1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,560 Alright James for Beginners: Practical Christianity. This is lesson number 10 in this series, 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,920 entitled 4 PS's From James. 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:19,820 If the Lord is willing we will cover James chapter 5, verse 7 to the end, verse 20, in this lesson. 4 00:00:19,820 --> 00:00:23,580 The final lesson in this series. 5 00:00:23,580 --> 00:00:31,160 So I'd like to review what we have covered in this book so far, as a, kind of, an overall review. 6 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:36,960 You may have missed a couple of lessons here and there, so you'll be able to pick up some of the high points. 7 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:42,260 Then, after that we'll cover the final verses where James, himself, 8 00:00:42,260 --> 00:00:46,840 leaves his readers with some things that they need to remember 9 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,420 after having read his letter. First, let's start with the review. 10 00:00:52,420 --> 00:00:58,600 The Jewish Christians to whom James was writing 11 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:05,160 were discouraged because of the alienation they were suffering as a result of their surroundings. 12 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:10,620 That was the purpose for the letter. 13 00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:16,040 Some of the things that they were suffering as a culture, a Jewish culture, 14 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,420 they were isolated because of Jewish custom and Jewish practices, 15 00:01:20,420 --> 00:01:25,820 which made them very different than the gentile community that surrounded them. 16 00:01:25,820 --> 00:01:28,800 I mean the Jews were dispersed from 17 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,280 their homeland, from Israel, for a variety of reasons; 18 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:41,779 because of persecution and other things, but also because they were traders, they were businessmen. 19 00:01:41,779 --> 00:01:47,840 They set up in different cities throughout the Roman Empire. 20 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:53,130 And wherever they set up, obviously, they established a synagogue, a place of prayer. 21 00:01:53,130 --> 00:02:00,360 And so, they were, kind of, a small little community there in various pagan cities, 22 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,020 alone to themselves. Now, imagine, 23 00:02:03,020 --> 00:02:10,887 they're already a minority, Jews, in the majority gentile pagan lands, where they were. 24 00:02:10,887 --> 00:02:18,180 And then some of these Jews, who are already a minority, become Christians. 25 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:22,140 So now they are a minority within a minority. 26 00:02:22,140 --> 00:02:26,920 And that was the problem, they were feeling the pressure. 27 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:35,280 So, as I say, as Christians, they were not only isolated from the gentile surroundings, but they were also 28 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:41,480 alienated because of their moral code. Their spiritual aspirations 29 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:48,480 were so much higher and nobler than the pagans that they lived with. 30 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:54,500 And their conversion to Christianity put them at odds with their Jewish brethren, 31 00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:56,680 meaning their cultural brethren. So they were isolated. 32 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:05,880 In time, a lot of them began to realize that Christianity was not just some sort of doctrinal adjustment or 33 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:11,800 some sort of appendage to Jewish tradition. They realized that 34 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:18,180 Christianity wasn't just another form of Judaism. It was something completely, 35 00:03:18,180 --> 00:03:25,300 completely different. It represented a radical change of attitude and activity in one's life. 36 00:03:25,300 --> 00:03:27,220 A change that was absolutely 37 00:03:27,220 --> 00:03:34,320 necessary if they were to survive the persecution and the isolation. Now think, 38 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:42,380 here are these Jews living among gentiles, when they were Jews they had memories of being in Jerusalem - 39 00:03:42,380 --> 00:03:49,860 the holidays, the feasts, the magnificent temple, the priests and their garments, 40 00:03:49,860 --> 00:03:58,160 the parades, the worship, the sacrifice, all the pomp and ceremony of the Jewish religion. 41 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,480 And now they had become Christians. 42 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,140 They were meeting in homes. 43 00:04:05,140 --> 00:04:12,200 The most elaborate ceremony was the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup. 44 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,580 That was the only ceremony. 45 00:04:15,580 --> 00:04:20,980 There were no robes. There was no pomp. There was no ceremony. There were no parades. 46 00:04:20,980 --> 00:04:23,940 There was no hierarchy. 47 00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:30,400 They were feeling, not only am I isolated, they were starting to be culturally 48 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:36,060 homesick for their old religion, because this new religion, it didn't match up 49 00:04:36,060 --> 00:04:39,260 with the one that they had. And so, they were 50 00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:46,880 thinking of maybe going back to Judaism, or thinking of letting go their Christian faith. 51 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,120 So James writes to these people to encourage them. 52 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:58,520 If we were to summarize this book, we would say that James explains the six ways 53 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:01,420 that Christians are different. 