James 5:7-12 — The Error of Impatience

Introduction: The theme of James is avoiding the common errors in the faith. So far James has warned us not to fall into the following errors: The error of misunderstanding God’s purposes in trails, the error of not maintaining born again attitudes, the error of partiality, the error of a dead faith, the error of an uncontrolled and hurtful tongue, the error of lust that is fed by our friendship with the world, the error of pride, the error of willful disobedience, and the error of not understanding the end of the ungodly rich. In today’s passage James confronts us with the common error of impatience.

Proposition: As we wait for the Lord’s coming, we must be patient with others (James 5:7a).

Explanation: Discerning the Greek synonyms used by James that are translated as the word patience  in many translations:

 Endurance – Hupominantas

 “The patient ability to bear up in all circumstances”

James 1:3-4 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

James 5:11 “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

Longsuffering – Makrothumesate

“A patient attitude toward others regardless of what they have done”

James 5:7-8  “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

 Outline:

I. The examples placed before us that demonstrate patience:

 A.  The husbandman (vs.7-8)

• “Establish your heart” – Strengthen so as to stand firm – Unmovable-

• Pro 4:23 ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

 B.  The prophets (vs.10) Example – Jeremiah

 C.  Job (vs.11) Job 42:10b “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also he the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

 II. The warnings placed before us that try our patience:

 A. People try our patience (vs.9) —

• Don’t hold grudges – grumble against other

• The incentive – the judge – Jesus Christ is watching

“The warning is against the human tendency – when subjected to oppression and injustice – to give way to our vexations by unjustly lashing out against those near and dear to us” Hiebert p.301

 To walk in love with saints above
Will be a wondrous glory
To walk below with saints we know
Well, that’s another story

B. Pledges (commitments) try our patience (vs.12): Don’t swear (back up your word by making promises based on things of this earth or things in heaven).

•  See Matt. 5:33-37 – An echo of the teaching of our Lord

•  Be truthful – total honesty in speech – The incentive – condemnation

 “James has in view the self-serving attempt to hide the truth by appearing to appeal to God to establish the truth. Such duplicity is totally inconsistent with Christian honesty” (Hiebert p.308).

Psalm 15:1-5,  “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.  He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.  In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”

• Remember the context is about the LORD’S return.

– The Lord’s coming should be both a comfort and a concern to us.

 III. The nature of God placed before us that encourages our patience (vs.11c):

A.  God is pitiful – “intense inner yearnings of the heart”

Heb 4:15 For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

B.  God is merciful – Psalm 145:8 “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”

Conclusion: The LORD is coming, may He not only find us waiting patiently for Him but being patient with our brothers in Christ.

James 4:11-17, The Error of Pride

The Error of giving into a resurgence
of pride after repentance of lustful sin.

Introduction: Having been rebuked by James for our lusts and friendship with the world in James 4:1-4 and having been directed in verses 5-10 to humbly repent, James warns us against being lifted up in pride after our repentance of sinful lusts. In verses 11-16 we are warned of the danger of a resurgence of pride – The error of arrogant judging and the error of arrogant planning.

Theme: Guard against the error of arrogant judging and arrogant planning

Transition: After humbly responding to God’s correction:

I.  Don’t judge your brother in pride:
The error of arrogant attacks (4:10-11 cf. Liv.19:16-18).

“Speak not evil” Lit- Speak down on – “denotes critical, derogatory speech that is maliciously intended to influence others against the person being spoken against” (Hiebert p.267). Term used of unbelievers toward believers in I Peter 2:12 & 3:16.

Judgeth the law “Whoever deliberately breaks a law and does not repent of it, thereby speaks evil against it and treats it as a bad law, since it is the essence of a law to require obedience, and he who refuses obedience virtually says it ought not to be law” (Tasker p.100).

Illustration: Not wearing your set belt – You are judging the law to not be worthy of your obedience.

Application: Personal convictions / standards “Whatever is not of faith is sin”

Personal Illustration: Changing my Music habit after I was saved – learning to not judge others.

Illustration: Man who gave up watching sports on TV because he was putting them before the Lord.

II.  Don’t boast about your plans for the future:
The error of presumptuous planning (4:13-16).

A. You cannot know the future (vs.14).

B. Your life is short (vs.14).

C. You need to say, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that (vs.15).

Example: Paul – Acts 17:21,1 Cor. 4:19, 16:7

D. Your boasting is evil (vs.16)

God Is: 52 Scriptural Meditations on Knowing God

I want to thank all of you who have encouraged me over the past 2 years to keep writing about our gracious and loving Lord!  I have been working at combining and re-writing the 52 devotionals into one manuscript for a book.  I am adding a Scripture memory verses and some questions for personal reflections and/or group discussion to each meditation. Your prayers are appreciated as we seek God’s will concerning the editing phase and future publication.   The working title thus far for the book is  God Is: 52 Scriptural Meditations on Knowing God.  We hope that you have been blessed by God’s Word and thinking about who our great God Is.   Blessing to you in Christ!

