could have done it yesterday. He's patient because he wants those who do not believe to come to salvation. But we are to be patient today.

Until he returns or until we go to be with him and he gives us an example of this that we could think about and consider he gives us the example of The farmer so picture in your head for a moment the farmer he says look see how the farmer waits for the precious fruits of the earth Waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain How does the farmer wait?

Well, we know what a farmer does. We know a farmer, he'll go out and he'll plow the field. Then he goes out over the same area, same ground, same territory, and now he sows seeds. And then he goes over that same territory, that same plot of land, and he waters it, and he takes care of it, and he removes the rocks, and he takes off the weeds, and he cares for and protects the crop that is growing there.

And he goes over that same plot of land. He goes over and he works very hard to take care of the land that he has. And then when the crop is fully matured, he goes out and he harvests that crop that has been produced. The fruit, the vegetables, whatever it may be. A farmer waits, though, for that time.

He works real hard. He endures. I mean, it's a lot of work. He goes through it and he waits for the right time when that fruit or those vegetables are to be harvested. He waits for the appropriate time and then he gathers it all in. He does not plow the field one day, then the next day go sow seed, and then the next day come and try to get some fruit. No.

Why not? Well, because it doesn't happen that quickly. There's some work that happens. There's some time that needs to elapse. There's some things that need to happen. And as soon as he sees fruit or his crop begin to produce, as soon as he sees it, he doesn't just go and start to pick everything.

No, he waits for it to fully develop. I think I would be that way. I think I would just like, I'd get excited, you know, look at all the oranges on the tree, just kind of go start grabbing them. Then I'd bite into, oh, this is terrible. What's wrong? I didn't wait. It's not fully developed. The farmer waits. He knows, oh, it's not the right time yet. It looks good, I know, but it's not yet there. Just wait a little bit longer. And then at the right time, then he gathers it in. He harvests the crop at the right time.

James gives us the example of how he waits for it to receive the early and the latter rain. The early rains which are important for it to germinate, to start the growth. The latter rains which are important for it to produce the fruit. He waits for it for the complete cycle, for the whole season. And then when it's all done, when it's ready, then he goes out and he gathers the fruit.

In the same way, as we look at this, we are to be patient. He says, you also be patient in the same way. We are doing the same thing. We're like the farmer. We're plowing. We're sowing seeds. We're watering. We're working. We're enduring. We're toiling. It's hard work. We're laboring in this life. But it's not yet time to gather in all the fruits. The time to gather in all the fruit is the coming of the Lord.

That's when we receive the reward for the things that we do in this life, whether good or bad. That's when the reward will be given. That's the day that we're working for. That's the end of the season. Until then, we're working, we're toiling, we're enduring, it's hard, it's difficult, but we're working towards that day. And then will be the reward. Then will be the abundant crop. And so he says, therefore be patient. You also be patient. Be patient.

He says, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. It's very near. It's very close. Jesus Christ is coming again and he's coming soon. So establish your hearts in patience. Establish your heart. To establish means to strengthen your heart, to make it stable. Some of you, you have a heart that's quivering. You have a heart that's weak. You have a heart that's broken. And James is saying, look, strengthen your heart. Strengthen yourself.

Don't be looking for the reward in this life. You're looking for the coming of the Lord. Again, we're to set our focus on eternity. If we're looking to this life for the rewards of what we do, oh man, my boss, you know, he doesn't notice all the hard work I do and they don't do this and the government doesn't do that and nobody knows and I don't get rewarded and I don't get the...

breaks that I need and I don't get the raises that I deserve and I don't get the family. How come I don't get the wife that I want? We have all this. We're expecting the reward right now, but we're looking in the wrong place and we need to set our focus on eternity. Be patient. Wait. The Lord is returning soon. Then will be your reward. Labor. Endure. Be patient like the farmer until the coming of the Lord.

Well, number three, he'll go on to tell him not to grumble against others. Look at verse nine. He says, do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. He says, don't grumble against one another. Don't grumble against one another. The word grumble is the idea of groaning or sighing or grieving at the goodness of

the blessings, the prosperity of others. Here we have James saying, listen guys, you're looking around, perhaps looking at the rich, looking at the wealthy, perhaps looking at those who just, things are going really well and you're growing. Oh man.

