How to Live in the Last Days | Pastor Jack Graham | James 5:1-12

and I want to talk to you about how to live in the last days now you know in the book of James we've met James who is the half-brother of our Lord Jesus also a pastor and because he is a pastor he's very personal very practical and therefore when you read James there's a lot of how-to how to live the Christian life how to when I prepare messages I'm often asking myself the question when I'm looking at a text when I'm preparing this is something you can do as a Bible teacher if you're a teacher of God's Word so not only to give out information but to ask yourself the question all right this is what the scripture says so what so what and then now what so what and now what and James does that like a good pastor teacher of God's Word he tells us how to live the life that we've been given in Christ because truth is not just for learning it is for living so how to live in the last days early in chapter 5 in addressing the ungodly wealthy those who live for self and self-indulgence he spoke of storing up wrath or laying up treasures in the last days it's James who brings up this subject of the last days and how we are to live in these final hours of human history now we know these are dangerous even demonized days second Timothy chapter three verse one tells us that we live in perilous times or dangerous times it's a word that's only used twice in the New Testament which means exceedingly fierce it's a word used to describe demonized fierceness and hatred so we know that in these last days that the culture is collapsing and it's a very dangerous time to live is a very dangerous time for Christians to live Christians are under attack by Isis and others around the world we know that Christians at some level are attacked in our own country exceedingly fierce demonize forces of evil the last days and in the last days we are noting there is moral collapse there is spiritual collapse there is cultural collapse there is financial collapse political collapse we saw all of that in the book of Revelation which we studied this past year in fact we put together our studies our messages from the revelation into a book it's my latest book is produced by PowerPoint our radio and television ministry you can get it at our bookstores all the the the resources go to powerpoint and advancing the gospel but we took those messages and put them in a book added to them for for reading and there's something you can read and give away but in it we describe these last days so you can you can look it up there's pressure on as never before and James is writing to believers under attack in his own generation and in our generation these last days but having said all of that these are the last days don't be discouraged by that if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you are living with confident expectant faith you are living with hope because we know the best is yet to come and we can live with certainty and security in times like these James writes in verse 7 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 he receives the heir in the late rains you also be patient establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand that is this mere 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 the whole we consider those blessed who remain steadfast you've heard of the steadfastness or the patience of Joe and you've 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 earth or by any other oath but let your yes be yes and your no no so that you may not fall under condemnation how to live in the last days number one be prepared be prepared earlier in Chapter five as I mentioned James writes two wicked men wealthy ungodly men who are living self-indulgent lives lovers of self as the scripture says rather than lovers of God and he declares that they are laying up treasures in the last days for judgment that that judgment is coming and the cries of those who have been abused and used by those who are over them are now being heard in heaven and God will make everything right one thing we said in the book of Revelation series is the righteous Redeemer is coming again and he's going to make everything right all the unfairness all the injustice God will make right and he describes this day for the unbeliever in in verse 5 as the day of slaughter I can remember when I was a little boy we'd first moved to Fort Worth Texas and my dad decided to take me to see the slaughterhouse I don't know if that's a great idea to take a ten-year-old boy to see a slaughterhouse and what happens in there but I'll tell you this whatever lesson he is trying was trying to teach me I learned it I never want to go back let me just put it that way I don't even know if they do it the same way but to be at that slaughterhouse and see those those animals slaughtered if impressed by mine in such a way and I never think of this passage or the judgment that is to coming it's like a slaughterhouse is it's a bloody judgment that is coming he says you have condemned you have murdered and judgment is coming there is nothing wrong with having wealth the Bible speaks of the godly rich but the Bible also speaks of the ungodly rich the wealthy who are wicked who live for themselves who think that life is all about making money it's all about them and we know that you can't live like that and expect to go to heaven expect to have eternal life because you're putting all your hopes and all your stuff right here you can't live for things and money and expect to know God that's why the prophets said prepare to meet your God prepare to meet God but you know the preparation that we are to meet God also goes for us who are believers we are to so live our lives in Christ as to be prepared spiritually and primarily we are to live with expectation and and and confidence let me just give you some verses regarding how we are to live in