James  Lesson 72

Review:

 

 

 

 

Summary 5:7

 

1. James exhorts those of us who have ears to hear to be patient within the niche we live.

 

 

2. This exhortation is especially pertinent to those of the last generation of the Church age who will experience the oppression of the unprincipled - manipulative rich.

 

3. Patience encompasses an attitude of self-restraint that enables us to refrain from retaliation and resistance to the evil around us.

 

4. The virtue of patience is to characterize us throughout our lives.

 

5. The reality of the coming of the Lord should be our motivation for this patience.

 

6. This event will end our ph-2 sufferings - provide the vindication of the Word believed -  eternal rewards (JSC) and signal the wrath to fall on the evil of this age, the negative and the oppressors.

 

7. James introduces an illustration here to show the importance of patience for the believer.

 

8. The illustration presents God's patience over believers of the C/A thus showing how important a virtue it is.

 

9. God the Father is the farmer here - the gewrgo,j - the independent landowner, as in Jn 15:1.

 

10. The land He farms represents the believers of the C/A.

 

11. The soil represents volition as in the parable of the seed and the sower.  Mk 4; Lk 8; Mt 13

 

12. The crops harvested are the divine good production in the life of the  believer.                      Eph 2:8-10; James 3:17; Rom 7:4; Jn 15:1-8

 

13. Rain or water is a symbol for the Word - BD. Eph 5:26; 1 Cor 3:6

 

14. The early rains represent the apostolic era - the establishment of the church.

 

15. The latter rains represent the end of the C/A - the time of the rapture generation.

 

16. God as the farmer ensures that any one in any generation of the C/A  who is positive and desires to know the Word will get it wherever they are.

 

17. He is patient toward man giving them the opportunity to believe,  (2 Pe 3:9) but also with believers giving them the time to hear and apply the word in their lives.