54 00:05:01,420 --> 00:05:08,280 Six ways that Christians have changed, in order to reflect the sincerity of their faith and 55 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:13,440 thus survive in a world of disbelief. 56 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:19,860 You see, if there's no change, well then, there's no survival. 57 00:05:19,860 --> 00:05:23,100 Two-thousand years has gone by, nothing has changed. 58 00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:27,710 If you don't change - if when you become a Christian, if there's no change in your life, 59 00:05:27,710 --> 00:05:34,080 you're not going to survive as a Christian. You'll survive as something, but not as a Christian. 60 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:40,540 Six ways that Christians are different, here's how: number one, according to James, 61 00:05:40,540 --> 00:05:47,320 Christians rejoice when there are problems, knowing that perseverance through trials brings 62 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:53,200 spiritual growth. I'm not going to read all the passages here because I'd have to read the entire book over again. 63 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:54,280 We don't have time. 64 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:59,080 That would be chapter 1, verses 1 to 11. In other words, people in the world may resign themselves, 65 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,340 or they may become angry, or they may be depressed at adversity, 66 00:06:04,340 --> 00:06:14,980 but the Christian responds to trials and adversity with joy, knowing that when trouble is near, so is the Lord. 67 00:06:14,980 --> 00:06:21,100 I used to make this mental image, when I personally was going through trials and difficulties like that. 68 00:06:21,100 --> 00:06:29,920 I would imagine the work cones with the yellow ribbon, to tell people, you have to go around here. 69 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,640 There's work going on in here, men at work. 70 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:40,640 I used to think, well, Jesus has put those cones around me as well, and put a ribbon. 71 00:06:40,649 --> 00:06:48,409 Jesus was at work here in my life. It's messy, there are holes there. There are detours. There is inconvenience. 72 00:06:48,409 --> 00:06:51,960 Why? Well, because the Lord is at work here. 73 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:56,940 The work will be finished, and it'll be better when it's over, but in the meantime, 74 00:06:56,940 --> 00:07:00,700 we need to hang in there. We need to persevere. 75 00:07:00,700 --> 00:07:05,640 And so the first way that a Christian is different is that he or she 76 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:12,180 rejoices when there are problems, knowing that Christ is working in their lives. Number two, 77 00:07:12,180 --> 00:07:17,520 Christians respond to temptation by taking action against sin, 78 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:22,840 not succumbing to sin or making excuses for sin. 79 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:28,300 James chapter 1:12-18 and 4:1-10, repeats this idea twice. 80 00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:33,820 Godly people expect temptation and they deal with it through prayer and 81 00:07:33,820 --> 00:07:37,020 self-control, the knowledge of God's word. 82 00:07:37,020 --> 00:07:43,640 Not rationalization for unrighteous behavior. Some people put so much work into the rationalization. 83 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:49,400 Why don't you just admit the thing is a sin? It's going to be hard to deal with it. 84 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:56,860 It's like, you watch movies, heist movies - you know what a heist movie is? A bunch of thieves planning a big 85 00:07:56,860 --> 00:08:02,460 casino heist or something, and all the ingenious things they are going to do to foil the 86 00:08:02,460 --> 00:08:06,460 security system and break into the safe and the whole movie is about how they do that. Sometimes 87 00:08:06,460 --> 00:08:09,300 they get caught, sometimes they don't, but the thing you're thinking, 88 00:08:09,300 --> 00:08:14,480 boy, these guys have spent so much time and money and effort and energy and everything, 89 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:21,460 If they just did that into a legitimate enterprise, they'd be successful, right? 90 00:08:21,460 --> 00:08:25,880 Well, in the same way, if we put as much energy in dealing with 91 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:30,500 temptation as we do in making excuses for ourselves, we'd have more success. 92 00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:32,960 And that's what James is saying here. 93 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:41,720 Number three, Christians not only hear the word, they do what the word teaches them to do. 94 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:47,420 Again, chapter 1:19-27 and then 2:14-26. 95 00:08:47,420 --> 00:08:53,720 Now, where much of the New Testament focuses on explaining what Christians believe, 96 00:08:53,720 --> 00:09:01,420 James zeroes in on what Christians ought to do in order to demonstrate that they really do believe. 97 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:08,520 He's very short on doctrine. He's very long on, how do you get things done? 98 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:15,160 According to James, the sincerity of your faith is seen in your walk and not in your talk. 99 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,560 Plenty of talkers, plenty of talkers. 100 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:28,460 Number four, Christians are not prejudice. Chapter 2:1-13, chapter 4: 11 and 12. 101 00:09:28,460 --> 00:09:33,600 Unlike the world around them, disciples of Jesus are exclusive in matters of faith, 102 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:40,100 but they are inclusive in matters of love. 103 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:48,700 I don't accept everything that other people believe because I test what other people believe against God's word. 104 00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:57,780 But as a Christian, I ought to accept everyone, regardless of their beliefs or their colors or whatever, in love. 105 00:09:57,780 --> 00:10:00,580 Unfortunately, in the world they don't always see that. 106 00:10:00,580 --> 00:10:07,180 They accuse us of being narrow-minded and racist because we question people's beliefs. 