How do we respond to life’s challenges—with grumbling or with patience? In this sermon from the Book of James, we explore the power of words, the call to integrity, and the life-changing impact of prayer. James reminds us that just as a farmer waits for rain, we too must trust in God’s timing. Whether we face trials, joy, or uncertainty, our words and prayers matter. Join us as we reflect on starting right this year—anchored in faith, truth, and the power of God’s presence.
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Read the transcript
Scripture Reading (James 5:7–20)
Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear — not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.
Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
(This is the word of the Lord.)
Introduction
Well, this is the last in a series from the Book of James, but we’ll actually be considering the entire message of the book. If you haven’t been here for the series, that’s absolutely fine — you’ll still get plenty out of the text today.
At the moment, my social media feed seems to be full of fact-checking videos. When someone in authority says things about, maybe, medicine or demographics or how things are in the world, someone else pops up over the top of that video and talks about whether the “facts” being shared are accurate — whether the speaker is interpreting the information properly, whether the evidence is really there. I don’t know that I ever expected we’d need this rise of fact-checking when authoritative figures speak. It might be the news or whatever, but suddenly we do need fact-checkers. And of course, we went through a period on social media where little flags would come up saying, “we don’t think that this actually tells the facts” (that feature has apparently been removed on some platforms). It’s a strange world where we know the power of words, and yet it’s so easy to disagree about whether those words convey truth. We might find information being presented to us, but truth is another thing altogether.
The Book of James is very concerned with the power of words and the truth of those words. It’s concerned with how we respond to the powerful Word of God, and also how our own words reflect the fact that we’ve had the powerful Word of God implanted in our lives. We see at the beginning of James that God’s Word is powerful to save and to guide. As we get towards chapter 3, we see that our words are powerful for good or ill — we can really damage people, community, and situations by what we say. And now in chapter 5, we see the intersection of those two things: God’s Word is powerful, our words are powerful, and our words to God are exceedingly powerful for ourselves and others. But the foundation of all of this, for James, is the powerful, growing, life-giving action of the Word of God.
He uses language like this in chapter 1: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth.” Then he calls all believers to “humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Not simply telling you about God, but this Word that God has revealed about Himself — not simply a book, but God’s revelation about Himself in Jesus Christ (the Good News about who He is, who we are, and how we can be together) — and this Word can save you.
Of course, the risk of telling people that the Word of God saves you is that we can feel like once we’ve heard the Word, we’re good. It’s done its job; we’ve listened, we’ve sat here (Megan’s gone on and on), and we’re good. But James says, no, no, that’s not actually listening that God requires. “Do not merely listen…and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” “Whoever looks intently into the perfect law” (James often uses law, word, and truth interchangeably) “that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” (In other words, hearing God’s Word isn’t enough; we must do it.) The Word of God is able to save and give you new birth, and as you live it out, you actually flourish — you are blessed.
James then concludes the letter with the words we heard today: “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
James knows that we live in a world full of information, and that we have power to convince people of just about anything. (People have said about me, “she could sell ice to Eskimos.” That means it’s hard to know — because of a convincing tone — whether the information someone is conveying is actually truth.) But James centers on three words — truth, law, and word — as the core of God’s action in our lives. So when we use our words, ultimately the most powerful thing we can do on earth is to bring people to the truth. And when you do that, you cover over a multitude of sins, because the truth is the message about Jesus’ gift of forgiveness, grace, and eternal life.
So James wants us to know that if God’s words have been so powerful as to save us, then our words must be full of grace, integrity, and hope. We saw in chapter 3 the damage that can be done by the negative use of words. (Like a forest fire set off by one tiny spark, our words can cause damage: gossip, rumors, slander, cruelty, deceit — destroying relationships and community.) But now, as we come to the end in chapter 5, James starts to talk about using our words in a positive way — the power of positive words.
Patience in Suffering
The first thing he addresses is our patience under suffering and how we speak during that suffering. “Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door.”
In the midst of their trials (and James has never glossed over the fact that being a Christian may lead to deprivation, alienation, doubts, questions, hardship — he started the very letter with, “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.”) he sees the need for patience. Just like the Israelites moving from Egypt to the Promised Land: that time in the wilderness was meant to strengthen them, to give them a legacy of trusting God for everything. God was always faithful. And so, just as a farmer knows the rains are coming, they had to be patient on this journey because “the Judge is at the door” — Jesus is coming.
But you know what happens when you’re having a hard time? You tend to look around for anyone or anything that can become the target of your sense of unease, dis-ease. (I don’t know if you’ve ever had to say this: “I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry.” In our household, that tends to be Sunday afternoons — Meghan coming home around 1 PM, and I have actually had to text Phil, “I’m coming in hot.” Like, just have the carbohydrates on the table, don’t talk to me, I’m going to need something. And those Tim Tams that I told you to save — oh, they better still be there!) We’ve worked it out now; they are there, because we’ve had some good family meetings about this recently, clarifying expectations and making sure nobody is grumbling.
