Oct 28 James Chapter 5

OBSERVATION:
SINS to avoid:
V3, hoarding
PROMISES to claim:
V8, the Lord is near; V11, perseverance brings blessings; V15, faithful prayer brings healing and forgiveness; V16, prayer brings healing
EXAMPLES to follow:
V4, paying dues; V7, V10, farmer's patience; V11, Job's perseverance, V17-18, Elijah's prayer
COMMANDS to obey:
V1, listen; V7, V8, V10, be patient; V9, do not grumble against others; V12, do not swear; V13, pray
STUMBLING BLOCKS to avoid:
selfishness, impatience

INTERPRETATION:
WHO?
The rich and the suffering
WHAT?
don't hoard, be patient, pray in faith, preserver
WHERE?
No locations mentioned
WHEN?
approximately 50ad
WHY?
as a warning against our sinful, selfish, self-centered desires
HOW?
pray for God's strength and His desires for us to be in our every thoughts :)

APPLICATION:
Theme? Generosity, Patience and Prayer
Best verse? V12, "Yes be yes, and no be no."
Challenging? V16, confessing our sins to others
Difficult?
Encouraging? V11, "the Lord is full of compassion and mercy."
Favorite? V16, "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Gift? V11, "we consider blessed those who have persevered."
Helpful? V12, V13 - 15, V19
Informative? V11, V17
Just do it? God, make us generous, prayerful servants, persevering under all circumstances.

James Chapter 5: 1 - 20

Warning to Rich Oppressors

1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Patience in Suffering

7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

The Prayer of Faith

13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Oct 28 Sermon Notes

"The Compassion of Christ"
Scott Lothery

Passage: John 11:17-37

God allows suffering for His greater purpose.
- What does it look like? It's not just the absence of complaining but the presence of rejoicing in Christ.

God loves you even when he allows suffering.

God allows suffering to last for as long as He decides it should last.

-Suffering is not a problem to be solved but a burden to be shared.
-Compassion is feeling another’s pain and acting on it; share in the suffering of others by empathizing and helping

• -Ask yourself, "Do I need to receive or offer compassion? Or both?"