107 00:10:07,180 --> 00:10:11,540 We're not afraid to say, I don't believe that this religion is legitimate, or here's the hole in that argument, 108 00:10:11,540 --> 00:10:15,740 or this is the fallacy with this philosophy. 109 00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:16,760 We're allowed to do that. 110 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:25,680 We're allowed to judge the thinking, the philosophy, the religion of other people, and compare it to God's word. 111 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:38,840 But just because they may be in error according to God's word, doesn't justify us not loving them. 112 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,920 In other words, we believe that only Christians are saved. 113 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:49,260 But Christians themselves ought to love everyone regardless of their social, cultural, or 114 00:10:49,260 --> 00:10:55,000 religious background. In this day and age, I mean, obviously with Islam and the 115 00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:01,080 terrorism that's going on around the world, taking, of course, all the -sucking up all the oxygen 116 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,240 in the room, as far as the news is concerned and 117 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:11,600 editorial comments, in the end however, how will we win over? 118 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,780 There's a military component to it, but eventually, 119 00:11:15,780 --> 00:11:20,540 the final victory only comes through Christ. 120 00:11:20,540 --> 00:11:27,120 That's the only final victory. After 9-11 I remember writing a brief article 121 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:32,240 that said that Islam is now, it's dead. 122 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:37,460 It's the end of Islam. And in the article my point was, 123 00:11:37,460 --> 00:11:41,100 because of what they've just done, this religion will now be 124 00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:45,160 spotlighted in the world. People are going to talk about it. It's going to be debated. 125 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:52,440 And the point is, until this religion was actually spotlighted and studied and debated, 126 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,760 it could hide in these countries here. 127 00:11:54,760 --> 00:12:03,600 But once it came out into the view, once it could be studied and examined and criticized. 128 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,560 Muslims are not allowed to criticize it. And they say we're not allowed to criticize it, but we can criticize it. 129 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:10,900 We can examine it. We can hold it up to truth. 130 00:12:10,900 --> 00:12:14,520 It won't stand the test of time. 131 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:23,900 The Quran could never stand the onslaught of criticism, for example, that the Bible has withstood for two millennia. 132 00:12:23,900 --> 00:12:30,460 Every philosopher, every thinker, how many ways has the Bible, 133 00:12:30,460 --> 00:12:35,560 have people attempted to destroy the scriptures, to eliminate them. 134 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:38,400 It just keeps going and going and going. Why? 135 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,660 Because of the innate quality of the scriptures. 136 00:12:42,660 --> 00:12:52,060 But the Quran could never suffer such criticism. That's why I said, it's the end. Now, maybe not in our life times, 137 00:12:52,060 --> 00:13:02,500 but give their ideas and give their holy books a hundred years of true academic scrutiny. 138 00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:11,720 They're not going to make it. The only reason that they use the violence is because they can't use persuasion. 139 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:16,240 You can't be persuaded to become a Muslim. 140 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:25,100 When you are invited to actually examine the doctrines and what it says and how you should live, no. 141 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:29,800 No. Somebody said something very interesting the other day, 142 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,580 "Islam is a philosophy masquerading as a religion." 143 00:13:33,580 --> 00:13:39,800 Yeah, absolutely. But as far as we're concerned, 144 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:47,680 the only way to win over, if you have a muslim neighbor, out love them. 145 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:49,760 Out love them. 146 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:53,220 We call, sometimes, Muslims, we call them on the idea. 147 00:13:53,220 --> 00:14:00,320 They say they're the religion of peace, but it seems that all the wars going on have been started by or continued 148 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,000 by people of this religion. 149 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:09,180 Well, we say, we don't say, we're the religion of peace, we say, we're the religion of love. 150 00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:14,040 Let's not allow anyone to make the same accusation against us 151 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,360 that we make against them. 152 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:21,440 If we're the religion of love, than we really have to love. 153 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,620 That's how we'll win. 154 00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:31,620 Number five, Christians have control over their tongues. Chapter 3, verses 1 to 18, 155 00:14:31,620 --> 00:14:39,185 If faith is evidenced by works then no works bare greater testimony to our faith than those 156 00:14:39,185 --> 00:14:41,180 generated by our speech. 