The Debbie Taylor Williams Podcast

Debbie Taylor Williams: Susie March was here a few weeks ago and she gave Keith and me a book called MIP, which stands for Miracle in Progress. A relative of hers wrote this, Chip Wagner, after his son was born and came home from the hospital with multiple physical ailments. This is subtitled: Discovering the Wonder of God’s Perfect Plan for Our Lives.

Because they have a baby born unhealthy, its bladder was on the outside of its body. Benjamin is his name, Susie’s grandson, and he’s had to have multiple surgeries. But Chip Wagner, who’s a Christian, and his wife, wrote, "We get lost all the time. We have not done things perfectly. We all have things we have to go through constantly. We live in a fallen world and we all have shortcomings, but that just makes it even more about what God is accomplishing through us."

He goes on talking about our lives being part of the novel God is writing, a tale full of twists and turns, unresolved conflicts, and less than happy endings. But God is still the author and knows how the story ends with all of us fully whole, enjoying the unhindered presence of God. That is what each of you is: a miracle in progress. Because you are going to be in heaven, whole, perfect, in the image of Christ, and all of the pain and the suffering of this world will be no more.

God is going to wipe away every tear from our eyes. He is bringing in a new heaven and a new earth where he is king. We don’t have to worry about anymore elections, and he will rule in peace and in righteousness. This word, this Bible, is our instruction manual on how we can navigate through the best we can. I want you to know that God knows that you and I are not going to be perfect.

I believe that’s why he has such an emphasis on us forgiving one another and showing mercy to each other instead of walking around with a judgmental attitude about the other person. Do you want to be judged by other people? I know I don’t. We would much prefer people extend mercy to us. We’re going to have some bad days, aren’t we? We’re going to do some wrong things. We’re going to say some wrong things.

So this book is about not only how we are to be living, but how we’re to be relating to other people. If you would, open your Bible to James 5 if you haven't already. On your listening guide, you’re going to see that our topic today is how we are to live, and that is expectantly in light of the Lord’s coming. How many of you have ever said, "Oh, I just wish Jesus would come back today," because then we wouldn’t have to face the problem. We wouldn’t have to make the decision. We wouldn’t have to go through what we know is ahead—a hard conversation or a difficult financial situation or perhaps a procedure.

As we look at this topic of living expectantly in the last days, let’s go ahead and read briefly. I’ll hit on some of the highlights since you’ve already studied it in your groups. In James 5, he says, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you." I want to stop right there and I want to help you think back. Shelby brought it up in leaders meeting this morning.

James starts out saying, "Consider it all joy, brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you will be complete," and he goes on talking. But do you realize how hard it would have been to have been a recipient of James’s letter? Because he has said to them, "Be miserable and mourn." He has said, "You adulteresses." If our pastor stood up here and called the congregation adulteresses and said, "Be miserable and mourn"—we see he said that in 4:9. "Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom."

We’re like, "What is it, James? Do you want us to consider it all joy or do you want us to be weeping and mourning?" How many of you could say, well, there are times of joy and there are times of mourning, but in all times, I do find that there are some trials and tribulations I’m going through. So now he is speaking to a congregation. Keep in mind, in any congregation, in any group of people that congregate together to perhaps go to church or attend a Christian gathering, there will be many, perhaps all, who say, "I believe Jesus is God’s son and I believe in the Bible and that Jesus died and rose from the dead for my sake." As we’ve talked, that’s not salvation, though. Salvation is a commitment of one’s life.

It sounds to me, and I think you will agree and different commentators agree as he continues to talk, he is speaking to a gathering of Christians, but he is aware that there are some in that group who are not truly saved. Then there is another group; there are those people who are saved, but they’re infants in Christ. They are not walking. They are not mature. They are not allowing the Holy Spirit to live through them. It is what we call carnal. They have Jesus in them, but Jesus is not the one who is directing their mouths, their words. Jesus is not the one directing what they do.

James is trying to call us to understanding and seeing what is of the flesh, our natural self, and what should be of the Spirit being lived through us. So he’s directing this first one to the rich, and he’s saying about the rich—there’s nothing wrong with being rich. As a matter of fact, the scripture says in 1 Timothy 6:10, it’s the love of money. There’s nothing wrong with being rich; it’s the love of money. Hebrews 13:5 says, "Make sure your character is free from the love of money."