Sincerely, Mark Worden —

Devotional 1:  Seeking Idols or God in the New Year

Devotional 2:  God Is!

Devotional 3:  God is Light!

Devotional 4:  God Is Beyond Us!

Devotional 5:  God Is Knowable!

Devotional 6:  God Is Near!

Devotional 7:  God Is Merciful!

Devotional 8:  God Is Holy!

Devotional 9:  God Is Perfect in Justice!

Devotional 10:  God is Righteous!

Devotional 11:  God is Judge!

Devotional 12:  God Is The Lawgiver!

Devotional 13:  God Is King!

Devotional 14:  God Is Sovereign!

Devotional 15:   God is Good!

Devotional 16: God is Faithful!

Devotional 17:  God Is True – part 1

Devotional 18: God is True – part 2

Devotional 19:  God is Wise!

Devotional 20: God is Powerful!

Devotional 21:  God is Spirit!

Devotional 22: God Is our Father!

Devotional 23: God is our Shield! I Know!

Devotional 24: God is Witness!

Devotional 25:  God Is Unchanging!

Devotional 26: God is One!

Devotional 27: God is Eternal!

Devotional 28:  God Is the Giver of Life!

Devotional 29:  God is the Creator!

Devotional 30:  God is our Guide!

Devotional 31: God is Our Shepherd

Devotional 32: God is Jealous

Devotional 33: God is Angry!

Devotional 34: God is Forbearing!

Devotional 35:   God is Patient!

Devotional 36: God is Kind

Devotional 37: God is Not Partial

Devotional 38: God is Gracious

Devotional 39: God is Omniscient (all knowing)

Devotional 40: God is our Physician!

Devotional 41: God is All-Present (Omnipresent)

Devotional 42: God is Infinite

Devotional 43: God is Provider – Jehovahjireh

Devotional 44: God is Peace – Jehovahshalom

Devotional 45: God is our Banner – Jehovahnissi

Devotional 46: God is our Comfort

Devotional 47: God is a Consuming Fire

Devotional 48: God is NOT a Man

Devotional 49: God is Love

Devotional 50: God is Salvation

Devotional 51: God is a Rewarder

Devotional 52: God is Glorious

Devotional 46: God is our Comfort

Have you ever experienced having the wind knocked out of your lungs?  If you have, you will likely never forget that frightening experience. Sometimes life brings blows that figuratively knock the wind out of us—emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  Can you remember a time when you were without strength, hope, and the will to go on as you sat “gasping for breath”?   A situation where everything seemed to be tumbling down upon your head and you felt so very weak?   Where did you find comfort in your time of distress and need?  Often God uses others to point us to Himself when they have previously experienced God’s comfort.

The Psalmist of Psalm 71 testifies that focusing on who God is during trying times brings comfort to those who trust in who He is.  After dwelling on the righteousness and mighty deeds of God the Psalmist says in verse 21-22a, “You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God.”  Hope and comfort came as the Psalmist remembered God’s character!  Comfort was also something that he expected to experience “again”.  Once you find your comfort in God you realize that none other gives such comfort as He gives.

Again the Psalmist shows that meditating on God’s faithfulness to His word brings comfort as Psalm 119:48-52 reveals, “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD.”

Comfort is something that you really don’t understand until you have been comforted in God, because truly He is the “God of all comfort” as 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 makes absolutely clear:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

I would encourage you to list out the times and ways in which God has comforted you.  Then ask God to help you share His comfort with others.  There is more than enough comfort in our great God to spread around to a world in need of His comfort.

May the Lord help us to live out the Apostle Paul’s admonishment in 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

With Prayer, Mark

© January 2013     Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God is our Comfort

Psalm 71:19-21, Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?  You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Psalm 86:15-17, But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Isaiah 40:1-2, Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah 49:13, Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Isaiah 52:9, Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.

Isaiah 66:12-13,  For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 31:12-13,  They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Act 9:31, So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 7:5-7, For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Advent thoughts #4: Jesus = Savior

Title: A Savior is born Text:  Luke 2:1-20 Introduction:  Christmas – As a child growing up, Christmas was always a stressful and sad time of year.  It accentuated the fact that my parents were divorced. I knew from an early … Continue reading →

The reading of “The Inn Keeper” by John Piper is heart rending!

The Apostle Peter gives us a theology of suffering in his first epistle that is powerfully healing, comforting, and enabling:

1 Peter 2:20,  For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

1 Peter 3:14-16,   But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,  but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,  having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

1 Peter 3:17,  For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.   For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

1 Peter 4:15-19,  But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?   And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”  Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

1 Peter 5:8-11,  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Have you ever wondered how you might access God’s grace more often?