157 00:14:41,180 --> 00:14:47,060 James says that the control of the tongue is the key to controlling the whole person, 158 00:14:47,060 --> 00:14:52,440 mind, body, and soul. If you can control your tongue, 159 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:58,980 it's a signal that you can control the other parts of your body as well. And if you can't control your own tongue, 160 00:14:58,980 --> 00:15:05,776 it's usually a tip-off that you're having trouble with self-control issues in other parts of your life as well. 161 00:15:05,776 --> 00:15:12,940 As far as churches are concerned, in my experience, more churches are destroyed by slander than false doctrine. 162 00:15:12,940 --> 00:15:19,280 There are more - very few church-splits over, do I believe that Jesus is the son of God? 163 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:26,320 Very few churches have split over that, but churches have split over gossip and false - slander, 164 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:29,680 that type of thing. 165 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:39,620 Then number six, Christians consider God first in all their affairs, especially their financial affairs. 166 00:15:39,620 --> 00:15:44,220 Chapter four, verse 13 to chapter five, verse 6. 167 00:15:44,220 --> 00:15:48,180 Let's face it, nothing is dearer to us than our pocketbooks. Therefore, to honor 168 00:15:48,180 --> 00:15:53,820 God with our pocketbooks, is to honor Him indeed. 169 00:15:53,820 --> 00:16:00,220 So finally James finishes his letter with a couple of post scripts in order to remind 170 00:16:00,220 --> 00:16:07,260 these brethren what they need to do in order to finish as Christians, finish their lives. 171 00:16:07,260 --> 00:16:14,300 They need to change to stay in the race and then they need the following things 172 00:16:14,300 --> 00:16:18,860 to finish the race. And that's where we begin. 173 00:16:18,860 --> 00:16:25,860 Chapter five, verse 7, the four PS's. You know, PS at the end of the letter. PS I love you. Four PS's from James. 174 00:16:25,860 --> 00:16:30,980 The first PS: patience. 175 00:16:30,980 --> 00:16:33,720 Patience, verse 7 and 8. 176 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:38,280 He says, "Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. 177 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:45,280 The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 178 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,320 You too be patient; 179 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:52,400 strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near." 180 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:57,420 So the Lord is coming and when He does, He will reward those who have done good. 181 00:16:57,420 --> 00:17:00,460 And judge those who have done evil. 182 00:17:00,460 --> 00:17:04,960 He gives a farmer example. The farmer doesn't worry about the harvest. 183 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:13,980 He knows that there's a period in between the planting and the reaping, and he's ready to wait. 184 00:17:13,980 --> 00:17:22,780 So don't be discouraged, if once you become a Christian, your growth is not as fast as you would like. 185 00:17:22,780 --> 00:17:26,620 The day I was baptized in November, 186 00:17:26,620 --> 00:17:33,080 1977, it would be really nice if in December I would have been exactly like Jesus. 187 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,960 It didn't work that way. 188 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:45,420 It was a - it's been a long road and still a long way to go. 189 00:17:45,420 --> 00:17:50,760 Others who are doing wrong seem to be escaping punishment. Why is that? 190 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,800 Sometimes that's pretty discouraging. 191 00:17:53,800 --> 00:18:00,500 Perhaps you're suffering and there's no end in sight. All those prayer requests. 192 00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:04,820 How many times has poor Mary had pneumonia? 193 00:18:04,820 --> 00:18:07,080 Boy, oh boy. 194 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,380 And Dave, our brother Dave. 195 00:18:11,380 --> 00:18:17,402 How many surgeries has he had? How much trouble? We're not talking months. We're talking years. 196 00:18:17,402 --> 00:18:19,240 We're talking a decade. 197 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:24,960 And you wonder, there's a good man, loves his family, loves the church. Why him? 198 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:31,426 Why shouldn't some of these other rascals here, who have never done a good thing in their life, 199 00:18:31,426 --> 00:18:33,060 why are they doing okay? 200 00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:39,040 Be patient, he says. The Lord is near here. This is not an eschatological 201 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:44,799 statement, like, the Lord is near, He's coming. He'll be here. The Lord will return on April 12th. 202 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,560 That's not, the Lord is near. 203 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:53,680 It's a practical encouragement. The Lord is near, meaning, He hears, He sees. 204 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,520 He'll come to your help. He's near you. 205 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:03,383 In verse 9 to 11, he says, "Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may 206 00:19:03,383 --> 00:19:08,480 not be judged; behold the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, 207 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,240 brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 208 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,240 We count those blessed who endured. 209 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:20,540 You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, 210 00:19:20,540 --> 00:19:23,500 that the Lord is full of compassion and 211 00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:31,040 is merciful. So if this be so, he says, in other words, 212 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:37,300 the Lord is near. He hear's you. He knows what's going on. If that's true, 213 00:19:37,300 --> 00:19:43,280 James says, then don't complain about each other. 