Three Things Great Men Do | James 5 — A Bible Study for Men

hey guys this is vince miller i'm excited you're joining us today we are in chapter five of our study through the book of james it has been a fantastic study thanks for joining us james has been this real pragmatic practical book with practical advice so it's kind of made for guys like you and i today we're digging into the topic three things great men do now before we dive in today do me a favor hit that subscribe button below so you can get notified when new videos come out in this series and you're going to want to get informed so you don't miss out please remember you can go back and watch all the other videos in this series they are fantastic we did james chapter by chapter i would encourage you to check them out also head over to the website today that's be resolute.org be resolute.org and while you're over there do me a favor sign up for the men's daily devotional i write one new every day for men just like you and they're always short sweet and to the point right second while you're over there pick up some all in gear like i'm wearing on my head right now support the mission and the message that i live for here which is to live all in for him who lived all in for us so grab a shirt grab a hat sport it share it with others and if you want to snap a pic with me or someone else that'd be great you can do that on facebook instagram or wherever you socially gather i would appreciate that and with that let's dive into our message today is james chapter five three things great men [Music] do so edmund burke once said the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing you know this is really a profound and simple quote you know burke emphasizes a couple of things for us here first that evil will triumph if we're apathetic to evil second that good men are called to action to do something about the progressive nature of evil in the world it's a call on guys like us good men or i might take a little liberty here and correct burke if i might do that and suggest it's a call on righteous men to no longer be silent and apathetic toward evil or even to god the problems i think we're having today are not new problems they're just more exposed than ever before and this season of our life is exposing our need for righteousness in a world of evil and sinful people and you're not going to convince me that we were not sinful before this pandemic i believe this pandemic is just merely exposing how sinful we really are and guess what it's doing just that and many of us don't like it because this pandemic is bringing into the light the people that we are and i think most of us don't like what we see and we may not even like who we're becoming but something can be done there's hope i believe within each of us as christians we want to do great things we feel positioned to act right now we feel called to act but to act rightly we must get some simple things right and that's what i've loved about every chapter of the book of james it's that james keeps things simple he hits the simple things hard like a coach prep and his team he pounds on some repetitive practices and this chapter chapter 5 is no different james addresses some relatively simple spiritual practices that move men to take right action so here they are three actions of great men first they have an eye for true prosperity they have an i for true prosperity you know james begins this chapter with one of the strongest condemnations that you're ever going to read in the bible to people who are wealthy and rich and he insists that the pursuit of wealth results in oppression and fraud imagine that and will eventually make for a miserable end for those who pursue it but in verse 5 he gets after the core of the issue listen to this you have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence you have fattened fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter how about that his point is fantastic it's that we can invest the time that we have here in well luxury and this is one way to live and many men pursue this path they intentionally get fat pursuing the luxuries of this life but but james warns that men who do this are only preparing themselves for a gory and a slaughter this is because to do so is very short-sighted it's foolish because it misses sight of an eternity full of riches and this is the tension of being a christian in a materialistic world right but but james has been preaching this warning since chapter one he actually said that there's a joy found in suffering that's greater than the pursuit of personal happiness right but if we connect the joy of suffering in chapter one to this point here that he makes in chapter five we discover why it's because suffering in this life is nothing compared to the luxuries of eternity and therefore we can conclude that we have two choices on how to live one we can be rich here or we can be rich there we can have riches temporarily or be rich permanently and the wise man would be right to choose the latter to forego temporary happiness to have eternal joy and riches and luxury and lasting prosperity yet the allure of temporary happiness and momentary prosperity has conned many a man and i think this is james's warning that there are dangers in riches that make us fat but it isn't just fat put on by excessive calories right he means that we get fat on selfishness and thus the selfishness will result in physical gluttony yes but spiritual starvation will be starved spiritually and these selfish desires are always lurking because temptation is right around the corner and therefore we need to be alert alert to the pool the pool of temporary prosperity and i know many preach against the prosperity gospel i get it one that promises great riches in our time but in this situation i must say there is prosperity here one of spiritual proportions and in this sense we're aiming for a better prosperity one with true blessing where we will be fat fat in the promises of christ and eternity with him and god promises this that's real prosperity gospel right there second great men live patiently they live patiently now in the second