James 5, What Are We to Do Now?

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James 5 What Are We to Do Now?

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James chapter 5 we reading the whole chapter starting in verse 1 Hear the word of the
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Lord Come now you rich Weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you
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Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth -eaten Your gold and silver have corroded and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire
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You have laid up treasure in the last days behold the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields
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Which you kept back by fraud are crying out against you and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the
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Lord of Hosts you have lived on the earth in luxury at its self -indulgence You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
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You have condemned you have murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you Be patient therefore brothers until the coming of the
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Lord See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth Being patient about it until it receives the early and the latter rains
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You also be patient Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand
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Do not grumble against one another brothers so that you may not be judged Behold, the judge is standing at the door as an example of suffering and patience brothers
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Take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord behold We consider those blessed who remain steadfast
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You have heard of the steadfastness of Job and you have seen the purpose of the Lord how the
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Lord is compassionate and merciful But above all my brothers do not swear either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath
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But let your yes be yes, and you're no no So that you may not fall under condemnation
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Is anyone among you suffering Let him pray Is anyone cheerful let him sing praise
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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
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Lord and The prayer of faith will save the one who was sick and the Lord will raise him up And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven
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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 in its work as it is working
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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
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It did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and heaven gave rain and the earth bore its fruit my brothers is anyone among you one if anyone among you wonders from the truth and Someone brings him back
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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
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May the Lord at his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Well, what are we to do now have you ever found yourself in a situation
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New stage in life, you don't know exactly what to do Maybe you graduated, you know, you know in his school up to now and what do you do now or you move somewhere new?
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everything is You know new and you don't know what to do. You look around your new circumstances and wonder, you know
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What am I to do now? Where do I go? You don't know what you know, what stores to go to get where to get groceries
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Where to get your phone done, you know all that kind of thing you have no routine
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You have no family or friends around you to kind of guide you You don't know what the best places to go eat where the post office is the phone stores
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You might look around for the Walmart's the big things the malls and maybe maybe look at go to churches
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But it's all new to you You ever been like that? Kind of bewildered when
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I first went to seminary in California. I didn't know what to do I I didn't even know where to you know, where to get a
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California driver's license I remember asking some guy in the McDonald's. Where do I go to get the driver's license? I didn't even know what to call it. Oh, it's the
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DMV. They call it Okay, I had to find the stores at a find a bank at a place to live.
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I had to watch out for earthquakes Wasn't expecting that. What do you do in an earthquake? That's a new circumstance for me
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I mean, you know from Alabama the ground doesn't move in Alabama It's kind of stable and you go to California suddenly everything is not only everything is new even the ground moves
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What well whatever, you know, one thing you don't do in earthquakes I found out is you do not run out of the house Which is what
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I did to the first time I had an earthquake You're not supposed to do that at one point I needed to find a mattress and so I went to the office at the seminary that took care of foreign students
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I figured well, I'm from Alabama. That's foreign enough Through them. Not only did I find a mattress
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But I eventually got to know some of the foreign students on campus including one from Singapore When I went there when
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I went to Singapore, I really didn't know what to do now And what I do in this situation, you know, oh, okay take off your shoes at the door
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Chopsticks take the bus take the elevator to the ninth floor where the apartment is It Chinese New Year give unpowers red packets eat what's put in front of you without asking questions
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Don't ask what that is. Say how to delicious If you're in Ethiopia, what do you do?
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You do something for the kids who live right outside your compound if you're a missionary Just don't spend all your time looking after your own comfort.
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Oh and Eat what's put in front of you without asking questions If you're in Chicago, what do you do?
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Fortunately, you don't have to eat what's put in front of you without asking questions. What do you do? Well, you get a snow shovel and a good heavy coat, right?
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What you need to do depends on the situation you're in. It's probably the same for northern, Wisconsin I guess get a good snow shovel and a good heavy coat
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So what you need to do depends on your new situation. So know the situation first and know what you need to do
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Well, then What's our situation now? And that's what James describes in the first six verses of chapter 5.
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He says come now He's describing the situation now our situation and we need to know what it is
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So we'll know what to do first. It's a time to to come Especially the rich the the corrupt rich.