214 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,060 God is watching what you do. 215 00:19:46,060 --> 00:19:51,660 If you're complaining about a brother, he says, stop. Don't do that. 216 00:19:51,660 --> 00:20:00,940 Let God be the judge. Your job is to love the brother, not to judge the brother. A lot of times the problem is, 217 00:20:00,940 --> 00:20:08,860 with this brother or with this sister, it looks like the degree of difficulty to love this person has just gone up considerably. 218 00:20:08,860 --> 00:20:10,220 That's the attitude. 219 00:20:10,220 --> 00:20:16,089 It's not uh oh, well, I've got a lot to say about this person. Wow man, let me tell you about this person. 220 00:20:16,089 --> 00:20:20,480 That's not the attitude. He's saying, don't do that. 221 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:27,540 He's saying, if you do that, God will judge you for it. 222 00:20:27,540 --> 00:20:33,500 We can judge sin, not people. 223 00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:41,120 No one suffered like Job, and yet, Job was patient and God blessed him double, right? Job 42. 224 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:42,500 Why? 225 00:20:42,500 --> 00:20:46,040 Because he waited on the Lord. 226 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:54,600 He remained a good man, a holy man, and he waited. So be patient. First PS, be patient. 227 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:59,380 Second PS, purity of heart. 228 00:20:59,380 --> 00:21:05,530 Purity of heart. Verse 14 he says, "But above all my brethren, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other 229 00:21:05,530 --> 00:21:14,420 oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no. So that you may not fall under judgment." 230 00:21:14,420 --> 00:21:19,100 Same exhortation that Jesus gives in Matthew 5:37. 231 00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:25,220 Sincerity in what they say. Their heart matches their mouths. 232 00:21:25,220 --> 00:21:34,380 Some say yes to Jesus with their mouths, but they say no to Him with their actions, 233 00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:40,000 A lot of Christians, they're yes/no Christians. Yes to Christ when it suits them. 234 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,220 No to Christ when He interferes. 235 00:21:42,220 --> 00:21:48,240 He interferes with their comfort, their routine, their traditions, their money, their pleasure, their friends, 236 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:54,060 their whatever. The Lord tends to interfere with us. 237 00:21:54,060 --> 00:21:58,600 In Revelation chapter three, verse 14, what does he say, "To the angel of the church at Laodicea write: 238 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:05,940 The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God says this: "I know your deeds, 239 00:22:05,940 --> 00:22:10,140 that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 240 00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:18,680 So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of My mouth." 241 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:25,880 This is straight from Jesus. We need to take this into consideration. 242 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,880 Why does He say, I wish you were hot or cold? 243 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:34,659 I wish you were extra zealous for me or against me. At least you believe in something, 244 00:22:34,659 --> 00:22:36,160 you're all in on something. 245 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:44,760 Like Saul. Saul was hot. He was hot. He was against Jesus. I can work with that guy. 246 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:46,220 I can work with him. 247 00:22:46,220 --> 00:22:52,100 Or cold, I don't know anything about religion, and I can't be convinced. I'm cold. I have no opinion. 248 00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:58,820 I'm dead to it. Well, I can work with that guy, too. That guy, I can show him things. 249 00:22:58,820 --> 00:23:07,620 Maybe light a fire under him. But He says the lukewarm one, you can't do anything with that guy. 250 00:23:07,620 --> 00:23:12,140 He knows the talk. He knows the routine. 251 00:23:12,140 --> 00:23:14,700 She knows the routine, 252 00:23:14,700 --> 00:23:19,760 but never gets really hot for the Lord. 253 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:28,000 So real Christians, he says, they say yes with their heart, yes with their lips and yes with their action. 254 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,480 How do you know? 255 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:35,140 Can I give you a tip on how to get there? 256 00:23:35,140 --> 00:23:38,700 I'm not saying that I'm there yet, but I've 257 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:46,000 figure out, at least, the road that kind of gets you there, this business here. 258 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:52,760 Try to be completely honest with yourself. 259 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:59,460 Try to be completed - I mean, make an experiment out of it. 260 00:23:59,460 --> 00:24:05,000 Try to, at least, tell yourself the truth. 261 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:12,600 Something happens, a situation, whatever, that's gone a little squirrelly, and you're reviewing it and 262 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:21,420 if you were dishonest, tell yourself that. I mean, say it to yourself. 263 00:24:21,420 --> 00:24:28,160 I'm reviewing everything and when I said this, that just wasn't true what I just said. It wasn't true. 264 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:35,820 It sounded true, and it was close to the truth, but it wasn't true. I lied. 265 00:24:35,820 --> 00:24:39,940 That's where you get - that's how you get to hot. 266 00:24:39,940 --> 00:24:44,900 You start telling yourself the truth. 267 00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:49,420 That's what breaks down the facade and it 268 00:24:49,420 --> 00:24:57,360 strips you down to who you are so that God can work with you. But imagine if you lie to yourself. 