10. Final Exhortations

James 5:7-20

Introduction

We sometimes forget that the majority of books which we study in the New Testament are letters. These books were written by men to some who were new to the faith, to some who were mature in the faith, to some who were facing trials and persecution, and to some who were facing sickness and death. The writers intend to bring the word of God to bear in these situations. So, they write letters which bear the characteristics of letters. Most open with some kind of greeting, most are written in personal ways as if the writer were talking to the recipients directly, and most end with miscellaneous greetings or exhortations of one kind or another. This is the case as we come to the end of the epistle of James. He has covered numerous significant topics and has spoken to them clearly, boldly and at length.

Now James is ready to conclude his letter to “the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad.” As he ends this correspondence, James does what I just noted, he closes with several words of exhortation. These words are designed to encourage and instruct his readers. These words are marked by a softer tone than other portions of this epistle. James offers three exhortations. First, an exhortation regarding patience. Let's remember that these folks had endured severe trials and, as James has revealed, had more than a few steps to take in terms of achieving spiritual maturity. So, James helps them to see the “big picture,” so to speak; he helps them to gain a proper, Biblical perspective on their lives. Second, James exhorts this audience regarding what I'll call “procedure.” In these verses, James helps his readers to understand how they were to react to various circumstances. They would experience joy and sadness, good health and sickness. For Christians, there are proper ways to respond to life's events and James helps these people to see the orderliness of life. Third, and finally, James offers a brief exhortation concerning the value of brotherly love. He only says a few words here, but what he says is packed with instruction for believers.

01. The Exhortation Regarding Patience (vv. 7-12)

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

This passage probably has the most immediate application to the subject just mentioned by James, which was the mistreatment some were receiving at the hands of the wicked rich. At the same time, what James writes here may be seen as having general applicability. This first exhortation concerns patience. These Christians needed patience. They need patience in regard to the situation just noted; they needed patience in regard to their experiences, in general. They were not living carefree lives. They were, you'll remember, “the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.” They were out of their homeland and were enduring all that comes with lives marked by inconvenience and trials.

So, James speaks to them about patience. Patience is that character quality which allows us to endure calmly; it is that trait which allows us to bear up and wait for a better day. In light of what he has written, James says: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” (v. 7) This statement argues for the interpretation which I offered concerning the prior verses where James seems to indicate a pending judgment against the wicked rich. He now tells those being mistreated to be patient because the judgment to which he referred earlier will be realized when the Lord comes to carry out the last great activity which will finalize the transition from the old to the new covenant.

Circumstances changed in the latter part of the first century, as I indicated in the last sermon. There were substantial economic shifts which left some who had accumulated much as targets of hatred and reprisal. Perhaps this is what James is speaking about in v. 7. Regardless of just what he has in view-and, we simply have to admit that he doesn't give us any details-his exhortation is still relevant. These readers needed patience as they waited upon the Lord to send them relief in one form or another.

To clarify what he has in mind, James uses an illustration (v. 7b). He notes how the hard-working farmer must wait for “the precious produce of the soil.” Although he may work diligently and carefully, the farmer must wait during the growing season until his crop is ready for harvest. It takes patience, James states, to be a good farmer. You know what is coming and you know for certain that it is coming, but you must wait. Likewise, James urges, “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (v. 8) Again, we have an indication of some near judgment when James refers to the nearness of the Lord's coming. He certainly didn't mean the second coming; this event, which is yet future for us, would have been of little comfort to these first century believers.

These readers were to learn the lesson of the farmer who knew the end of his labors, but who had to wait for the rains to come and the seed to grow into maturity before his harvest would come. The farmer knows from the day he plants his seed that an end is coming to that process, but his knowledge of the coming end doesn't hurry it along. Instead, his knowledge allows him to wait and be patient. Of course, there is one particular danger in having to endure an extended period of discomfort. The danger is that you will become irritable and begin taking out your frustrations on those around you. This is what James has in mind, I think, when he next writes: “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged…” (v. 9)

These Christians had to guard against in-fighting; they had to watch themselves so that they did not turn on one another during hard times. This is, as I said, always a danger. When people are pressed and have no immediate remedy for their hardship, they can direct their apprehension toward those around them. James is concerned about this happening in this group. They had much against them, but there was an end in sight. They should refrain, therefore, from judging each other, as he already specified in the previous section, and should, instead, recognize that “the Judge is standing right at the door.”

