“Does any among uou suffer?”

• Suffering refers to more than just sickness (James 5:9–14):
  • Suffering refers to discipline, trials, injustice, persecution, and oppression as well as illness.
  • No matter what the cost of perseverence may be, there is the challenge to bear-up under the difficulty and do it well, because we don’t know what God is intending to do and bring about in the midst of the trial.
  • The point is communion with God—meeting God where He desires to be met.
• As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a soldier (2 Timothy 2:1–6), and will suffer the trials of a soldier. As a soldier, know this (courtesy of former chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery):
  • You must say goodbye to the world you once knew.
  • The world around you will continue to change.
  • There is always an enemy.
  • You’ve got to maintain success in a highly competitive world and situation.
  • Severity involved in service and training is to be expected.
  • Soldiers are not designed for garrison life.
  • There is a great celebration at home for victory.
• Suffering may be for discipline (Hebrews 12:1–17):
  • This is the suffering for Jesus Christ—the suffering under the hand of a mighty God who would cause us to be more like Him.
  • The call is to pray, to commune with your Father.
  • Let God do the determining of the ultimate lesson.
• Remember you are a soldier, and remember you are a son.

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(Perseverence within the Body of Christ)

Outline—James 5:7–12

1. Be patient (v. 7)
2. Establish your heart (v. 8)
3. Do not complain (vv. 9–10)
4. Do not swear (v. 12)

Take Home Points

• What does “the Lord being at hand” mean to you today? Can you worship Him with a pure heart, or is there a sin that needs to be confessed?
• Are you harboring groaning grudges that you need to forsake?
• Is your word as important to you as God’s word?

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(The Second Coming of Christ)

Ref: James 5:7–8

Supporting scriptiures:

• Matthew Chapters 24 & 25
• 1 Thessalonians 2:19
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
• Acts 1:4–11
• 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3
• 1 Corinthians 10:11
• 1 Corinthians 16:22
• 1 Corinthians 15:50–58
• 1 Peter 4:7–10
• 2 Peter 3:1–9
• Romans 13:11–12

Take Home Points

• The return of the Lord is a large plan befitting the greatness of the divine plan. (Augustus Strong)
• Just as the Lord’s plan is large, so are the possibilities large, befitting the greatness of the plan.
• Though His return may be today or it might not, the Lord is right here.
• Nearness is not just a timed event, but it is a proximity of space.
• Do not lose heart in difficult circumstances, but be patient, steadfast, firm in face of doubt and distortion.

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