WEBVTT 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:01.600 Hello, friends. 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:02.879 This is Pastor Creighton. 00:00:02.959 --> 00:00:06.160 Thank you for tuning in to Newsong Church's Sermon Podcast. 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:13.279 At Newsong Church, we want to see Jesus lifted high in Port Perry, Ontario, as we worship, grow, and serve. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.719 You can learn more about us and find contact info at newsongportperry.ca. 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:25.839 Our second lesson this morning is found in James chapter 5, beginning at the seventh verse. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:31.039 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:40.079 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. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:43.200 You also be patient. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:48.079 Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:53.439 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:57.359 Behold, the judge is standing at the door. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.920 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:08.560 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:17.760 You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:32.799 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:36.319 Is anyone among you suffering? 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:38.719 Let him pray. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:40.480 Is anyone cheerful? 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:42.640 Let him sing praise. 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:44.879 Is any one among you sick? 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:51.840 Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:02:00.959 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:08.560 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:13.840 The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:24.319 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:30.159 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:45.360 My brothers, if any one among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:47.680 The word of the Lord. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:49.520 Thanks be to God. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:03:00.159 The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:01.759 Let's pray. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.080 Holy and gracious God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:30.719 Increase our faith to wait well at this present time for the coming of our Lord Jesus, for the fulfilling of all your promises. 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.520 Send forth your light and your truth. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:41.120 Let them lead us to your holy hill, to your dwelling. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:43.199 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:44.159 Amen. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:45.919 Please be seated. 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.120 What does it look like to follow Jesus in our suffering? 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:12.000 A number of years ago, uh a fellow Anglican pastor was telling me a story, a story from his own experience and the difficult experience of his family. 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:18.639 He had a young daughter who for many, many years was sick, you know, in and out of the hospital so frequently. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:26.480 They lived in a large city, but they were on first name basis with all of the uh staff in the emergency room, you know, in the large hospital nearby. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:30.079 His young daughter was in and out of the hospital frequently. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:37.680 I mean, I suspect that's a pain that only parents with sick children know. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:44.000 There's a special kind of suffering and forbearance there. 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:54.639 So they walked this path and and, you know, as best they could, committed themselves to be faithful in prayer and in fasting and and in hope. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:08.079 And uh one day he gets this phone call out of the blue, and it's uh it's a phone call coming through the church office, and it's from uh the fellow on the other side of the phone introduces himself. 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:27.519 He says, I'm a Pentecostal pastor, you know, and I live on the other side of the country, and I heard about your story, uh, and I heard about your daughter, and I heard about um well, I heard about your ministry, and I'd like to invite you to come out to my church and to preach on healing. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:35.759 And because my Anglican friend kind of didn't really that was one wasn't what he expected to hear, and I think just came out of the blue. 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:37.680 He he just laughed out loud. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:43.759 And he laughed out loud and says, you know, you know I'm an Anglican, right? 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:48.000 And the guy goes, Yeah, and he goes, I thought you were Pentecostal. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:53.680 Like, aren't you guys all about healing and you know, revival and that kind of ministry? 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:56.319 And he goes, he goes, Yeah, we are. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:06:02.560 We we we believe, like you, that God heals and that God can show up in miraculous ways. 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:05.759 He says, Pentecostals, we know how to pray for healing. 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:13.600 He says, what we don't know how to do, what we don't know is what to do when God doesn't heal. 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:20.720 What we don't know is how to follow Jesus in suffering. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:31.920 Now I say that, I share that story not to make Anglicanism look superior to any other denomination, Pentecostalism or otherwise. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.680 And I don't share that story to say we've got it all figured out here. