Call to Commitment

 

James gives warning to the prosperous

         1.    Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 

  2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 

          3.    Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 

4.      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. 

5.      You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

        6.      You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. 

James certainly was far from being a promoter of prosperity, in fact, he seriously warned the rich of the danger of prosperity. Paul, also, in total agreement with James, knew the pitfalls of wealth and, though the wealthy may have been few among Christians, they certainly existed. He tells Timothy to counsel them: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1Ti 6:17-19). There are Christians, who have known how to use their good fortune, have heeded this advice, and have been wonderfully used of God to further His purposes.

 However, in 1 Timothy 6:5-11, Paul gives a clear and concise teaching to Timothy on the Christian position concerning earthly prosperity. He began his doctrine, writing of “useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” This portion in Timothy merits a few observations. Verse 5 teaches that any search for getting gain from Christianity is done by men of corrupt minds, using devious means that are far from truth.  “From such withdraw yourself.” Christians, certainly men in the ministry, need to shy away from this kind of teaching. “

 The true Christian position follows for every member of the church to learn and observe: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Paul calls for common sense, because of the undeniable truth that we came naked into this life and we leave in the same manner. Our son, David, commented on this issue: “We enter this planet with nothing in our hands. As time goes on, we accumulate possessions, relationships and knowledge. We are not to hold these with a tight grip, but loosely, as a loan from God, because when we exit this earth, our hands will be empty again. The death shroud has no pockets!” Temporal concerns are secondary for every Christian, who is to concentrate on heavenly, eternal things, and be content with food and clothing, while he inhabits this world.

 “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” It is very clear that, biblically, the opposite opinion is the wrong one. How prosperity preachers can circumvent the apostolic position and openly teach people to covet riches and earthly things, is beyond my understanding. I have said for years, that theirs is a ministry to the fallen adamic nature and not to the new creature in Christ. Over the years, this area of teaching has decayed, until today it has reached a heretical level and could easily be judged a false cult.

 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The love of money must be seen as something beyond the practice of the miserly. A person loves and covets the things, in which he or she puts his or her trust. Go to 1 Timothy 6:17 again and the command to not put one’s trust in money. To do so is an act of idolatry. Remember that Jesus taught us not to worry over the basic needs of life, because the Heavenly Father would take care of those things, if we would seek His kingdom over all else. That is exactly what Paul’s challenge is to young Timothy in the last verse: “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” 

 Briefly, we need to confront the erroneous teaching that suggests that Christ was wealthy. He Himself contradicted that claim: "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Mt.8:20). His step-father and mother offered the poor people’s sacrifice of two doves, when He was circumcised on his eighth day (Lk.2:24 with Lev.12:8) The gifts of the magi certainly helped the family make the trip to Egypt and back to Nazareth, but after 30 years, when he began His ministry, those presents certainly had depleted. He learned the humble profession of carpentry from Joseph in the village of Nazareth and His fellow citizens saw nothing outstanding about the social status of the family: “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? So they were offended at Him” (Mk.6:3).

 In chapter 2, James warned the church against partiality towards the rich and claimed that it stemmed from evil thoughts. A believer, catering to the rich, is looking for an advantage (we call it ‘name-dropping’), which is not worthy of the name of Christ. From time-to-time, the Lord, for His own reasons, had my path cross with some well-known individuals, but I have tried to avoid opportunities to meet with people of renown. James apparently thought that it was distasteful to do so.

 The reason is that their prosperity or fame is strictly temporal and their future is not bright. That, which is coming upon them will cause them to weep and howl.  It is apparent that those, to whom he is addressing in this chapter, are the same that he referred to in 2:6 and 7: “Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?”  Nevertheless, even those who have legitimate resources, are not in the category of the poor, who are rich in faith (2:5).

 It would not be long until James’ prophecy would be fulfilled. The Roman army invaded the land and besieged Jerusalem. The citizenry of Judea and Jerusalem went through difficult times. Gentiles in other parts of the world sent offerings to relieve the poverty of the Jerusalem Christians. Not only the church, but every Jew, fled from Israel and eventually inhabited all the continents under the sun. They lost their homeland and the grief experienced is foretold in verses 1 through 3. “Weep and howl… your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded.”

 I agree with John Wesley, who observed that this passage “may likewise refer to the final vengeance which will then be executed on the impenitent.” Notice especially the foolishness of heaping up treasure in the calamities of the last days. The last days of Israel’s nationality was just before them and they would soon leave their properties, homes and possessions behind. I believe that it is the duty of every Bible preacher to insist to God’s people that we are in the last days. I have a radio program called “The Church and the Final Events.” Just yesterday, I preached in Vigo on the subject again. Listen to James as he declares the word of God: You have heaped up treasure in the last days!  They simply will only lose more and leave it behind them. The loss will torment them inside and out and consume them.

