Hang in There

Hang in There | James 5:7-12 As many of you know, I grew up in Southern California, and by the way, thank you for not holding that against me. We often went to Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain. When I was younger, I wasn't a fan of the looped roller coasters. I can recall when we were at Knott's Berry Farm one year, we were standing in a relatively long line. Truth be told, I thought we were waiting for the Log Ride, but I learned we were actually waiting for a roller coaster called "Montezooma's Revenge." I put an image on the screen, it may be hard to see, but it's the yellow one. This coaster shoots off into a loop, then it goes up to what looks like an unfinished track, then quickly it comes right back and you go through the loop backwards, then it's over. The first time on the coaster was very scary, since I literally had no idea what I was waiting for, and mentally was not prepared for what was going to follow - and I'm certain my mother would tell you I turned green. But, this last summer, when we went to Disneyland and California Adventure, when we knew what we were waiting for, it made the waiting much more enjoyable. Waiting can be hard. But when we know what we're waiting for, as stated, it's a lot more bearable. This morning, we are back in chapter 5 of James, and we will look at verses 7-12, where James will encourage us to patiently wait. Over these last couple of weeks, we've seen some heavy condemnations from James to those who make presumptuous plans without God, and to the rich who were oppressing the poor. Now, I'll concede that I've taken the position that James was not addressing anyone specific because he is writing to Christians in his letter, but during my study this week, I think the best approach is that James was indirectly speaking to these oppressors in chapter 4:13-17 and in chapter 5:1-6, as he wrote this letter to the Jewish Christians. This morning, we will see that James is speaking to these oppressed Christians, and will offer them some words of advice, and of encouragement. Follow along as I read our text this morning from James 5:7-12. 7 BE PATIENT, THEREFORE, BROTHERS, UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD. SEE HOW THE FARMER WAITS FOR THE PRECIOUS FRUIT OF THE EARTH, BEING PATIENT ABOUT IT, UNTIL IT RECEIVES THE EARLY AND THE LATE RAINS. 8 YOU ALSO, BE PATIENT. ESTABLISH YOUR HEARTS, FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND. 9 DO NOT GRUMBLE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, BROTHERS, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT BE JUDGED; BEHOLD, THE JUDGE IS STANDING AT THE DOOR. 10 AS AN EXAMPLE OF SUFFERING AND PATIENCE, BROTHERS, TAKE THE PROPHETS WHO SPOKE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. 11 BEHOLD, WE CONSIDER THOSE BLESSED WHO REMAINED STEADFAST. YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE STEADFASTNESS OF JOB, AND YOU HAVE SEEN THE PURPOSE OF THE LORD, HOW THE LORD IS COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL. 12 BUT ABOVE ALL, MY BROTHERS, DO NOT SWEAR, EITHER BY HEAVEN OR BY EARTH OR BY ANY OTHER OATH, BUT LET YOUR "YES" BE YES AND YOUR "NO" BE NO, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT FALL UNDER CONDEMNATION. I've titled this sermon "hang in there," because really, that's what James is encouraging them to do. I also wanted to use this meme because it seemed to fit. Notice the therefore in verse 7. This connects this passage with what we've looked at the last two weeks. That word patient that James uses throughout this passage, it's literally "long-suffering" or "patiently waiting." Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest paraphrased verse 7 this way: "be longsuffering, patiently enduring the mistreatment of others, restraining your soul from the passion of anger, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord." What were they waiting for? The coming of the Lord. After the ascension of Jesus, in Acts chapter one, we read of two men in white robes addressing the disciples with these words: "MEN OF GALILEE, WHY DO YOU STAND LOOKING INTO HEAVEN? THIS JESUS, WHO WAS TAKEN UP FROM YOU INTO HEAVEN, WILL COME IN THE SAME WAY AS YOU SAW HIM GO INTO HEAVEN. (11) In a way, James was recalling these words and reminding the oppressed that they must be patient as they wait for the coming of the Lord. Just as we saw last week, everything we endure in this lifetime is temporary. This, in effect, is the main idea for our passage this morning: The mature disciple patiently waits because we know the Lord will return. These Christians, as we've already identified throughout the letter are going through tests, trials, and temptations. They were victims of partiality and, as we saw last week, some were even being oppressed. James acknowledges that these Christians are suffering, so he takes this opportunity after addressing the arrogant and the oppressors to encourage them. How does he do this? Well, he helps us to understand ... THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO DIFFICULTIES James does this with four commands, then later, we'll identify some examples that he provides for us. The first command that James shares is to ... * Be patient (vv. 7-8) o As we've seen, this idea of patience is wrapped into waiting. o This waiting, however, is not passive. Rather, it is active. o The Apostle