Why don't I have those things? Why don't these things happen to me? How come they get those things? You're grieving over the fact that they're being blessed. You're grumbling against each other. Don't do that. That's not appropriate. He says, lest you be condemned, behold, the judge is standing at the door. You're looking around and you're judging them and they're not worthy of those blessings or they're not worthy of that position. They're not worthy. They don't deserve what God has given them. They don't deserve that.

Grumbling against one another. And he says, don't do that. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. We talked about that last week. We're not the judge. We're doers of the law. We're to follow the law and be obedient and submissive to the law. There's one lawgiver. There's one judge. And it's not us. Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 7, judge not that you be not judged. And so we're not to grumble against one another.

Being judges of one another because the judge is standing at the door. He'll judge us according to the way that we have judged others. He'll make things right. You don't have to grumble. You don't have to call to attention. You don't have to try to fix all the injustice that goes on. The judge is standing at the door.

He's right there. Jesus Christ is the judge. He's about to return. He's going to make things right. You don't have to fix everything. It's not your place to judge others. You don't got to grumble about it and groan and sigh and grieve and moan and wail over your condition versus theirs. The judge is standing at the door. He says, do not grumble against one another. And if he says one another, brethren, we understand he's talking about people grumbling against each other in the church.

Looking over and, you know, St. Susie is doing so well and I'm so miserable. And how come? And there's this grumbling going on within the church about one another. And he says, don't do this. Look, the judge is at the door. He's going to take care of everything. You don't have to worry about those things. It's kind of like...

Well, we're in the last days, right? James has been telling us that. The judge is standing at the door. He's about to return. We're in the last days. That's not the time to be grumbling against one another. To do so is kind of like the last few seconds of a championship game. The whole season is gone. The last game, there's only a few seconds left. The team has already basically won. There's only a few seconds, and now this team is fighting against each other.

You know, it's like the last few seconds of the Super Bowl and the team is, you know, up by 35 points. I don't know if that's possible, but you know what I mean. They're up by a lot. There's no way for them to return. There's only 10 seconds. And now the team that's winning just starts to hit each other and beat each other up and kick each other and hate each other and grumble against each other and grieve over, man, I wish you wouldn't have made that touchdown. Like...

It's silly. You're in the last 10 seconds of the Super Bowl. What are you doing? That's what James is saying. Look, we're in the last days. It's not time to grumble against one another. The judge is at the door. He's going to return any moment. It's not time for you to be grumbling against one another. Don't you understand? The judge is there. He's at the door. We need to take our eyes off of others. And again, we need to set our focus on eternity.

I think Peter was struggling with this area when he was speaking with Jesus in John chapter 21. Remember, Jesus there in John 21 was telling Peter about some of the things that he was going to experience and the difficulties he was going to face and the imprisonment that he was going to endure.

And so Peter, as he's hearing these things from Jesus, and he knows, oh man, I have some tough things ahead of me. Well, Peter goes and he looks behind him and he says to Jesus, hey, what about this guy here? What about John? What about him, Lord? And Jesus tells Peter, hey, if I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me. Jesus tells Peter, don't worry about him. I'll take care of him. You don't have to worry about him.

Don't set your eyes on him. Don't be grumbling against and grieving over, well, how come I get to be crucified upside down and he only has to be boiled in oil? Why are you grumbling against each other? Why are you grieving over that, Peter? No, it's the last days. He says, look, Peter, you follow me. Set your focus on eternity. The judge is standing at the door. He will return any moment. You follow Jesus. The fourth final point from James chapter 5 this morning is,

In verses 10 and 11 is to endure suffering with patience. Verse 10 says, My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord. But the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Just reflect on that last part for a moment. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James tells these guys, he says, look, consider the prophets. They're an example for you guys. They're an example for us. They spoke in the name of the Lord. What a great honor and privilege. What a great opportunity. They were God's spokesmen. But they're an example of suffering and patience.

They endured great difficulty, persecution, imprisonment. We're going through Jeremiah on Wednesday evenings and we've seen that. The opposition, the persecution, we'll continue to see it as we go through the book, that he's treated, mistreated very badly. But he's being obedient to God. He's speaking the words that God is giving to him. He's not being punished for doing wrong. He's being beaten and punished for doing wrong.

Being obedient to God. All of the prophets are that way. In Luke chapter 11, verse 47, Jesus tells the religious leaders, you build the tombs of the prophets and your fathers killed them. Many of the prophets were martyrs. They lost their life because they were being obedient to God and delivering the message that God had given them to deliver. And so James calls our attention to those guys and says, think about those guys. Those are our examples. Consider that.