the last days how we are to prepare for the last days Titus 2 says that we are looking for the Blessed hope our eye is in the sky first Corinthians 1:7 that we are waiting anticipating the revelation that is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ Philippians 3:20 for our citizenship is in heaven from which we eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ Colossians 3:4 when Christ who is our life appears then you also will appear with him in glory 1st Thessalonians 1:9 and 10 for they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come 1st John 3 beloved we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he see him as he is not as he was in his humanity but Jesus in all of his glory and everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself for he is pure in view of the second coming with all of this going around us we're to look up look up brother look up sister because Christ Jesus is coming again visibly and victoriously for all who know and trust in him so get ready Jesus is coming the early Christians lived with this kind of expectation eagerly waiting for the coming of Christ they even coined a word that that we've used from time to time Maranatha the Lord is coming and when James speaks here several times in this passage about the coming of the Lord the coming of the Lord the appearing of the Lord it means the arrival of the Lord there is a date set in history and Christ will return the same Jesus who was born who lived who died who rose again who ascended on high our risen Redeemer is returning as king of kings and Lord of lords get ready it's coming this is a can't-miss core conviction of every bible believing christian if you know and believe God and His Word you know the Bible teaches that Jesus himself is coming again now there may be and there are differences as to how it's all going to go down and people have various kinds of theologies and eschatology 'he's the study of last things and we may have differences in this but the one thing that drives it home for all of us who are Christians is that we know Christ is for sure for sure for certain coming again so get ready be prepared because it could happen at any moment now we don't know when he's coming if anybody tries to tell you that they know that they've cracked the Bible code or something of this nature no Jesus said no one knows what the Father in heaven but we are to live in the imminency the immediacy of the coming of Christ as though it were today perhaps today there is a Bible teacher from yesteryear that I enjoy reading his name is G Campbell Morgan here's what he said to me the second coming is the perpetual light on the path which makes the present bearable I never lay my head on my pillow without thinking that maybe before the morning breaks the final morning they have gone I never begin my work without thinking that perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin his own and I say amen to that perhaps today people get ready Jesus is coming again but not only be prepared because Jesus is coming but be patient because we are waiting for him to come that's why James says in verse 7 be patient is it's a word actually which means to be steadfast to wait and to wait with expectation confident hope hope as we've defined it as knowing that our future is with him but the best truly is yet to come to be patient well thanks for that James because some of us have a problem with patients anybody here impatient raise your hand that would be all of us the rest of you are not telling us the truth right here in church because look now you may have a natural disposition I know people that you know they're willing to wait and you know you know hang out and times not that big a factor ie see my wife when we're getting ready to go somewhere time doesn't seem to be a factor every time waiting and going a little slower it's not a problem for some people but going slower is is a problem for me I may be the most impatient person I know I'm not bragging it's just a fact it's something I'm I'm working on but you are too in fact we live in a generation of people who don't know how to wait anymore I mean we we used to read a book and now we fast-forward through movies we used to walk now we ride in cars and if cars don't go fast enough going pretty fast I've got a friend who lives up in North Frisco he says when he gets on the tollway about 5:30 in the morning it's like getting on a NASCAR track people are driving like crazy down that tall way to beat somebody else down the road and that's the way we live and it's fast paced and fast action and we don't even watch television the same way you know in the past it's okay it's eight o'clock our programs don't let's watch it now with the DVR you can record it and watch it anytime you want now we can we can get stuff on television on demand we demand it and we demand it now I want it right now so we can we cannot you know get online streaming and I mean it's just the way we live we don't even you know we can't even trust cars anymore we you know who does a road trip unless you're you know quote want to have a roadie which is basically a synonym for beat down as you drive across the country but now we get on planes and and we fly as fast as we can and then we get out of there fast as we can I'm just saying this is the world in which we live you know you can you can either get your food delivered to your door now it's not enough that we can drive through those little windows and get it fast but now there's a thing called door - they will - to your door they're running they come running and you know and you get your pizza free on the other hand if they don't come fast enough right I mean we want it and we want it now that's the kind of mentality we have now if you want a good meal I mean you you just can't get it through a little window you got to go somewhere like babes and sit down and let