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:41.759 I share that story because I think that's a question that resonates with every Christian in one way or another, isn't it? 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:50.399 What do we do when God doesn't show up in the way that we want to relieve our suffering in the way that makes the most sense to us? 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:52.639 It's so clear to us. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.199 What do we do to follow Jesus in our suffering? 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:11.600 See, this is the kind of question, and it resonates so deeply, it's like we see the commercials, the televangelists who say, you know, for a simple down payment of$50, we'll send you blessed holy water, and that'll fix your problems. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:16.800 I mean, some of these commercials are so cheesy that you go, oh my goodness, who would do that? 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:23.040 And yet it takes the pain of a sick child to go, if that's what makes the difference, sign me up. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:33.199 All kinds of rituals or remedies of one sort or the other, it's like, what do we do to follow Jesus in our suffering? 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:39.600 This is the kind of question I think is in James' mind as he writes the conclusion of his letter here. 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:42.480 That's where we are in James chapter 5 this morning. 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:52.000 This is the conclusion of his letter, a letter that began with James instructing Christians to count it all joy when you encounter trials of various kinds. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:57.680 Because these trials are perfecting your character and God is using them for a greater good. 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:00.959 That's a tall order. 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:04.399 And this is how James wants to land the plane. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:11.360 He wants to talk about following Jesus in suffering, in the hardest times of life. 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:17.439 And friends, there's no, like, this isn't a Rubik's cube that we can just kind of solve and be like, oh, I get it. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:18.639 I get why we suffer. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:20.240 I get why God allows suffering. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:25.680 It's like, no, James and and God's word, they're not, they're not treating this like a Rubik's Cube. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:28.000 That's a pretty cheap thing, I think. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:34.240 But instead, James wants to call us to follow Christ in the midst of suffering. 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:43.600 And friends, I can't help but think if our faith can't speak to suffering, what right does it have to speak to our joy or our hope or our peace? 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:48.399 What does it look like to follow Jesus in our suffering? 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:52.559 I think James offers two answers here. 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.240 What does it look like for us to follow Jesus in suffering? 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:59.919 James suggests one, patience. 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:06.320 And following Jesus in suffering looks like patience and trust. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:09.440 Patience and trust. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:18.080 Now that might sound trite, like a pat on the head, but I don't think James is saying these things because he's like, I don't know what else to say. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:25.840 I think James is saying, I don't know what else to say, other than patience and trust. 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:35.600 These things direct our attention outside of ourselves and towards the God who has promised us to come again and that he is sufficient. 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:40.320 Patience and trust is how we follow Jesus in the midst of our suffering. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:44.159 And maybe you're coming here this morning in the midst of a season of suffering. 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:49.360 And I hope there's good news for you today in God's word. 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:50.879 I suspect there is. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:53.360 Patience and trust. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:55.440 That's how we follow Jesus in our suffering. 00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:06.480 So if you have your bulletin, your order of service, your uh your Bible, please open up to James chapter 5, and we're gonna look at James 5, 7 to 18 in particular. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:10.399 We follow Jesus in our suffering through patience. 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:12.879 Here's what James writes, verse 7. 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.320 This is uh an imperative, this is a command. 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:22.559 Be patient, therefore, brothers, and we understand that, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:28.320 And then James goes on to say, Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:31.919 Be patient, establish your hearts. 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:36.879 This is the same word, by the way, that Paul uses love is patient, love is kind. 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:43.759 Patience is a sort of forbearance, uh, uh long-suffering, a perseverance. 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:46.799 And to establish your heart is to make fast. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:57.120 It's a metaphor, it's like uh it's like you're you know, um, you know, it's like you're you're drilling deep into the ground to lay a foundation, a cornerstone for a building. 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:59.519 It's like that isn't going to be immovable. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:00.960 It's going nowhere. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:03.039 Establish your heart. