How to Get Through Difficult Times

How to Get Through Difficult Times

James 5:7-12

What do you do when you are going through a difficult time? Is there certain music you listen to? Certain foods you eat? Certain people you talk to? Certain movies you watch? It seems like at our house when we’re going through a difficult time with sickness, we will eventually break out the movie Elf with Will Farrell. It doesn’t matter if it is in the middle of June, there’s something about that movie that is therapeutic. Perhaps it is the raccoon that buddy tries to hug, or maybe the impromptu singing telegram. Is there a way the world will tell you how to deal with difficult situations?

In this life there is always two ways of doing something—the worldly way, and the godly way. We’ve discussed before how the ruler of this world is Satan and he is diabolically opposed to God in every area. So it seems reasonable that we should discuss ways to get through a difficult time in our lives and see if it is how God would want us to get through it, or if it is just another one of Satan’s ploys to destroy us.

How many of you have ever seen the process of a caterpillar making a cocoon, and then becoming a butterfly? How many of you have ever seen a butterfly emerge from a cocoon live, and in person? That butterfly really struggles to get out of that cocoon. Remember the cocoon was built to fit snugly around a chubby little worm. A butterfly is much larger and has tremendously delicate wings. Our natural instinct while watching a butterfly emerge is to try and help it by pulling the cocoon off with our fingers, or cutting it back with some scissors. Do you know what would happen if we did that? The butterfly struggling, and squeezing its way out of the cocoon is actually forcing fluids out of one area of the wings and spreading it throughout the rest of the wings. If the struggling process didn’t occur the wings would be too heavy for the butterfly to lift, and it would walk around dragging its wings until it eventually died.

When we are going through a difficult time in our lives and we try to shorten it, or numb the pain with drugs, sex, alcohol, or whatever solution the world offers us, we are really doing ourselves more damage than good. Just like the butterfly, God has a reason for our struggles, and He has a plan for us to get through it.

Last week I discovered I had skipped a section so I had to go back and cover it. So if you remember from two weeks ago we talked about how James condemned those who oppressed the poor. Today’s section piggy backs that last section and comforts those who are being oppressed by giving them a plan to get through persecution. We have to remember that the book of James was written to Jews who had accepted Christ as their savior and because of that would have been disowned by their unbelieving family, kicked out of their synagogues (which would be like getting kicked out of your church), fired from their jobs, and lost all of their friends. They were feeling the heat of persecution.

Today’s passage is James 5:7-12, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned.^[a] Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! ¹⁰ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. ¹² But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.”

One of the reasons I like the book of James so much is because it is very practical. Here in this passage we have James offering six different ways to deal with the persecution in just five verses (7-11).

1)      Be Patient—until the coming of the Lord.

Many times we fall into the trap of believing that how it is right now is how it will always be. It doesn’t really matter what the circumstances are, they’re pretty much interchangeable. New parents believe they will be changing diapers forever. Frustrated parents dealing with toddlers cannot foresee a day when they don’t have to force feed their children and clean up food all over the place after each meal. Someone working in a dead end job cannot foresee ever having a satisfying job. Students have been in school almost their entire lives, and feel like they will be in school the rest of their lives, too. Cleveland Browns fans cannot imagine a day when their team will be relevant again. There are a million different examples we could use, but the fact remains the same, there will be a day when Jesus will return to earth and right every wrong. He promised to do so, and we know He keeps His word. BTW, one out of every thirteen verses in the New Testament refers to the second coming of Christ. If it is mentioned that often, I would assume that He means to keep His promise.

So if we are going through a rough time we should remember that Jesus is coming back, and we just have to wait patiently for that to happen. It could be anytime now. Do you know what has to happen for Christ to return? Nothing. The next item on God’s to do list is to return.