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I don't think he's saying they're all rich or all the rich are evil But there's some get their riches through Cheating and exploitation
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It's a time for them to come To weep and to howl That's what this time is for this this era a time for listening to an invitation
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They will make you weep and howl if we pay attention to it. It is in verse 3. He sells it the last days
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And that's a common phrase you hear, you know But in Christian circles the last days and but people look at that here in James, you know, it was the last days
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James is saying it was the last days written almost 2 ,000 years ago And they assume well that he means they assume that he means that there are only a few more days to come and then the judgment and So they say well look it's been nearly 2 ,000 years since James talked about the last days and it still hasn't come to an end
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So he must have been wrong But the last days means only that there are
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No other days That is not not another time another time period another era another phase in of history
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This is the last stage before the end after this time period
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The one next is the end Understand it doesn't necessarily imply anything about how long these last days are
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Okay, so after this Time period this epoch this era what everyone call it is the judgment.
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This is the last era before judgment So there's an over so there's not another prophet coming from a cave in Arabia or from the woods of America Bringing a new revelation that will change everything and bring another age.
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No, that's over. The only thing left after this is Judgment, you know if I said for example
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I've married my last wife Now you probably wouldn't think I'm predicting that she's gonna pass away soon
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You'd understand that I'm saying that I don't expect to be marrying anyone else After this, so the last days means that this is the last time period of the last epoch before the end
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We don't know how long these last days are we just know it's the last last of them
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Okay, we we just know that the only thing after this is The end and That end then he describes in verse 5
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He describes it as a day of slaughter. It's a day of slaughter for some a day of feasting celebration for others
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Judgment is like a great feast prepared for the guest For God's people there will be a great banquet like the prodigal son who was returned who has returned home.
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Remember the story The father declared prepare the fattened calf so they're this calf they were particularly preparing
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Celebrating they're gonna prepare it now for itself for salvation But they have been fattened this was one calf for a special occasion and now was the time
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But the real guest of honor in the in the great feast to come Portraying the book of Revelation is the marriage supper of the
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Lamb. The real guest of honor is The son it's his marriage feast after all and there are calves that have been especially prepared
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For this feast, you know, they've been fattened. They've been fed everything they can take and they've been pampered They have been driven around the field
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They've been allowed a lazy life and it's of course they're thinking these calves if they could think a man my life is great
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I'm getting everything I want and they don't realize why they're getting everything they want It's to it's to eventually give people tender juicy veal
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The fattened calves here in James are the corrupt rich They're like the calves.
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They're thinking man. This life is great. I'm getting everything I want Those those they've been thinking that these last days are not for preparing for judgment, but there's not for weeping and for howling and and and Repenting of their sins.
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It's they think it's for indulging themselves for Grabbing all the money they can get the nicest clothes
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They can wear the designer brands made out of silk or satin the fanciest gadgets that Apple or Samsung produces
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It was all about enjoying all the luxury they could get never mind about anybody else
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That's what this time is for they think and if they had to exploit some poor people to get it if they had to get their
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Aston Martins or Jaguars or BMWs or Italian suits or Beach houses off the back and out of the sweat of poor workers that they cheated out of their pay, you know telling them
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Come work for a day's pay in my field and if at the end of the day, you know, they said
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We're deducting so much for the water you drank Taking out for lunch fee.
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We dropped a few pieces of grain We're deducting for that and guess what at the end we owe you nothing
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That's how they got rich by cheating people And You know, so and then they would say well, you don't like it
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You can sue us in the courts where we bribe the judges
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Or maybe you're illegal here You know, you're illegal. So good luck trying to get justice for you.
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You'll just get deported Or maybe we want to enjoy our sexual indulgence without the bother of a child who might come about as a
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As a result and so we'll sacrifice that child in the altar of our comfortable lifestyle
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If they had to do that To have their luxury then they thought well, this is the time to do it
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It's not a time to come and to weep and a howl They think it's a time to indulge to exploit
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To cheat others if they can get away with it, they think and that's what they this time is for But meanwhile all the money that they've cheated out of others
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For their own greed is being counted against them It's being used as evidence.
