James: Patiently Waiting

James  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  31:49
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Do you remember what is was like to wait for Christmas the week of the 25th? Some of you might still know what that’s like!! The anticipation was almost too much to bear. It’s difficult for most of us to wait for something good to happen especially if the wait is filled with hard times. April and I wanted to have kids soon after we got married, but had some difficulty for the first few years. It was hard to wait for something we wanted so much. When April finally got pregnant, she had a miscarriage. We were devastated. April got pregnant about a year later and we waited again for our first child. We were so excited when Emily was born almost exactly two years from the time we lost our first baby.
This week, we’re going to finish up James chapter 5 where James encourages us to patiently wait for the Lord’s return. Last week, James warned the rich who persecute the helpless in verses 1-6. He turns his attention in the rest of the chapter to those who suffer. We all know that life is full of hardship. We talked about the trying of our faith in the first chapter of James. In this passage, James challenges us to be ready for Jesus coming back, to be patient while we wait, and to live like Jesus until He returns.
James 5:7–12 CSB
7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.
This passage starts out with the word “therefore.” Whenever you see a therefore in a passage you need to figure out what it’s there for! In the first six verses of chapter five, James told the rich who were oppressing the poor to weep and howl because the day of judgement was coming. He said they had stored up treasure in the last days. That’s the time frame James is thinking and writing about. He believes they are living in the last days.
Now he pivots to the people who were being oppressed. Most of the people that James wrote to were blue collar, salt of the earth folks who were losing their finances and being persecuted because of their faith. James says, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming.
James 5:7 CSB
7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
We know James is talking to Christians because he only uses the phrase “brothers and sisters” when he is talking to believers. He didn’t use brothers and sisters when he described the businessman who made plans without God or the rich who were taking advantage of the poor.
James said to be patient until the Lord’s coming. The word translated “coming” is an important New Testament word that is used for the second coming of Jesus Christ. It actually means more than just coming. It includes the idea of “presence.” A better word might be “arrival.” We have the great hope that Jesus Christ will arrive and bless us with His presence. That wonderful truth appears in more than 500 verses throughout the Bible.
I want to encourage you this morning that Jesus is coming back! There is no doubt about it. Jesus promised that He would come again.
John 14:1–4 CSB
1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”
After Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, He spent time with His disciples. When it was time for Him to return to heaven, he was taken up into the clouds. Two angels appeared to them while they were watching Him and said:
Acts 1:11 CSB
11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”
Paul wrote about the hope we have in the Lord coming again
1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 CSB
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
James encourages believers to be patient because they have that same hope and he compares the patience we need to the farmer who waits for his crops. A farmer does what he can to prepare the field and plant the crop, but the rest is mostly outside of his control. He has to wait for his crops to come in.
James talks about the “early and late rains”. The early rains in that part of the world came in the fall and the late rains came in spring. The early rains in October prepared the ground to be planted and the late rains in April helped them to grow.
The farmer had to wait a long time from the time he planted to the time he harvested. James describes the crops as the precious fruit of the earth because the farmer’s life depended on them. It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when those around us cast doubt on our beliefs. Don’t give up! We’ll be rewarded for our faithfulness.
1 Peter 1:6–7 CSB
6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The next thing James says we should do is strengthen your hearts.
James 5:8 CSB
8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
The word translated strengthen comes from a word meaning to “make fast,” “to establish,” and “to confirm.” It’s the same word the Luke used to describe Jesus’ determination to go to Jerusalem even though He knew He would be crucified there. James says to strengthen your hearts. He says it’s our responsibility to do it.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “let God and let God.” The idea that we should just sit back and relax while God handles everything isn’t in scripture. Neither is the idea that we have to do it all ourselves. We have to hold those two things in tension. We should live as if everything depends on us while knowing that it all depends on God.
Paul describes this tension:
Philippians 2:12–13 CSB
12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.
James doesn’t tolerate double-minded, unstable people. Remember back in chapter 1 he said
James 1:6–8 CSB
6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.
James challenges us to strengthen our hearts because we have hope that the Lord will come soon. He said “the Lord’s coming is near.” We are living in the last days and the Lord could come back at any time.
I know some people will say they’ve heard that for years and Christians in every generation said that so I don’t know if it’s true. It’s true that Christians have said that for generations.
A well known Christian wrote, "The last days are upon us. Weigh carefully the times. Look for Him who is above all time, eternal and invisible." That was not written by a modern prophecy expert. It was written by a man named Ignatius about 110 A.D., just a couple of decades after the apostle John wrote Revelation.
In 236 AD the bishop of Rome named Hippolytus wrote that Christ was sure to return by 500 AD. In the 1500’s Martin Luther was convinced that the day of judgment was not far off and that the world could not last "three hundred years longer." Then there was Christopher Columbus. A lot of people don't know that he was a Bible student who wrote a book on Prophecy. He said that the world would end in 1656.
Listen, I’m glad they got it wrong, because if He did come back when they thought he would we wouldn’t be included! The truth is that we have been living in the last days ever since Jesus ascended in to heaven after His resurrection.
