James 5:7-18
*Who is it
about? Us or God? What did you learn about God in this passage?
*James opens by
encouraging the believers to stand firm and wait patiently (vs.7-11)
- wait patiently for what? (For Jesus' return when all will be
made right; he warns/encourages them about the judgment to come.)
*James makes the
shift from swearing, to its opposite: praying (vs.12). He instructs
the believers when to pray: in times of trouble, when they're happy,
sick, etc. – they should pray in all circumstances.
*James instructs
the believers to call upon the elders of the church for prayer. In
the previous passages he just finished warning them about their
actions towards each other (favoritism, bitter envy, slander,
quarrels, etc.). This command to pray together would mean that there
would need to be unity and submission in the church body, which would
unleash the power of believers praying together (Matthew 18:19-20;
John 15:7-17).
*They should pray
in the name of the Lord Jesus which is another expression of
submission. It is acknowledging God's right to be God, and allowing
Him to do what He wants according to His ways, not ours. How
do you usually pray? Wanting God to give you what you want? Or asking
for what He wants?
*They should pray
in faith, not doubting God's good will, and not demanding of God, but
accepting what He gives as the answer.
*They should
confess their sins, which would be evidence of repaired
relationships. “As a first result of their hardships, their
relationship with God has been suffering. They are falling into
temptation to doubt God (1:6), to blame God (1:13) and to bargain
with God (5:12). James is directing them back to God in faith with a
reliance on him in prayer.” Is repentance and confession hard
for you to do in front of others?
* “A second
result of their adversities is that their relationships with each
other have been suffering... He points out the oneness we have with
each other because of our common need for forgiveness. If we
consciously stand together before God as sinners needing grace and
wanting righteousness, that stance has compelling application to our
relationships. Instead of judging each other, we will be driven to
confess to each other. Instead of desiring to place guilt on each
other, we will become eager to forgive each other. Instead of moving
to criticize, we will move to intercede for each other. ((Explain))
This, too, James learned from Jesus (Mt 5:23-24; 6:12-15; 7:1-5).”
“This is the
message of grace. God gives good gifts because he is full of
compassion and mercy. Grace is the element in God's character which
James wants his readers to know with absolute confidence. The
Christian can be patient in suffering and consider trials pure joy
because of the assurance that God will give wonderfully good gifts
even through the hardships. Fundamental for Christian practice is
Christian belief.
*What is the truth about God? Is he this God of
grace or not? We are called over and over in James's letter to
believe this truth – believe it, believe it, believe it. And then
act accordingly. Put belief into practice by being patient in the
endurance of suffering.”
Commentary help from:
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Instead-Be-Patient
Bible Study credit: Terri Stellrecht http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/