It’s also interesting to note that a persecuted church waits with greater expectancy and anticipation for the second coming than does the affluent church. It’s not hard to figure out why. Let’s imagine you are in a secret church in China. For the last six months there has been a mole in your little home church, and now the Chinese government is systematically tracking down your leaders and executing them. If one of them breaks and tells them your name, or if the mole knows about you, you will be killed next. Now picture yourself in a very wealthy suburb in America. Your church doesn’t meet secretly in someone’s home, you meet in a multi-million dollar building with 100’s of thousands of dollars worth of cars parked in the parking lot, and then go home to 100’s of millions of dollars worth of houses. You have a high paying job, live in a fancy house with a heated pool, and you’re a member of a fitness club. Which of these two scenarios would you imagine is praying for Christ’s return to be extremely imminent?

James then gives an example of waiting patiently. He uses the illustration of a farmer. A farmer in Israel would plant his crops in the late fall—October or November. At this time there would be a rainy season that James calls the early rains, then there would be a period of normal off and on rain, and finally what James calls the latter rain which would have been around March or April. Now imagine you were a small farmer. You planted your crops having faith that they would grow. You worked the soil, and waited patiently. As the months wore on, you began eating the last of your food and may have had a few nights of prayer and fasting as you waited for the crops to be harvested. James’ point—you also be patient as the farmer was patient.

2)      The judgment is coming 

When Christ returns we anticipate that He will make all things right, but verse 9 says that judgment is coming, too. We want to make sure that as we’re going through persecution that we keep a proper perspective, otherwise we will fall into a period of frustration and anger. Have you ever been frustrated and mad about one thing and took it out on everyone and everything else? You have a bad day at school and you are short with your friends, your parents, and anyone else you come into contact with. You don’t even have to say anything—it’s your general disposition that makes everyone else miserable. The Bible calls this murmuring, and it’s one of the reasons the Israelites took a forty year walk in the wilderness.

Back when I was a kid, it was not against the rules for a teacher to leave their classroom. In fact it was quite common, because they may have had to go to the office to get copies made. When that happened we knew we had a few minutes to do things we wouldn’t be allowed to do when she was there. Occasionally, the teacher came back when we weren’t expecting her and I would get in trouble. We don’t know when Jesus will return, so we should behave as if his return was imminent. This will keep our hopes up, and our butts out of trouble.

3)      Follow the Servants

James was speaking to people living in the New Testament times and used Old Testament saints and prophets as an example of people who endured persecution. Today we have the advantage of using OT, NT, and saints throughout history as our examples. Jesus said in John 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” He endured persecution. Who else endured persecution in the OT? David endured the harsh treatment by King Saul. Moses endured the rebellion and complaining of the entire Israel nation. Elijah was hounded by Ahab and the evil queen Jezebel, and eventually was sawed in half with a wooden saw. God told the prophet Ezekiel that he was going to use his wife as an illustration. The illustration was that God suffered the loss of his loved one, Israel. Ezekiel would suffer the loss of his loved one as his wife died on the spot. The prophet Jeremiah suffered wrongs repeatedly and yet said, “Why should any living mortal or any man offer complaint in view of his sins?" He suffered. He endured.

4)      Blessed are the Persecuted

Verse 11 says “we count them blessed who endure.” It does not say, “we count them blessed who inherit a fortune.” Or “we count them blessed who spill coffee on their crotch and sue for millions.” Or “we count them blessed who win the lottery.” Today we confuse what a real blessing is. If you want to blessed you will have to endure. And if you’re already enduring, you might as well endure to the end and get a blessing for it. I remember a pastor told me when I was going through a difficult time in my life, “Take the high road in everything you do and you will be blessed.” I did and I am.

5)      The Ends Justifies the Means  

Just like the butterfly squeezing out of the cocoon, the struggle was hard but the end result justified what had to happen to get there. Verse 11 says, “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” If you were Job, you would have gone from very wealthy, healthy, and had a large family in the morning to being very poor, almost all of your servants were dead, all of your children were dead, you were disease ridden, all of your friends piled on and insulted you, and your wife suggested that you curse God and die by afternoon. Compassionate and merciful probably wouldn’t be the two words you would use at the time. BUT, Job saw the end that God had in mind and did not forsake God through the entire ordeal. In the end, Job had ten more children, and all of his property was doubled from what it was before. The truth is you never see God as clearly during the good times as you do during the bad times.