We see how God blessed Abraham with riches. He blessed Job with riches. He blessed David and Solomon. So it’s not the money. It’s if your life is centered on it. It’s if you hoard it. It’s if you use it just for yourself or if you use it for God’s purposes and his kingdom. So these rich that he’s speaking to where he says, "Howl and weep, your miseries are coming upon you, your riches have rotted," and he goes on talking about them, how they will be a witness against you and consume your flesh like fire in these last days because you’ve stored up your treasure.

He is speaking to those who are misusing money and they are not paying their employees what they are due. This word, "last days." When we look at this word, "last days," I want to share with you Acts 2:17. When Peter is standing up preaching, he says, "And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of my Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," which means to speak forth the word of God, "and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall see dreams."

This was at Pentecost with the birth of the church. Peter went on to say today this has been fulfilled in your presence. The last days is that time period that began with the birth of the church, with the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus, and we are in what is called the last days—the final period of thousands of years. It’s been 2,000 years since Christ’s death and we are in that time period.

As we look at living expectantly of Christ’s return, which the Bible speaks of repeatedly in the Old Testament and New Testament, there is nothing that has to happen before Jesus descends from the heavens. If you believe in the rapture, that is when the church, the believers, are caught up to meet Jesus in the air. There is nothing that has to happen before then. We are changed into his likeness. Some people look at that second coming in two phases: that first part where Jesus removes believers from the earth before the great tribulation because it’s the outpouring of his wrath. The scriptures explain that God has not destined us, believers, for wrath. So we will be removed from the earth before the outpouring of God’s wrath.

At the second coming, where Jesus puts his feet in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, then that is when you have heard of the Battle of Armageddon, and then Jesus will establish his kingdom on earth. So he refers here, James does, to the last days. In verse four, he refers to God as the Lord of the Sabbath and he says the outcry of those who did the harvesting, who have reached the ears of the Lord of the Sabbath.

The first fill-in-your-blank on the listening guide is: The Lord of Sabbath hears. He hears workers in the fields who are not being paid, and he hears you. He hears you. If he hears some worker that’s out in the field harvesting, I guarantee you, he hears you. He hears you. So, friends, use your voice. Use your tongue. Use your mind to talk to him because his ears are attuned to those who call on him.

Now, what does that word, Lord of the Sabbath? Your Bible may have a different interpretation: Lord of the Host. Friends, this is a powerful thing that you may want to study in our interim. In Joshua, when he was by Jericho, in Joshua 5:13-15 if you want to read that, he is met by a man who has a sword. Joshua asks him, "Do you come in peace or are you against us?" And the answer is given with his sword drawn in his hand: "I come now as captain of the host of the Lord."

He goes on telling him that the place he is standing is holy ground. God had said that he would be with the children of Israel when they went into the promised land to give them the land. Here is one who looks like a man, but he says, "I am the captain of the host of the Lord’s armies." You know what happened at Jericho and the miracles that came about. Joshua, at those words that he was on holy ground and he was captain of the host of the Lord’s army, Joshua fell on his face, bowed down, and said to me, "What has my Lord to say?" He said, "Remove your sandals, you’re on holy ground."

Perhaps you’re familiar in 2 Kings of Elijah. When the King of Aram came and they surrounded the city, I love this story where it says they came and the King of Aram, the enemy, surrounded Elijah. The servant is fretting and he is saying, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" He said, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with the enemy." There’s only him and his servant. He said those with us, you and me too, it’s more than this vast army.

Then Elijah prayed, "Open his eyes. Open my servant’s eyes so that he can see." And God did. And there was a host of the Lord’s army surrounding the whole area—invisible but real. The battle was won by the Lord of the host of the army. In Revelation 19:14, this word, Lord of Sabaoth—this means the Lord of the host, Lord of the armies of heaven. It says in Revelation 19:14 at Christ’s return, the armies which are in heaven are following Jesus on white horses. Friends, there is an invisible spiritual warfare as I’ve told you before. You, as a believer, are the object of it. If you’re not a believer, you are the object of it. Satan either wants to keep you from going to heaven or he wants to keep you from experiencing heaven on earth in your heart through the fellowshipping of the Spirit.