them bring you the chicken and and eat it and love it Deb and I had a date night the other night and and and we do that most every week and we set out in a nice place and it was quieter and and you know we weren't running through and picking up and we had a time to converse and have a good meal I mean if you want to have a good meal it it really takes time the best things in life have you noticed the best things in life take time but if it's really good it's worth the wait but we are in Waiting mode a lot whether it's a teenager waiting to get their drivers license can't wait or someone waiting for their wedding date can't wait for that or waiting for their birthday some of us are quit counting those but are waiting for Christmas but that's the idea the expectation it's like a a child getting up on Christmas morning that's the kind of waiting our expectation it's not passive we're not just sitting around you know ordering on Ascension robes and waiting for the second coming we are waiting with anticipation and perseverance and this word steadfastness it's a word that I love be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord because we know that we can be patient that we can persevere we can stead fat me get me steadfast because Jesus is coming and when he comes it's going to be a great celebration of the harvest that is yet to come that's why James talks here about farmers I don't know a lot about farmers what I learned about farming I learned when I was a pastor my first pastor up in western Oklahoma wheat farmers Dutch German wheat farmers peoples whose names were like Greb and infidel ik and finale' Hoeven and it's people like that great people salt of the earth people and I learned a little bit about the war hard-working farmer and and in the sowing and the reaping and and and and the waiting on the rain and waiting on the harvest and and living and dying you know your whole life passing before you based on the weather or based on the winds and and and James says but we're to be like that farmer sowing and reaping and waiting and God uses both Sun and rain Sun and rain in our lives to produce this spiritual harvest that's why the scripture says in Galatians don't be weary in well-doing for in good season due season you will reap if you do not quit in a generation that seems to quit almost everything we as Christians must not quit too many are quitting too soon on their marriages quitting too soon on their careers on their jobs quitting too soon on their church quitting too soon on their faith and some are even quitting too soon on God I've paster long enough now to have observed so many believers enduring and persevering through the most unfathomable difficulties but from time to time I've seen people who have been given a lot and then when it's taken away they quit on God give up on their faith because I presume they thought God owed them something better they didn't deserve cancer or tragedy or suffering there's a story about that in the Bible that James talks about it's the story of Job James references the patience or the steadfastness of job because there were times that he was steadfast he endure but he wasn't always emotionally patient he he struggled with what he was going through this is one of the most famous stories in all the Bible the story of job you've probably heard it read it or you've heard about it have you've heard of the patience of Joe one day Satan was given access to the throne of God and he spoke to God and said see your servant job down there God said yes he's one of my finest he's one of my best seasons neared and said AHA the only reason the only reason that he serves you and lives a righteous life is because you've given him so much you blessed him so much if you take that stuff away from him he'll deny you he'll curse you to your face God said all right try it and job was attacked by Satan and tragedy came and there was there were high winds and his house fell down and his children died in this tragedy and and he lost his wealth he lost his crops he lost he lost everything financially and yet he continued to trust in God in fact in job 121 one of the greatest confessions of faith and all the Bible he said Lord gives the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord Jojo would later say Lord though you slay me yet will I trust in you he believed in the sovereignty and the sufficiency of God that when God is all you have God is enough what do you do when there doesn't seem to be an answer for the questions and we all have questions well I tell you what you don't do you don't down in the dark what God showed you in the light I'll tell you what you don't do you don't trade what you don't know for what you know and what you know is that God is good and that he is merciful and gracious and James tells us Jobe learned that lesson that God is faithful that God is merciful the devil went back to God and said well I tell you what if you attack him personally if you take away his health he will deny you and so God allowed job to get sick and he had boils and open sores on his skin he was miserable and depressed and despondent and yet he would not deny his God and the book of Job is about the entire conversation that he had with God in conversation with his friends and even his family you know his wife said Joe why don't you just curse God and die well gee thanks for that why that's really helpful and he didn't get a lot of encouragement from his friends or his family his wife but he learned to know God and ultimately God restored double what he had lost but in the midst of that he experienced he he said I know that my redeemer lives in the dark when you don't understand when all hell is breaking loose in your life don't trade what you don't know for what you know I know my redeemer lives that Jesus lives that Jesus is Lord and so job in the 42nd chapter says something like this in verses