James part 9

Reaping the Harvest in Time

In preparing for today I came across and article from Inc in which the author lists “20 Brutal Truths About Life No One Wants to Admit.” The first two are, “You are going to die, and you have no idea when” and “Everyone you love is going to die, and you don’t know when.” It really is an uplifting article, just not in the ‘bubblegum’ way we’d prefer. 
No one really enjoys these kinds of brutal truths, but the fact is we need someone to point them out every once in awhile. Otherwise, we lose focus on what matters most. Hard times in life also have a way of making us reconcile what is truly important. 

Today, James is going to give us a harsh truth. If you happen to hold a measure of worldly wealth, he has a brutal truth. But just like those 20 brutal truths can actually have a positive effect if we pay attention to them, James has great encouragement for those who seek the Lord, and even those who are starting to seek the Lord. 

As we begin, allow James’ brutal approach to be encouragement to take stock in what matters most.

Judgement against earthly wisdom | James 5:1-12

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 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. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

James 5:1-6

James concludes his letter with a warning against those who follow earthly wisdom. Remember from chapters 3 and 4 those who follow earthly wisdom will inevitably find themselves in fights, jealousy, selfishness, and disorder. These things manifest largely in sociology-economic problems in the world, and the biggest culprits are those whose wealth comes from ill-gotten means. It reminds me of the proverb:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

Proverbs 10:2

Keep in mind James isn’t directing his attack towards the wealth. Money isn’t the problem. It is the selfish attitude of the rich. And even more, in James’ day, we know the wealthy in first century Israel, especially the wealthiest, made their riches off the backs of the poor. Recall back in James 2:6&7, James asks, 

Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

James 2:6&7

Their wealth is not built on the financial wisdom of Proverbs or from the blessings that flow from following the Lord. They have built their wealth on oppression of the poor, blaspheming God (which  undoubtedly refers to their relationship with Rome), and if we look closely at 5:4, taking a profit without paying their workers. 

The warning for these captains of industrial misery is to weep and howl while they can. Their treasure has been “laid up in the last days.” In other words, they have built a fortune that will soon disappear. “The gold and silver have corroded” and “moths have eaten your garments” are metaphors for the sin that is attached to their wealth. 

Earthly wisdom and sin offer shortcuts to wealth, but they only lead to death.

The riches and gain from earthly wisdom and sin comes with a price. That price is death and condemnation. Notice also James does not say they are unsuccessful in their earthly gains. They have been very successful living in the lap of luxury. The condemnation may not be visible on earth, but the end is coming. 

Having warned those who profit from sin, he turns to the persecuted.

Acting in Patience | James 5:7-12

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 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, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

But above all, my brothers, 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.

James 5:7-12

James reminds us to be patient. We are to be patient as we wait for the Lord just as the farmer is patient for the harvest. The farmer knows the harvest is coming, but the seasons must come and go, first. We can wait for the Lord knowing that as the signs of His coming grow stronger and louder, it only means salvation is on its way! There are times when the farmer may be concerned his crop will fail. Perhaps the rains won’t let up, and the fields start to flood. Or, perhaps the sun keeps scorching, and the heat still rises. He may have a year of plenty or a year of loss, but hopefully when the time comes, he will reap some kind of harvest. The Good News for us is that the harvest is coming. The Lord is on His way, and He will come without fail!

We can wait for the Lord with patient assurance, because He is on the way.

James says “establish your hearts.” The word for ‘establish’ is sterizo, and it is used throughout the New Testament. It can be rendered ‘establish’ or ‘strengthen’, or even ‘fix’. It refers to setting something in a permanent place. 

I learned a little engineering lesson when we built the playground. I was told I could use a type of foam to fix the playground equipment in the ground. Supposedly it’s used on fences, and it’s cheaper, easier to transport, and much easier to utilize in the ground. Earthly wisdom is like that. It’s cheaper, easier, and seems to work really well here on earth. But after dropping about 15 bags of the stuff throughout the playground, I noticed the equipment did not seem very fixed. In fact, one of our members was able to show just how “unfixed” it was by shaking the swing set back and forth. So, we had to pull it all out, and reset the equipment using actual concrete. Now, you can shake that swing set all you want, but it won’t budge. 