So this first thing we see is the Lord of Sabaoth. He hears workers who have been wronged. Earth’s treasures are going to be burned up and God’s making a new heaven. Jesus said this very same thing in Matthew 6. The second thing we see in verses 7 through 11 is that Jesus’ return is near. Sometimes the word you will hear is imminent. That word, as I’ve already explained, means there’s nothing in the way of the Lord Jesus coming back. He could come back anytime.

As a matter of fact, I brought this timer because when I have this sitting on my desk, I don’t know when this is all going to go through that sand. But, friends, I know that this sand is going to go through and it’s going to at some point, it is going to reach the bottom. But I can’t tell you right now the exact second, but I know it’s happening. God has told us through the scriptures there is a timer set and Jesus is coming back. Nobody knows the exact hour, and that’s why you will see in the scriptures over and over: be ready, be ready, be ready. Today, if you hear his voice, today, if you hear his voice.

Because the timer on eternity when Jesus is coming is set, and we are in this process. We don't know how far it has already occurred or not occurred. So he says strengthen your heart. He goes on in verse 7 and he said just like the farmer waits for the produce, and then he goes on in verse 8 and he says you be patient. The coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain against one another, verse 9, so that you yourselves may not be judged. And he says it again: The judge is standing right at the door. I mean, Jesus has his tiptoes. Tiptoes. Am I making y’all nervous? Kind of making myself nervous here. Jesus has his tiptoes. He is anxious to make all things right, friends.

So he says strengthen your heart. You’re doing it by coming to Bible study. Don’t complain against each other. That’s a hard one, isn’t it? Because it’s our natural human being act to just look at other people and think they could do it better or differently. But if you catch yourself, like I am very mindful of catching myself doing it, that’s the important thing. We know the word. Now we have to pray that the Lord will open our eyes to when we’re doing it and then obey. Just stop complaining against each other.

Then endure like Job. You’ve already studied in your small groups about Job and how he endured. He never blamed God. He said, "Naked I came and naked I shall return." But God ended up restoring his fortunes and blessing him. In verses 12 through 18, we see it says in verse 12, "But above all..." So James has given this long letter and then he says, "But above all, my brethren, do not swear either by heaven or earth. Let your yes be yes and your no no, so that you won't fall under judgment." Above all, is any among you suffering?

Now James is going to go through sort of the whole gamut of whatever we might experience in our trials and our temptations in our daily lives. In horrible things that happen like sweet Penny just falling—I mean things can turn on a dime, can’t they? I am so grateful that I have no evidence of cancer in my body right now. But a dear friend that we’ve been praying for, her daughter-in-law, she had been cancer-free and then all of a sudden, it’s like that—one test, one moment. You know it, don’t you? How many in here know just how fast something can change, can switch?

So the scriptures are urging us to be grateful every day, to be thankful every day, to walk in fellowship with the Lord every day. It can change like this. So he starts out with: if you’re suffering, then pray. Friends, I pray it just becomes almost a part of your breathing. Whatever you’re doing is an opportunity to pray as you go about your day, as you think about who you’re going to invite into your house, as you think about the Thanksgiving get-together. Just pray, let it all be in constant communion with the Lord. There’s no charges, there’s no battery that’s going to run out. You and I can just talk and talk and talk to the Lord.

Then he says: Is anyone cheerful? Well, you get those vocal cords to warm up. Sing! And it doesn’t matter if you think you sing good or not. The scripture talks repeatedly about singing to the Lord. So you just turn up the volume on that Christian radio station or you pull out those hymnals that you like from when you grew up a long time ago, old-time revival. Sing, he tells us to do. Then he says, okay, there may be some of you in here who are sick. He said: You need prayer. If you’re sick, you need prayer.

So he says: Turn to people in the church. Your pastor, your deacons, your elders, your Sunday school teachers, your discussion leaders, your discussion group, and ask them to pray. He goes on and he talks about how there are some sins that can lead to death. We know alcoholism can lead to death. We know drugs can cause perhaps an early premature death—opioids can, the misuse of drugs, that is. There are some things that you and I do that can lead to death.

But obviously, and I know you discussed this in your group, not all sickness is due to sin. It’s due as Jesus said so that God may be glorified, so that the son of God may be glorified. But he said if there’s somebody sick and it has to do with a sin, then get an accountability partner. Get somebody to pray with you to help you stop whatever it is you’re doing that’s hurting your body. Because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit if you’re a Christian. So Satan wants you to hurt your body with bad choices.