6)      God’s Character

It’s always a good idea before you come to a conclusion about anything to take in the whole scope of the situation. Maybe your best friend was rude to you. Does one rude act wipe out 10 years of faithful friendship? Or do you consider every good thing about that person before you come to a conclusion? God might be putting you through a trial but does that mean that He doesn’t care about you anymore? Does that mean you’ve lost your salvation? Does that mean that He is no longer trustworthy or faithful? No, Romans 8:28 says that God works out all things for those who love Him and are called to His purpose. God is still merciful and compassionate. He has eternity past of history of Him never letting anyone down. We can trust Him.

Can you trust him with your soul?

  

           

      

God's Will

God’s Will for Your Life

James 4:13-17

          What do you think of when you hear the words “God’s will” or “the will of God.” And please don’t say that song by Martina Mcbride. When I think of God’s will I think of basically two different visual images. One is an image of a target—like a dart board. The other is simply a circle. I have a saying I use quite a bit when I talk about my walk with God. I say, “I want to be in the center of God’s will.” This leads me to the visual images. If you picture the circle—which represents God’s will, is just being inside of that circle enough? “I’m inside the circle. I’m right on the edge and leaning out but technically I’m still in it.” Whether or not that is good enough is between you and God, but for me I want to be in the exact center of His will. That’s where the dart board comes in, because it has a bull’s eye.  I’d rather be as close to the center as I can be, rather than on the border. I’d rather be fully obedient, than barely obedient. When you guys have boyfriends or girlfriends, or when you get married, would you rather have your significant other be fully committed or barely committed? Fully faithful, or barely faithful?

            Let’s look at an example—pre-marital sex. Outside of the circle is having pre-marital sex. Inside the circle is not having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Riding the line is doing everything short of having sex. Is this God honoring? Is this following the letter of the law or the intent of the law? By the way, I think doing everything short of having sex is still outside of God’s will and is a sin.

            Today we’re going to look at God’s will through the book of James in 4:13-17. We’ll look at how we respond to God’s will in three different ways: Ignorance; arrogance; and obedience.

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will^[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

            Perhaps the first way we respond to God’s will is through “Ignorance.” Some people don’t realize that there is a God. Perhaps they were never told about God. And if they don’t believe in God then they certainly can’t believe in, or follow God’s will. Someone who doesn’t know that God has a will for their lives can almost be excused for saying things like “Today or tomorrow we will^[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit” because that is something businessmen and women do. If they didn’t plan their businesses they would fail. But God has a plan for each one of us, and to make plans without acknowledging that God might have something in store for us is wrong and is a sin.

            I said that someone who doesn’t know that God existed can almost be excused for saying things like, “Today or tomorrow we will^[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit,” but they still aren’t excused. How many of you know John 3:16? But what does John 3:18 say? “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but He who does not believe in Him is condemned already.” People think that if you choose Jesus you get to go to heaven. If you don’t choose Him nothing happens. They think it’s like dessert, you can get some if you want but it’s no big deal if you don’t, you still got to eat. John 3:18 says we are already on the path to go to hell, and we have to choose Jesus to get off of that path.

            James 4:15 says, “Instead we should say, ‘If the Lord wills we shall live and do this or that.’” That is a proper response to planning our lives while acknowledging that God has a plan for us that just might override ours.