Some of us fix our hearts with cheap foam. We get a dose of the Bible here and there. We listen to an uplifting song every once in awhile. But when times of trouble come, we forget the Lord is still on His throne, and one day He will return. 

When James says “establish your hearts” he is telling us to use the sturdy stuff. Fix our hearts on the permanent truth of Jesus’ return and the coming collision of heaven and earth. 

And having fixed our hearts, we can then remember “the Judge is standing at the door.” We should not grumble against one another, because we are on mission together. We are judged as God’s people, and so we should act like God’s people. 

If we are God’s people who await the coming return of Jesus, then we should act like it.

If we need examples of patient endurance, James tells us to consider the Old Testament stories. Consider Job who suffered the death of his family, the loss of his earthly goods, and even the ridicule of his supposed friends. He endured it all for reasons that he never knew. But in the end, after the time of his testing was over, the Lord raised Job back giving him seven times what he lost. James also says to look at the prophets who valued the Word of God over everything else. They spoke truth to Israel in the face of hardships, in the face of invading armies, and in the face of fellow Israelites who did not want to hear the truth. They faced evil kings and queens who sought the death the prophets. They followed the Lord delivering His message regardless the consequences. 

Dear Christians, I can not tell you that God will give you seven times what you may lose during hardships. I will not presume to say God will grant every wish and the end of your life will come in luxury and comfort. What I can tell you is what James says, “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” Christ told us He will return, and when He does, He will usher in a new age in which heaven and earth merge and sin is destroyed. 

You may never recover what you lose here on earth, but I am convinced that by the time we get to heaven, it won’t matter to us anymore.

Before we look at that last verse, consider the contrast James has laid out for us. Earthly wisdom focuses on self and also the quick way to accomplish a goal. Why would the wealthy withhold the wages they owe their workers? Why would they oppress and pilfer from others? Because it’s quicker to get things by stealing from others. It’s not right, of course, but it is quicker. Earthly wisdom is all the shortcut. True wisdom, on the other hand, is about building wealth and patiently waiting for God’s design to work. God’s design for this world does work, but it requires patience. There are no shortcuts to true success. That’s why James spends 5 verses saying, “Just wait!” 

Heavenly wisdom calls us to wait for God’s timing, because it is the best timing.

Last, verse 12 is a reminder to remain honest. Above all else, be honest. It recalls Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:37. In that context Jesus points out the fact that we have no control over heaven and earth any more than we have control over making our hair white or black. (Some smarty-pants will point out hair coloring, but that just goes to the point. That doesn’t really change the hair color, just wait a couple of weeks and look at the roots. Hair coloring is a falsehood. It makes something appear different than it actually is. No, hair coloring isn’t sinful, pay attention.) What we do have control over is how we respond to any given situation. Jesus tells us to remain honest at all times. James reinforces this call to honesty in the context of patient endurance. 

Remaining honest at all times guards us from the traps of envy, impatience, and other various attitudes that lead to sin. 

It is difficult in this world of lies to remain honest. But if we can achieve this important step, then we can work out any differences we have. We can work through the passions that wage war against us. We will remain humble because we will speak honestly about our own struggles and our place in God’s Kingdom. Allow me to give you one more verse before we close.

John 8:31-59 records a conversation Jesus had with a group of Pharisees. We don’t have near enough time to go over the whole conversation, so I’ll give this portion to you for homework. But let me draw your attention to verses 31-32 and 44.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

…

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:31-32 & 44

First, Jesus gives the line that has been taken out of context and misused in many movies. “The truth will set you free.” If we follow Christ, if we abide in His word, then we will know the truth and that will set us free. But, if skip down to 44, we see that if we remain in lies and deal in lies, then we are simply following the father of lies. We cannot say we follow Christ but operate our lives with lies. Christ deals in truth and only truth. 

What we are left with is a great test for whether we are following earthly wisdom or heavenly. Ask yourself, “Am I being honest, fully honest, with the choice I am about to make.”

Today, be honest with yourself and those around you. Perhaps today may be the first day you take an honest look at your spiritual life. Are you truly following Christ? Ask God to help you be honest about your life and your soul. Then, take an honest assessment of your heart and mind. Turn to Jesus for forgiveness of your dishonesty, and strength to remain honest and patient in all circumstances.