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.720 Set it in deep and solid. 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:22.879 And this is the same word, interesting left, that shows up in Luke chapter 9, verse 51, when Luke says that towards the end of Jesus' ministry, he he set his face towards Jerusalem, which is to say, Jesus established his heart to go and suffer on our behalf. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:26.720 There is nothing that could sway him or persuade him otherwise. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:28.480 He was set on it. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:31.759 Be patient, establish your heart. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.799 I think for James, patience is not a passive thing. 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:43.120 It can sound very passive, like we've got nothing better to do than sort of twiddle our thumbs and sit on our hands, but that's not what James has in mind. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:50.480 This kind of patience, this perseverance, this long-suffering, is an active commitment of our will. 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:59.120 It is a decision to not give up based on God's, the surety of God's promise. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.919 I think we know what it's like to experience a sort of patience that's not passive. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:08.799 Christmas season always gets me thinking about Christmas as being a Christmas as a child. 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:15.039 Maybe you remember some very fond memories of being a you know your childhood Christmases. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:25.679 This was the hardest time of year, I think, all year round, because the tree was up and the gifts were wrapped, and they were waiting there, just taunting me for weeks at a time. 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:27.519 Do we remember that feeling? 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:33.440 Gosh, it's just it's literally paper thin between me and that that present waiting for me, right? 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:42.799 We know what it's like to be patient, but it's an active, longing, anticipatory kind of patience. 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:45.279 It's not a sort of, oh, the tree's there, that's cool. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.840 It's uh, I'm set on that. 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:54.240 And James himself uses an illustration to sort of give a sense of what this kind of patience is look like. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:13:02.320 He says, see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and late rains. 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:12.159 I could picture my grandpa out, uh, he was uh he bailed hay and he he kept bees, and I can picture him out on his his hobby farm there, and maybe some of y'all I know grew up on farms. 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:18.559 And you know, farming is not a there is a lot of patience involved in farming because there is just a lot outside your control. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.720 But it would be wrong to think that farmers are just sitting on their hands, aren't we? 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:25.679 There's an active patience there. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:28.799 And that's the kind of patience that James is calling us for. 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:36.799 But we might want to ask, well, if we're called to an anticipatory, kind of active sort of patience, well, what are we being patient for? 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:41.840 If I'm patient for Christmas, it's like I'm I'm anticipating opening those gifts. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:46.080 The farmer is patient, anticipating anticipating the harvest. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.600 What are we anticipating? 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:48.799 What are we waiting for? 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:50.639 And James has an answer for us. 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:54.960 Be patient, therefore, until the coming of the Lord. 00:13:55.279 --> 00:14:00.240 And he repeats again, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:04.960 What are we patient for in the midst of suffering? 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.159 We're patient for the coming of the Lord. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:14.559 That glorious day when our Lord Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:18.320 Paul writes this in his letter to the Thessalonians. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:27.519 He says, The Lord Himself, Jesus, will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:31.840 In other words, it's like we're not going to be left wondering what's going on here. 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:43.600 The dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:53.440 The Lord has promised he will return, and we'll meet him in celebration, as he does, as his people who've been waiting for him. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:13.360 This is the inauguration of his kingdom. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:17.919 And so, friends, we we have an expectant faith. 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:26.559 We live by faith and not by sight, but we live by faith in such a way that we expect we will see these promises fulfilled. 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:36.799 And that means on our very worst day, when suffering seems to engulf us, we have an unshakable hope. 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:41.519 James understands the Lord will come again. 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:45.840 Down in Texas, it was something that a Texans said all the time. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:52.559 The way we would just go, like, you know, it was just, come, Lord Jesus, all the time, wasn't it? 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.960 And, you know, sometimes it just sort of seemed to be this nervous tick or something. 00:15:57.919 --> 00:15:59.039 Maybe it was. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.840 But at a certain point it just started to resonate. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:05.840 You know, you'd hear a difficult story, and we might say, Oh, I'm sorry. 