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It's being stored away like, you know in a court sometimes to get physical things as evidence. There's exhibit a
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There'll be things like that. This is is this the money you stole from them? It's what they'll be asked at judgment
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The moans and the prayers of the poor that they've taken advantage of the unborn that they've sacrificed is being heard against them
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God Almighty is listening There too now they're too distracted by the sounds blaring at them
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Maybe through there they can't hear the testimony against them because of their sound canceling headphones expensive nice ones they bought but Well That that's the testimony that is being gathered against them for their own their own judgment the the indulgence they're wallowing in is making them soft like a fattened calf for the day of slaughter and that's the situation
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We find ourselves in right now So if that's the situation we find ourselves in now
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The last days a time of exploitation and greed of oppression and indulgence a time of Narcissistic people who won't listen to anything other than what flatters them a time.
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They should be for repentance Because judgment is is next because you know, that's the next thing on the schedule is judgment but instead
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It's a time when the righteous person Christ himself Though he was rich he became poor and he died like the poor like the oppressed like like the least of these
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If that's the situation we find ourselves in What are we to do
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How do we live in a world like this? What are we to do now? Well four things
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Starting in verse 7 first be patient Second be serious
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Third be prayerful and fourth finally be involved
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First he says in verse 7 therefore He's described the world today this era
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But then therefore because this is the situation we find ourselves in be patient Verses 7 to 11 literally means be long suffering
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Because you're gonna have to suffer for a long time How long well until the coming of the
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Lord he says until he comes there will be suffering that we have to patiently endure
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The Lord Jesus said in John chapter 16 verse 33 that in this world We have tribulation
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Don't be surprised here in this world you get tribulation That's the situation.
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We find ourselves in now in Acts chapter 14 verse 22. The Apostle Paul told us that it is through many Tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God.
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So be patient And he says like like a farmer Farmers had to be patient, you know, they don't plant the crop one day and the next day
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It's all full -grown and they take it to the market and enjoy their money Farmer has to patiently wait he plants the crop waits for the rain in Israel the early rain in October and Then the latter rain in in March, so, you know count the months
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October November all the way to March Meanwhile, he has to patiently wait for the harvest to come He's pulling weeds in the meantime keeping, you know rabbits and other animals out of his crop
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And the same way you have to be patient and long -suffering our statement of faith says that perseverance
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Steadfastness stick to it at us staying in there perseverance is the grand mark
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I know there was that is the perseverance is the greatest sign people often ask. What's what's a sign that I'm saved
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Well, how do I can I know? Perseverance is the grand sign that separates true believers who endure who keep going from what it calls superficial professors
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That doesn't mean particularly shallow teachers in the college superficial professors those who have with a superficial profession of faith
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But aren't doers of the word So be established.
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She says be set be determined that Although this is the way it's going to be
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There's some tribulation some things you have to endure But you're not gonna stop You're not gonna give up you will plod through Now William Carey the great missionary to India who lost a son and a wife in the early years of his missionary work
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Worked and suffered for seven years in India with no fruit to show for I mean not one convert nothing
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Learning the language and teaching and all that translating and all that and his wife well first his son died his wife went insane
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Then eventually she died He stayed at it Stayed in his missionary work all all his life.
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I mean he wasn't like he's coming back every 104 years for a furlough He was there as he stayed in India the rest of his life.
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He said about himself that he was a plotter I Mean he kept plotting just moving forward wake up.
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He's gonna go forward today He said I can persevere in any definite pursuit to this.