five and six I heard of you talking about God I heard of you in the hearing of the ear but now but now my eyes see you and I repent in dust and ashes he repented and received the reality of Christ God in His life and before he knew about God he knew God he loved God there was a lot he knew about God God loved him but through this experience these dark tunnel experiences in his life he said you know I had heard about you I had heard about you but now I see you now I know that you were sovereign over all my life that you were sufficient and strong enough for every problem so we can endure we can be steadfast and strong Judge James doubles down on the idea of patience when he says in verse 6 I believe be strong in heart you know the heart is the core they enter you the real you he says be strong in your heart the heart strong start how hard a stout-hearted don't be anxious or afraid but know that Jesus is near he's coming soon now we all know there are cynics and skeptics who have said through generations well he's not coming it's been 2,000 years why are you still holding on to this promise well the fact is that Peter addressed this problem in first Peter chapter three let's put this on the screen knowing this first of all that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing following their own sinful desires they will say where is the promise of his coming for ever since the father's fell asleep all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation for they deliberately overlooked the fact that the heavens existed long ago in the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God and that by means of these this world then existed was deluged with water he's talking about the flood the judgment but by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up by fire he's talking about a coming judgment now being kept under the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly but do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the Lord one day as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but is patient aren't you glad patient toward you not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance God is waiting on you to come to him God is waiting for the last one to come in and if you are a scoffing scoffing if you are a cynic you need to get on your knees right now and thank God that he hasn't come that he hasn't paid that he hasn't come today because when he comes today if you don't know Christ there is hell to pay there is judgment to follow he loves you he's waiting on you he's patient with you he's merciful towards you we know because we believed the promise warned Wisby says we don't live by explanations we live by promises the promises of God's Word promises made by the prophets James II he talked about Joe be talked about farmer he also talked about the prophets who were steadfast and blameless the prophets are spiritual heroes like the Apostles in the New Testament the Apostles they give us a great example when I was a child to this and to this day I still thrill revel in the story of the great men and women of the Bible because their motivator to us is to live for Christ in our own day I think about Elijah who was run out of town for his faith and he became depressed and he wanted to die even ask God if he could die but God spoke to him and a smell still small voice he wasn't finished with with Elijah yet and he he raised him up to finish and fulfill his mission that inspires me the persevere even when he wanted to run away and die Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet he was falsely accused and thrown into a well but through his struggles and through his tears he triumphed and he spoke the Word of God when when I see how a man like Jeremiah suffered and stayed strong hearted in his faith and stood tall I'm I'm encouraged by that that's what James is saying and I think about I think about Hosea his wife went away and left him but Hosea refused to give up on his wife and on his marriage and kept working he kept praying he kept doing the will of God Daniel my goodness Daniel was thrown into a lion's den because he continued to pray and he stood for his faith he refused to give up he refused to give in when I read Daniels story I'm saying bring on the Lions dare to be a Daniel see that's what James is say that if men and women in the past could live like this against all odds you know Joseph Joseph was a godly man but he was falsely at consoled by his brother's falsely accused living in a faraway place in Egypt away from his family and friends he must have been lonely but he grew up strong in his faith strong in the Lord he kept believing and trusting in God he must have wondered many times God what are you doing in my life what about all those dreams you gave me those promises when are they ever gonna happen but he kept believing God and at the right time Joseph was exalted even as God had promised him and even those brothers who ended up bowing in his presence as the scripture had predicted in in Genesis 50 and verse 20 it is when Joseph said you men all of this for evil but God meant it for good say didn't meant it for evil and job's life but God meant it for good so you don't need 20/20 vision in life that'll only get you so far what you need is 50 20 vision Genesis 50:20 vision knowing that God is working and weaving all things together for good in your life again he's sovereign he's strong he's sufficient and no matter what is happening in your life right now God's got it and the best is yet to come Jesus is coming to straight that all out he said be patient be prepared and one final thing quickly he said be positive be positive by having a sweet disposition look at verse 9 do not grumble against one another when we face pressure we often blow our stack and we start complaining or blaming and grumbling and going negative we feel the heat we boil over we begin to