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:09.840 They would go, Come, Lord Jesus, and I just think that's a wonderful reflex. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:15.360 Because they know that the Lord's return will answer this suffering. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:21.120 We know that the Lord's return will do away with evil and oppression. 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:25.120 So we wait in hope. 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:32.159 With an active and not a passive patience, because the Lord has promised to come again. 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:38.720 What is that active sort of patience that anticipates the Lord's return above all things? 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:39.759 What does that look like? 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:41.519 I think James has two suggestions. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.279 I want to touch on them really quickly. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:49.120 Here's how, here's what pa's what a godly sort of patience can look like. 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:53.679 In both ways, I think James suggests words matter. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:59.759 When we are patiently waiting for the Lord's return in the midst of suffering, our words matter. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.480 First off, James says, don't grumble. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.079 Look at verse 9. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:08.960 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.759 Behold, the judge is standing at the door. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:17.119 He concludes that by saying, Jesus' return is imminent. 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:21.039 Don't grumble against one another. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:31.599 James has spent a huge chunk of his letter talking about the sort of divisive speech that can split apart a church family, and that's splitting apart this church family in Jerusalem. 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:33.680 Don't grumble against one another. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:38.880 Maybe we picture the Israelites grumbling in the wilderness in the Old Testament. 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:44.079 Living in this constant state of complacency and complaint. 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:49.920 See, grumbling, I think James understands, is an expression of a hopeless heart. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:56.160 Grumbling is a sort of, takes a posture of this is all just futile. 00:17:56.559 --> 00:17:58.799 There's no point to all of this. 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:02.960 And our words reflect a sort of hopeless disposition. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:09.279 But if we have a hope that our Lord will come again, that can change the words we use. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:12.640 It transforms this experience of suffering. 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:18.000 And well, now we have a hope that's greater than this present moment we're experiencing. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:23.680 Instead, James says, look, look at the example of the prophets. 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:28.720 Many of the prophets were hated and hunted and bereaved. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:35.039 Hosea had a marriage breakdown, and Daniel was exiled, and many were condemned quite publicly. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:39.759 And yet, James says we consider all of them blessed in verse 11. 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:41.440 That doesn't sound like blessing to me. 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.119 Does it sound like blessing to you? 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:52.160 I mean, we read these stories and they inspire our faith, but we might, I mean, I certainly think for myself, gosh, I would not want to experience any of those things. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:54.079 Let the prophets have the suffering. 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:56.160 Not for me, thank you. 00:18:56.720 --> 00:19:09.279 I think James is saying for those Christians who, not if we experience suffering, but when we experience suffering, we can nevertheless discover that God is at work in the midst of it. 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:17.599 And we can count ourselves blessed, not by the suffering, but because of the work God is doing in and through it. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:23.440 And so the other example James cites is Job. 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:31.359 And I won't rehearse the whole story of Job, but if you know it, you know that Job is perhaps the biblical example of suffering, apart from our Lord Jesus. 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:42.480 In the midst of his suffering, Job questioned God and he questioned his his justice, but he never cursed God or condemned God. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:51.680 Instead, he held out hope that he will yet see his Redeemer, yet in my flesh will I see God. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:58.559 He held out hope that there is a greater answer to this suffering that he is experiencing presently. 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:02.079 I think Job's example gives us permission to wrestle with God. 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:08.240 I also think Job's example points out that there's a difference between lament and grumbling. 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:13.440 Like I think we've got permission to, in the midst of suffering, to say, you know, that hurts. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.119 It's not grumbling to acknowledge what's reality. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:20.720 Grumbling, I think, comes from a heart that's abandoned hope. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.880 We wrestle with these things. 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:39.759 But Job and the prophets point to a way to respond to suffering that is patient, understanding that the Lord is at work in and through it, and holding on to the promise that he will come again to answer the suffering that we experience presently. