See Christmas like God does: Patience/Perseverance

See Christmas like God does: Patience / Perseverance

James 5:7-11

December 15, 2024

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When I was a kid my mom pulled every trick in the book to get me to read. She bribed me, threatened me, tried to negotiate with me, and dove deep into her bag of mom tricks to get me to enjoy reading. For the most part, it wasn’t until I got into college that I started to like to read.

But, there was one book that I did find a little enjoyment in when I was a kid. It was a book that allowed you to pick how the ending would turn out by selecting options provided by the author. It would then take you to different results.

It is no surprise our topic today. I will make a very bold claim, no one, and I mean no one can honestly say, that I have patience and perseverance mastered. My challenge is not coming up with an example of a lack of patience, but weeding through the list of examples from just this am.

So, like my kid’s book, you will have an opportunity to write your introduction. On your sermon guide is one line. It starts you off by saying:

“This morning I __________________________”

On the line or in your head, think of how you reacted to a situation where your patience was short, perseverance light, and responses that of grumbling and complaining. If you are like me, that line is not long enough to capture just this morning let alone this week.

It troubles me that God makes me learn the principles all week before I preach them. Over the last three weeks, I have had to learn Joy in the face of Christmas (week 1), hope while the inversion of life presses down on me (week 2), and the hardest of all, patience and perseverance (this week). Church, this has been a challenging week in this department, and I would be so bold to say none of us have this figured out. So, let’s learn it together.

Our passage comes from the hands of a man named James. There are four options for authorship. James (apostle) the brother of John the apostle (sons of thunder), James the less, another obscure James (the father of Judas, not Iscariot), and James the half-brother of Jesus. Due to the date of authorship (AD 44-49), the best option would be James, the half-brother of Jesus, or as others would refer to him as “James the Just.”

It fits on so many levels and validates the content. No brother would support their sibling’s claim to be the Son of God unless they really believed it, saw it, and experienced it. Interestingly, James was an outdoors kind of guy. He used many agricultural metaphors, animal references, and nature to teach hard and important truths.

James writes with great authority as of one who had personally seen the resurrected Christ. His writings, although directed to the Jewish believer, come to us today as just as important. As God’s Word is alive, it applies to you and me here in the 21stCentury.

From our passage, we learn that we must persevere in our patience. But the question is, why, how, and patience with who? To do that, we need to all get on the same page. How would God define patience?

1. God’s definition of patience.

Vs 7 “Be patient, therefore, brothers until the coming of the Lord.

makrothymeō): vb.; be patient, exhibit internal and external control in difficult circumstances, long-suffering

The command is to “be patient” or reference to it as in this context is in no less than 9 NT references. The concept, like Joy and Hope, that we have covered over the last several weeks, is implied and directly taught from Genesis to Revelations and is an underlying truths that we can’t ignore.

In most manuscripts, the third word in our passage is “therefore” and means a link to the or in reference to what was just said. It is important to understand who James wants us to be patient with. If we miss it, we are guilty of something I see a lot of believers’ struggle with. I’ll sum up why James uses the word “therefore”.

Verses 1-6 would refer to the oppressive rich who extort and murder brothers and sisters in Christ. In short, James is referring to non-believers. And his response is not how we like to act. We may show a little patience (I would argue only to a certain point) to our fellow believers while turning the dogs loose in our hearts on those who are not believers.

I am guilty of this! I’ll say all day long that I need to be patient to my brother and sister in Christ but when it comes to a non-believer, my fuse is short, my temper right under the surface, and my unwillingness to show grace is always a daily battle. But, that is exactly what James is calling us out on.

But pastor, why do I need to show patience to the non-believer? Well, I am glad you ask! Look at the patience that you received before coming to Christ. We use the perfect tool to define this word. That perfect tool to understanding patience is the example of God the Father.

God’s definition of patience is found in the definition of His character. If He wasn’t patient, Hell would be full and Heaven empty, and that includes you and me. God needs no definition because he shows us clearly what true patience is.