But on the other hand, if you are sick, invite people to join in and cover you in prayer. The reason that I brought this big bucket is I wanted to thank you. This is filled with literally hundreds of cards that you sent me. I started with a little bitty tiny basket and I stuck the first cards that I got. I was like, oh, somebody sent me a card when I was diagnosed with cancer. And then somebody else sent me a card. Somebody else from in here. Somebody else sent me a card. Some of you are out there smiling. You may be seeing the cards you sent me or the handwritten note.

Cards, cards, cards, cards. You’re praying for me. Do you know that the scripture says in Revelation, and I want to try to find this verse for us, and in Psalm 141:2, that our prayers ascend in a golden bowl like incense? You know how incense goes up but ascends? The scripture says that our prayers ascend to heaven as incense. Every prayer you prayed for me, every prayer, it ascended to God with the angels carrying it in a golden bowl.

There were times that I would be very, very weak from the chemo or the surgery or the radiation. And I ordered a golden platter from Amazon and so I moved them to this bigger golden platter that I had, but they wouldn’t have—they would have fallen off if I tried to use that brass tray. I would go and I would take that from my kitchen table, and then it moved to the coffee table, and I would take that brass tray and I would kneel in my place I meet with God and I would say, "Lord, they’re praying. Lord, they’re praying for me."

Friends, do not discount the power of your prayers. Whoever is sick or in need of prayer, you pray for them if you tell them you’re going to pray for them. That’s why I like my prayer journal so much, so I can put that name in there immediately when somebody calls me with a prayer. On the other hand, if you need prayer, do not be prideful. Tell people: "I’ve got something going on with me. I don’t feel good. I think there may be something wrong." Whatever. Let’s quit being prideful. You prayed for me when I didn’t have a hair on my head. You prayed me through my cancer, and the doctors are saying no sign of disease. God heard your prayers.

Now let us pray for you, okay? Let us pray for you. As a matter of fact, after the horrible flooding in July, I had Perry, my assistant, who’s in the back, wave at Perry! She prepared a prayer wall on the Hill Country Ministries website. We’ve had challenges with it, but we’ve got it now where you can each one just go on and you don’t have to put your name. You can put your initials or you can put one initial. You don’t have to write a long story. You can just say "L Hope," and I’m going to pray for you every day, L, for your hope.

You can put it in there and just say "SP," and SP, I’m going to pray every day for you if you write the word "Walk by faith." Those prayers will be being prayed for every day. So you can go to the Hill Country Ministries website prayer wall and just put a word—you don’t have to explain what’s going on. Do not discount the power of prayer. Marriage—that’s all you have to put: Marriage. Finances. Jesus hears you. James 5:12-18 says so. Use your tongue in the right way.

He goes on and he talks about Elijah and how he was a man with a nature like ours, and yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it didn't rain on the earth for three years. Then he prayed and the sky poured out rain on the earth. Friends, there is something, though, about Elijah that is different about just praying. Because there are some prayers and people say, "I think they just feel like they just reached the ceiling and come back." Yes, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, but jot down this verse because I want you to understand why his prayers were so powerful and effective.

That doesn’t mean that every person we pray for to be healed will be healed. I’m going to die one day, and so it may be as a result of some sickness or a car accident. We don’t know. We’re all going to heaven, right? And we have to go there some way. So this verse is not saying that if you pray in faith, the person’s going to be automatically healed. It is not saying that. It is that we are to pray and we are to pray in faith, but Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done. Thy will be done." That’s how he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So when we pray, it is, "Lord, not my will, your will. I don't want my spouse to die, but Lord, it is not my will, it is your will. He has an appointed day for each of us to go home." So it is "Thy will" is how Jesus taught us to pray. So we’re going to be taken out of this earth some way and death is not pleasant. So if your loved one dies or your friend dies, it is not due to a lack of your faith and prayers. Does everybody hear that real good? We are to pray in faith: "Thy will be done. Thy will be done."

But I want us to notice something about this in correlation with it. In 1 Kings 17:2, it says, "The word of the Lord came to Elijah." God told Elijah to pray and tell the king that there would not be rain. That prayer was initiated by God. In 1 Kings 18, it says it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go show yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the face of the earth."