 We despair of justice in our days, as the Psalmist did in Psalm 73:3, 7, 12. He said that he was “envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… they have more than heart could wish… these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches.” James said they lived “in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts”- their pleasure penetrated to the inner man, that is, they satisfied their soul and their emotions, with every kind of entertainment and enjoyment (5). Then God opened the Psalmist’s eyes: “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end… You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors” (vs.17, 18, 19).

 The subjects, about whom James writes, have profited from ill-gotten gains. They have held back wages from their laborers; they have defrauded the harvesters. The Lord of Sabaoth in verse 4 is the common Old Testament name that God uses; He is the Lord of Hosts or the Lord of Armies. They have taken the just to trial, seen them condemned and executed, without resistance on their part (6). Jesus comes with His armies to avenge the poor, whom they have mistreated.

 

The coming of the Lord, preceded by the Latter Rain

 7.      Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the           precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 

 8.      You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 

 9.      Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is              standing at the door! 

 10.   My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering         and patience.  

  11.  Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen         the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 

  12.  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment. 

 The early church pointed towards the coming of the Lord. It was their doctrine, their desire and their hope. Allow me to present a list of Scriptures to back that assertion, beginning with a quote from Paul that especially confirms the teaching of James to await judgment until His coming: “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God” (1 Co.4:5).

 They had their hearts set on His coming: “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 T.4:8). They awaited the Day, in which their whole being, body, soul and spirit would be redeemed: “We also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Ro.8:23). The list goes on, too many to quote in their entirety. For your own study, I will give you the texts that demonstrate the eager longing in the apostolic churches: 2 Co.5:2; 1 Th.1:10; Tit.2:13; Heb.9:28; Rev.1:7; Rev.22:20.

 Beginning in Acts 2, the seed of the gospel was sown, commencing in Jerusalem. The book of Acts tells the story of how it spread to all Judea and Samaria. It shows how the non-Jews, little by little, were included. In chapter 7, Saul of Tarsis is introduced and in chapter 9, his conversion is given as a milestone in the account. The center of operations moves from Jerusalem to Antioch. From there, the Holy Spirit sends Saul and Barnabus out on the mission, for which they were called. The go to the Gentile world, and Saul, called Paul now, considers himself the apostle to the Gentiles. The book ends in Rome, but the mission continues to reach out over the centuries to the present day.

 The story ends with a harvest, meaning the return of Christ for His own, in the rapture. The great purpose for every farmer in every part of the world is harvest and he labors the year around for it. Theologians tell us that the Bible is inerrant in the time and culture, in which it was written. James utilized the Mideastern farmer to present something which comes before the harvest, particularly in his country and the neighboring nations. Others, outside the Middle East, may not see its urgency, but I am referring to something seen throughout the Bible, especially the Old Testament.

 Here is where we must consider the Latter Rain upon the earth. We await the harvest, a successful harvest, but for the grain to come to maximum ripeness, the rain must fall. We await a cloudburst of rain from heaven. The Holy Spirit speaks through Zechariah (10:1): “Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain.” So, James tells us, the farmer anxiously awaits the latter rain (7). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown comments: “The early rain fell at sowing time, about November or December; the latter rain, about March or April, to mature the grain for harvest. The latter rain that shall precede the coming spiritual harvest, will probably be another Pentecost-like effusion of the Holy Ghost.” As the Early Rain fell upon the 120 disciples in the upper room to empower them to plant the seed of the gospel, so we await the Latter Rain, just before harvest in order that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Mt.24:14).

 However, the coming of the Lord is at hand for every individual (8). Jesus prayed, “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (Jn.17:24). The bride waits for His glory to paint the skies, when He descends in the clouds to receive her. Until then, He comes for each soul, one by one, as it is released from the body, to reveal His glory to them. Whether individually, in death, or in the rapture with the entire church, the command is the same: Establish your hearts.

 We are to be patient in our relationships with one another in the church. The judge is present to hear all grumbling that is done privately. We are not looking at a place, where murmuring might be considered acceptable, but an attitude of the heart. The Judge takes in a grumbling attitude and it is not acceptable in any place or time (9).

