James: Practical Faith
James 5:7-12
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
01-19-2025
Pearls
When an oyster gets a grain of sand, parasite, or food particle in its shell, there is no way to get rid of it. It irritates the inside of the oyster. The oyster probably prays, “Oh Lord, please take this irritation away from me.” But the grain of sand remains.
Over time, in order to deal with the inflammation, the oyster covers the sand with aragonite and conchiolin, which form nacre.
This process repeats itself many times until it forms something that we pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for - a pearl.
When life is unfair, when we are going through hardship, suffering, pain, or persecution, God wants to form pearls in us. But that takes time, patience, endurance and a trust that God’s process is for our good and His glory.
Review
Last week, James addressed the unbelieving rich with the power of an Old Testament prophet:
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.” (James 5:1-6)
He blasted them for hoarding wealth in the last days, defrauding laborers of their wages, living in self-indulgent luxury, and robbing the poor of life itself.
In the verses we will look at today, his focus moves from the oppressors to the ones that are oppressed. They are being treated unfairly. How should we respond when we are treated unfairly? Or people lie about us?
In Psalm 37, David gives us a hint of what James will say:
“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away…Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes…A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.” (Psalm 37:1-2, 5-7, 10)
James will make the point that we are to hold on, wait patiently and stand firm. Jesus, their Judge and our Redeemer is coming soon.
Please turn with me to James 5.
Prayer.
Be Patient
In response to being oppressed, persecuted, and mistreated, what is James’s command? Honestly, you may not like what he has to say.
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. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
The word that Paul uses next is “makrothymia,” which is translated as “patience” or your translation may use “forbearance.” Or it may have “long suffering,” a word literally invented in 1535. This term is a combination of long and passion, anger, or heat.
In the west, we don’t like to wait. We get frustrated at red lights that take too long to turn green. We don’t like to wait in line.
We live in an instant, microwave society.
Dr. Paul Brand writes,
?“People who live in technologically advanced societies live at a greater comfort levels - but seem far less equipped to handle suffering and are far more traumatized by suffering when it inevitably comes.”
It literally means that your anger is a long way off. This is not the word for patience that has to do with dealing with frustrating situations or circumstances. There is another Greek word for that.
This may be even harder to handle. This word means being slow to anger with people who irritate you!
I heard a story this week about a guy who was eating quietly at a local diner when three bikers walked in. The bikers walked over to him and one took his sandwich, the other his coffee, and the other knocked his hat off his head. The man said nothing, got up, silently paid the bill and left.
The bikers were laughing and said to the waitress, “He wasn’t much of a man, was he?” She responded, “He’s not much of a trucker either. He just ran over those three motorcycles that were sitting out front!
Another aspect of this patience is that one could take revenge on others but chooses not to.
This is hard. Maxine actually has told me that she would punch me in the throat if I prayed for patience in her life. Why? Because patience isn’t learned on a beach but in the trenches of real world relationships.
This is something that is sorely needed in our country right now. It seems like everyone’s nerves are frayed and there are a growing number of videos online that show people blowing their tops at others.
God exhibits this kind of patience. When giving Moses the Ten Commandments, God describes Himself this way:
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7)
Paul writes in Romans that we shouldn’t take this patience for granted:
“ So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Rom 2:3-4)
God is so patience with us. I’m so glad that He is patient with me!
I’m sure you have known people that were, by nature, patient people.
When I was young, I took guitar lessons. Each week I would come in and he would ask, “Are you ready to learn your scales?” And I would respond, “No! I want to learn “Rock you Like a Hurricane” by the Scorpions.”
So the next week, he would have the song all tabbed out and listened to me butcher it time and time again. All he would do is smile and say, “So far so good?”
I wish I had more of that natural disposition. Even though I’m a pastor, it doesn’t mean that I always get this right.
Several years ago, I took Maxine to the Illinois State Fair to see her favorite country group, “Lady Antebellum.” We were in the grandstands, sitting on metal bleachers.
