Patience and Perseverance
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Fishing takes Patience
perseverance
C. Be patient: Relief from the persecutors is as close as the coming of Christ (James 5:7-12
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming
(James 5:7
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
BE PATIENT.
BE PATIENT.
In James 5:7, the Greek word oun is translated therefore, so then, or then.
This key Greek word oun connects two paragraphs,
James 5:1-6 and
5:7-12.
Why does James jump suddenly from the judgment of the rich thieves and murderers to the brothers (James 5:7)?
What link is there between the rich persecutors, the brothers, and the Lord's coming?
the answer is clear.
In James's day, rich land owners were stealing wages from the brothers,
and had killed some believers.
But at the Lord's coming, there will be justice.
So James tells the brothers to be patient
(Greek: makrothumia, meaning "to persevere").
Sometimes perseverence is painful- running, lifting weights
(arm circles, 90 second timer)
At the coming of Christ, God will judge those who persecute His children.
So James encourages believers to persevere-to keep holding on and to never give up.
Exegesis- what did it mean then, and how does it apply to us now
James wrote to the twelve tribes scattered by persecution (James 1:1).
These believers had lost most of their possessions.
Forced to flee from Jerusalem, they sought work.
Rich people hired them to work in their fields, and then cheated them out of part or all of their wages.
Remember, James 5:1-6 is to the rich.
But James did not expect the rich pagans to read his letter.
Rather, his purpose was to comfort the persecuted believers.
James speaks to the rich so the believers can overhear God's warning that judgment is coming,
on "the day of slaughter" (James 5:5
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Then James turns from the rich unbelievers to the believers.
He encourages them to be patient until the Lord comes.
On that day, God will judge the rich.
In the meantime, believers need to hold on and be patient until Christ comes.
Relief from persecution is as close as the coming of Jesus. Paul wrote:
(2 Thess. 1:6-10
For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
James is talking to struggling, hurting believers.
How many of you can relate to those sentiments of struggling and hurting?
He is telling them "hold on, keep on, don't give up"--
He is telling you today
Hold on
keep on
don’t give up
keep fighting the good fight
persevere
For some, fishing can be painful
because "the Lord's coming is near" (James 5:8
You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Trouble is temporary.
Christ's return may be any moment.
Paul said,
(Rom. 13:12
The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Again, Paul told Titus,
"We wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2:13
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Peter wrote, "The end of all things is near" (1 Pet. 4:7
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
Jesus Himself said to John on the island of Patmos,
(Rev. 22:12
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
The expectation of Jesus' return enables believers to be patient.
that expectation empowers our perseverance
Relief comes when Jesus comes (2 Thess. 1:6-10
For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
One time, At sea a strong storm lasted 25 hours.
The captain of the ship tied himself to the steering wheel to prevent the waves from washing him overboard.
Thus he was able to steer the ship to safety.
Christian, as you face the storms of life,
cling to the sure promise of Christ's soon return,
Depend on God as your safety line when the storms of life toss you around
and you will endure.
In World War II, 1940, Britain won "the Battle of Britain" against Germany.
Winston Churchill, Britain's Prime Minister, gave a famous speech to a group of college students.
He said the lesson from the battle that lasted 4 months was
"Never give in.
Never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or little.
Never give in-except to convictions of honor and good sense.
Never yield to force.
Never yield to the great power of the enemy."
In a sense, that is what the book of James tells these
poor,
oppressed,
discouraged believers.
He encourages them to be patient and to persevere.
No matter how strong the enemy,
no matter how difficult the circumstance,
no matter how long the battle
never, never, never, never give up on God!
as we continue our passage today
James gives three examples of those blessed by patience.
He says to
"Be patient" as a farmer
"Be patient" as a farmer
"waits for the land to yield its valuable crop" (James 5:7
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
I think my lack of patience is why I never clicked with gardening
I’m not completely unfamiliar with gardening
for years, I brought my day camp kids to a community garden education program
I was right there with the kids as we
planted seeds in egg cartons
re-potted the sprouts into pots
moved the plants to the garden bed
weeded the garden
watered the garden
harvested the snap peas, tomatoes, lettuce, etc
Farmers work hard, but must be patient as they work.
They wait for the right time to plant.
They wait for the rains to come (James 5:7).
They wait for the seed to root.
Then, while the plants grow,
farmers wait for the harvest.