269 00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:05,960 Who can get to you, if you're lying to yourself? 270 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:10,000 PS number three, prayer. 271 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,580 Prayer. 272 00:25:11,580 --> 00:25:16,880 Let's read verse 13 and 14. He says, "Is anyone among you suffering, then he must pray." 273 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:22,760 Notice he doesn't say, then it would be nice if he prayed, it would be okay. Maybe he should pray. No. 274 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:27,299 He said, he must pray. Must. "Is anyone Cheerful? 275 00:25:27,299 --> 00:25:34,729 He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he was called for the elders of the church and they are 276 00:25:34,729 --> 00:25:40,900 to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." In the world when people are happy, 277 00:25:40,900 --> 00:25:49,340 what do they do? They celebrate. They eat, they drink, they fornicate. It's what they do. Let's celebrate. Party. 278 00:25:49,340 --> 00:25:54,740 And when they're sad, they cry, they're depressed, they pout. 279 00:25:54,740 --> 00:25:59,840 Nothing good ever happens to me. Or they're stoic. 280 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,980 When they're sick, they cry, they take medicine, they pout. 281 00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:07,400 Because they can't celebrate. 282 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:16,560 But in Christ, Christians react differently. When they're happy, they praise God in prayer and song. 283 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:21,100 I don't mean we can't, let's celebrate. 284 00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:26,720 But our go-to position is prayer. God, thank you. 285 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:33,520 When we're sad, what do we do? We pray to God for comfort, for wisdom. 286 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:35,740 And when we're sick, 287 00:26:35,740 --> 00:26:41,980 what do we do? We pray to God to help us. To give us strength, to bear under, to be restored. 288 00:26:41,980 --> 00:26:45,900 Why is that? Because prayer has power. 289 00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:48,000 Power. 290 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:54,580 That's not just a saying on a poster, "prayer has power." 291 00:26:54,580 --> 00:27:00,980 In verse 15 to 18 he gives an example of this, he says, "and the prayer offered in faith 292 00:27:00,980 --> 00:27:06,336 will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, 293 00:27:06,336 --> 00:27:07,850 they will be forgiven him. 294 00:27:07,850 --> 00:27:10,960 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and 295 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:14,853 pray for one another so that you may be healed. 296 00:27:14,853 --> 00:27:19,740 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 297 00:27:19,740 --> 00:27:22,490 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, 298 00:27:22,490 --> 00:27:29,640 and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 299 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:37,400 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit." 300 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,280 So God answers prayer in healing, 301 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:48,140 because every healing is God's work. Whether man recognizes it or not. 302 00:27:48,140 --> 00:27:57,640 And God answers prayer in forgiving sin. Christians who sin ask for forgiveness, how? In prayer. 303 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:04,654 Non-Christians ask how? Through baptism. First Peter 3:21. Now baptism, what is it? 304 00:28:04,654 --> 00:28:07,780 Appeal to God for a clear conscience. 305 00:28:07,780 --> 00:28:13,040 God answers prayers for all the physical needs. I mean, Elijah asked for rain. 306 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:17,480 James could have listed a whole bunch of examples, 307 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:22,200 but he picked one that would be familiar to Jews. 308 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:30,660 The point I'm getting to is that the life of a Christian is a life of prayer. 309 00:28:30,660 --> 00:28:33,820 When we're happy, we pray. 310 00:28:33,820 --> 00:28:39,182 When we're sad, we pray. When we're sick, we pray. When we're in need, we pray. 311 00:28:39,182 --> 00:28:42,780 Is there something missing in your life? Pray for it. 312 00:28:42,780 --> 00:28:51,959 I go back to Islam again. I'm not on a harangue for Islam. That wasn't part of this thing here, 313 00:28:51,959 --> 00:29:02,740 but they always make this show of a great spirituality because they are forced to pray five times a day. 314 00:29:02,740 --> 00:29:06,400 They make a big show out of it because even in prison 315 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:13,240 they have to mark in the prison cell which way is east, which way is Mecca. 316 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,259 And they make bones about in schools, 317 00:29:16,260 --> 00:29:20,769 we have to have our prayer room because we have to pray five times a day. 318 00:29:20,769 --> 00:29:27,750 And sometimes I hear Christians say, well, that's a pretty spiritual people. 319 00:29:27,750 --> 00:29:32,060 And I'm not saying that they're not sincere in doing this, I'm just saying, wait a minute, 320 00:29:32,060 --> 00:29:38,260 you think five times a day is, like, a lot? 321 00:29:38,260 --> 00:29:44,060 You think five times a day is a lot? Not that much. 322 00:29:44,060 --> 00:29:49,820 I don't know about you, but the first thing that happens in my day, the alarm clock goes off 10 a.m. 323 00:29:49,820 --> 00:29:51,460 No, I'm just kidding. 324 00:29:51,460 --> 00:29:58,220 But the alarm clock goes off and I turn the alarm off and when I swing out of bed, 325 00:29:58,220 --> 00:30:03,200 and your feet hit - you sit on the side of the bed for a moment just to get your bearings there, 326 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,600 that's my first prayer of the day. 327 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:08,620 Right there. 