Three women in front of us, who obviously had been doing a lot of day drinking, kept standing up in front of us. When they stood up, we couldn’t see so we stood up. There was a group of older people behind us and they asked us to sit down because now they couldn’t see.
I lightly tapped on one of the woman’s shoulders and ask her if they could please sit down because now half of our section couldn’t see. She smiled and said no problem and they sat down. Problem solved, right? Nope!
One of these ladies was a “Karen.” She turned around and started yelling at me that it was a concert and she would stand up if she wanted to. I tried to explain to her that when she stood up others couldn’t see.
She didn’t care. She actually called a security guard over and talked to him about it. I think that he told her it was best to sit down. She didn’t like that answer and turned around and started berating me again.
I wish I could tell you that I got my phone out and pulled up James 5 and shared the Gospel with her. But that’s not what happened. I’ll spare you the sinful details but let’s just say that my thumos wasn’t very makro!
In fact, we left during the encore because Maxine was afraid I might actually get into a fight!
Patience is an internal heart attitude that is displayed outwardly toward people that do not deserve it.
Paul knew that this kind of fruit isn’t natural to human beings and he told the Colossians:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Col 3:12-14)
How do we develop this patience?
By looking to Jesus. Jesus showed extraordinary patience with the twelve teenagers who He picked to be his disciples. How many times did they not get what He was teaching? How many times did they put their feet in their mouths? How many times did they see things in narrow-minded ways?
How often did the crowds simply want him to perform a magic trick? One of my favorite little phrases in the Bible in Mark 8:12 as He was answering the Pharisees. It said that He “sighed deeply.” This is such a human thing to do.
We need to look at people with Jesus’ eyes. Contemporary Christian Music Artist Brandon Heath wrote a song several years ago called, “Give me Your Eyes.” In it he prays:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
If we could see everyone around us the way God sees us, we could love and be patient the way He does.
Look at the illustration that James gives.
See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
Although the land of Israel has some of the richest soil in the world, Jewish farmers were often relegated to the hill county that was rocky and had little natural irrigation.
By the way, the early church writer Clement tells us that James and Jude were both farmers.
The fall rains, October and November, would soften the soil and allow planting to be done. The spring rains in March and April would help the crops to flourish.
Between the two rainy seasons, all they could was wait and trust the process. Imagine if the farmer dug up the seeds every couple of weeks to see what was happening. The crops would never mature.
Farmers are some of the most patient people I’ve ever known. They have very little control over the outcome. Too much rain and the crops will drown. Too little and the crops will be immature. If it’s too hot, the crops can be scorched.
They must simply wait and trust God for the results.
God wants to grow us, to mature us in Christ, and it is often in the waiting that we grow the most.
Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
The poor Christians could have chosen different reactions. They could have resorted to violence against their oppressors. But James echos the words of Solomon:
“Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.” *(Proverbs 20:22)
Be Ready
In the last two weeks, I’ve had three people ask me if we are living in the last days. In two of those instances, they were asking because of the fires in California.
I’ve seen Facebook posts about the fires and the end of the world.
If you don’t live in that area, you might not know that these fires happen every year. Some fire seasons are worse than others. And this is particularly bad.
If you build your house on an island off of Florida, you run the risk of a hurricane blowing your home away.
If you build your house in the forest in the hills of California, you run the risk of your house burning to the ground.
Theologically, the “last days” began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We are now in the fourth quarter. The next event on the calendar is the return of Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews begins the letter with these words:
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)
In I Peter 4:7, he writes that “the end of all things is near.”
At the ascension, when Jesus went back to heaven, the angel said:
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Most commentators believe that James was present at the ascension and heard the promise of Christ’s return firsthand.
Throughout the last 2,000 years, people have tried to predict when Jesus would come back.
Martin Luther, writing in the 1500s, said he would return in less than 100 years.
Christopher Columbus, who was a student of Bible prophecy, confidently stated that Jesus would return in 1656.