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I owe everything That's why today he's called the father of modern missions Some people talk grandly about their dreams how they want to serve
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God they want to reach out to the kids in the area maybe or to have a church that isn't just about buildings and routine services and They'll seem to start out well enough, but when then they get tired and they give up We've been given this picture of a ministry in the
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Christian life that it's like a sprint It's just over fast and furious It is it's about coming forward into emotional invitation and saying a prayer and that's basically it then you're set
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Then you go about and live your own life Ministry is about a few stirring sermons the crowds come plucking plucking forward and then that's about it
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And you you thought it was all supposed to be thrills the rush of adrenaline like crossing the finish line breaking the tape
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Victory, you know the runners high. I don't know if sprinters get a runners high I don't guess they have time to whatever, you know
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But did the idea that we grow from success to success, you know, it's lifting your hands and ecstasy inspired to sing into praise
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It's just you and the Lord strolling through green valleys, but it's not a stroll through green valleys
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It's a march through the valley of the shadow of death. It's not a sprint It's a marathon
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So while you're in this situation While you're in this marathon enduring suffering trouble
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He says then don't blame your frustrations on other Christians the the the one another
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The other members of the church those you've covenanted to walk or maybe run together with in Christian love
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Don't blame the one another for the situation. You're in start grumbling against them
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You notice that don't be their judge Lest you be judged
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If you're American Got any of those here if you're American that includes your pastor
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Don't reflexively blame him because every something goes wrong because someone leaves or because you're tired and discouraged and it must be his fault
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You don't know why but that's just what you've been taught by example To always blame the pastor, you know, except whatever rumors there are about him without asking questions and like the food and Ethiopia or Singapore don't grumble against each other because you're not the judge remember
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Said that earlier that the true judge is standing at the door. He says He's next
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So don't be caught When he opens that door, I was he has to do is push it open and he's he's here
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Don't be caught Taking his judging on yourself right
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But I'm suffering you think I I'm one of the poor exploited workers defrauded frustrated crying out for justice.
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That's my situation You will have to be patient Don't take it out on the church
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I'm grumbling dividing criticizing instead follow the example of the prophets Now the prophets were inspired somebody about this visa the inspired
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Christian life. They'd be filled with the Holy Spirit Well, the prophets weren't filled with the Holy Spirit How easy was life for them you think?
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You want to know what they got for it Jeremiah only gained one loyal follower that we know of may name his scribe named
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Baruch They accused Jeremiah of treason and threw him into a cistern where he sank into the to the mud
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And well, they wanted to kill him. So I guess he got some blessing He gave his whole life to speaking the
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Word of God and and he suffered for it for his whole life Take him as an example or for an example of someone who endured the marathon until the end take
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Job He was steadfast. He was he stayed at it now.
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Sure. He was open and honest He wanted to argue with the Lord, but despite it all he said though he slay me yet will
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I trust in him and Finally when he heard from God You know, he put his hands over his mouth
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And repented in dust and ashes He was steadfast undeterred
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From seeking God despite all his questions despite all he suffered he had patience
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He was the model of endurance because he knew says here the purpose of the
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Lord the purpose of what's his purpose He's his hand is on this suffering you're going through he has a purpose for it.
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What is it? Job knew that it wasn't just to torture him. He's not he's not just out to torture his people, but the
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Lord is here in verse 11 compassionate and Merciful his purpose is for us to This is
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It's for his purpose for us is to show us Compassion and mercy
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And we might sometimes wonder why or how then? Why are we suffering this?
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How is this whatever it is? Compassionate and merciful this this death this sickness this betrayal this miscarriage this loss
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This blood everywhere How is this?
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compassionate and merciful We don't know but we can endure if we trust that despite all we suffer he is compassionate and merciful
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That's his purpose For the suffering so be patient Second be serious in verse 12
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James repeat something the Lord Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount In case you thought you've heard those words elsewhere.
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Yeah from there from Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount Let you yes be yes your no No, and in this situation these last days when only judgment is next but people are all around us are ignoring that They're fattening themselves up for the day of slaughter.
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Be serious about your words. James is very That's a lot to say about what we say what we say is important and here he's saying
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Mean what you say be people of integrity People who keep your word in verse 12 above all
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Think about that seems strange to you that you know of all the moral and spiritual challenges
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That we have in our what Bible calls elsewhere our present evil age this age this time all the challenges we face
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James says above all most importantly this
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Be honest Be promise keepers Do what you say?
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Do what you say you were gonna do This seems strange. That's most importantly
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But that's what he says Now it's easy when you're suffering in this present evil age to make a rash vow some people do that You know, you want to bargain with God?
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He'll get you out of your mess if I'll do this God if you get me out of this the young Martin Luther was caught in a thunderstorm and almost struck by Lightning and declared in his panic.