Psalm 103:8

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.[1]

2 Peter 3:9-10

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.[2]

Those are just two of the countless references to God’s patience for the sinner and the believer. Others include Romans 2:4; 12: 12,13 Psalm 37:7

GOD is so patient it frustrates those of us who are not. I am guilty of crying out to God, “Lord, how long will you hold back your hand? How long will you not crush those who openly mock, openly rebel, and curse your name?”

But, in my frustration, the HS is quick to say, I was patient with you, Von, why wouldn’t I be patient with them? In this first verse we learn, be patient with nonbelievers but ALSO be patient with God’s timing! It’s His time, not mine or yours.

Look back at our passage. James shows us the example and figure of speech of patience by using the farmer to demonstrate the requirement for patience. Can a farmer make a plant grow faster than designed? No. It is a perfect example if we understand the context.

Vs 7 “…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.[3]”

This is where those of us who are not farmers and those who do not understand the region that James comes from miss. You see, in this part of the country and during this time, they did not have John Deer, Case or Maguren tractors. It was a plow behind an Ox. If there was no rain in the planning season, seeds did not get into the ground. So, when James uses this example, it was understood, that rain needed to come in early season (Oct-Dec) and another in the growing season (Feb-Mar)

The point is simple, patience was needed! You had to wait on God and His perfect timing. His time is perfect, His duration of patience is perfect and His plan is perfect. All of those show us that we all, believers and nonbeliever alike are living under His hand of patience.

But, like I spoke a few weeks ago, His patience does expire for the nonbeliever.

God’s timing is perfect but will run out. Every nonbeliever has an endpoint to the patient before the expiration date.

For the nonbeliever who rejects, judgment comes. God gave the people over 100 years to repent before closing the door on the ark saving only 8. God gave the children of Israel hundreds of years after David of rebellion before judgment. He is patient for the nonbeliever, but it does come to an end.

But, for the believer, for the chosen of God, God self-describes Himself as patient, long-suffering, unending in patience, and merciful. God’s love for His children is distinct, unique and long-suffering. Does he show grace for the nonbeliever? Yes, But He shows unending patience and love for His children. While speaking to Moses says:

Exodus 34:

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,[4]

For the believer we have patience. Now, what are we to do with it now that we have it? God has a direct command for us.

2. God commands patience.

Vs 9: “9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.[5]

Again James is directly commanding us, “BE PATIENT” and now we know not just with nonbelievers or God’s timing but now, the hardest for us to keep in mind, be patient with our own family.

Church, as leaders we talk about the challenges of ministry. A common thread is that the children of God are, at times the least patient with their leadership and one another. It’s almost like a regular family unit. We say things to our brothers, sisters, and others more harshly, more cutting then with the public.

I really want all of us to pause and listen to me. I know you and I are most passionate about our church, our faith and how we see how ministry should be. But, in our frustration, do we grumble? Do we complain? Do we show a lack of patience? “But pastor, I have told you for years it should look like ___ and no changes have happened.” Allow me to define “grumble”.

GRUMBLE: (stenazō). vb. to groan against, to groan in pain, to complain. Describes the inward moaning of the individual that can be expressed outwardly. This verb occurs seldom in the NT, where it typically means “to groan.” It can refer to the groaning associated with complaints a believer has against another fellow believer. James warns against this type of groaning in a context in which patient endurance is needed until the return of Christ because one will be judged (Jas 5:9). [6]

James 5:9 “so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

To be clear, we are not talking “judgment for salvation.” These are judgments for rewards. I am not pointing fingers but if the HS is convicting you, now is the time to recognize who is at the door. Look back at that verse, good manuscripts will have the “J” capitalized. Meaning, that “Judge” is the only One who can judge.

Example: This week I was in a meeting with a person who rarely goes to church and up tell Tuesday, I would question his salvation. We were talking about a very difficult customer who was really hard yet professed to be a believer as well. The conversation went dark quickly. I was guilty of grumbling. My colleague leaned forward, put his hand on my knee and said, “LORD forgive us for our conversation, forgive our judgment, forgive our attitude.”

Church, we need more of that. We need it here on Sunday morning and we need it in our daily lives. How dare we grumble when things are not to our liking. You want to know a way to trigger God? Grumble and complain. Just look at how He handled the people who grumbled against His leader Moses while the people grumbled from eating manna. God judged them and He will judge us.