If anyone tries to tell you they know when Jesus will return, open your Bible and read Matt 24:36 to them:
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt 24:36)
What are some things we do know about the Second Coming?
* The second coming is referenced over 1,800 times in the Bible.
* His coming will be personally with a host of angels. His return will be visible and unmistakable to all. (Matt 25:26-27)
* He will come suddenly, like a thief in the night. (Matt 24:43-44)
* His coming will bring an end to human history and the final judgment of mankind. (Matt 24:37-40)
Believers should always be prepared for His coming. (Matt 24:42-25:13)
His second coming, He will establish His universal and cosmic reign as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:11-21)
“Christ does not return to do some new or different work. His return in glory will be to consummate the finished work of His life, death, and resurrection. At His coming, He will be revealed in all His glory to all principalities and powers. That which the believer now grasps by faith will be open to every eye…Although the Lamb will ever be the Lamb, for the glorified Christ is exalted on account of His sufferings, nevertheless the majesty of the Lion will shine forth from the Lamb at His second coming.” - Graeme Goldsworthy
Look at what James writes. How long should we have patience? “Until the Lord’s coming.” In verse two, he commands us to stand firm because “The Lord’s coming is near.”
Some time ago, I saw a t-shirt that read, “Christians, it’s been 2,000 years. Get over it. Jesus is not coming back.”
In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter responses to these scoffers that were saying that Jesus taking too long to return:
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
You could be the reason that Jesus hasn’t returned yet! He may have given you one more chance to place your faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins!
In my favorite book of the Chronicles of Narnia, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lucy asked Aslan:
"Please, Aslan," said Lucy, "what do you call soon?" "I call all times soon," said Aslan; and instantly he was vanished away."
If it is true that Jesus could come back….right…now….then how should we live?
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (I Peter 3:10-12)
Martin Luther gave us our marching orders:
“Live as if Jesus was crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today, and is returning tomorrow.”
The fact that Jesus is coming back to judge the wicked and to rescue the redeemed is enough to give us hope while we wait.
Stand Firm
Let’s look at verse 8 again because there is another command for us:
“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
James commands them to stand firm. This means to “strengthen your heart.” This can mean to physically strengthen yourself for a long journey, or the courage to trust in the Lord, or firmness of intention. It can mean to prop up or cause to stand.
It’s the same word used when Luke says that Jesus “resolutely set His face toward Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51)
In I Sam, David and his men return to their home base of Ziklag and
“…found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep…David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters.” (I Sam 30:3-4,6)
How did David respond? Exactly the way James commands us to respond to oppression and being treated unfairly:
“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (I Sam 30:9, ESV)
God promises to provide us the strength to wait well but we have to stand firm.
We see the same principle in Philippians 2:
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)
Tom Petty captured this:
Well, I won’t back down / No I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down
No I'll stand my ground / Won’t be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground / And I won't back down
Whenever I come to this word in James, I’m reminded of the anonymous man who stood down a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square in China. That’s the perfect picture of what God wants us to do.
But how do we get that strength and courage? By enduring opposition, persecution, and unfair treatment with patience, grace, and shalom in our hearts.
I saw a quote on Facebook this week:
“In the gym, the weight doesn’t get easier to lift, you get stronger.
In life, events don’t get easier to handle, you become, through trials, better equipped to handle them.”
Paul wrote to the Roman Christians:
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
I was getting my hair cut this week by a former student of mine. We were talking about what happened ten years ago this month at my former church and she said, “The way that you and Maxine were treated was so unfair. I just don’t understand how you guys dealt with that.”
I told her that we decided, at the very beginning of the process, that we would honor the Lord with our words and actions. In order to do that, we went radio silent. While rumors, accusations, and totally false stories swirled around us, we stayed quiet and “shallomed” those who were causing so much pain.
Was it fun? Absolutely not. Were there tears of anger and frustration? Plenty. But we knew that the purpose is in the process and the process is the purpose. God wanted to grow us and teach us very important things and if we raged on social media or attacked those attacking us, we would short-circuit the results.