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Say dad help me. I will become a monk Because he survived the storm he kept his word and became a monk much to his father's anger
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Displeasure a lot of people today make promises when it seems when it seems useful when it seems convenient
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Maybe they're swept away by emotion. Maybe but maybe by panic maybe by sympathy for somebody
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I'll give you this much or I'll do this for you. Maybe the passions of the moment. They swept along so they make a commitment
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Then when the feelings disappear So do they? They have no conception many people in our culture today have no conception
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They're just supposed to keep your word that the reason we make commitments, you know Understand what commitments are for we make commitments when we feel like making them
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So that we'll keep them when we don't feel like keeping them. That's all purpose of them Otherwise, they're just empty words that we're blathering and that's why
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James is talking about here. What are you supposed to do in? This situation we find ourselves in now a time when people use words
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Not because they're true not because they mean them But because they the words get them what they want get them the result they want
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Get them in the votes they want or the contract they want the sale. They want the approval
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They want whatever it is. They want the relationship they want What do we do in?
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this situation James says Do not swear Now he doesn't mean don't use profanity
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Either but don't know make a promise with an oath like I you know, I swear on a stack of Bibles I'm gonna do this or that I swear on the memory of my blessed mother on the head of my children
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Whatever it is. No, don't do that Why Because your yes should be yes, and you're no no
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Now I think if you're called upon in some situation We have to go to court and they ask you to raise your hand and swear on the
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Bible I think it's okay to do that. Could you understand in this culture? we have to do that because people are so dishonest and the
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Legal system needs to find a way to make people tell the truth But we should be such people that if we have to go to court it makes our hands to put our hands on the
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Bible We're not telling we're not any more likely to tell the truth Then then we are at any other time because we are always telling the truth.
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We always mean what we say That's what this is about Yes, because because your yes should should always be yes, and you're no no that is you're so honest
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You're such a person of your word You don't need to be bound by an oath to swear on something that is sacred to you in order for you to be trusted
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You're trustworthy You keep your word you do what you say and if you don't
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James says you may fall under condemnation The judgment is coming and the judge is going to hold you to account for every promise you made
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Psalm 15 says the Lord looks to the one who who keeps his word even to his own hurt
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Now in our situation you sometimes find professed Christians who who Who won't keep their word for their own benefit
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You have a hard time You know trying to convince them to do what they say even when it would be the best thing for them
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I saw a professed Christian comment that if I had Something like if I had known that I was supposed to keep that commitment.
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I never would have made it What in the world? Yeah, that is what James calls
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Worldliness that's coming from a Christian that's worldliness That's a professed believer thinking and talking just like the culture around us a culture that doesn't take its word seriously
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So neither do we we just kind of say things that we're not really gonna follow through that's double -mindedness
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Maybe thinking biblically about some doctrine Reformed you may love the doctrines of grace wanting to hear about justification and imputed righteousness, but you can't believe their commitments their yeses
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When they say they're gonna do something any more than you can believe those of non believers
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James says above all Don't be like that Be serious
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Third Be prayerful What are we to do in this situation we find ourselves in in a time of suffering
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Pray Any of you suffering? Lonely or depressed or betrayed
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Disappointed bereaved Then pray
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And what are things going well for now you're on the other end of the Scale of life on the happy end.
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So you're cheerful What do you to do? Well pray in particular sing praise to God.
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That's a kind of prayer That's why we do that in church in church in this situation
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We sing praise to God because we have a lot to be cheery about That's what Thanksgiving is about more on that next week
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So now sing praise So no matter where you are the whole range of experiences of life from suffering to celebration pray
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Have a have a prayerful life If you're sick, maybe you're so sick. You can hardly pray for yourself
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So you need help for that then call for the elders of the church Notice that membership in the church is kind of expected here
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It's assumed these people he's writing to have a church that they're attached to they have elders that they know they can call on they
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Know who they are. They know who to call Then let them pray over you over you The anointing with oil let them anoint you with oil as maybe partly soothing was perhaps one of the few
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Medicinal solutions they could resort to and the now the oil is it magical? Maybe also a symbol for the
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Holy Spirit. You want the blessing of the Holy Spirit on the person? But it's not it's not a magical thing In other words use whatever medicine is available and pray pray for the sick
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I'm sometimes critical of the way prayer meetings or prayer requests are Often too consumed with prayers for health as though the most important thing in life is to be physically healthy.