part of this chapter james guides us to understand a character trait important to all men that makes them great patience patience it's the endurance to suffer longer in the light of god's return right here's what he says 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 it receives the early and the late rains you know i love the addition of the short little illustration here in james's call for patience it illuminates something very important it's something that all all all men need to hear it's that there are many things out of our control and in these moments we do not need more control that's what we think we need but we actually need more patience every farmer understands this that there are some elements of farming that are entirely in the hands of god right like the weather and natural resources and in season all farmers experience some level of anxiety about natural provisions that they can't control and in this way james tells us what we all need to hear about the challenges we face that there are things out of our control and thus drive us to dependence on god and in these situations we need patience not more control but in the time we live today i think there are many who want to control the situation which is unfolding in our country right it's unfolding right before our eyes and because of this we feel uncertain and in uncertainty or anxiety we look for ways to like gain control of what is happening and we do this because we want some certainty that's why but storms like this are not going to be weathered with human control right just like the farmer we must turn to god and nurture some patients but patience doesn't mean we should sit around and do nothing either if god calls us to speak and act on behalf of him we should do that but until that moment comes we cannot ignore that we need to act patiently trusting a god who is in control fellas god's man god's great man is patient he exudes this attribute because he knows that there are elements of life he can't control and he's wise enough to realize that he could try but that would be a waste of time therefore he chooses patience over control listen again as james drives the point home in chapter 5 verse 11. he says behold we consider those blessed who remain steadfast you have heard of the steadfastness of job and you have seen the purpose of the lord how the lord is compassionate and merciful now i love that he uses one of the best illustrations of patience and steadfastness in the bible here right job job is one of the earliest books of the bible and his life is an illustration in patience by the end of chapter one by the way we discovered that he's lost everything children gone cattle gone fields gone health gone the only thing that is left is him and his wife and a few so-called friends but in the middle of this suffering job never gives up he's patient we read chapters of dialogue and debate even many a moment that job just could have quit on god altogether but he doesn't he suffers longer he builds patience and right when you think he's about to give up he starts questioning god and god steps in and he questions him he confronts him who is a god in control and in the end we watch as god blesses him again not just with temporal riches but with a face-to-face encounter with the divine triune god himself but james makes a great point it's this that the purposes of god are accomplished in the patient man like our jobs right the man who exudes patience and therefore suffers longer and therefore enjoys the pleasure of seeing the purposes of god play all the way out he gets to see god through the good times and the bad and thus as james states only the patient man witnesses the compassion and the mercies of god fellows are you that man are you that man be a great man be patient third great men confess prayerfully they confess prayerfully you know in this final chapter james's conclusion is beyond strong listen to what it says here it says therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working you know i think men in general have a hard time opening up about their shortcomings but during the season i have watched as more and more men are opening up because they're being exposed and i'm getting more and more prayer requests from men across the world about failed marriages loss of work increased addiction rising depression and here in this last chapter in these last moments james reminds us to confess which i think is happening now more than ever before confession means to agree with god about what he already knows to agree with him about what he already knows it's to tell god the truth about you you see we think we can hide from god right but that's just not possible and james wants us to confess to god but he adds a little nuance here he also wants us to confess our sins to one another right to open up about the issues we're facing and i think this is really hard for some men yet there is great power in doing this because confession conjoined with prayer results in righteous prayer that has great power as it's working you know great men they live conscious free before god they share rather openly about who they are and what they've done and the man who does business in confession is a great man practicing this in the company of trusting men is valuable gentlemen and then even more as we pray together as god heals so there you have it fellas three things great men do they have an eye for true prosperity they live patiently and confess prayerfully love you guys live all in for him who lived all in for you [Music]

Channel: Vince Miller

Views: 2,800

Rating: 4.964602 out of 5

Keywords: mens, men, ministry, bible, study, studies, Vince Miller, bible study lessons, Bible study for men, Vince miller sermon, sermon book of james, book of james sermon series, james 5 bible study, james 5 13-20, james 5 sermon, online bible study, mens group bible study, video bible study, mens retreat, bible studies for men, james brother of jesus, small group bible study, bible study fellowship, video bible study series

Id: 3HplegWgfcA

Length: 13min 41sec (821 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 14 2021