Don’t Grumble
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
The word “grumbling” is an onomatopoeia - it sounds like what it means. It means to mutter under your breath.
?
James probably had in mind the children of Israel when he wrote this.
Moses led them out of Egypt and out of slavery. They saw God do miracle after miracle. And yet, when they were trapped at the Red Sea they grumbled against Moses - did you bring us out of Egypt so we could die here?
God parted the Red Sea and they crossed over on dry land. Then there was no water and they grumbled again. God miraculously gave them water from a rock.
Then they started to complain about the lack of food. They went so far as to talk about all the food they missed in Egypt - when they were slaves!
God fed them manna in the wilderness.
It should have taken them two weeks to get to the Promised Land but every time they grumbled and complained God, like my junior high basketball coach, said, “Give me one more lap around the desert!”
That entire generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, died in the desert because of their grumbling.
God made it clear to Moses that they were not grumbling against Moses but against God Himself.
This is a serious sin. James writes that the Judge is standing at the door. And that Judge, Jesus, said:
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36)
When Mt. St. Helen’s erupted on March 27,1980, it killed 57 people. Many people were caught unaware because the volcano did a very interesting thing. He didn’t erupt out of the top but it blew the whole side of the mountain off.
We do that. We are mad at the boss so we yell at the kids. We are frustrated with our kids so we kick the dog.
When we are suffering, or being treated unfairly, emotions can build up and oftentimes we take it out on the people closest to us.
Grumbling and complaining is, at its very root, pride. We think that we deserve better.
There are companies that have a “no complaining” rule.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have complaints.
When I started as a youth pastor, I walked into Pastor Brian’s office with a clipboard and a list of complaints.
Brian said, “Before we begin, I want to ask two questions. First, is that a list of complaints? And, you wouldn’t bring a list of complaints to me without proposing possible solutions, right?
I stared at my list and said, “I’ll be back.” I returned with a much shorter list and for each complaint, I had a possible solution.
Complaining, grumbling, and arguing can destroy the unity of any church.
And you miss out on the joy of seeing God work.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
"Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others. But you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself going on forever like a machine. It’s not a question of God 'sending' us to hell. In each of us, there is something growing, which will BE hell unless it is nipped in the bud.”
Pastor Skip Heitzig gives a perfect word picture for this. He says that grumblers build moats around them to keep others at a distance. He encourages us to drain the moat and build bridges instead.
It’s been shown that if you do something for twenty-one days it can become a habit. As you leave, there are rubber bands on the table.
If this is an area of challenge for you, then take a rubber band and place it on your right wrist for the next 21 days.
Every time you catch yourself complaining or grumbling or arguing, move the rubber band to your left wrist. Let’s try three weeks of no grumbling, arguing, or complaining and see what God does.
Don’t give Up!
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered.
Prophets were called by God to speak His words, many times to people who did not want to hear them.
Moses led a grumbling, stiff-necked people through a desert for forty years
Noah preached for 120 years that the world would flood while people laughed at him.
David was hunted by King Saul for seven years, often hiding in caves. He did nothing to deserve this.
Elijah was threatened with death by Queen Jezebel.
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, spoke words of warning to the Israelites and they threw him down a well and left him to die.
Hosea’s wife committed adultery and was sold into slavery.
John the Baptist was beheaded.
In the book of Hebrews, the writer lists what we now call the “Hall of Faith” in chapter 11:
"There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them.” (Hebrews 11:35-38)
These prophets were examples, models, for us for what to do when life gets hard, when we suffer, when we lose our job or marriage through no fault of our own, when we are lied about or mistreated.
He calls us to not give up!
Did you know that last Friday was “quitters day.” It’s when most people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions.
The great boxer of old, Gentleman Jim Corbett, was asked, “What’s the secret to your boxing success?” He answered, “I just always fight one more round.”