328 00:30:08,620 --> 00:30:14,440 First prayer of the day. And the first prayer of the day, you know what it's for? 329 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,140 It's for you. 330 00:30:17,140 --> 00:30:21,900 Every day I pray for one of you. 331 00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:29,600 Every day. That's just the first one. And then my time I get to breakfast, what happens before we eat? 332 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,500 Lise and I have a prayer. 333 00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:37,700 And then throughout the day, same thing that happens. Another prayer. 334 00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:40,700 And then I received good news, 335 00:30:40,700 --> 00:30:44,720 Julia, the kids, they're moving back. Oh well, put the phone down, Lord, 336 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:49,010 thank you. I didn't get down on my knees with the prayer carpet facing Jerusalem. 337 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:57,740 I just put the phone down for a moment and just in my mind, God, oh You're so wonderful. Thank you. Finally. 338 00:30:57,740 --> 00:31:01,680 How many are we up to now, before lunch even? 339 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:04,140 You get the idea. 340 00:31:04,140 --> 00:31:10,260 And then I hear that brother so and so at the hospital, or dear sister Copeland. Celestia: 341 00:31:10,260 --> 00:31:16,740 Hey, Mike, guess what's happened? Sister Carlene has just passed away suddenly. 342 00:31:16,740 --> 00:31:20,800 Another prayer. And then lunch, another prayer. And then the afternoon, another prayer. 343 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:23,680 Then there's my prayer time with my Bible and prayer time. 344 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,640 And then there's prayer before supper, and there's a prayer before going to bed. 345 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,700 I mean, we've blown past the five times here. 346 00:31:29,700 --> 00:31:35,380 And it has not even been a heavy prayer day. Not even been a church day. 347 00:31:35,380 --> 00:31:37,900 You see what I'm saying. 348 00:31:37,900 --> 00:31:47,370 Prayer isn't like, the sun's up and then when the sun is there you have to pray. Not the life of a Christian. 349 00:31:47,370 --> 00:31:51,280 Prayer is an ongoing part of my and your life, 350 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:56,180 because it's the substance of my relationship with God. 351 00:31:56,180 --> 00:32:02,840 He's there. I'm here. I'm awake. I'm conscious of Him, and He's conscious of me, and so all day long 352 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:10,700 I'm going back and forth. 353 00:32:10,700 --> 00:32:19,830 And then finally the last one, pause for serious reflection. Verse 19, 354 00:32:19,830 --> 00:32:26,040 he says, "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back," 355 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:29,840 so it is possible to be saved here and 356 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,460 to be in Christ, and then be lost again, because that's what he says here, 357 00:32:34,460 --> 00:32:37,540 "if any among you strays from the truth and 358 00:32:37,540 --> 00:32:41,160 one turns him back," 359 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,100 How does this happen? 360 00:32:43,100 --> 00:32:44,740 We lose our way. 361 00:32:44,740 --> 00:32:49,420 We lose our way when after having made a mistake, instead of going back, 362 00:32:49,420 --> 00:32:53,260 we make it worse by doubling down on our mistake. 363 00:32:53,260 --> 00:32:58,039 That's how you really get lost. You know, when you're driving and you make a wrong turn and another turn and your wife says to 364 00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:04,000 you, well, let's, maybe look at the map. Nah, I will just keep going until we find our way. 365 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:08,200 We do that in life sometimes. We make a mistake. We say something stupid. We lie. 366 00:33:08,210 --> 00:33:11,149 We get too close to a temptation. All of a sudden, 367 00:33:11,149 --> 00:33:16,339 it's got a grip on us and instead of saying, I'm in trouble. I need to go back. 368 00:33:16,340 --> 00:33:25,560 We say, well, I can handle it. And we just, like quicksand, we go down, down, down, down. 369 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:34,000 So a good way to tell how far away from God you are is to examine how near you are 370 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:40,340 to His word and to His will and to His people. How far am I away from God? 371 00:33:40,340 --> 00:33:46,400 Well, how close am I to His word and doing His will and close to His people? 372 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:52,860 Because if I'm far from His word and His will and His people, then I'm far from Him. 373 00:33:52,860 --> 00:33:55,780 And so, in verse 20 he says, 374 00:33:55,780 --> 00:34:02,020 "Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death." 375 00:34:02,020 --> 00:34:06,960 Anybody who thinks you can never be lost has not read James 5:20. 376 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:12,200 He's saying, if a brother is straying away, and someone goes out to get him and brings him back, 377 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:17,780 what has he done? He saved this brother from death. 378 00:34:17,780 --> 00:34:21,940 From being lost. 379 00:34:21,940 --> 00:34:30,020 Save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins. 380 00:34:30,020 --> 00:34:32,000 We don't have a lot of time. 381 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,350 Just just a few things. 382 00:34:33,350 --> 00:34:36,060 If you see your brother, if you're in that situation, 383 00:34:36,060 --> 00:34:41,060 if you're the one reaching out to bring that brother or sister back, a few things to remember. 384 00:34:41,060 --> 00:34:46,980 If you see your brother letting go, help him, gently, to return. 