criticize others the word grumbling here that James uses as a word which means to sigh within it's just he says Christian view of the second coming don't live like that don't be a negative Christian we are optimists we're pure optimist there's no reason to grumble or complain see how practical James is he moved from the heavenlies and Christ is coming and he turned it to he's real to write down where we live when he said don't be grumbling don't be growl see don't be grumpy don't be miserable and make others around you miserable especially brothers and sisters in Christ you can't afford to be arguing and debating and fighting and holding grudges and resentments because as he says the judges at the door that's all going to be evaluated our very words are going to be evaluated at the judgment seat of Christ the judge is standing at the door you know if you were arguing with your family maybe you're having a big time argument with your wife and there's a doorbell and somebody looks outside said it's Jesus out there I think you'd clean things up right Jesus is at the door you know how it is when you're having a you know maybe you don't call it an argument it's a debate with your wife and it's getting escalated and it's going and you're going at it and then the phone rings and and from all that you go you know turn it off just like that Jesus is at the door where did it live every day with the nearness and dearness of Christ but but here's the point I really want to make on on this we need to be very careful on these times in which we live when it appears that our country is going in the wrong direction and it is but we need not to become negative always finding fault that guy that gal that's always complaining always criticizing in a political season it especially gets rough doesn't it but it's Christians we're to keep our dispositions sweet not sour and that's what James is reminding us don't grumble don't fight don't fuss Paul said in Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice don't go negative don't be a miserable always upset always getting offended kind of person Jesus is coming look up your redemption is drawing near and then he said not only have a sweet disposition but have a sincere declaration he says in verse 12 it looks like it's out of place he says but above all Brethren's let your yes be yes your no no don't be swearing by heaven or by earth again being very practical very personal James is saying careful the way you communicate the way you talk because you know the way you talk is really the way you are what's down in the well comes up in the bucket Jesus said out of the heart the mouth speaks and he says don't be making all these oaths sometimes when trouble comes we we make oaths we make promises we can't keep stuff like well God if you'll give me out of this this is what I'm gonna do and then we don't do it or we swear and profane God Simon Peter did this he made a bodacious promise that he would never deny the Lord and he ended up denying the Lord and with it he was swearing and profaning and saying I never knew him he lied and he lost his testimony and nearly lost his faith in Christ not restored him do you know why we curse and swear and profane and use vain words it's because we're trying to add emphasis to our words or emphasis to our lives don't trust anybody who regularly uses profanity to punctuate their speech that's so good I must say it again I'm telling you don't trust anybody are you listening to me don't trust anybody who regularly uses profanity and swearing and cursing and blaspheming God's name don't trust anybody like that especially somebody you're gonna marry it's been the rest of your life with if you're a person of integrity here's what here's what James is saying if you're a person of integrity you don't need to add anything to give your words weight or meaning let your yes be yes and your no be no this is the echo what Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount he say view of the second coming watch your mouth watch your mouth he's talking about the simplicity and sincerity and integrity and purity of what we say he that this hope in him purifies himself and when you're under pressure it's not the time to start swearing and cursing and making empty promises taught sign not time to start swearing at people around you and making oaths that you can't keep and promises look when you get squeezed what comes out of you somebody squeezes you what's coming out ask God to purify your heart in your mind I'm going to close this message with and I'm just gonna say them don't worry we're out in a minute but how to live in the last days here's how number 1 we need we need to be praying for our loved ones and lost people all around us ramp up the prayers in these dangerous days number two we need to boldly share our faith with those around us especially our family our friends and the people closest to us our own neighbors number three we need to live godly lives separated from the world to be holy as God is holy by the power of his spirit leave it live a separated life a life that's different from the world number four we need to teach God's Word and help people understand the last days that's what we're trying to do today I'm getting you prepared I'm helping you to know it's coming get ready we need to teach God's Word number five we need to be comforted by our own clear focus on the reigning and returning Christ and never never be discouraged and never ever quit and number six we need to live in hope that God is sovereign and sufficient and he will fulfill all things in his time and in his way

Channel: Prestonwood Baptist Church

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Keywords: James, Days, Jack Graham, Prestonwood, Last Days

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Length: 39min 2sec (2342 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 04 2016