Think of it this way. If a wife tells her husband that it’s time to go to out somewhere and he says, the game is almost over, it’s in the the fourth quarter, she shouldn’t expect to go anywhere fast. Even though a quarter in a football game is 15 minutes, it can take much longer to finish the game with all the times the clock is stopped between plays and for commercial breaks! A typical college or NFL game is technically one hour long, but the average time to finish a game is three to three and a half hours!
So, are we living in the last days? Yes, the world has been in the last days for the last 2,000 years. The last days are the days between the first coming and the second coming. How do I know that? Let’s look at
Hebrews 1:1–2 CSB
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.
He says, “in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.” So the author of Hebrews says that God revealed Himself to us in the last days through Jesus coming to earth and walking among us.
So the church has been waiting for 2,000 years but we are also 2,000 years closer to His coming. Last doesn’t mean short, but it means final - the final days. There’s nothing else in Scripture that has to be finalized before He comes.
We had the creation and then the fall. We had the age of the patriarchs of Israel and the covenant. We had the period of the kingdom of Israel and then the exile. We had the New Testament and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There are no more events holding back Jesus.
The Lord can come back at any moment. The only reason He delays is to because He is still redeeming the lost. We should live like He is coming at any time.
The word “patiently” doesn’t mean we should put on a white robe and wait quietly for Jesus to come back. The farmer has many tasks to perform between the planting and the harvest. The Lord expects us to live out the Great Commission until He returns:
Matthew 28:18–19 CSB
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
He expects us to remain busy building God’s kingdom during the last days:
Luke 12:43 CSB
43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.
Finally, James says we should live like Christ until He comes in verses 9-12:
James 5:9 CSB
9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!
James says we shouldn’t complain about each other because the judge, Jesus Christ, is coming soon. Living through difficult times can cause us to turn on each other. We’re tempted to complain when we think others don’t have it as bad as we do or don’t do what we think they should.
A woman car was stalled in traffic and she couldn’t get it restarted. The fellow who was stuck behind her thought it was necessary to constantly show his impatience by honking his horn every few seconds. Finally, the woman walked back to his car and said, "If you’ll go try to start my car, I’ll stay here and honk your horn for you."
So don’t honk at each other! Paul challenged the Philippians not to complain:
Philippians 2:14–16 CSB
14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.
Don’t think you can judge someone else’s circumstances or actions. James warns that we will be judged and that the judge stands at the door. The Bible says every person will stand before God someday and be judged. Those who don’t have a right relationship with God will face final judgement of being separated from God forever in a place called hell.
Even believers will face judgement for what they’ve done. We won’t face judgement for our sins, but should look forward to Him saying “Well done” for the things we’ve done that had an eternal impact.
1 Corinthians 3:13–15 CSB
13 each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.
James encourages us to endure suffering by looking at the examples of the prophets.
James 5:10–11 CSB
10 Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
They were rejected and abused by the Jewish people. The list of prophets that were rejected is long:
Moses had to put up with the rebellious, disobedient Israelites who left Egypt
Elijah was persecuted by evil king Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel
Jeremiah faced so much opposition during his ministry he was known as the weeping prophet
Ezekial had to endure the death of his wife during his ministry
Hosea went through a heartbreaking marriage
John the Baptist was thrown in prison and beheaded
Then James reminds us of Job who lost everything including his family, his wealth, and his health. But James says those who endured were blessed. God’s blessing doesn’t come to people who do great things, but those who endure.
James says we can endure because we “have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about.” James reminds us that the Lord uses trials to help us grow in our faith and to depend on Him. Paul shares with the church at Corinth a “thorn in the flesh” that God uses to keep him humble. We don’t know what it was, but we know that Paul pleaded with God to take it away.
2 Corinthians 12:7–10 CSB
7 especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10 So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The last thing James challenges us to do in the last days is to be honest.
James 5:12 CSB
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.
James is wrapping up the letter and touches on a few important issues. It might seem odd that he throws one verse about speech in at the end. Remember that James talked about the tongue all through his letter.
James isn’t talking to using foul language. He’s talking about swearing oaths. Dishonesty is rampant in our sinful world. We try to hold people accountable by forcing them to swear with an oath. The custom of swearing oaths was a major part of life in biblical times.
In Old Testament times, Jewish people relied on oaths instead of written contracts to seal agreements. When someone took an oath, they were saying, "This is true, and I'm asking God to be my witness." If they didn't keep their promise, they believed God would punish them. Calling on God in this way was extremely serious because it meant you were putting your promise under divine scrutiny.
Jewish Christians brought the complicated system of swearing oaths into the church. The Bible doesn’t forbid us from swearing an oath like we do when we testify in court, when a man is being ordained, or in a marriage.
James calls for simple, straightforward, honest speech. Christians are to be those whose yes means yes and whose no means no. People of integrity don’t need to swear elaborate oaths to convince others of their truthfulness. And they wouldn’t swear falsely to deceive people.
To summarize what James taught us in this passage:
We can have hope through our trials because they are temporary. We should look forward to Jesus coming again.
We shouldn’t be idle while we wait. We must have an urgency to spread the Gospel.
We should live like Christ while we wait for His return.
I don’t know what you’re going through today. I know that many of you are dealing with sickness, losing someone you loved, financial struggles, or broken relationships. Someone here today might be struggling with a decision to give their life to Jesus.
Whatever you’re struggling with, this church is here for you. I would consider it a privilege to pray with you during our invitation in a few minutes.
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