An event of tremendous theological import was about to occur. The risen Savior would soon come in judgment against the Jews and this part of the world would be thrown into turmoil. This is the period Jesus warned about in Matt. 24 and it is the time spoken about in a number of places in the New Testament. God's people are warned here and elsewhere to be watchful and to be ready for this occasion. This period would mark not only the final judgment of the Jews, but also the establishment of the Church as a unique and visible entity within the Roman empire. Things were set to change, indeed, and now was not the time for rivalries and jealousies and disruptions among believers.

“Take the prophets,” James continues (v. 10). Consider how they behaved when they found themselves in the midst of troubling times. They were examples of “suffering and patience,” James writes. The spoke in the name of the Lord and, for most of them, life was hard. They spoke of wonderful things; they offered guidance and they made known the blessings of God would come. Yet, their lives were characterized by “suffering” as James notes. They did not live comfortably, they were harassed and they received little positive recognition for their labors. However, they continued because they knew that the outcome would be glorious; they put up with all the hardship because they understood that a better day was coming. We look back on them now, James writes, and “count those blessed who endured.” (v. 11) So, you, too, James says, be patient in your suffering.

Besides the prophets, remember Job (v. 11b). You all know what happened to Job, James states. There has never been anyone who suffered like Job. And the outcome for Job was incredible. We know what the Lord did for Job, James says. Job suffered, yes, and he suffered greatly. But Job endured those terribly harsh circumstances and, in the end, experienced the compassion and mercy of the Lord. He is “full of compassion and is merciful,” James assures his readers. The implication is that if they endure as Job endured and if they persevere patiently as the prophets persevered patiently, then they, too, will know the compassion and mercy of the Lord. That is the outcome for all who wait upon Him; that is the end for all of His people who endure suffering and hardship with grace.

This section closes as James warns against another likely reaction to their hard experiences. Before, he warned them about turning on one another in their frustration and panic. Now he warns them against rash statements (v. 12). They might be tempted to make oaths and to swear by heaven or earth that they would overcome or that they would seek revenge on their enemies. James advises them not to get too worked up, but to remain quiet, to remain in control and to keep meeting their circumstances with patience, not grand declarations. It is much better to be in control of one's speech so that your “yes' is “yes” and your “no” is “no,” James adds. Hasty words, especially rashly spoken oaths, can only lead to God's displeasure, he states. It is much better to be people of self-control, people who respond calmly under pressure and people who are not undone by adversity.

02. The Exhortation Regarding “Procedure” (vv. 13-18)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

In any group of believers, there will be a variety of experiences and circumstances. In this section, James briefly addresses three situations likely to be found among his readers. In each case, he describes the proper response or “procedure” to be followed by God's people. James doesn't mean to provide a detailed analysis of these issues; he only means to provide an exhortation regarding how believers are to react. James tells us what are the appropriate responses in these instances.

First, James asks: “Is anyone among you suffering?” (v. 13) The word translated “suffering” (kakopatheo) refers to trials. It appears that James intends to speak here of trials not related to physical maladies, since he refers to illness in the next verse. Already, in the first chapter, James gave an extended explanation of trials and he provided information vital to understanding and persevering through trials. If you will recall, he taught his readers to pray for wisdom regarding what they were experiencing. He promised that God would give understanding to the one who prayed and sought to know the Lord's purposes.

Here, James returns to that idea as a sort of reminder as he closes this letter. “Is anyone among you suffering [in a trial]? Then he must pray.” This is the solution given by James before and he reinforces that instruction now. The first thing for the believer to do when he finds himself in a trial of some kind is pray. That is where understanding of the trial begins and, therefore, that is where the ability to persevere through the trial begins. Believers must pray to God and seek His help. This is “proper procedure,” if you will.

This exhortation is not difficult to understand. If, as James taught before, God sends trials to perfect and complete us (cf. 1:4), then it is only logical that we turn to God in prayer during those trials so that we might be comforted and strengthened, and so that we might gain understanding. James gives a simple formula here: If you are suffering, turn to God in prayer. There's nothing complicated about this lesson.

Next, James asks: “Is anyone cheerful?” Now we go in the opposite direction. This word (euthumeo) means “to be merry, to be in good spirits, to be glad, to be joyful.” If you're suffering, you pray. You pray because you want relief and you want wisdom. But what if you are not suffering? What if everything is going well, so well, in fact, that you would say you are actually joyful? Is there anything which the believer should do during times of happiness and peace? James says that there is something which we should do during those times-we should “sing praises.” If we seek the Lord when we suffer, we should seek Him when we are glad. This is James' reasoning.

