Start With The Second Coming In Mind

If you could only answer questions, “Yes,” or “No,” and couldn’t ever use the word “maybe” again, would it make that much of a difference to your life?

Take a moment and read James 5:1-12--it is especially very interesting to read in The Message translation.

So often we are told to begin with the END in mind. The END is whatever or where ever the certain project we are working on is heading until we say it is DONE. We do need to begin with the END in mind, but James has a different END in mind.

There are several things the people have done wrong in James’ mind:

• laid up treasures in the last days, 
• kept back wages by fraud, 
• lived in luxury and self-indulgence, 
• fattened their hearts, 
• condemned and murdered people.

When James tells the rich to “weep and howl” what is he getting at? What good does it do?What does “the cry of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of the Hosts” mean? What does it mean for "the wages of those abused by fraud" is crying out? What is fraud? Is it true God hears the cries of the abused laborer?

One of the things James getting at in his warnings, especially in the phrase “you have laid up treasure in the last days” is that they and we are in the last days? There are no later last days or later days after these last of the last days. Since Christ died and resurrected we have been in the "last days."

After the ripping judgments James has pronounced, he shifts to commands, illustrations, and their benefits.

The Commands
7  Be patient until the coming of the Lord.
Be patient.
Establish your hearts;
9  Do not grumble against one another;
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.

The Illustrations 
The farmer waits;
Take the prophets;
The steadfastness of Job

The Benefits
The precious fruit;
May not be judged;
Blessed who remained steadfast;
May not fall under

James also imparts the motivating factors for why his readers should do and not do the commands I will list in a moment.

Look at the names James calls God: 
The Lord of hosts,
The Judge,
The LORD.

In The Message, God is referred to as the Master Avenger—wiser than Tony Stark, stronger than the Hulk, eternal unlike Thor, and more righteous than them all!

How does knowing who God is help us to know who we are? How does knowing who God is help us to know how we should respond and live? Do you know God, the God James is writing about? 

We need to know God more! Our understanding of God is soil with which the roots of life are dug into. It is what it means to say, “We have given our lives to Christ.”

James writes: “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” The purpose of the Lord with Job was to show how compassionate and merciful He is! And so it is with YOUR life!

Will you allow for the purpose of the Lord in your life?

The Motivating Factors to James are:
(1) The Master could arrive at any time.
(2) The Judge is standing just around the corner;
(3) God brought it all together for Job at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down bottom!

The world needs to hear and see your faith in God, not just from your life, but by your words as well.
Start with the Second Coming in mind!

The Message says in verse 12, “And since you know that he cares, let your language show it."
Start with the Second Coming in mind!

The LAST DAYS phrase is to serve as a constant reminder to James’ readers and to us. There is a final day of reckoning coming to us all. Jesus IS coming for you. Jesus is coming for YOU. Jesus is coming for all—those people we have loved AND for those we have not treated lovingly. The Judge truly is just around the corner. Start with the Second Coming in mind!

The Master Avenger is coming for YOU. Start with the Second Coming in mind!

He is compassionate and merciful to you, but
He is also to others you have been in relationship with.
The Day is coming. Start with the Second Coming in mind!