Practical Faith - A Study In The Book Of James
Faith That Finishes Well
The book of James is bold, practical, and straight to the point — showing us what it looks like to live out genuine faith every day. In this series, we’ll discover how to trust God in trials, put His Word into practice, and live with wisdom that makes a difference in the real world.
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Series
Speakers
Marcus Avalos
Lead Pastor
Title: Header: The Journey Through James
FAITH THAT FINISHES WELL James 5:7-20
BACKDROP OF JAMES
•FINANCIALLY OPPRESSED – “by the rich…” •SPIRITUALLY TIRED - “Be patient…” •RELATIONALLY STRAINED – “Don’t grumble…” •PHYSICALLY WEAK – Any among you sick?” •WANDERING - “drifting from the faith
JAMES RALLY CRY: DON'T FAINT OR QUIT. FINISH!
Will your faith fizzle, or will your faith finish?
FAITH TIMELINE
FAITH Journey ESSENTIALS
“Real faith is… patient in trials, prayerful in trouble, and persevering in truth—together.
JAMES 5:7-20 7-8 Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. 9 Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.
10-11 Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
12 And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you.
13-15 Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
19-20 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
Point 1: Faith is Patience in Trials
James 5:7–8 – “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits…stay steady and strong…”
"Everything happens at the speed of light. But in God's kingdom, things happen at the speed of a seed planted in the ground that must take root before it can bear fruit".
Mark Batterson
God’s not is a rush. He is more interested in FINISHING WELL than making you FAST.
Point 2: Faith is PRAYERFUL in trouble
James 5:13–16 – “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing…Are you sick? Call the elders together to pray…Make this a common practice: Confess and pray…””
Point 3: Faith Perseveres Together
James 5:19–20 – “If one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back…”
African proverb:
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
IN THIS SEASON OF YOUR LIFE, WHO ARE YOU LOCKING ARMS WITH?
APPLICATION PATIENT IN TRIALS • Where are you tempted to quit? PRAYERFUL IN TROUBLE • Do you see prayer as optional or essential? PERSEVERING IN TRUTH • Who in your life has wandered—and God is nudging you to pursue?
Challenge: “Don’t just start strong—finish strong. Stay the course.”
Book of James is not a RULEBOOK to BURDEN you – It’s a ROADMAP to BUILD you. .
The Journey Through James
James 1 – Faith in Trials → Don’t waste your pain. James 2 – Faith in Action → Mercy Triumphs over Judgement. James 3 – Faith in Words → Your words create your world. James 4 – Faith in Humility → Draw close, God draws closer. James 5 – Faith that Finishes → Patience. Prayer. Perseverance.