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:43.519 How do we follow Jesus in the midst of our suffering? 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:46.000 We do it with patience. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:49.440 Because Jesus has promised to come again. 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:52.640 Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:57.519 Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart. 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:01.440 Our suffering will be answered by God. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.920 How do we follow Jesus in our suffering? 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:05.599 We suffer with patience. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:09.920 The second thing I think James wants to see is we suffer with trust. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:16.400 Speaking of suffering, James says, he goes on to verse 13 and 14, is anyone among you suffering? 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:17.920 Let him pray. 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:19.359 Is anyone cheerful? 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:20.880 Let him sing praise. 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:22.799 Is anyone among you sick? 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:29.599 Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:36.559 I think James very quickly here covers the whole experience of human life, doesn't he? 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:39.279 All of desolation, all of consolation. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:40.799 Are you suffering? 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:42.400 Are you cheerful? 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:43.920 Are you sick? 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:50.880 All of life's experience is meant to be directed towards the Lord in trust. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:55.599 This is what uh reformer John Calvin has to say. 00:21:57.039 --> 00:21:59.599 Calvin says that there is no time. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:04.079 In which God does not invite us to Himself. 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:18.319 Our presence of our time of suffering could be a time where God is calling us to trust in Him, in His plan, in His time, in a greater work that He wants to do. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:24.079 But again, it's not a sort of passive trust, it's an active trust, it's a commitment of the will. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:25.440 Are you suffering? 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:27.680 Let Him pray, is what James says. 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:33.759 Prayer is the foundational expression of a Christian's trust and dependence upon God. 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:38.319 It says, God, I need you to do for me what I can't do for myself. 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:42.480 Nevertheless, thy will, not mine, be done. 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:46.000 That's the foundation of prayer and trust. 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:50.000 And if you're cheerful, sing praise, is what James has to say. 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:53.839 Exaltation is also an expression of trust. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:23:00.799 It says, God, your will is good and perfect and acceptable, and I am delighted by it. 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:04.400 When we're on top of the world, we should be singing praise. 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:09.839 When we're feeling like we are crushed under the weight of the world, we come to the Lord in prayer. 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:13.519 Either way, we come to the Lord in trust. 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:18.319 And if we're sick, we call the elders. 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:33.200 The word here specifically is presbyteros or presbyter, or in our Anglican circles, we'd say priest, the pastors of the church, and let them pray over the sick and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:43.119 This anointing, I think, is a sign act of God's blessing and consecration. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:56.079 It's not something that's meant to be magical, but it is something that is a physical way of expressing the reality that God is at work to renew and restore us in Christ. 00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:05.279 To set apart someone or something when we use oil for consecration to the Lord. 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:08.960 And so what we're saying is we're putting our trust into practice. 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:16.880 We're externalizing our trust in such a way by doing this thing that you say, Lord, is good, by being anointed with oil. 00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:27.759 And because James says that this is something performed by the elders of the church, I can't help but think that this is a particular ministry reserved for pastors. 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:35.920 This is meant to be something that is, it brings unity and it brings uh it brings care and compassion to the flock. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:41.839 But it doesn't mean that as fellow Christians, we're not supposed to be doing anything for the sake of those who are sick. 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.759 James says, pray for one another in verse 16. 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:51.519 We're journeying with one another in the midst of suffering in this way. 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:54.880 Now pray for the sick, anoint with oil. 00:24:55.039 --> 00:25:00.000 None of this is to suggest that this is what we do instead of seeking medical treatment if we're sick. 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:01.519 Let's be clear on that. 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:06.079 Because I've heard it said sometimes that, you know, oh, I wouldn't go and get treatment. 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:08.319 I wouldn't go get that kind of treatment, maybe. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:16.240 I need that that would be uh that would be a lack of faith in God's ability to show up and heal in a particular way. