11/27 Sermon on James, Part 10

Last Sunday was the tenth and final installment in the sermon series on the Bible's New Testament book of James, delivered at The Family Church here in Gainesville by Pastor Philip Griffin.  The focus was James 5:7-20, reproduced here in the New International Version by means of the Bible Gateway website:

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
¹² Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. ¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Pastor Philip divided the sermon into four parts: practice patience, guard your heart, rely on prayer, and don't give up on each other.  He painted a word picture he credits to a Pakistani who compared hard times to being in boiling water: do you respond in such circumstances like an egg with a hardened shell...or like a potato, softening and more easily molded?  Don't be an egg, be a potato!  The pastor also pointed out that the passage gives three examples about how the wisdom of patience is demonstrated by the farmer, the prophets, and Job.  As for guarding one's heart, Verse 12 is about saying yes or no without having the need to buttress one's own statements with oaths...I personally felt that this was a bit confusing: the text seems to condemn taking oaths, notwithstanding what the pastor said...maybe I'd understand this section better were I to know the cultural background through which the author wrote it.  Regarding the importance of relying on prayer, our church, at the end of the service, followed James' advice and had the elders anoint with oil those with needs and pray for them.  And the last couple of verses remind me of that great old Hollies hit He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother...we don't give up on our brothers and sisters...and hopefully they don't give up on us...

So there you have it: the book of James covered in ten sermons...with my own layman's reactions.  Should you want to hear Pastor Philip Griffin's sermons for yourself, click on this YouTube link for the series: [link].  Also, I have placed links below for each of the articles that I've written about the sermons (click on the number of each sermon):

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9