So let us learn a lesson from the farmer.
Let us wait patiently,
because we are sure the Lord will come.
James says to
Be as patient as a prophet.
Be as patient as a prophet.
James 5:10-11a
James 5:10–11 (NASB95)
As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
We count those blessed who endured.
Some people would say that God failed the prophets.
They preached God's message in the face of opposition and suffering.
History records that King Manasseh put the prophet Isaiah between two planks, and sawed him in half.
Jeremiah was beaten (Jer. 20:1-2
When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord.
Another time they put him into a pit,
and he sank down into the mud,
where he was left without food or water (Jer. 38:6
Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
John the Baptist was imprisoned and killed (Matt. 14:10
Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.
He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.
And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.
The author of Hebrews uses the prophets as an example of men who persevered by faith
because they believed that God is faithful to reward those who seek Him (Heb. 11:39
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
The prophets suffered patiently,
knowing that the God of mercy was at the end of the road.
Like the prophets, God asks us to do things that are hard
to say things that are unpopular
But obedience means rewards in eternity
while disobedience may be convenient for the moment
but may have everlasting consequences
James mentions Job as a third example of patience.
Be patient as Job
Be patient as Job
"You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about" (James 5:11b
We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
Job was a good man, yet he suffered.
He did not understand why he was suffering,
yet he held onto his faith.
Job struggled with the hard questions about his suffering.
At times he felt that God had forgotten him.
Yet, he refused to give up.
Job found that "the Lord is full of compassion and mercy" (James 5:11c
In the end, God restored all that Job lost, and more (Job 42:10-17
The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold.
The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys.
He had seven sons and three daughters.
He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch.
In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.
After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations.
And Job died, an old man and full of days.
So let us be patient and persevere in this life.
For we know that our merciful God will reward us as He did Job.
James 5:7-11 closes with assurance.
We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
The Lord is is full of compassion and is merciful
Jesus Loves you
He gives you what you don’t deserve
Do not swear
Do not swear
It is easy to live an honest life when things are going well.
But in difficult times,
the temptation to compromise increases.
Then James returns to the topic of bridling the tongue,
which he introduced in 1:19-26
and expanded in 3:1-12.
Here in chapter 5, James relates the tongue to oaths.
Above all, my brothers, do not swear-not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned (James 5:12).
When James says "do not swear," he is forbidding oaths.
In those days, people used oaths as a part of daily conversation.
A person might say,
"I swear by the temple that I will repay you next week."
Another might say,
"I swear by my mother's grave."
Pharisees, who often used oaths,
claimed that certain oaths were binding while others were not.
They claimed that an oath based on the temple was not binding,
but an oath on the gold of the temple was binding.
Jesus rebuked this hypocrisy (Matt. 23:16-22
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
“You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?
“And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’
“You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
“Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.
“And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.
“And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
And our Lord taught His disciples to tell the truth
and keep their word without using an oath (Matt. 5:33-37
“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
“Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
An oath is not necessary for an honest person.
And we cannot trust a liar,
even if he swears with his hand on a stack of ten Bibles!
You may wonder what James 5:12 has to do with the previous verses.
It is easy to live an honest life when things are going well.
But in difficult times,
the temptation to compromise increases.
Some of us are tempted to make bargains with God-
and even swear oaths that we will not keep after the crisis.
Others forsake their values and lie or steal to get through a hard time.
Some justify sinful behavior by saying,
"God will understand!"
In contrast to this double-mindedness and earthly wisdom,
James emphasizes being steadfast and consistent.
He has already taught us to do what the Word says
and to keep a reign on our tongues (James 1:22-26).
Even in hard times, followers of Jesus are honest.
Others, who are lost, need light.
Their salvation, and ours depends on living the truth.
Faith without deeds is useless.
The darker the night, the brighter a star shines.
pumpkin light
Ben was a Christian businessman.
In hard times his business ended with a debt he could not repay.
He faced the danger of losing his house and all he owned.
A lawyer said to him,
"If you will pay me $2,000,
I will find a flaw in your contract-
so you can avoid repaying your debt."
Ben replied,
"Your suggestion insults me.
I signed the contract,
and I promised to pay the debt.
I will find a way to pay it,
even if it takes me till the day I die."'
It took some time, but Ben repaid the debt.
We please God when we are honest, standing by our word.