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It isn't But here we see that we do need to pray for the sick. We're not disembodied spirits
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So we're not just spirits and our bodies this encumbrance. We want to get rid of no We do pray for the sick or if you're sick
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You call for the elders of the church You have a responsibility and we'll pray for you
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Then at verse 15, there's here's a controversial verse The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the
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Lord will raise him up Now some say that in this situation we find ourselves in now in this age
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We can have perfect health to a good old age. You just have enough faith you name it and claim it You'll always be perfectly healthy until you just pass away
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Really really old in your sleep and never have to suffer a pain in your whole life But notice first that James just assumes that some of the
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Christians with faith Will get sick You notice that some of you are sick
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He doesn't say if you pray in faith, you'll never get sick. He doesn't say that He says some will be sick and the prayer of faith is
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Is the is one with faith in the sovereign Lord he described earlier in this letter Remember the sovereign already is so in control that every this or that He determines is under his control the
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Prayer faith is his faith and that Lord sees all the things as under his control even the sickness so Will every sick
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Christian be healed if they pray the prayer of faith? Will every sick
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Christian be healed? Yes They will There is the promise of healing the health of both preachers are are right about that but in The situation we find ourselves in now in this age before Christ has come some of that healing is now and some is
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Not yet in this present evil age. Sometimes the Lord Will will that you be healed now
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And you will and you'll be raised up to continue on with life in this age, but sometimes in This age the
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Lord won't raise you up until the next age until the resurrection
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But Jesus is prop Jesus promises that all those he calls to himself all his sheep
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He will raise up at the last day and for now in this situation Before that last day.
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What we do is pray and believe Pray even more importantly he says about your sins
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If you're sick, maybe ask yourself, you know, what are what are my sins? It's God putting you on a sickbed To get you to see your sins.
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Maybe the time to reflect on your sins. So he's giving you a timeout maybe But don't be like Job's friends, you know who think of someone suffering they obviously they definitely did something wrong
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Don't be like that and think if someone is suffering and sick is definitely it's just a product of their their sins
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So just I acts Automatically God is not like that He is not a blessing and cursing machine who just responds automatically to our inputs
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You know, we we we put out sin and he automatically responds with striking us with sickness
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No, he's not like that he wants us to be humble and Dependent and and believing him not thinking we can manipulate him with our what we put out
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Oh, I just need to put out more faith and he'll put on he'll give me more more health and wealth
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No, it doesn't work like that. So in verse 16 confess your sins to each other It's a scary thought for many of us in there.
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Don't be afraid of not looking perfect And pray for pray for each other pray pray pray for healing for avoiding temptations for overcoming sin
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He says that the prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working it's powerful and effective and notice in particular in this context is powerful and effective for one another for members of the church know their needs and pray for them
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Which implies about what the church is, isn't it your relationship to them more about that later? But pray for each other pray for the bees
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That going in alphabetical order here If you're wondering why for for Robert that he will have a profitable time with his residency here and be empowered in his devotional time
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Hey for Rachel that she'll get through her studies. That'll be hard studying all by yourself at home through the Internet Pray for Joshua that he'll have guidance and for his future
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He's graduating next May Lord willing I pray for Mary for blessings on her work
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For fruit from all that she does from Jim jr. Working with the Chinese people everything For Micah for every need of his to be met
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He's smiling now pay for the child's for Carmen and John for wisdom about their new business
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That the new shop would be prosperous And make them prosperous and then blessed pray for Mary Griffin not able to be here today because she's not feeling well pray for her
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Health and for joy with her family pay for Wayne That he would be blessed as much as he blesses others with his service.
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Don't take advantage of him Okay, he's likely to say yes if you need help, but don't take advantage of him too much
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Mary and I will take advantage of him the rest of you don't Pray for Mike and Nancy that Nancy would be in good health and And they would be blessed with their children and their son would come to believe in the
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Lord pray for Tina There's Tina. Hi that she and her family would have wisdom about particularly about their business
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Which is required their shop is being required to do some refurbishment Or maybe this is a sign from the Lord that they need to find a better landlord in town
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But we want you to stay in town And Ended their husband and children would hope put their hope in the
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Lord and not in uncertain riches pray for the Perry's of course You haven't been able to be with us in a while now for health and joy
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Pray for Shannon for new joy and opportunities for service and that the family of God would be a true family to him
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Pray for Geraldine is so often has to be absent because of her work that she would be free To be with us more regularly and be blessed and so doing pray for and For healing and for both her and Joe for grace and this time of some suffering
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Pray for David for his that he would be blessed and helped and his care for his brother
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Ricky and his mother That's a great service. He does Constantly for them and that he would be cared for himself
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Pray for Joyce Where's Joyce looking down there for her family to be one to the Lord for her husband to believe and for Raymond who's covering his?