God has a clear expectation and provides examples of how to do it.

Vs 10: 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.[7]

Oh man James, Job, really? That was like dropping the trump card there! No one in human history handled patience like Job. Did he question the process? Sure! But did he sin in his trial? NO! How about the prophets?

I am thinking about the prophets who kept the kings accountable only to be persecuted, jailed, beaten, sawn in half and murdered yet they were patient and endured. The key is that last word. They persevered in their trials. How?

True perseverance is trusting in not just the good things but also trusting in the bad things. When we look at life through the lens that God does, we have patience and patience leads to the establishment of the heart!

Vs 8 “Establish your hearts, for the coming of the LORD is at hand.”

Everyone has their breaking point. But God gets that. He is there when your perseverance runs out. He is there to reestablish and strengthen us. No one in this room can or will have to endure what Job and the prophets went through I hope. But we are called to persevere in our own time and space.

Galatians 6:9-10

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. [8]

This passage, along with ours today is specifically talking about our patience with people, the hardest type of patience that we are commanded, instructed, and equipped to have. God grants us this strength to work on patience.

3. Work at patience and persevere.

I can honestly say, no one has this 100% figured out. If you were to give yourself a grade on patience and perseverance and give yourself an A, I would say your grading system is like Common Core. The only One who gets patience right is not physically represented in this room. He is here in Spirit only. God and God through Christ is the only one who has this figured out.

Look at that word “WORK”. This is not an “I have to work to be patient to be saved statement.” You did not hear that! I am speaking to those who are saved or call themselves saved. We, believers, MUST be characterized as patient because HE (God the Father) is described as patient. If we say we love God but love not our brother and sister, we are liars (1 John 4:20)

Patience is a FRUIT or result that we are saved. It is a result of seeing life, family, church family, nonbelievers Christmas as God sees them. Our patience and perseverance is a result of a new relationship in Him who taught us how to be patient and expects us to be patient.

God’s perfect perseverance is found solely in the person and work of Christ. He shows His perfect timing when Christ was born and when you were born. He shows His perfect patience by holding back His righteous judgment if only just one more believes. He is never slow in His judgment, but rather executes it according to His sovereign will.

Now, please look at the manger in light of His perfectly timed, perfectly executed, and perfectly distributed patience. Look at Christmas as a fulfillment of His righteous love distributed in excess to those who believe in the LORD Jesus Christ as the only way, the only truth, and the only life. See the example that He has provided.

My intent is that we see His example and then ACT in response to it! Do you not realize that every one of the main points of our sermons is an action statement? Look, we want you to ACT, move, change, and adjust in response to these words. God did not write these words on the page to be ignored. There must be a response to the command: “be patient, do not grumble.”

Unbeliever aside

God is patient to the unbeliever. He is kind and offering your salvation from a sin debt that you can’t clear. If you look at your life, there is sin in it. You know it to. You can’t get rid of the penalty of sin on your own. God, being rich in patience has offered you an opportunity to get rid of that sin and it’s debt. Through the belief in the Biblical Christ Jesus, you can be free of the debt of sin.

But, that is not the end of your story. It is not a box to check. NO, there must be a response. We respond in a changed life. We no longer seek sin, we no longer want to sin. Instead, out of love for what Jesus has done on a cross, we are changed! This is true salvation!

Church, James is an interesting book. It is broken into 13 tests to test your faith to see if it is real. It is outlined on the back of your sermon guide. If you question your genuineness, read through these and read the passages. It will convict or confirm your genuineness of faith.

Remember this is not a take your medicine and go about your day kind of sermon. I want all of us to leave here as if we are getting our workout closed on, strapping our shoes on, and start running our race. What better time to make sure that you are working on patience than Christmas? When the world is going nuts, we are to direct an impatient world right back to the source of patience and perseverance, CHRIST Jesus!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [6]Smith, Craig A. 2014. “Complaining.” In Lexham Theological Wordbook, edited by Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, and Rebekah Hurst. Lexham Bible Reference Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.