1.  Admit that you need help – Be Humble not prideful – Be Dependent on God not independent! James 4:6-10,    But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  Submit yourselves … Continue reading →

Are you depending on God’s grace or yourself to serve God?

Can you tell the difference? Paul could! Paul attributes his powerful ministry to the grace of God. God’s grace enabled him to minister beyond his own ability: Romans 15:15, “But on some points I have written to you very boldly by … Continue reading →

Devotional 40: God is our Physician!

As I write this devotional, I am suffering from an acute sinus infection that has left me very weak and with continual pain in my sinuses, ears, and body.  Pain is a good thing!  Pain causes you to slow down and find out why, and then take measures to correct the problem.  Pain is a gift from God!  When I am in pain because of sickness I am reminded of how dependent I am on God for my very life. Sickening pain causes me to look to my Creator God, who is completely in control of my life as revealed through His prophet in Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”

Can you think of a time when a sickness caused you to look to God for healing? There are many examples in Scripture where people prayed for their own healing or for the healing of others:

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children(Genesis 20:17),

And Moses cried to the LORD, “O God, please heal her–please” (Numbers 12:13),

And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people (2 Chronicles 30:20),

Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled (Psalm 6:2),  and Psalm 30:2,  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

There is a stark contrast in Scripture between two kings who each were sick.  Hezekiah sought God and was healed.  In 2 Kings 20:5 we read God’s word to the prophet, “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.”  However, it is said of King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:12, “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians.”   What kind of person are you when you are sick?  Do you seek God? Or do you seek only the help of physicians?  The answer to that question reveals who you are really trusting for your healing.

Believers are exhorted to seek the prayers of others to God, when they are sick:

Is anyone among you sick? 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. 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. 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 (James 5:14-16).

Do you recognize that healing from physical disease is a gift from God? Furthermore, can you accept the truth that sickness itself is a gift from God? God has a purpose for our own good and His ultimate glory in every sickness, as the Apostle Paul testifies in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Ultimately, when we are with the Lord in Glory we will be healed of all of our diseases as God reveals through David’s song of praise in Psalm 103:1-5:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Will you look to the Lord in confident trust as your Great Physician?  Your thoughts, words, and actions will reveal what is really in your heart.

With Prayer, Mark

© March, 2012         Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Our Physician

Psalm 41:1-4, Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”

Psalm 147:1-3, Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 17:14, Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

Ezekiel 47:12, And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

Matthew 4:23,  And [Jesus] went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Matthew 9:12, But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Mathew 14:14, When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Luke 8:43-44,  And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

1Corinthians 12:8-9,  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit.

Revelation 22:2, through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Isaiah 38:9-22,  A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness: I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years. I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world. My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end; I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end. Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety! What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. The LORD will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD.

A Shepherd’s Musings: Week 11 – God is Judge

Having considered that God is righteous and just, we come to the truth that He is judge.  Scripture makes God’s authority as judge absolutely clear in the following two passages:

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”  So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10b-12 ESV)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV).

Every person will someday stand before God as judge.  What will He be like?  Biblical theologian J. I. Packer summarizes God’s characteristics as judge by pointing out the following:

1. God, as judge, has all authority,

2. God, as judge, is purely good and completely righteous.

3. God, as judge, is a person of wisdom, He is omniscient, and

4. God, as judge, has the power to execute every sentence (Knowing God – pg. 138–147).

Therefore, we can conclude that no person will be outside the jurisdiction of God’s good and righteous judgment, that nothing will be hidden from Him in making judgment, and that nothing can hinder him in carrying out His sentencing as an all-powerful being.

Again we turn to the Psalms where we see God and man in relationship.  This time the Psalmist is praising God as the coming king and perfect judge:

Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness (Psalm 96:10-13 ESV).

Are you prepared to stand before your judge?  Will you be rejoicing like the heavens and earth? Or will you want to hide and flee in fear and trepidation?

The Lord Jesus Christ through a story illustrated the attitude needed to love and look forward to the coming judge:

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:13-14 ESV).

Are you humbly looking for God’s mercy or are you trying to offer up your own self-righteousness?  How you answer this question will effect how you spend all of eternity.

With Prayer, Mark                                                                                         © March, 2011

Selected Verses on God as Judge
ESV – Emphasis added

Genesis 16:5,  And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!”

1 Samuel 24:15,  “May the LORD therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

Psalm 7:11, God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.

Psalm 50:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah

Psalm 75:7, “But God is the judge:  he puts down one, and exalts another.” NKJV

Ezekiel 18:30,  “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.”

Acts 10:38-43, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

2 Timothy 4:1, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:

2 Timothy 4:8,  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Hebrews 10:29-31,  How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 13:4,  Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Revelation 6:10,  They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”