James knows that when you’re under pressure — under pressure as a family, as friends, as housemates, as a church (financial pressure, persecution, interest rates, whatever it is) — you look around and you grumble and fight, pushing your frustrations outwards. I find that I’m often looking for something to retrofit my bad feelings into. I’m looking for an excuse to be grumpy at something, and that thing isn’t even what’s making me feel bad — but I’ll pretend it is so I can vent it.
James is saying: you will go through hard times as a community. Do not grumble at each other (like the Israelites did, even though God was faithful). The Lord is coming, and you will be provided for. So then he moves on: Okay, if you’re not going to grumble, can you instead speak graciously under that pressure? Can your words be full of integrity and hope even when times are hard?
He gives us an example of patience in suffering: “Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” They persevered under suffering but continued to speak rightly about God. (That’s not to say they didn’t complain about their circumstances to God. We know Jeremiah, who endured all kinds of physical, emotional, and social suffering, was very honest with God. Elijah spoke very frankly with God: “I’m the only one left; You’ve left me here!” And God said, “You’re hungry — have a nap and a snack, and now let’s talk.”) The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord persevered in speaking rightly about God and His mission on the earth, and in speaking rightly to God, bringing their struggles to Him.
You’ve also heard of Job’s perseverance and seen what the Lord finally brought about (“The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”). Job, too, is an example of someone who did not sin in what he said, even though he was under great suffering and trial. We know this because he was told by his wife, “Curse God and die.” His friends told him he was speaking wrongly about God — that he shouldn’t be asking “Why is this happening?” or claiming to be righteous. In the end of the book, God says to Job’s friends, “You have not spoken rightly about Me, as has My servant Job.”
So as Job persevered under suffering, he maintained the ability to speak rightly about God and about his situation, and to speak rightly to God about his situation. James says if you do that, you’ll come to know that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. If God’s words have been so powerful as to save us (the message of Jesus), then our words must be full of grace, integrity, and hope.
Speaking with Integrity
“Above all,” James says, “do not swear” — not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. (He’s not talking about using foul language here; he means don’t say, “I swear by heaven” or “on my grandmother’s life” that something is true.) “All you need to say is a simple yes or no. Otherwise you will be condemned.” Having a community that always speaks truth is essential to God growing His kingdom on the earth — absolutely essential.
Jesus spoke to the leaders, and throughout James’s letter you find heaps of connections to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This teaching on oaths is one of those connections. In Matthew 5 Jesus said:
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair black or white. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (I think I sort of can make one hair black or white — but I have to pay a lot of money!)
Providing “backing” for your words actually undermines their truthfulness. If you feel the need to say, “I’ve got heaven’s backing for this truth I’m telling you,” then what are we to think about what you say normally? And what happens if it turns out not to be true? It’s greatly risky to claim any sort of divine power behind your words — because if you break that oath and you’ve called on God to back you up, well, maybe He won’t be too pleased. If you’ve broken it, you’ve associated the truthful, holy God with your deceit. Jesus says you need to simply say “yes” or “no.” Are you a person of integrity or not? Why would you need to call on something that you have absolutely no power over? Instead, just be a person who speaks out of the integrity of your heart.
Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 12: “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus isn’t proposing a different measure of salvation here; He’s saying that our words show whether our heart is truly connected to God. Your words show whether the Word of God that’s been given to you — that could save you, that could give you new birth — has really done that. Your verbal integrity shows that you are a friend of God and not of the world. James wants his community to be people of the utmost integrity in their speech.
And it’s so important, especially for a new church that’s telling the world “we speak the truth.” This message about Jesus is the truth! Yet if we then say other things that aren’t true, what will the world think? (Fast forward 2,000 years and you can see what the world thinks.) And what if we want to be open to the work of the Spirit among us — open to everybody having a go at understanding what the Scriptures mean for us today — but we can’t be sure people are speaking the truth? Then, boy, you’d have to shut things down to the narrowest little channel, with one leader at the front, and put all your hope in them being the only one to say things from God. No — we need to speak honestly and truthfully. Of course we’ll come at things from different perspectives (that’s okay); we gather around the word of truth together and we don’t deceive. We come to God and say, “show us,” and He’s given us plenty of Scriptures to help in that regard.
Verbal integrity is central to Christian community. So, to recap:
- God’s Word is powerful to save and to guide.
- Our words are powerful for good or ill.
- Our words to God are powerful for ourselves and others.
So, James concludes:
- Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.
- Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
- Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
James says the best use of our words, in good times and bad, is always to involve God. There is nothing too small, nothing too big, nothing too good, nothing too bad — our words are not simply to go on the horizontal; we are always invited (indeed, it is God’s intention) to involve Him with our words in everything.
