JAMES Patience Lesson 16 James 5.7-11 011319 Introduction 1 Back in October of last year we took a break from our study through the book of James at the end of chapter 4 with the promise we would come back to finish up chapter 5 in the new year. 2 Well here we are in the New Year and last week, we once again turned our attention back to final chapter of the book of James. This week we are focusing on verses 7-11 which, among other things, highlights the virtue of patience. 7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider 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. James 5.7-11 NIV84 3 Four times in this passage James uses the word patience and twice he uses a similar word perseverance. So, this passage is about patience, why we need it and how we can get more of it. a I don’t think there is a person in this room this morning or watching online that would say I don’t need more patience. We all need more patience. b But we have to be careful here. We are not just talking about increasing the virtue of patience in our lives, we are also talking about becoming happier people. James exhortation to patience is also intended to rescue us from the misery of impatience. • He’s warning us against a spirit of restlessness and irritability that voices itself in complaining and a general unhappiness that is always upset with the way things are and the way people are unfairly treating us. JAMES / Patience /Lesson 16 / James 5.7-11 1 • And living that way is miserable … for you and others around you. c So the exhortation to patience is an invitation to more happiness and joy in your life … even when you are facing a trial or some kind of suffering as was the case for the folks James was writing to. d He gives them and us three ways to grow in patience; Look up, Look in and Look back. 1 Look up - Live your life with the reality of the Lord’s return 7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. a These verses are really a continuation of the previous six verses of James. In those verses, as we saw last week, James prophesies to non- Christian wealthy landowners who were oppressing poor Christians day laborers. He tells them to weep and wail because there is going to be a day of justice when the Lord Almighty returns to judge them. b And then, beginning in verse 7 he turns is attention to the believers or “brothers” who were being oppressed and says to them be patient for the very same reason … because the Lord is coming back. Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. • And the word translated coming in the original language of the New Testament is Greek word Pa’-rou-sia. • It means more than return or arrival, it also means presence. c So James is saying the Lord is coming back to judge your oppressor but he is coming back to bless you with his presence. But you must be patient, patient with the unfolding of God’s plan just like the farmer is patient for the land to yield its valuable crop. • The farmer has planted the seed and now all he can do is wait for God’s providential sending of the fall rains and spring rains to mature the crop. • The farmer waits on God’s timetable. And sometimes, in our own lives, that is a hard thing to do because we’re not in control of God’s plan for our life. All we can do, just like a farmer, is trust in God’s providence. It’s not an attitude of passivity or resignation but rather a call to be patient, to persevere. JAMES / Patience /Lesson 16 / James 5.7-11 2 • You can’t always see God’s hand at work, but you can rest in the fact that God has a plan for your life and He is working it out right now and it will come to pass for his glory and your joy (Phil 1:6). • So in the meantime scripture calls us to seek Him and patiently trust Him in everything. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:5 NASB d Be patient. I think patience is an underrated virtue because when we are tired of waiting on the Lord in faith for something, we are often tempted to look to other sources to meet the needs of our heart instead of the Lord. We look to substitutes, to false saviors. • And those false saviors never deliver and always end up producing pain and taking us away from the Lord. Of course, the great example in the scripture is the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. • God promised Abraham a son. The problem though was that he and his wife Sarah were unable to have children. After some years went by and they grew impatient and decided to fulfill God’s promise with an alternate plan … Hagar. They were impatient and got ahead of God. Hagar and Abraham produce Ismael who has been a thorn in Israel’s flesh ever since. • Patience is so important. Finally, after Sarah miraculously conceives, she gives birth to Isaac. Abraham finally had his promise child. • But over time, that blessing from God because Abrahams idol. Instead of finding his identity and happiness in the God who blesses, he sought to find those things in the blessing itself. • The point of it all is that when we become impatient, we will always be tempted to look to other sources to find our identity and happiness instead of the Lord. e Be patient. The same patience is required for reaching unsaved loved ones with the gospel. • Sometimes when our attempts are dismissed or rejected, we just give up to easily. • We assume that God’s plan for everyone is a quick work. But some of God’s greatest servants came to Christ through a process that lasted many years. JAMES / Patience /Lesson 16 / James 5.7-11 3 f The same patience is needed for reaching our adopted unreached people groups with the gospel; the Mariners of SE Asia and the Mountain People of Central Asia. • Sometime is seems like progress is creeping along and it is a real temptation to grow weary. But we know God is at work. • God has promised to call Mariners and Mountain people into his family and so we keep sowing seeds of the gospel. Galatians 6 speaks to us … Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 g And when it comes God’s plan for all of humanity we have to be patient too. When you consider the mess the human race is in, and all the brokenness, pain and injustice you just say in your heart with the Apostle John, “even so come Lord Jesus.” But we must be patient, James says, because we know there is a day is coming when … • All wrongs will be made right and all of our afflictions will be eclipsed by His glory (Romans 8:18). • All of our doubts, fears, confusion and frustration will be vanquished because the Prince of Peace will rule over the earth, sin will be no more and all things will be made new. • And knowing that and believing that produces supernatural patience within us. It’s no wonder then that the second coming of Jesus is mentioned over 500 times in the Bible. h We need to live with the reality that the next thing on God’s calendar is the return of Jesus Christ. And the only thing that delays it is His loving patience, the same patience that waited for you to finally say, yes Lord. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation ... 2 Peter 3:15 i So, in order to grow in patience, the first thing you need to do is to look up – Live with the reality of the Lord’s return. The second way to grow in patience is to … 2 Look in - Admit you that you struggle with impatience. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! v9 a Now the reason James says don’t grumble/complain (NASB) is because they were grumbling and complaining.