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Face now and Ivy and hopefully we'll see Ivy again soon. I pray for William What's his
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Chinese name? I forget zoo Know it, you know, Mary, don't you? You forgot it.
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Everybody forgot it. You Williams Chinese name Zoo in I thought something like that Yeah, we're talking about you
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William Yeah, there we go zoom in Z Okay That we overcome the language barrier and be a blessing to him for him to be fed and build built up Yes, we should pray for Kenneth to help so much with the ministry to the
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Chinese people with William and others That he would be he would be blessed who he does a lot for us now all the way from Singapore Pray for Brian and Alex that Alex would be healthy and that they would both have joy and their work
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Both their employment here and their work with us We should also pray that they just really love
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Danville even despite all the unique depravities of our local culture They would still never leave
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And we should pray for their their parents too when we were glad they're here but pray Like Elijah, he says
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Elijah was like us. We look back at Elijah be the stories and miracles people raised from the dead fire coming from heaven
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Actually, that's a light show like I remember but you get the point and we say wow What a what a hero what a super, you know
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Superman almost but he had triumphant ups. That's true But he had depressed downs
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Actually, Elijah did have fire coming up from heaven any amount Carmel. Yeah If he lived today, I think he might be diagnosed at least is
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Somewhat bipolar, you know They might give us a medication Elijah keep you from getting so depressed when when you know,
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Jezebel threatens your life, but he prayed He prayed fervently that it might not rain and for three and a half years.
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It didn't and then he prayed again and it did What what are we to do and he's example to us?
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What we are to do in this situation. Well pray fervently Because the prayers of people in a right relationship with God.
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It's what means to be righteous. You are right with God and Your prayers then if you're right with God are powerful and effective so pray
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So finally, what are we to do? in this situation You know that we're in in a time of such self indulgence and selfishness
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Drawing even Christians away professor Christians anyway to live for money to treat the church like another service provider
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You know if dish doesn't give you what you want You're gonna cancel and go to the direct TV or vice versa like that If you know this way people think about the church if it doesn't give you the immediate service you want
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You'll drop it and go to another of worldly double -minded Christians who don't keep their word or youth You through are raised in church and youth groups
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You know always entertained and then they grow up and they wonder why you drop out of church Well, because they don't find it entertaining because they've been taught whatever's entertaining is what's important and then end up, you know
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Living just like the world. What are we to do? We're to be involved he says at the end and notice be involved it with the church those last two verses
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He says in verse 19 my brothers So he's talking to fellow Christians here church members brothers or sisters if anyone among you anyone among you right here
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Anyone in the church James is writing the church It says if anyone is currently in your midst on your membership role whether they had official one or not
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We don't know anyone known to be believers One of one of the one another we're not talking people out there about the world
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You know, you go and you see people in the world. They're in sin talking about people here Anyone who wanders from the truth?
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And they wander by going off they go off the narrow path They're distracted by something else wondering means you're kind of not quite paying attention
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Get distracted maybe by doctrinal error Maybe they're distracted by what Jesus calls the deceitfulness of riches
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You're gonna pursue wealth or maybe pursuing pleasure perhaps immoral relationships and they have wandered wandering
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Results from inattention. They weren't paying careful attention to the truth of God's Word So that's why you need to be yourself reminding yourself of it.
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It's a good Habit to read some of it every day. So you're help you keep from wandering.
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That's why we have church That's why I'm doing what I'm doing right now to keep you attentive So you don't wander but notice that that these people are who were church members who are brothers and sisters and yet Some of them he says may wonder you may go off the path, but then another person in the church those last two verses
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If anyone among you wonders from the truth and someone's another person hasn't wondered brings him back
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Another person in the church could be anyone any fellow believer he gets involved
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He brings him back goes to him He's involved with this other believer.