That you need to be faithful until the end. You're going to suffer, but endure. You can endure. Be patient. Persevere. He says, indeed, we count them blessed to endure. We look back at Daniel and we think, oh man, Daniel, how blessed it would be to live in his days and to be like him. Man, Daniel, oh, so great. We count him blessed. He endured. He went through great trial and difficulty. We look back at the fathers. We look back at the guys in the scripture. We say, oh, how blessed are they?

They had to endure. They had to persevere. We like to gloss over all the difficulties and we just like to focus on all the benefits that they received. They had to endure. They're an example for us of suffering and patience. You and I, yes, we face difficulty and hardship and pain. But like the prophets who have gone before us, we need to endure suffering with patience. He goes on to give a final example. He says, you've heard of the perseverance of Job.

and seeing the end intended by the Lord. You've heard of the perseverance of Job. Everybody's heard of Job. The great tragedy, the great difficulty, the anguish, the pain, the turmoil that he went through. It's legendary. You don't have to be a Christian to know the devastation that Job experienced. Everybody knows about it. And yet he says, and yet you've seen the end intended by the Lord. You've seen the end.

At the end, in Job chapter 42, the Lord restored to Job his losses. He gave Job twice as much as he had before. He restored his family. But that's just the temporary things. We don't even know about the eternal things that are part of Job's reward. The end intended by the Lord. God did a great work in him. He persevered. He suffered. He endured patiently. He didn't charge God with wrong. He didn't falsely accuse God.

He says, the end intended by the Lord, we can see, we can learn that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful. You know, that will be the conclusion of every one of our lives for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Now, if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, if you don't have a personal relationship with the Lord, that's not true for you. But for those who believe in Jesus, at the end of our life, we stand before God.

This will be our testimony. This will be our confession. God, you are merciful and very compassionate. We will not look back on one thing of our life and say, God, I wish you hadn't allowed that in my life. We won't look back on one tragedy, on one difficulty, on one pain, on one anguish. We won't look back on one season and say, man, God, I wish that would not have happened. I wish you would not have allowed that. I wish you would not have done that in my life.

Our testimony, even in the most difficult and hurtful and painful times, as believers in Jesus Christ, as we stand before him, will be, Lord, you are very compassionate and merciful. Thank you, God, for your goodness. And you say, how on earth can that be? How on earth can the anguish and the pain and the difficulty that I face, how on earth can I say that God is very compassionate and merciful? Well, the difference is, you must set your focus on eternity.

If you're looking at this life, if you're consumed with this world, with right now, sure, there's no way you could say that. But if you'll take your eyes off of the here and now. Paul told us, the things that are seen, those are the things that are temporary. And so we don't look towards the things that are seen because they're not going to last. He says we look towards the things that are unseen because those are the things that are eternal. We need to focus on eternity.

And as we do, we'll learn, we'll discover that God is compassionate. He's very compassionate and merciful. So then we must persevere as the prophets did. And so this whole time here this morning, James is encouraging us, he's challenging us to set our focus on eternity. The rich are consumed with this life. They're consumed with all the things that they can heap up, the treasures that they can gather. But it's not the time. We're living in the last days. Instead, we need to be heaping up treasure in heaven.

patiently establish your heart. Be patient. Wait a long time, just like the farmer does. It's okay. The fruit is going to be there. There will be reward at the coming of the Lord. Don't grumble against others. Now's not the time to be fighting. We're on the same team, and we're on the winning team. And Jesus Christ is coming soon. He's right there at the door, James says. Now's not the time to be grumbling and grieving and fighting against one another.

Instead, we need to endure suffering with patience. We need to persevere to continue on. The Lord is returning soon. And he says, my reward is with me. That's what we're looking for. That's where we're looking towards. Now, as we conclude the service this morning, we have the opportunity to partake of communion together. And as Jesus was instituting communion with his disciples, he told them to eat and drink the cup and the bread that he was giving to them.

And that as often as they do it, they proclaim his death until he comes. And since that's where James has been focusing, I want to take a moment and dwell on that this morning as we prepare our hearts for communion. That we are proclaiming his death until he comes. Jesus Christ is coming again. He promised it. He said so.