            James says in verse 14 that we don’t have a clue as to what will happen tomorrow, so how can we possibly plan anything anyways? Only God knows what tomorrow will bring. To illustrate how futile it is to try and plan our lives imagine you have ten pennies. You label each of them 1 through 10 in succession, each getting one number. Now put them in your pocket and try to draw them out one at a time in numerical succession. (Pull out number one first, put it back in. Pull out number two second, put it back in. Pull out number three third, put it back in, etc.) The chances of pulling number one out first is 1 in 10. After putting number one back in, the chances of pulling out number two second is 1 in a 100. After putting number two in, pulling out number three next would be 1 in a 1,000. After putting number three in, pulling out number four next would be 1 in 10,000. Pulling the numbers 1 through 10 in perfect order would have the odds of 1 in 10,000,000,000. (One in ten billion). If we can’t manage pennies in our pockets, how could we possibly manage everything else that happens in our lives?    

            The first response could be ignorance. The second response could be “Arrogance.” Ignorance is not knowing. Arrogance is knowing and choosing to do the opposite, as if you knew better than God. Let’s go back to the original example James gives, “Today or tomorrow we will^[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit.” In this response, we have to assume the person knows God, knows God has a will for their life, and still made plans dismissing the fact that God had a plan for them. James calls this “boasting in [our] arrogance, and all such arrogance is evil.” When I think of knowing God’s plan and choosing to do something else, I think of Jonah. Remember God told him to go to Nineveh. Jonah got in a boat and went as far away in a different direction as possible. Why? Because he didn’t want Nineveh to repent and get saved. 

            Jesus tells a parable of another man who may not have been as arrogant as Jonah, but still didn’t factor in what God wanted him to do with his life when he planned his future. This story is told in Luke 12:16-21, “Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

            He didn’t pray, “God, how shall I spend this blessing you’ve given me?” He didn’t think about how he could bless others with it. All he could think about was building bigger barns so he could keep it for himself, not knowing that he was going to die that night.

            The first way we might respond to God’s will is through ignorance, the second arrogance, but the third way would be the best way and that is through “Obedience.” It has been said that our answer should be “Yes, Lord” before we even know what the request is. God says, “Hey, Adam. I have something I want you to do…” “I’ll do it.”

            Let’s look at verse 17. This is not a verse just tagged on at the end that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” This makes people think of sins of omission versus sins of commission. Sins of omission are sins because you have not done something. Sins of commission are sins because you did do something. Unfortunately, sins of omission always leads to sins of commission because we do not exist in a vacuum. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say God tells you to buy a homeless man a cheeseburger. Anything you do in the process of you not buying that homeless man a cheeseburger is a sin. God tells you to buy a cheeseburger, you read your Bible instead—it’s a sin. God tells you to go to Paraguay as a missionary for a year, you go to seminary—it’s a sin. If God tells you to do something, and you don’t do it, whatever it is that you do instead is a sin.   

  

Are We Supposed to Judge or Not?

Are We Supposed to Judge or Not?

James 4:11-12

I’m going to read to you a group of names and you tell me what the common connection is:

(American Idol)        

-Simon Cowell            -Paula abdul                -Randy Jackson           -Steven Tyler

(America’s Got Talent)

-Piers Morgan              -Sharon Osborne         -Howie Mandel           -David Hasselhoff

(Dancing With the Stars)

-Len Goodman            -Carrie Ann Inaba       -Bruno Tonioli

(Florida Supreme Court Justices)

-Charles Canady         -Barbara Pariente        -Fred Lewis     -Peggy Quince                        -Ricky Polston           

-Jorge Labarga            -James Perry

(U.S. Supreme Court Justices)

-John Roberts              -Antonin Scalia           -Anthony Kennedy     -Clarence Thomas       -Ruth Bader Ginsburg            -Stephen Breyer          -Samuel Alito              -Sonio Sotomayor       -Elena Kagan

            What are all of these people known for? Some are known for other things, but in this grouping they are all judges. Some judges judge people’s talents and abilities, while others judge between what is legal, illegal, constitutional, or unconstitutional.

            But what does the Bible say about judging? Is the Bible for or against judging? If it is against judging, why is there an entire book of the Bible called “Judges”? Wouldn’t it be more fittingly called, “Sinners”?