It isn’t that just Elijah was just sitting at home and he said, "This king is so evil, I'm going to stop the rain." No! God’s will was that the rain be stopped in judgment. And then it was God’s will and word that came to Elijah three years later that said, "Now I'm going to make it rain." Friends, we pray God’s will. That’s why it is so important when you are praying that you are still in God’s presence. "Lord, how do you want me to pray for my son? How do you want me to pray for my marriage? How do you want me to pray for our finances?"

God has the way to direct us. Learn his voice. Listen to him. That’s what I’m speaking on tomorrow for a women’s luncheon at Horseshoe Bay: discerning the voice of God. I’ve got it on my website, 31 points about the Holy Spirit. Learn the Spirit’s voice so that you will pray in accordance with his will. It’s so exciting! So exciting. Turn people back to God. There may be some who are Christians and they’re straying. The Lord wants to use you. There may be some who are not believers. The Lord wants to use you.

Regardless, this is our last verse in chapter 5, verse 20: "Let him who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death." Quickly as a summation before we leave and close, your listening guide has 12 takeaways from James. Would you get out a pen right now and just put a little star or a checkmark by the ones you want to remember.

Number one, I’m going to have various trials that test my faith. God has his eye on me. He’s given me his Holy Spirit and can use trials to perfect me if I let him. Amen. If I let him. Two, the best thing I can ask God for is wisdom, which is applied knowledge. Wisdom, friends, in the Bible—the biblical word—is you apply it. You ask God for the wisdom and then you apply it.

Three, I’m going to be tempted because of my sin nature, the fallen world, and the devil. The most important thing I can remember whether I'm tempted, suffering, sin, cheerful, whatever it is, the most important thing I can remember is four words: love God, love others. Say it with me: love God, love others. Say it with me: love God, love others.

I shared with you last week about a little challenging relationship time and the Lord just told me over and over and over: love on her. Love on her. Love on her. Right beside that: love on God. Lord, I love you. I praise you. You are so good. Thank you for the sunrise. Thank you for the sunset. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Love on God and turn around and love on others.

Get out of your own self when you see people. Don’t wait for somebody to tell you hello and greet you when we go to the Family Life Center or the area where we’re going to eat. You go up to somebody you haven’t met before and say, "It's so good to see you here. Have you been coming to Bible study recently?" Love on others. Love God, love on others. Keep that in mind. That’s a big star by my five. Faith without works is dead.

Six, God warns that my tongue can be set on fire by Satan, but he also says in Acts 2, we see my tongue can be set on fire by what fills my heart, and I’m going to ask the Holy Spirit to fill my heart. How about you? Seven, if I’m wise, I’ll show it by how I act and speak. Jealous and selfish desires I have are evil and lead to quarrels and conflicts. If you’re in a quarrel, if you’re in a conflict, check it out.

Does that mean every single time? No. Jesus had conflicts with the Pharisees. John the Baptist had conflicts with the Pharisees. There will be times of conflicts that are not due to selfish desires or evil desires, but check because a lot of times quarrels and conflicts are because you and I want our way. True? We want our way.

Eight, if I want to be God’s friend, I will submit my will to God as Abraham. I will be intentional about being filled with the Spirit of God and will resist the devil. That resistance, it means you’re pushing back. Nine, I’m to humble myself before God. You can continue reading that which I’ve already addressed about the new heaven and the new earth. Ten, I am to practice patience. Practice. Strengthen my heart, stop complaining, and endure like Job. Eleven/Twelve, we have already talked about as well.

God’s blessings on you, you miracle in progress. Look at your neighbor and say, "You're a miracle in progress." How well are you cooperating with God and how much are you going before the throne for somebody you’re concerned about and praying, "God, you work in this person's life. Work in my life." Let your prayers ascend to the throne room of God.

Oh, wouldn’t we? Oh, Lord, thank you for this study of James. Thank you that you created us with a capacity to not just speak to you, but to quiet ourselves in your presence and hear you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who literally can guide us and does guide us when we are in tune to you. Oh, yes, Lord, we want to be conformed to your will, to your image. We love you, Jesus, and we can’t wait to be with you. In the meantime, help us love you and love on you and love others and love on others in your name. Amen. Thank you for being a part of this study.