James in the Suburbs A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle of James

Review

So far in the Epistle of James: James taught us how to deal with our ________ by teaching us how to ask for ________without _________.

So far in the Epistle of James: James taught us how to deal with our problems by teaching us how to ask for wisdom without doubting.

So far in the Epistle of James: James taught us how to deal with our problems by teaching us how to ask for wisdom without doubting. James tells us that our lives should be ones of ____ and _________ Worship

So far in the Epistle of James: James taught us how to deal with our problems by teaching us how to ask for wisdom without doubting. James tells us that our lives should be ones of Pure and Undefiled Worship

So far in the Epistle of James: James taught us how to deal with our problems by teaching us how to ask for wisdom without doubting. James tells us that our lives should be ones of Pure and Undefiled Worship Everything from here on out in the book of James is an ________ of Pure and Undefiled Worship

So far in the Epistle of James: James taught us how to deal with our problems by teaching us how to ask for wisdom without doubting. James tells us that our lives should be ones of Pure and Undefiled Worship Everything from here on out in the book of James is an example of Pure and Undefiled Worship

The 10 Examples Impartiality Produces Good works Speaks Words that Bless Sows Seeds of Peace Does Not Judge Others Knows God is in Control Gives Resources to Others Endures until Christ Returns Speaks Truth Prays

Week 11: A Life of Worship Endures until Christ Returns

7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (Jam 5:7-11 NRS)

Parousia – the coming of the Lord Commonly used throughout the New Testament to describe the day when Jesus returns to earth as judge. Used in other 1C literature to describe the arrival of a royalty.

A place Jesus talked about the Parousia 21 For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be Then if anyone says to you, 'Look! Here is the Messiah!' or 'There he is!'-- do not believe it For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Mat 24:21-39 NRS)

So when will the Lord come?

7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (Jam 5:7-11 NRS)

Perhaps James is saying: “Christ’s return could transpire within a very short period --- not that it necessarily would happen immediately.”

How does James want us to respond to this idea of “hurry up and wait?”

7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (Jam 5:7-11 NRS)

Be Like a Farmer! Patience, but not a passive patience!

7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (Jam 5:7-11 NRS)

The Prophet Isaiah gets a Call... The Lord: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah: "Here am I; send me!" The Lord: 9 And he said, "Go and say to this people: 'Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.‘ 10 Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.“ (Isa 6:8-10 NRS)

How are we like Isaiah? 1.We are to speak truth about justice and righteousness. 2.We are to teach the world about Jesus. 3.We know that it will not be well received. 4.We have been waiting for Jesus’ return for a long time. 5.We are to endure.

The Prophet Isaiah gets Worn Out, endures... Isaiah: “Tear open the heavens and come down!... Surprise us with awesome deeds that we did not expect!” The Lord: (Nothing) Isaiah: “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isa 64 NRS)

Isaiah’s hope was temporarily misplaced when he asked God to take away his problems. But then he endures by realizing that God will use our problems and disappointments like the potter uses mud to form us into functional vessels for God’s use.

7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (Jam 5:7-11 NRS)

Job His friends accuse him of having sinned, but Job knew he had not. They encouraged him to curse God and die. But Job endured. Job: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side... (Job 19:25-27 NRS)

We too must persevere despite hardship, having faith that God has purpose, compassion, and mercy.

Liz’s Story

Week 12: A Life of Worship Speaks Truth

12 Above all, my beloved, 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. (Jam 5:12 NRS)

Pharisaic Truth Telling Swear by your head Swear by the earth Swear by heaven Swear by Jerusalem There were levels of swearing and the higher you went, the higher the consequence depending on whatever you swore by.

Truth Telling in Our Culture White Lies Lying by Omission Twisting the Truth Black Lies Swearing on a Bible There are levels of swearing and the higher we go, the higher the consequence depending on whatever you swore by.

Jesus’s Response (Sermon on the Mount) Jesus: “But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (Mat 5:34-37 NRS)

Why is truth telling so hard? Prophetic Truth: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer

Somethings Gotta Give Jack Nicholson: “I have never lied to you, I have always told you some version of the truth.” Diane Keaton: “The truth doesn't have versions, okay?”

“The truth may have many sides to it. It may be complicated or hard to understand, but it exists… in one version. Yet, most of us have trouble with the truth. We may not be outright liars, but we certainly shade the truth to make it fit more comfortably into our lives—to keep it from disrupting anything from our careers to our relationships to our afternoons.”

The Truth about Lying The average person is lied to 200 times a day. The average person lies 2 to 3 times in a 10 min conversation. The average person only detects lies in conversation 54% of the time. Lies are never discovered 75% of the time. 40% lie on their resumes 11% lie on their taxes 75% of lying is done to protect ourselves. 25% for the sake of others. 1 in 6 juries reach an incorrect verdict because they believe lies.

It is a control issue. We lie to control others actions, responses, and impressions. Why do we lie?

By omission By exaggerating By making promises (that we have no intent to keep) Through statistics that are unqualified (4 out of 5 Dentists... How many dentists were interviewed, which country, were they paid, etc.) Through denial (We have come to believe the lie) How do we lie?

What if Christians were different?