            Finish this sentence for me, “Judge not _____________________.” Jesus actually said that in His most famous sermon. So we should probably just go with what He said then, right? Especially since it was in His most famous sermon, and not something overheard by someone else while he was playing darts with Peter. The passage goes on to say, “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-4)

            Pretty simple. We shouldn’t judge other people because when we do, it opens the door for someone to judge us. And when someone judges us, they can use the same standard of measurement against us as we used against them. Do you all know who Joan and Melissa Rivers are? Joan is a very funny comedienne, but lately she has become more famous as a fashion critic of celebrities at red carpet events. Joan and her daughter even have a show called “Fashion Police.” It doesn’t matter what personal issue the celebrity maybe facing (flu, pregnancy, death in the family) they will criticize that person pretty harshly by how they are dressed, accessorized, made up, and how their hair is done. She has made a career out of judging people’s appearances, and in the process has opened herself up to being judged by the same merciless standard. In fact, when I googled her name one of the results was “Joan Rivers without makeup.” Did the photographer care that she didn’t have make-up? No. Perhaps she was having a bad day or just woke up. Doesn’t matter. Why? Because no excuse was valid enough for her to stop her criticism of others. She is being judged by the same standard she judged others by.

            But what else does the Bible say about judging? Let’s look at 1 Cor. 6:1-5,” Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? ² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ³ Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? ⁴ If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? ⁵ I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?”

            “Ok, so we’re supposed to judge then. Now I’m confused.” Perhaps there’s a difference between judging legal issues and personal preferences. What was happening in Corinth was this group of believers, the First Baptist Church of Corinth, would fight and argue over stupid things and then take their cases to the Roman/ pagan courts making a mockery of Christianity in the process. “You Christians say you’re all about love but you can’t seem to find a solution to who this chicken belongs to.” Paul was embarrassed. He said that we will eventually judge the world with Christ, and judge the angels, we should be able to handle a few cases on our own. This was an example of church discipline, as Jesus laid out in Matthew 18.

            Let’s read our passage for today and see if we can shed a little more light on the subject. Our passage comes from James 4:11-12, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹² There is one Lawgiver,^[a] who is able to save and to destroy. Who^[b] are you to judge another?”

            Here James makes a distinction between who the judges are, who lawmakers are, and what our role should be. Ultimately, He is the judge and the lawmaker. And when we speak evil and judge another brother, we speak evil and judge the law, and ultimately God. James is very clear that we are not to do that.

            So how do we make sense of all of this? We are not to judge others based on our personal preferences. We are to judge others in legal and moral matters, if we’ve been selected for that task, but we need to remember where we are in the totem pole. God is the ultimate judge, and we are mere representatives of Him. What happens when we elect judges, or elect politicians who appoint judges who do not believe in God, or follow His standards? Bad things. Roe Vs. Wade comes to mind. The constitutionality of gay marriages is another. Next time you’re on the internet google “Post Birth Abortion” and see what comes up.

            Let me wrap it up with one last visual image. People are always saying things like “You can’t judge me,” “Who are you to judge me?,” and Tupac even had tattooed on his torso, “Only God Can Judge Me.” Ok, I will agree with you that for the most part we are not supposed to judge, but we are called to be fruit inspectors. Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

            A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit. I have a mandate from God to inspect fruit, and if the tree is not bearing good fruit to cut it down. You say it is ok to drink, let’s inspect the fruit. “Pornography never hurt anyone”—let’s inspect the fruit. “Abortion is victimless”—let’s inspect the fruit. “I don’t need to go to church every week. I can worship God while fishing”—let’s inspect the fruit. “Me and their mom couldn’t work it out. They know I love them, and besides they would want me to be happy”—let’s inspect the fruit. Inspecting the fruit is how we should decide major decisions in our lives—career paths, love interests, schools, majors, extra-curricular activities, moral dilemmas….