Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2014 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2014 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente

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The Book of James Contents 1 James, the Lord’s Brother 2 The Perfection of Our Faith 3 Enduring Temptation 4 Being and Doing 5 Love and the Law 6 Faith That Works 7 Taming the Tongue 8 The Humanity of Heavenly Wisdom 9 One Lawgiver and Judge 10 Weep and Howl! 11 Getting Ready for the Harvest 12 Prayer, Healing and Restoration 13 The Everlasting Gospel

The Book of James Our Goal O ur journey this quarter spans the entire Christian era, as it includes some of the earliest preaching, as well as special insights for these last days. Let us not miss these insights.

The Book of James Lesson 11, Dec 13 The Book of James Lesson 11, Dec 13 Getting Ready for the Harvest

Key Text James 5:8 NKJV “ Y ou also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Getting Ready for the Harvest Initial Words T he Greek word parousia, which is used throughout the New Testament for Christ’s “coming,” as well as in James 5:7, 8, is a technical expression for the arrival of a king or dignitary. How do we prepare when we do not know “of that day or hour”? What does it mean to be “patient” and to “establish” our hearts?

Getting Ready for the Harvest Quick Look 1. Patience in Waiting (James 5:7-9) 2. Models of Patience (James 5:10, 11) 3. Patience in Speaking (James 5:12)

Getting Ready for the Harvest 1. Patience in Waiting James 5:7-9 NKJV “ B e patient brethren, until the coming of the Lord.... You also also be patient. Establish your heart, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another...lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door.”

1. Patience in Waiting Waiting for “Rain” U nder the figure of the early and the latter rain, that falls...at seedtime and harvest, the Hebrew prophets foretold the bestowal of spiritual grace in extraordinary measure upon God’s church. The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the beginning of the early, or former rain, and glorious was the result....

1. Patience in Waiting Waiting for “Rain” But near the close of earth’s harvest, a special bestowal of spiritual grace is promised to prepare the church for the coming of the Son of man. This outpouring of the Spirit is likened to the...latter rain; and it is for this added power that Christians are to send their petitions to the Lord of the harvest....” —EGW, Our Father Cares 212.

1. Patience in Waiting How Near is “Near”? James 5:8 affirms that Christ’s coming is “at hand” or “near.” But, after nearly two thousand years, how are we to understand this promise? Jesus described the coming kingdom (Matt. 4:17, 10:7, 24:33) by means of parables to teach the unfamiliar “heavenly things” in terms that are understandable.

1. Patience in Waiting How Near is “Near”? A close study of these parables reveals that the kingdom has two aspects: a present, spiritual reality and a glorious reality still to come. All the apostles fixed their hope in the imminent coming of Jesus (Rom. 13:11, Heb. 10:25, James 5:9), but they never identify exactly when that would be.

1. Patience in Waiting How Near is “Near”? The word establish (sterizo) means to “fix firmly” or “strengthen.” Our hearts are to be so wedded to the Lord that they cannot be moved. Becoming settled in the truth (2 Pet. 1:12), withstanding temptation, and enduring trials and suffering for our faith (Acts 14:22) all contribute to this work.

1. Patience in Waiting Grumbling, Groaning, and Growing As the coming of the Lord approaches, “we have far more to fear from within than from without.... The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.” — EGW, Last Day Events 156.

Getting Ready for the Harvest 2. Models of Patience James 5:10, 11 NKJV “ M y brethren, take the prophets, who spoke the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Instead, 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.”

2. Models of Patience The Prophets T he prophets of Israel were faithful in preaching the Word of the Lord without altering or compromising it. Hebrews, in extolling the prophets’ fidelity to God, paints a clear picture: they “stopped the mouths of lions [Daniel], quenched the violence of fire [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego],

2. Models of Patience The Prophets escaped the edge of the sword [Elijah and Elisha],... had... imprisonment [Jeremiah and Micaiah],... stoned [Zechariah, son of Jehoiada],... sawn asunder [Isaiah],... [and] slain with the sword [see 1 Kings 19:10]” (Heb. 11:33–37).

2. Models of Patience Job Job’s sufferings are also proverbial, as is the patience he exemplified despite derision by his own wife and the censure of those who came to commiserate with him. “Patience” (makrothymias), or “longsuffering” or “forbearance” refers to the capacity to weather whatever life (or the devil!) throws at us.

Getting Ready for the Harvest 3. Patience in Speaking James 5:12 NKJV “ B ut 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.”

3. Patience in Speaking Transparent as the Sunlight O ur words reveal what is in our hearts: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34, NKJV). The theology of James is permeated with the thinking of Jesus, who commanded us: “Swear not at all; neither by heaven;...nor by the earth;...neither by Jerusalem....” (Matt. 5:34, 35).

3. Patience in Speaking Transparent as the Sunlight Jesus said all of this was evil: “ ‘Let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No” ’ ” (Matt. 5:37, NKJV). “Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight. Truth is of God; deception, in every one of its myriad forms, is of Satan.” —Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing 68.

3. Patience in Speaking Transparent as the Sunlight Keep these in mind when speaking the truth: first and foremost being that we seldom even know all the truth, even about ourselves, and so we must be humble. Second, when we do speak the truth, it should always be spoken in love and for the edification of those who hear.

Getting Ready for the Harvest Final Words “ T o wait patiently, to trust when everything looks dark, is the lesson that the leaders in God’s work need to learn. Heaven will not fail them in their day of adversity. Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on God....” —Prophets and Kings 174.