Our relationship with God is such that He brings us trials and He gives us rest. If we seek Him during hardship, we should be just as eager to seek Him during periods of peace. We should honor the Lord with our prayers when we are troubled, as we seek to learn His purposes; and we should honor the Lord with our praises when we are glad. He is the God who directs our way, who sends us trials and who sends us peace. Therefore, whether we are suffering or free from suffering, whether we are enduring a trial or enjoying a time of prosperity, our attention should be turned to the Lord. God is worthy of our focus at all times, not just when things are difficult. So, again, James says, “sing praises” when you are glad.

Some versions translate the last part of v. 13 as “let him sing psalms.” The Greek term used here is psallo, which literally means “to play a stringed instrument or to sing to the music of the harp.” The reference is not, strictly speaking, to the Psalms of the Old Testament, although they could be included in the word's meaning. The idea is that of singing while accompanying oneself or while being accompanied by another on a stringed instrument. This is in keeping with the instruction regarding the use of the Psalms in the Temple worship. This audience is Jewish, so they would readily understand what James is saying.

There is a third circumstance envisioned by James: “Is anyone among you sick?” (v. 14) Notice that he distinguishes between “suffering” and “being sick.” In v. 13, the “suffering” mentioned is related to unspecified trials; that is, any kind of hardship. Here, the reference is specific; James has in mind physical illness. The proper procedure is similar to what was commended in v. 13: “[The one who is sick] must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Physical sickness receives special attention in Scripture as a manifestation of sin's impact in this world. Much of the ministry of Jesus was concerned with healing sicknesses of various kinds. In those healing episodes, Jesus demonstrated the power which was His to reverse the effect of the fall, as it were. The healing of sickness is a divinely-related characteristic; healing reveals the power which only God has over His creation. Jesus healed and the apostles, who ministered in Jesus' name and who were sent out with His authority, healed.

In the post-apostolic period, which was dawning as James wrote this epistle, the authority of Christ would be represented in the office of elder. Therefore, James directs the sick person to his elders. They now represented Christ in the church and they were the ones to intercede, as it were, for the sick person. The prayer of the elders was to be accompanied by an anointing with oil. Throughout Scripture, anointing represents the power or authority of God. The procedure described here is one which ensured that Christ's delegated representatives, the elders, would tend to the sick person in such a way that attention would be given to Him (accomplished also with the use of oil); the faith of the sick and the faith of those involved in such an incident would be directed toward the Savior.

James includes a statement which modern Christians find hard to handle: “and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.” James is not giving us some kind of “formula,” which, if followed, will always guarantee the healing of the sick-otherwise, we could do exactly what James says here every time one of us got sick and we would never die. Clearly, this is not what the Bible teaches and this is not what James means. James is speaking, I think, in general terms which reflect the truths of our faith. We know that only God heals-sometimes directly, sometimes in conjunction with medical treatment. The point is that God grants healing, however it comes. Therefore, we are to turn to Him in prayer knowing that He is our only hope.

If God grants healing, it should be in this manner, in other words. There is a proper procedure for handling sickness in the church. The elders should pray and anoint with oil, while the faith of all involved is turned to God who alone can grant the request. You'll notice, too, that James seems to connect sickness to sin. On some occasions, Jesus said to those He healed “Rise up, your sins have been forgiven,” or similar words. As I said before, sickness is a product of the sin which has infiltrated creation. Sometimes, sickness comes as a result of sin, either directly as a chastisement from God, or indirectly as a consequence of guilt upon the human body. James recommends that confession of sin accompany the prayer for healing for his reason.

Following this idea, James commands: “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.” (v. 16) Any Christian community should be a confessing community. Believers should have in their minds at all times the necessity of confession of sin. We struggle with sin daily and we need to confess our transgression to the Lord and seek forgiveness regularly. We need to intercede for one another, as James says.

It's not difficult to see that, according to James, prayer, which includes confession of sin and petition for healing should be a leading trait of any church. James reminds his readers of the value of faithful prayer when he tells them that it “accomplishes much.” He uses the well-known story from the life of Elijah to illustrate this point (vv. 17, 18). Elijah prayed for something incredible twice, believing that God would hear him and grant his request. And God did or both occasions. Among other things, then, this passage makes it clear that simple faithful prayer is essential for our well-being in the Christian community.

03. The Exhortation Regarding Brotherly Love (vv. 19, 20)

19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The final exhortation is brief, but greatly encouraging and challenging. James commends concern for one another within the Christian community. He imagines one brother straying from the faith and another “turning him back” by confrontation or by instruction or by some means (v. 19). The point is not the manner of turning the brother back to the right, but the result of such conduct. The result is the deliverance of a soul from death and the covering of sin. Without trying to guess what specifics James might have been thinking about, if any, I want us to understand the lesson he is conveying.