And he gave us communion as a way for us to proclaim his death as a reminder for us that he is coming again, that we might be prepared and that we might be ready. The worship team is going to make ready. The ushers are going to make ready. And as they do, would you please turn with me to Exodus chapter 12? Just a quick scripture I want to share with you that the Lord's had on my heart for a little bit. Exodus chapter 12.

In Exodus chapter 12, we have... Oh, I got it. Thank you. We have the institution of the Passover meal. And the Passover meal was what was taking place when Jesus instituted communion. He was having Passover meal with his disciples. And it was through that meal that he gave us communion and commanded us to partake of communion on a regular basis. Well...

The Passover meal, it comes back from Exodus chapter 12 where God commanded them to have a Passover feast. And it was to be a feast that God was going to do and immediately after the feast, God was going to lead them out of the land of Egypt where they had been in bondage for some years.

And so there in Exodus chapter 12, God gives him the instructions, very specific instructions. You're to take a lamb on this day. You're to keep it with you for a couple of days. Then you're to sacrifice it on this day. You're to put the blood on the top and then on the sides of the door. You're to do all of these things and prepare it this way. Don't boil it, but roast it on the fire. Very specific instruction about how they were to prepare it, what they were going to do, what type of animal it should be, who should eat it, and so on and so forth. He gives all the specifics.

But what really stood out to me the other day as I was going through this portion is Exodus chapter 12, verse 11. It says, And begin to cause me to consider.

When they would normally eat a meal, they were inside. They would take off their sandals. They would wash their feet. They would kind of lounge around. They didn't have tables like we sit at today, but they kind of lounged around a really low table. It was a time of slowness, of just slowing down, of relaxing and fellowshipping and just spending time with others.

That was their normal kind of meal. But this meal, God says, okay, here's very specific. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to have your belt on. Not your stretchy pants. It's not Thanksgiving. You're not to like, you know, chow down and just relax and see how much you can eat. But you're to have your belt on. You're to have your sandals on. Now, I don't know if it's the same for you, but for me, my shoes are the last things I put on before I'm heading out the door.

This is the idea. Jesus is saying, or God is telling them through this feast, I want you to be ready. Your belt's on. Your sandals are on. Your staff is in your hand. And with the other hand, you're eating the Passover meal. You're ready to go. God's telling them, look, I'm taking you out of here. It's any moment now. It's any second. You be ready because I am taking you out of this place. And he was going to lead them out of the land of Egypt. It was this meal that Jesus used to institute communion.

And Jesus said, you do this in remembrance of me and proclaim my death until I come. I suggest to you, God wants us to, as we partake of communion today, he wants us to be ready. He wants our sandals on, our belt around our waist and our staff in our hand. Not physically, of course, not literally, but spiritually. I would ask you this question, are you ready? Jesus is saying, look, I'm coming again at any moment, any second now. I'm taking you out of here. I'm bringing you out of this land.

Are you ready? Have you had the conversations that you need to have? Have you shared the gospel to those that you need to share it? Have you made amends where you need to make amends? Are you prepared to leave this earth, to be caught up together with him in the clouds? Are you ready? And as we partake of communion today, I would challenge you, I would ask you, are you ready? Are you prepared at any moment to be with the Lord? That's what he's calling us to.

The other element of the feast of Passover was that they were to go throughout their house and to remove from the house all of the leaven because the feast of unleavened bread was immediately following. They were to remove all the leaven from their house, which for us is a picture of it points us to sin. They were to get rid of all sin in their house, everything that was not of God. In the same way as we partake today,

We're looking forward. We're remembering him until he comes. We're recognizing he can come at any moment. Preparing ourselves. I'm ready. But we also need to clean house. So I want to encourage you in this time. If you need to get right with God, now is the time. We're in the last days. Now is not the time to play around, to grumble against one another, to heap up treasures. Get rid of those things. Repent and turn from those things. If you're not ready to go be with Jesus right now, then make yourself ready as we worship the Lord together. Get right with God.

If you've never had a relationship with God, but you want to, I would encourage you to partake with us. All you need to do is call upon the Lord. Receive the gift of God in Jesus Christ. Turn from your sin. Turn towards Him. Follow Him. And you can do it just on your own, crying out to God in your heart. He wants to forgive you and cleanse you. He wants to make you right with Him. He's not willing that any should perish. He wants you to be with Him forever.

Let's use this time, this time of worship, this time of communion, to prepare our hearts to be with Him, to get right with God, to commit ourselves to Him, and to receive the gift of salvation that He's given to us. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.