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:19.440 And I can't help but think that that's really misinformed. 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:23.680 Every good gift, James says, is from God above. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:25.599 And that includes medicine. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:28.799 And that includes medical treatment. 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:34.000 And so I think we avail ourselves of every good gift that God gives for our sake. 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:53.680 But I think this reminds us that our seeking treatment for our bodies through medicine and seeking treatment for our souls through this uh spiritual anointing, the two are meant to be integrated with one another. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:57.039 We are physical and spiritual beings, aren't we? 00:25:57.359 --> 00:25:59.359 We're both and, not either or. 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:02.960 This is about bringing healing to the whole person. 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:06.880 Now, this is something that's so often I find underused. 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:10.640 I get too few calls for anointing. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:23.839 And maybe that's just because you know this passage comes up once a year in our lectionary or something, or whatever else, but I suspect this is a neglected ministry, perhaps because, especially as Canadians, we just don't want to be an imposition. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.480 It's like I don't want to be an inconvenience to anyone. 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:31.920 And I don't want to be the inconvenience to call the pastor and get him to come to the hospital. 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:35.759 And I guess all I can say is be an imposition, brothers and sisters. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:37.279 I want to be there. 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:44.000 And if I can pray for you and anoint you, it is my privilege to do so in the name of the Lord. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:45.599 Be an imposition. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:52.240 The other reason I wonder if we don't do it is because a certain degree of spiritual pride starts to seep in. 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:58.880 It might say for a weaker Christian, sure, anointing might be a good idea, but I'm not sure I need it really. 00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:01.440 I think I'm covered, I think I'm good. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:10.079 And I guess all I can say is it takes humility and trust to say, I need this healing too. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:15.599 I need to depend on the Lord for every good gift, including that of healing. 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:17.599 Be an imposition. 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:19.279 Make the call. 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:26.720 And then James says, confess your sins for healing, which is also a remarkable thing to say, I think. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:38.160 Confess your sins to one another, not necessarily to the pastor, but confess your sins to one another, and the pastor may be a part of that process, that you may be healed. 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:44.079 Again, that's a remarkable thing to say, and I think it speaks to the integration of body and soul. 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:47.039 We are physical and spiritual beings. 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:56.559 And while not every sickness is directly correlated to a spiritual cause, I think sometimes there's more overlap there than we might otherwise think. 00:27:56.960 --> 00:28:02.720 I have a buddy who uh uh just kind of his call, his gifting is healing ministry. 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:07.279 It's just the way the Lord has gifted him and the ministry he's entrusted him with. 00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:19.440 And I asked him about this once, and we were talking along these lines, and he says, you know, he says, you might picture healing ministry as like people leaving their crutches behind or getting out of wheelchairs, and like that happens. 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:27.599 But he says, probably the number one thing people get healing from when I'm praying with them, when I'm working with them, they need healing from unforgiveness. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:33.279 There is resentment that's built up somewhere deep in their heart, and they are not releasing someone from it. 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:37.599 And it is causing all sorts of afflictions, spiritual and physical. 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:41.599 It's releasing that unforgiveness that brings healing. 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:44.400 And that happens in the context of confession. 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:49.440 It's a remarkable thing that happens being a spiritual and physical being like that. 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:58.400 Again, not every illness is exactly a spiritual cause, but maybe our illnesses are an occasion for self-examination. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:02.079 Have I offended the Lord in some way? 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:05.359 Have I are do I have amends to make? 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:09.200 Elders can be a part of that process. 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:14.160 Not necessarily, but I think that's part of the job of being a pastor. 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:18.799 And all of this, James calls us to trust. 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:26.319 If you're suffering, if you're cheerful, if you're sick, trust the Lord because he is sufficient. 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:31.200 He is sufficient for your need, and he is sufficient for the present time. 00:29:31.359 --> 00:29:36.319 The prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working. 00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:38.720 The example he gives is Elijah. 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:45.279 And the thing about Elijah is he's this towering Old Testament figure, and John the Baptist takes up the mantle of his ministry. 