The word that James uses is “perseveres.” This word means “to endure, to remain under.” It’s the idea of staying power or “holy toughness.”
Churchill, in one of his most famous speeches to a group of students, said, “Never, never, never give up!” And then sat back down.
He gives the ultimate example of perseverance - Job.
You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Job was a righteous, upright, and blameless man. He was a good father and was very wealthy.
Satan approached God and basically said, “The only reason Job serves You is because of how much you’ve blessed him. Take all that away and he will curse you to your face.”
God gives satan permission to attack Job but made it clear that he could not kill him.
In one day, Job lost all ten of his children, all of his livestock, all of his wealth. How did he respond?
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” (Job 1:20-22)
Satan approached God again and said, “If you allow me to attack his health, he will curse you to your face.”
God granted permission and satan afflicted him with painful sores from his feet to his head. How did he respond?
“Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job 2:8-10)
Three of his friends came to comfort him and did a great job by just sitting quietly with him for a week. But then, they opened their mouths.
They accused Job of secretly harboring sin and pride and that must be why God is punishing him.
For about 30 chapters, Job endures this. They are completely wrong but there is no way of knowing what we know is happening behind the scenes.
What I love about Job is that he didn’t just spout Sunday school answers. He cries, yells, wishes he had never been born, and demands an audience with God to plead his case.
He doesn’t understand what is happening and why it is happening. He is brought as low as a human can go.
Yet, in chapter 13, we read these magnificent words of trust:
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him…Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance.” (Job 13:15-16)
That is faith. Job understood that God was working behind the scenes to bring about His purposes for His glory and Job’s good.
At the end of the book, the narrator says,
“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.” (Job 42:12)
It’s the same sentiment that echo in Joseph’s words when he speaks to his brothers, who kidnapped him, threw him in a well, and then human trafficked him:
“But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:19-20)
As John Piper has said for years,
“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and at any given time you may be aware of three of them.”
Mel Gibson lost his house in the California wild fire s
Do you believe that? Do you believe God has a purpose in your pain and that He is working out a peculiar kind of glory through your suffering? Do you believe He is full of compassion and mercy? Not just in general but toward you?
We are going to come back to that question in just a minute.
But let’s look at the last verse in this section.
Speak Truth
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.
First, we need to understand that this verse is not talking about cussing. It’s not saying swear words but the swearing of oaths that James is writing about here.
Also, this doesn’t prohibit us from swearing on a Bible in court, as I’ve had to do many times.
James knows his half-brother’s words from the sermon on the mount well.
Jesus said it this way:
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37)
Often when we are suffering, we are prone to make oaths or promises to God that in reality we have no intention of keeping.
If you get me out of this mess, whatever the mess might be, I’ll go to church every week…I’ll give more to the poor…I’ll listen to more Barry Manilow.
This happened to Martin Luther. On July 2, 1505, he was caught in a terrible thunderstorm. He took shelter under a large granite rock and prayed, “If you get me out of here alive, I’ll become a monk.” He did survive and did become a monk and then later nailed 95 thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Church, starting the Protestant Reformation!
Oaths were common in the Old Testament. But by James’s time, the rabbi’s had developed a loophole. If you swore to God, it was a binding oath. If you swore by anything else, it was a nonbonding oath.
It’s the equivalent in our culture to crossing your fingers behind your bag. It give you permission to lie.
What James, and Jesus are saying is to tell the truth. Period. You don’t need to say that you swear to God. You don’t need to say, “I’ll put my hand on a Bible.”
In fact, the more you do that, the more I find myself doubting the truth of what the person is saying.
Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be a person who people can trust your words to be true.
Though He Slay Me
God’s desire for us all is to grow pearls of radical faith out of our hard times.
Near the end of Job, he makes one of the most amazing declarations in all the Bible. In the midst of his grief, frustration, and suffering, he says:
“Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:23-27)
I’ve shown this video before, but I really believe that someone needs to see hear this today.
Ending Video: Though He Slay Me (YouTube)