Paul reminded the church in Thessalonica not to be idle, rather to imitate him, to do what was right, to work until the Lord returned. o The language that James is using here implies that not only was there was an imminent return coming, but that it was also near. * Twice in two verses he cites the coming of the Lord for our motivation for patient waiting, then he speaks to the judgement coming to the oppressors. * When he says that the Judge is at the door, it also implies that He's coming soon. o Obviously, that hasn't occurred yet, but even today, we must live as though Christ is at the door. * Which means we must live out our faith now * Or maybe you're listening today and you're not a disciple of Jesus. Today is that day. We cannot afford to wait, as we may not have more time to do so. o Patience is not an easy virtue to possess, is it? Nor do we want to risk praying for it because God may answer that prayer! * We live in "right now" culture. We don't have to wait for communication anymore, not with email and messaging at our fingertips always. * Should we pray for patience? Indeed. But don't pray like the man who said, "Lord! Give me patience and give it to me right now!" o Christians must believe that the Lord is returning. That belief is the motivation during our suffering that James is pointing us to. This too shall pass, James says. So, he further encourages us as he says one way to patiently wait is to ... * Establish your hearts (v. 8) o The NASB translation uses the word "strengthen" here. o When pastor Pat or I, or one of the elders, encourages you to read the Bible, we try to encourage you to read larger chunks, not just a verse of the day. We do that because when we simply pull a verse or two out, we may be missing something in the larger context of what that passage is saying. A great example of this is Philippians 4:13 (I CAN DO ALL THINGS ...). All the Christian athletes will have this in their social media bios, your devotional will use this verse to encourage you to get through your day. While true, that's not what he was talking about. He was speaking to God's provisions for him as he was out proclaiming the Word. He was speaking to his dependence for God for the daily essentials. o All this to say, when James here is speaking about establishing or strengthening our hearts, he is recalling what has already been spoken about in his letter. When this group of Christians received this letter from James, someone would have read it aloud (in its entirety) to them, so it wouldn't be a 12-week sermon series like Pastor Pat and I have been doing. o So, the encouragement that we've seen throughout the letter, such as counting it all joy during trials, knowing that these trials are testing us, that we are to be doers of the Word, that we should be loving one another, living out that royal law, and that we are to demonstrate our faith through our works. And the comfort in knowing the condemnation of the presumptuous and the oppressors is imminent. James is pointing us to all these things when he says to establish your hearts. Get them ready to patiently wait through these trials that you are facing. o It's easier to complain than it is to wait. And that is why James' next command is ... * Do not grumble (v. 9) o Maybe you're like me and when things are annoying, frustrating, or things are not going your way, you make sure everyone around knows it and feels it too. o I don't do it out of spite, it's just a normal response for many of us to grumble and complain. And when that happens, others are affected by it too. o There is a sense here that they began to blame one another for what was going on. Ever done that? Yeah, me neither! * This is why James reminds them here that the Judge is at the door. He wants them to understand that holding a grudge against someone is not going to make the situation better, but trust that the Lord will handle it. o James warns that there is judgement attached to grumbling while we wait for the Lord. It implies a lack of trust and dependence on God. Next, James commands ... * Do not swear (v. 12) o At first glance, verse twelve seems a bit out of place. There doesn't seem to be a connection to verses 7-11 or to the next section, verses 13-20. o But, when we see this verse considering the culture of that day, and what we've seen already with the people growing impatient and complaining to one another, we can see a connection to the general behavior of these Christians. o In those days, making oaths was very common. This verse implies that they were making empty promises to one another and using the Name of the Lord when doing so. o I think this verse says one of two things: * Don't try to make a deal with God * As a Christian, your "yes" and your "no" should be enough. * The late theologian, writer and minister, Eugene Peterson, paraphrased it this way: "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." o Does your reputation allow for your "yes" to be "yes" and your "no" to be "no?" Next, we see James provides us with ... EXAMPLES OF PATIENT WAITING These examples are important. James reminds them that this is possible, and that it has been done. James is saying, I'm not asking you to do something that is impossible. The first example he gives is one from their everyday life: * The waiting farmer (v. 7) o We're heading back to verse 7 for this one. James speaks to the farmer, a