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:46.960 We read that in the gospel reading. 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:54.319 But the thing James wants us to know about Elijah is he was a man with a nature like ours, which is to say he's human just like us. 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:56.799 He's one of God's creatures too. 00:29:57.279 --> 00:30:00.960 He doesn't belong to a special category of spiritual superstars. 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:06.160 He, like you, depends on the Lord in trust and in patience. 00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:08.000 Do likewise. 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:12.000 So the question is: do we believe that God is sufficient? 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:16.160 Not just in the good times, but in the bad. 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:20.319 Here's what one commentator has to say. 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:29.440 Both in periods of suffering and trouble, in times of joy, prayer and praise alike acknowledge that God is sufficient. 00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:40.319 Whether as the source of supply and need, or the source of the gladness of our joy, God is our sufficiency. 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:43.680 So, how do we follow Jesus in our suffering? 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:54.160 We follow Jesus in patience because we believe He will come again and answer our present suffering. 00:30:54.720 --> 00:31:02.079 And we follow Jesus in trust because we believe that God is sufficient for the present moment. 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:07.119 We can remember that Jesus himself is well acquainted with suffering. 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:10.960 He was a man of great sorrows and acquainted with grief. 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:14.319 This is the one who has promised us to return. 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:16.799 He is sufficient for us. 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:28.640 So my Anglican pastor friend was away at a convention when he gets another phone call from his wife, and she says, our daughter is in the hospital again, and it's looking pretty desperate. 00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:33.359 And so he gets together with another bunch of pastors at this conference. 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:36.000 He says, My daughter needs prayer right now. 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:38.880 They get together and they huddle and they pray. 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:43.920 And then my friend gets this call, maybe I don't know, an hour later from his wife again. 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:50.079 And she goes, I don't know what happened, but we were on our way to the hospital, and suddenly our daughter perks right up. 00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:51.759 And she says, Actually, I feel fine. 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:53.200 I think I should go to school. 00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:56.720 So she says, I turn around and I drop her off at school. 00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:01.440 And then she spent, she's been in school for the last hour without an incident. 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:03.440 Maybe we just keep praying. 00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:05.279 And so that's what they do. 00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:11.519 And that was the last time she had to visit the hospital because of this mysterious cause. 00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:16.720 God shows up and he heals, and we pray accordingly. 00:32:17.119 --> 00:32:18.720 We pray with faith. 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:23.279 But this doesn't always work like this, does it? 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:29.359 Maybe even in our own experience, we know that suffering isn't always relieved like that. 00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:34.880 We rejoice when it is, but what do we do in following Jesus in suffering? 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:40.000 This was the topic, this was the key verse of my friend's sermon at that Pentecostal church. 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:45.519 The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:55.759 See, in the midst of suffering, in cheerfulness and sickness, in Christ, we have a promise bound to us. 00:32:56.400 --> 00:33:01.519 We will be raised to new life on the last day by his Holy Spirit. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:11.279 And my pastor friend, even in the darkest days, he said, What I knew is my daughter was going to be raised up on the last day. 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:12.640 Come what may. 00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:19.359 Death will not have the final word over her, and in Christ it will not have the final word over us. 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:22.640 He will raise us up. 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:29.680 Healing in the present moment points us to that great day where the Lord will do the ultimate work of healing. 00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:31.440 So we pray for that. 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:38.799 And as we journey, we follow Jesus in patience and in trust. 00:33:39.039 --> 00:33:50.160 Knowing the hope of Christ's cross and resurrection, we can be patient in every circumstance and we can trust him who is sufficient for us. 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:51.279 Amen. 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:54.640 Thank you for listening today. 00:33:54.799 --> 00:34:00.319 We worship a generous God who calls us to follow him in giving willfully, cheerfully, and sacrificially. 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:06.960 Newsong Church's mission and ministry is 100% funded by the generous gifts of those worshiping and journeying with us. 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:14.719 If you'd like to offer a gift towards Newsong's ministry, please visit Newsongportperry.ca slash giving for more information on how to do that. 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:18.000 May God bless you and keep you today and every day.