Of course, when it’s something “small,” you might think, “does it really matter?” Well, if you’ve done the Prayer Course or read anything by Pete Greig, he often talks about how if you are in the habit of bringing everything to God, then you start to see God’s answers in the small and the big, and gratitude wells up in you. I think your language to other people then becomes more gracious and hopeful as well. I believe James would say that your expectation about God in your words is everything.
Recently I lost a necklace. I’d taken it off when we went swimming and put it in the car. I thought at the time, “This is risky — you’re not going to remember where you put it.” I do lose things a bit (I could probably put that on my diagnosis sheet), and it really struck me; I thought, Is this wise? Is this a good spot? What’s going to happen? Anyway, when I went to find it again, the only thing I could think was, “Megan, you lose things all the time and you put it in a really risky spot.” I couldn’t even bring myself to look in the safe or obvious places; I was convinced: you took a huge risk (you do this all the time), so it’s gone.
Of course, Phil went and found the necklace in a really easy spot — just in the little side-door pocket — no problem. Meanwhile I was imagining wild scenarios: Did I put it in a shoe? Did it fall out on the ground? It was madness. My expectation while looking for it was basically, I always lose things; I’m probably not going to find it, and I wasn’t even going to look in the obvious spot because I assumed it wouldn’t be there.
James says we are so like that when it comes to prayer. We’re great at making our spreadsheets and plans, but we don’t think to go to prayer. We think, “Well, I haven’t really found answers to my prayers in the past… I always lose things…” — and so we don’t do it. But James says: just do it with everything.
When you’re in trouble, pray (pray for yourself — you don’t have to wait for someone else). When you’re happy, sing songs of praise (if you’re doing that outside of church, just make sure no one’s around — unless you’re really great at singing, then, you know, put it on the internet!). James wants us to know that in the midst of all the human wisdom we can glean from his book (and you don’t have to be a Christian to find incredible wisdom in James’s advice to speak rightly and avoid hypocrisy — anybody can learn from the fact that one word can cause huge damage), the distinctive thing about Christianity is that we expect God to answer prayer — that we can access God for ourselves and for others.
(As Phoebe told me, she’s seeing a lot of people saying, “I’d vote for Jesus; I’m not a Christian, but I would vote for Jesus. I love what Jesus stands for.” I completely agree — imagine what incredibly compassionate policies we might see! But people often don’t realize that Jesus also talked about the weirdest stuff: Connect with God. Pray. Expect God to answer. Know that God is a good Father and will give you everything you need.)
So as much as we might say Jesus would have great social policies, the truly distinctive thing about Christianity is that we expect that God will answer prayer — that we can access God for ourselves and for others.
Conclusion
This year we’re calling ourselves to Start Right. God wants us to know that His Word is powerful, and that we are to treasure what we have — to soak ourselves in the Word as much as we can, to talk about it, and to talk to God about it. And as we are planted in Him, we must use our words rightly, noticing how we speak to each other here and moving beyond just avoiding the negative. It’s not only about saying, “I’m not going to say bad things,” but actually making a positive contribution:
- I’m going to speak truth.
- I’m going to speak hope.
- I’m going to speak grace.
- I’m not going to grumble.
And finally, we’re going to talk to God. Prayer is really the only thing. I’m pretty good at making things on Canva and keeping spreadsheets (though updating them and keeping my files consistent — not so good). But without prayer, what do those efforts amount to?
To quote Pete Greig again:
- “Without prayer, Alpha is just advertising a religious product.”
- “Without prayer, church planting is just rolling out outlets for a franchise for the religiously inclined.”
- “Without prayer, our works in social transformation are just… (let’s be honest) second-rate social work.”
- “Without prayer, we might feel religious, but we don’t have a relationship — an interactive encounter with the living God.”
So this year, as we seek to have people know (and for ourselves to know) that God is really among us, it comes down to this: involving God in every single aspect of our lives. Talking to Him, listening to Him, praising, seeking help, and getting others to help us in prayer as well.
Now, I’m going to pray for us, and as the band comes up I want to ask you to consider whether you would like God to give you a greater hunger for prayer this year. Only you know if that’s something you need. I’m not going to ask anyone to stand up or raise a hand, but I am asking you to make a commitment to God — that you’re seeking a greater hunger, and that if He gives it to you, you will act on it.
So let’s pray.
Almighty God, Your words are powerful, and we always want to respond to them. For those of us who need to respond in this way, Lord, we ask that You would see us and our great desire to involve You — to have an interactive, encountering relationship with You through prayer.
For those of us making that commitment, Lord, we now ask that Your Holy Spirit give us a greater hunger for prayer in 2025. And Lord, where You pour out Your Spirit and give us a hunger for prayer, may we not ignore or abuse that gift, but act to slake that thirst and meet that hunger by praying.
May it be our gift to the world, to ourselves, to this church. And may we find ourselves so deeply in love with who You are — our faith refreshed and our confidence in Your power immensely grown this year.
Amen.
