Message Notes
Sunday | August 21, 2022
Pastor Ray Parascando
About James & Today’s Passage:
+ Author is the Brother of Jesus
+ Prominent role in leading the Jerusalem Church / 1st NT book
+ Written to encourage people to grow in their faith
+ Parallels to the Sermon on the Mount
+ Provides wise counsel and warnings about our earnings & yearnings
1 Principle of
“Place a priority on giving instead of getting”
James 5:1-3 / ESV, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
Matthew 6:19-21 / ESV, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Acts 20:35 / ESV, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
First Timothy 6:10, 17-19 / CSB, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs…17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God,[g] who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share, 19 storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of what is truly life.”
2 Principle of
“Our ends can justify the means if the goals and methods are honorable”
James 5:4-6 / ESV, “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”
Proverbs 10:9 ESV, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”
3 Principle of
“Hurry up and wait on God”
James 5: 7-11 / ESV, “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. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained 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.”
Psalm 27:14 / ESV, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
My next steps
Read: James 5
Memorize: Matthew 6:21; Acts 20:35; 1st Tim. 6:10; Psalm 27:14
Apply God’s counsel and chase what matters most.
Return Next Sunday for Service! (9 am, 11 am, & 6 pm.)