October 17, 2012
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
James 5
Leah Vick
Central Truth
When we truly BELIEVE God is who He claims to be -- The great I AM -- we are able to wait patiently in joy or in suffering as we look to Him as our Hope.
Key Verse | James 5:7–8
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8)
James 5
Warning to the Rich
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, 1 5:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 10, 12, 19 until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 2 5:16 Or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Dive Deeper | James 5
"Tell us about some of your greatest strengths," one of the infamous statements in almost any interview. And as many times as I've been asked that, patience has never fallen in that category. In fact, it is actually in the exact opposite category -- one of my greatest weaknesses.
My impatience, however, doesn't regularly rear its ugly head in small things such as horrible traffic or long lines, but rather in the much bigger things of life in which the Lord calls on me to wait for Him. Whether that's waiting through trials for the Lord to grow and mold me, waiting for the next life stage, or waiting for that job.
My mind tells me to do, to accomplish, to act. I so easily, and without noticing, shift to thinking that taking matters into my own hands will get me from this point of waiting to where I want to be. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
Likewise, James warns his brothers and sisters, both rich and poor, in this chapter to wait patiently and expectantly for the Lord as the farmer waits in the same way for the precious fruits of the ground that come AFTER the early and late rains. A farmer understands the life-giving value of the fruits of the ground as he knows his family's livelihood depends on them. He is fully aware of the tragedy that could follow a fruitless season. But he understands even more the discipline of patiently waiting with HOPE as he has, season after season, reaped the benefits of letting the process unfold exactly how the Lord designed it.
There is a season to plant and sow; and there is a season to wait and watch as the Lord brings the rain and proper nourishment for a rich harvest. Our focus should be on Him, the Faithful One. It is in these difficult waiting periods that we must cling to the One who is our Provider, Comforter, Peace, Strength -- the great I AM.
Hebrews 10:23 (NIV) says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
Discussion Questions
1. What are you waiting for? Or, more importantly, WHO are you waiting for?
2. What are the tendencies in your life that you go to during those waiting periods in life? Do those tendencies point others to the Lord or away from the Lord?
3. Where have you seen the Lord's faithfulness in a past waiting period? What other qualities of the Lord can you cling to in current or future waiting periods?
4. If you have not trusted Christ as your Savior and look to Him as your ultimate Hope, what are you waiting for?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
October 15-19 (James 3-1 Peter 2)
Read James 3:1-12.
• What different things does James compare to our tongues?
• Does James mean that your literal tongue is bad or good? What is he actually talking about?
• How have you seen words be used for good? How have you seen them be used for bad?
• Is it hard for you to control your words?
• Do you take time to think about what you say before you say it?
Activity: Get a full tube of toothpaste. Discuss how the toothpaste in the tube is like words that are in your head. Next, squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube. Then, let your kids try to put the toothpaste back in the tube. It's impossible. Talk with your family about how this is like our words and that, once they are out our mouths, we cannot take them back.
Ask: Why is it important to think about what we say before we say it? How can you use your words for good and not harm? Discuss ways that you can be more careful this week about the words that come out of your mouth.