common occupation for the people of his day. Likely, if these specific Christians didn't own land themselves, they probably worked on a farm to make a living. o This example too, according to commentator James Adamson, is familiar picture of salvation for the Jewish people. o The illustration from James speaks to the much-needed rain and sunshine from God for the crops to develop. The farmer prepares the soil, plants the seeds, and can even keep the field free of weeds, but only God can provide the rain and the sunshine. o The farmer knows he needs to wait. James immediately follows this with a call for us to also be patient. The next example is found in verse 10, which is ... * The suffering and patience of the prophets (v. 10) o Jeremiah is one of the great examples of the suffering and patience of the prophets. * In Jeremiah 20 he was put in the stocks * In Jeremiah 28, he was lowered into a dungeon * In Jeremiah 32, he was thrown into prison * He was nicknamed "the weeping prophet" * He likely did not have a single convert in his ministry * But he did not quit. He continued. He persevered. o Of course, he was not alone, many of the prophets suffered for the Lord, but they persisted in their call and ministry. Finally, the next example is ... * The steadfastness of Job (v. 11) o Job's story is almost unbelievable. o Job was an upright and righteous man o Job feared God o Job had a lot of possessions, a large family and was a man of great obedience o But here comes Satan, who accused Job of being so faithful only because he was well off o The rest of the story, in short, is that Job lost everything, including his health. His wife even urged him to curse God and die. His so-called friends come along and blame him for everything that happened to him. o But all along, Job remained faithful to God. o In the final chapters of Job, it records more than seventy questions that God asks Job, all with the purpose for Job to realize that God's ways were higher than man's ways and the only He was worthy of great trust, even in the most difficult times. o In chapter 42, verse 5, Job confesses these words to the Lord: I HAD HEARD OF YOU BY THE HEARING OF THE EAR, BUT NOW MY EYE SEES YOU o Job's eyes were opened, and his faithfulness in those darkest of days had restored him. o But, in the end, we see that Job experienced the Lord's compassion and mercy. o So, James is saying that even Job showed great patience, and was rewarded, let us do the same. We've seen this morning ... The mature disciple patiently waits because we know the Lord will return. To close our time today, let's discuss ... HOW WE CAN WAIT TODAY FOR LORD'S COMING * Be active o We touched on this earlier, but we must not be idle when we're here now. o We can be active in our churches o We can be active in communities o We can be active with volunteer work o We can be active in serving one another o If James has taught us anything in this letter, it is that our faith is an active faith. o The next two points are great examples of how we can execute this in our lives: * Pray o We can pray for several things * Pray for the Lord to come * Pray for the spiritual healing of our country * Pray for our missionaries who are out there reaching the unreached people groups * Pray for the salvation of those who don't know the Lord * Pray for boldness ... especially to do this next one ... * Share o Isn't this one of those things we can learn from the example of the prophets? o Despite rejection, persecution and exile, they continued to share the message that God called them to proclaim * The same should be true of us. * Sometimes we will share our faith with someone, and they reject the gospel. We cannot give up, though. o Why? Because the Gospel is available to all, so we must share it with everyone we can for as long as we can. Frankly, these steps are easier when things are going well. It's harder to actively serve, pray and share the Gospel with others when things are not going well. Particularly when we're not handling it as James has instructed. I think that is what James was getting at here in these last few sections and drawing back on his letter. He is encouraging us to handle life well, because we have something so much better to look forward to. Maybe you've heard this before. For non-Christians, this world is the best it will be for you. For Christians, this world is the worst it will be for you. Maybe you're like one of these suffering people that James is speaking to today. If you're not a follower of Jesus yet, may today be that day that you decide to follow Jesus, so you too may be encouraged. Pat, myself or any of the elders would love to speak to you about this more. If you're a follower of Jesus, then you have hope. The blessed hope of the return of Jesus when He will gather us up and we will spend eternity with God. No pain. No suffering. No tears. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:9, quoting Isaiah: WHAT NO EYE HAS SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR THE HEART OF MAN IMAGINED, WHAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM. We cannot even begin to imagine what eternity with the Father will be like, but that is what we have to look forward to. So, just as the sermon title says, "hang in there," Christian. Hang in there. This is only a stop along the way. Jesus will return for you. Hang in there. Let's pray. 2