385 00:34:46,980 --> 00:34:54,400 If you neglect to do so, who will go and get you when and if you begin to fall? 386 00:34:54,400 --> 00:35:03,060 And don't be angry or defensive if you're the one drifting and somebody goes out there and gets you. 387 00:35:03,060 --> 00:35:12,600 Don't go away mad at the preacher or the brother or the church if you're corrected in some error or in some fault. 388 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:19,040 Because as Christians, we all make mistakes. So we need to expect that someday, somehow, somebody, 389 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:24,580 will have to correct you. It's happened to me. I've been corrected. 390 00:35:24,580 --> 00:35:29,940 I've had brethren come to my house and say, brother, what you did, this was wrong. 391 00:35:29,940 --> 00:35:32,120 They did it gently. They did it in love. 392 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:37,300 But they did it, and I wasn't happy at the moment. When I sat there and thought about it for a while, 393 00:35:37,300 --> 00:35:41,100 talk to myself, tell myself the truth, 394 00:35:41,100 --> 00:35:45,580 they were right and I was wrong. 395 00:35:45,580 --> 00:35:52,480 And then, of course, be happy and humble yourself if you're in the wrong, 396 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:58,440 realizing that your soul is being saved from death and that you're being preserved from going 397 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,720 further into sin and darkness. 398 00:36:00,720 --> 00:36:03,280 Be thankful. 399 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:11,300 So James closes his letter with four PS's that are applicable to our situation, as well, today. Number one, 400 00:36:11,300 --> 00:36:17,200 persevere. The Lord is near you, whatever the hardship, the low, the discouragement, don't give up following Him 401 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,480 and obeying Him. 402 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:25,360 Remember I've said it before, the crown of life is for the one who finishes faithfully. It's not for the starters. 403 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:29,300 You don't get the crown at the beginning. You get the crown at the end. 404 00:36:29,300 --> 00:36:32,260 Anybody can start. 405 00:36:32,260 --> 00:36:40,020 Anybody can start. It's finishing that is difficult. And it doesn't matter how fast you run in this race. 406 00:36:40,020 --> 00:36:44,580 What's important is if you finish or not. 407 00:36:44,580 --> 00:36:51,800 Secondly, pure in heart. Be firm in your commitment. Be a "yes" Christian. Even when it costs you something. 408 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:56,480 After all, it cost Jesus His life, in order for you to be a Christian in the first place. 409 00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:04,080 Why do we complain if being His disciple costs us something from time to time? 410 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:05,290 Number three, pray. 411 00:37:05,290 --> 00:37:13,700 If Elijah asked for it to stop raining and God answered his prayer, can He not find you a job? 412 00:37:13,700 --> 00:37:20,740 Can He not help you to be happy? Can He not find you a solution to your problem? 413 00:37:20,740 --> 00:37:29,900 Pray with faith and then wait. 414 00:37:29,900 --> 00:37:34,400 Lise and I, we waited seven years. 415 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:44,900 We prayed with faith. We knew if God wanted, He could open the door for a job for our son-in-law here in Oklahoma, like that. 416 00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:50,820 He could do it. We had no doubt that He could do it. We didn't understand, where's the problem here? 417 00:37:50,820 --> 00:37:55,520 We're all going to be together. We're all faithful. We're all going to be in this congregation. 418 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,220 We're all going to love each other 419 00:37:57,220 --> 00:38:00,180 There's no downside to them being there - 420 00:38:00,180 --> 00:38:03,200 to them being here. 421 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:07,060 Seven years, but that prayer got answered. 422 00:38:07,060 --> 00:38:13,340 So pray, and then wait on the Lord. 423 00:38:13,340 --> 00:38:17,220 And then, finally, pause. Be careful. You could lose your way. 424 00:38:17,230 --> 00:38:21,800 It's happened to other people. And if you do, thank God for the person who has the love 425 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:26,140 and the courage to correct you and bring you back again. 426 00:38:26,140 --> 00:38:30,260 I add a fifth one just to close up my lesson and the series, 427 00:38:30,260 --> 00:38:34,300 put the lessons into action. 428 00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:36,920 Don't just hear and understand the lessons that I've taught in the last 10 weeks. 429 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:43,520 They will profit you only if you do them. 430 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:48,300 And we finish with one scripture, Matthew Chapter 7, 431 00:38:48,300 --> 00:38:51,860 Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, 432 00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:56,860 but he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven will enter. 433 00:38:56,860 --> 00:38:58,880 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, 434 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:05,100 did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? 435 00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:14,500 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who do practice lawlessness.' 436 00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:21,480 Let's not just be "yes" Christians. Let's be "yes and do" Christians. All right, that's the end of - 437 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:26,180 We can say a lot more about the book of James. Start it over again, find a lot more good stuff, 438 00:39:26,180 --> 00:39:30,700 but for now, those are the lessons. I appreciate everybody being 439 00:39:30,700 --> 00:39:33,300 faithful to the Wednesday night class. 440 00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:37,180 We'll see you next quarter.