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One of us goes to the person in and shows him or her How they've wondered you know, this is what this is the path to life look out you're going how you're not going the right way anymore and Then they come back because of that intervention
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Because of the involvement of one Christian with another That's what he's that's what he wants you to do
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And if you if you do that you are blessed notice how here meaningful membership Not just a name on a roll and then you don't know anything about anyone else on that list.
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You don't care But no not like that is meaningful. You really are involved. You really are members with each other
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You're attached in some degree with each other the here that's just assumed, isn't it? One of you wonders and you know about it because you know what's going on their life
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We're not to be like customers in a restaurant Who have no attachment to each other, right? You know, you're sitting down eating and someone else comes into the restaurant
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You have no idea who they are. You don't really care and what's going on their life I mean not that you're rude and uncaring person, but you know if they start choking you may
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Jump to their rescue, but you're just not involved with them. The church is not like that That's not just like people who act coincidentally happen to be, you know eating in the same restaurant at the same time
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It's not like here These are just other people who happen to choose to go to the same religious show as you at the same time No, the church is not like that If it if a brother or sister wandering away from the
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Lord, it is our business. We're attached to them So we draw them back do that because you know that whoever does that Says in that last verse whoever brings back a sinner here a fellow church member someone from among us
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Whoever does that? Will save his soul What an amazing thing you will save their soul now and I ultimately go to Jesus save their soul
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But you are the instrument God used to save them from From hell the soul of the one who was wandering from death from the eternal consequences of that sin, whatever it is from hell maybe
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He or she Maybe they really weren't a true Christian before maybe they were one of those you know superficial professors and So sin lured them away and then well they can see now
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Hopefully the Holy Spirit's working in them and you're working through you. You're you're involved with them that There's so easily they so easily wonder they were so easily distracted
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By greed getting more dollars or by immorality or by false doctrine. They were so easily drawn away from the right path because there were just superficial professors and that that fact with Their own sin that wakes them up and through you through you being involved with them.
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And so then they are then truly converted Or maybe they are wandering sheep and you are the tool
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You're the rod and the staff that the Good Shepherd uses to bring them back You're the one that Jesus is using to keep them so that they will be raised up on the last day if you do that If you're involved
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Is our church covenant puts it you're watching over one another with an affectionate care Faithfully admonishing and in treating one another as occasion may require
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You know just you're not just kind of shrugging each other. They made their choice I'm you know,
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I'm glad I've saved myself. No, if you're faithfully in month You're in treating your affectionate then you save a soul from death and you cover a
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Multitude of sins God uses means we should all want to be the beast the means that God uses the instruments to bring someone back
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The instruments that the Lord uses for the blood of Jesus to cover Many sins, but it'd be a great thing to think
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Wow The Lord used me To cover the sins of someone else for the blood of Jesus to be effective in the life of someone else
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So be involved What are you to do in the situation we find ourselves in now
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It's a day in which the world says, you know Go for the gusto for every ounce of pleasure that you can squeeze out of this life
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No matter what commitments you have to break no matter what toes you have to step on Look out for number one even
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Professor Christians superficial professors are drawn away by the lure of money, but luxury self -indulgence that you know, like the ostentation
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That's just enshrined at the Biltmore Estates Meanwhile right at the door All he has to do is push it open is the judge ready for the day of slaughter
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That's our situation What are we to do? We'll have faith.
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He says Establish your hearts in the coming Lord so that you're not you're not tempted by by the life of self -indulgence
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So that you're patient even when it appears that though the wrong seems off so strong Yet, you know
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God is the ruler yet Have such faith in the judge who will hold us to account for every word
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That you're a person of integrity that you're you have faith So you're fateful
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Have such faith in the Lord who wills that every this or that of your life
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And you know that and so you pray to him Constantly over every this or that you you pray to have even more faith in this
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Lord and and you're involved in the life and His other if his other sheep you care for the church that he bought with his own blood
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Believe in that Lord Examine yourself if you are wondering from him
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If so set or reset your heart on him and so save yourself from death