 The Lord also teaches us to be patient, when attacked unpleasantly by others, perhaps professing Christians in the church, by giving us examples in saints, who came before us. The prophets are mighty models for us in suffering persecution, some of which ended in martyrdom. They received it, because of their love and faithful proclamation of the word of God. Is less expected from us? (10)

 It is important to God that our word has value. He does not want a people, who are flippant in conversation and especially not in their promises. People, who go to court, must put their hand on a Bible and swear, because justice knows that men are liars, and they must learn that there is a penalty if they lie under oath. However, it is not necessary for the Christian, to swear. A simple “yes” or “no” is good enough from him. The one, who swears, by doing so, proclaims his simple word to be faulty (12). It is not so much that he is forbidden to swear, as it is that his character is such, that he need not swear.

 

 Great lessons in prayer 

  13.  Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 

 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 sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has                       committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

 16.  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The          effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 

 17.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 

 18.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 

 19.  Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 

 20.  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from                       death and cover a multitude of sins. 

James leads us on to a tremendous discourse on prayer. Prayer is the remedy for suffering. We will notice that there is a difference between prayer and song, which we need to understand. The two can be combined and certainly were in the Psalms, but we can pray without singing and we can sing without praying. They are two separate graces. We must understand the properties of each one individually and see also a different purpose, generally speaking, for each one. Praying was designed for suffering and song was designed to express joy (13).

 The apostle prescribes a priority for those, who are physically sick. He is to call for the church elders to pray for him, and in prayer, they are to anoint him with oil. The last item is most essential, that is, that all this is to be done in the name of the Lord. It is not vital, that the ingredients be done in methodical and strict order, but that they are to be done under divine authority. This church activity must be done in the name of the Lord, who has dominion over every malady and even over death and hell (14).

 I am willing to admit that I do not always pray in faith. I believe it is healthier to admit it, than to find an excuse for the lack of positive results. There are Christians who do not expect supernatural answers to prayer in modern times and, who see the book of Acts as a history lesson, in an interim period between the ministry of Christ, and the second generation of Christianity. I choose not to do so and I look at this wonderful account as a model for the church. I cannot do that without recognizing that we are living below the biblical standards set for a New Testament church. An old man from the Brethren movement came up to me, after I finished preaching one evening, and said, “Brother, I have been reading the Book of Acts and I see how much we lack in these days.” Amen brother, I feel the same way, and my counsel is, that we should recognize our need, rather than to compromise the word of God. I dare not subtract anything from its pages (15)!

 On the other hand, I have come to believe that faith is not something that I possess and control, but something that has its hold on me. How else can I explain that, when I feel the weakest and least positive in prayer, God does a miracle? How is it that what I expect to happen in the affairs of life, is the opposite of the will of God, and yet, He carries out His will, and I must give up my way and conform to His? Let me put before you for your consideration, the case of Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau, by faith, doing exactly the opposite of what he intended to do (Heb.11:20).  

 The counsel of verse 16 must also be considered. I knew a young man, who went to college and gave testimony of meeting with other Christian students for prayer on a regular basis. If I remember correctly, there were about 15 persons involved. One of them, laid James 5:16 before the rest of his classmates, and suggested that they begin to confess their faults to one another. The Lord dramatically honored this little group for their humble obedience and soon there were over 200 meeting for prayer. The word spread to other campuses.

 

 Just before the apostle James closes his letter, he offers a last piece of counsel. Throughout the book, he has given valuable information concerning those, who have wandered from the truth, and now he instructs the believers about what they can and must do. They are to get involved in bringing the wanderer back into the fold. I read again today the story of General Joab, teaming up with a wise woman of Tekoa, concerning King David’s desire to reunite with Absalom.  It was a conniving effort, for the most part, but I believe that they also presented to David a marvelous truth about the nature of God: “God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him” (2 S.14:14). 

 It is a simple fact that I know that I do not have to tell any believer, but I want to reinforce it anyway, if I may: It is that the Holy Spirit is fully behind the inspired truth that James gives us in verse 20. The wanderer can be compared with a wounded soldier on the battlefield. He needs help from a compassionate friend, who can apply healing balm to his injuries. Who will be the “someone (who) turns him back?” The apostle knows that that faithful helper needs to hear this word of assurance… that he “will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

 I feel obligated to briefly try to correct an error that we hear from time to time, quoting Proverbs 10:12, “love covers all sins.” Some conclude and teach that we are simply to tolerate sin and ‘love’ the sinner. That is not a demonstration of Christian love, but is a failure to grasp the total concept of Biblical doctrine concerning sin. James writes of turning a sinner from the error of his way, and turning means repentance. Only repentance, followed by faith in the blood of Christ, whose blood alone covers sin, will save a soul from death.