James is describing a situation in which there is mutual love and concern apparent among believers. This is not a case of each man looking out for himself and each man stepping on the back of another. This is, in fact, the opposite of some of the behavior which James has written about earlier. This is a case where each man looks to his neighbor and is prepared to come to the aid of his neighbor if sin is leading that man astray. This is a picture of a truly Christ-like group.

James wanted his readers to be this kind of community, a community in which brotherly love is operating and one in which all members believe it is their responsibility to help one another and to guard against the division of the body. In this kind of church, no one is allowed to wander off into sin without correction; no one is written off as a “lost cause” because they have fallen into sin. This is a fitting exhortation with which to end this marvelous letter. James leaves his readers with a goal in view. He has told them much about their sin and about how they needed to change. He ends by putting before them this image of a loving body where all are needed and wanted.

Conclusion

I'll close by returning to each of these three exhortations and making some brief application to our circumstances. First, James offered an exhortation regarding patience. His readers were suffering in some cases. Life was hard. They were displaced from their homeland and they faced various trials. What had to be borne in mind, however, was that the Lord would come to their aid. In time, according to the purposes of God, relief would be theirs.

Although we have no circumstance which today matches the experience of these first centuries believers, we certainly have our own troubles. We can find ourselves in stressful situations, even in threatening situations. We can reach the point where we are frustrated and overwhelmed by various factors. The exhortation which James gave to his readers is a comfort for us: “be patient,” James wrote. Wait on the Lord, remember those who have traveled this road before you and how they were blessed as they endured. Do not fear, God has not forgotten you; the Lord still is full of compassion and mercy, and He will bring you rest. The facts of the Lord's sure control of all things and His certain love for His people are the ground for our patience as we wait upon Him to give us peace. It will come, and it is just as sure as the Lord Himself. Patience, then, when life is not going as we would like, is evidence of faith. Patience can be exhibited and sustained only by those who know that something better is coming. Patience is a uniquely Christian attribute.

The second exhortation concerned proper “procedure,” as I called it. There is only one concern I have for us as a congregation as we consider what James had to say in vv. 13-18. I'm not worried about the prayer-life of this congregation. I think it is clear that we emphasize prayer in a way which teaches us all that it is vital. We pray expectantly as a congregation and we pray for all kinds of things which are of concern to us. The elders do pray for the sick when asked-we do so eagerly. When we pray for the sick, we are mindful of what James says about needing to confess our sins. Our prayers for the sick include a confession of sin. So, our response to sickness and our record of prayer, in general, do not concern me. What does concern me is that second duty which James mentioned. He asked: “Is anyone cheerful?” and then instructed, “He is to sing praises.” This is where I feel that we are not where we should be as a congregation. We don't sing enough.

Not long ago, we, as a congregation, studied the establishment of Psalmody in Israel. One thing which we learned was that the singing of praises to God is something which He endorses and which He included as a leading characteristic of formal worship. If we are quick to seek the Lord in prayer when we are sick, we should be just as anxious to sing praises to Him often as a congregation. I believe more firmly now than ever before that music is to be a vital and obvious element in a church's life. I used to believe that preaching and teaching were to be our primary focus. I would now and music to those elements.

James specifically commends the singing of praises to God with musical accompaniment when we are cheerful. I think there is room for improvement in this area here in our church. I also wonder about this matter when it comes to our homes. Should not the singing of praises to God be an element in the routines of our families? Isn't that the best way to train children to take up the duty of singing in the church? I would urge you all to pray for our growth as a church in this important matter. Clearly, in the past couple of years, the Lord has been instructing me in this issue and He has been slowly equipping our church with those gifted and interested in music. For this, we should give thanks.

Finally, James offered a short exhortation on brotherly love. One sign of our maturing together in Christ as a congregation will be our expression of brotherly love. Here, too, I think that we as a church are doing well. I hear of how people in this church go out of their way to help one another and how generous some are with their time and resources and how concerned some are for the spiritual welfare of others. But we can do better. This is, as I said before, an area where we most imitate the Savior. We can be even more concerned for one another and even more willing to come to the aid of one another. We can decide that this is going to be one of the hallmarks of this congregation.

God honors brotherly love because this kind of behavior is grounded in the example of His Son. If we show that we truly care about one another, to the point of offering help to one of our number when they start to slip away, then God will bless us greatly. Let's make sure that we don't become a congregation where it is acceptable to see a few people drift away every year. Instead, let's pray for those who are struggling and let's offer ourselves to them when they are in need. Let's not allow anyone to be led astray into sin without knowing that they are loved and, therefore, have help if they want it.