Endure to the End

How are those goals coming? Some of y’all are like, “What goals?”

Those resolutions! Those things that you challenged yourself to do all the way back at the first of January! Have you already forgotten?

Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Studies have shown that only about 8% of people manage to keep their resolutions all the way to December.

I’ll be honest; I’m not really worried about your resolutions. If you’re still at it, great. Nothing wrong with a little self-improvement. But if you’ve already dropped the ball, don’t be discouraged. God still loves you very much.

No, I’m not nearly concerned about your resolution enduring as I am YOU enduring, as I am you staying strong in your faith, on fire for Jesus until—not the end of the year—but the end of time.

Because—let’s just be real—many people don’t.

To be clear, I’m not talking about salvation. Jesus saves us. He does all the work of salvation, so when we receive that salvation—truly receive it, the endurance of that salvation is guaranteed. If He is carrying us, He’s not going to drop us.

So, we’re not talking about salvation, but there are people who, maybe they’re not saved, maybe they get really excited about church for a while and then fizzle out when life gets hard.

Or maybe they are saved, but they get discouraged. Maybe it’s church hurt, conflict that happened in the church that left them disillusioned. They didn’t lose their salvation, necessarily, but they lost their passion for things of God as they lost their love for the people of God.

It happens. When we’re tired, when we’re on edge and confused, it’s easy to grow impatient with one another, to BLAME one another and to allow division to creep into the body of Christ, division, hurt, that derail the spiritual passion of believers and prevent the salvation of non-believers.

And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that. I want EBC to be a church where we are set on fire, passionate for the things of God all the way to the end. So, how do we do that? How do we endure to the end?

I want to suggest that a great place to start is the book of James. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, let me invite you to turn there. We’ve been in James for a few weeks now, and next week we will finish up this series. but there are three particular passages that I want us to look at today, three passages that James uses to help us understand how we ought to endure together for the glory of God.

The first can be found in chapter 4, verses seven through eleven, and the other two are found in chapter 5. This morning, we’re going to look at each of those verses, and as we dive into God's Word, there’s message that is going to come at us with full force, and that message is, "Endure. Endure WITH one another, and endure one another."

So, let’s dig in here. Look with me at James 4, James 4:7–10 :

James 4:7–10 NASB 2020

Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

As I’ve said many times before, whenever you see the word “therefore” in Scripture, you have to figure out what it’s “there for.” You have to consider the context. And if you look at the passage right before this, we see James digging into the root of division in the church. And the bottom line, according to James, the reason for quarrels and conflict in the church is lust, worldly pleasure that, for some people in the church, trumps the unity that they should have in Christ.

And here in verse 7, James gives us the cure for that. If we want to get over ourselves, get over our materialism, get over our lust for more, get over our preoccupation with pleasure, it starts when we fully submit to God, prioritizing our relationship with Him over everything else. Everything.

That’s what submission is. And, as we do that, as we set our intention on surrendering everything to Him, a necessary part of that is “resisting the devil,” and when we resist the temptations of the devil, James reminds us, “and he will flee from you.”

Ultimately, it’s a matter of proximity. Resist the devil and he will move far away. Get close to God, and He will get close to you. And that is so true, isn’t it? Isn’t that an incredible testimony of His grace. You move an inch toward God, and He will pour His presence out on you.

The rest of the language there is language of repentance. “cleanse your hands,” “purify your hearts,” be miserable, mourn, weep. Humble yourself before God and be exalted. All of it points to the same principle. If you want to endure, if you want your faith to endure to the end, it is absolutely essential to…

Stay close in your relationship with God.

As Jesus said, deny yourself, take up your cross DAILY, and follow Jesus. A relationship with God is like any relationship. It has to be maintained. Don’t misunderstand me; when we get distant from God, and get into things that we shouldn’t be into, God doesn’t go anywhere. His love for us is not based on our performance.

But our love for Him is.

I have people tell me all the time, “I just feel distant from God.” And I can sympathize. There have been times, seasons of my life, when I have felt distant from God. But here’s what I know. God didn’t go anywhere in in those seasons. It wasn’t God that moved! It was my heart that was out of alignment, my priorities that were mixed, my confidence that I placed in something else besides Him.

Draw near to God…schedule time to get away, just you and God…turn your phone off for a day just to listen to God…DIG into the Word, so you can learn more about God…fast from something and dedicate that time to God. Do something, anything, showing that you want to know Him more, and I promise you, He will draw near to you. He will get close to you when you get close to Him.

And that’s really the key. You want to endure to the end? Stay close in your relationship with God. We could stop there and go home.

But we won’t. Pick up in verse 11:

James 4:11 NASB 2020

Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or judges his brother or sister, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

That’s easy, isn’t it? Hardly.

We live in such a critical age. Social media has elevated it. Keyboard warriors just waiting to pounce on anyone who says the wrong thing in the wrong way at the wrong time. And don’t get me wrong. It’s easy to slip into that mode. The situation of our world today certainly presents plenty of opportunities to BE critical.

But criticism goes directly against what James tells us here in verse 11. He says real plainly, “Don’t criticize one another!” Just don’t do it. You may want to do it. It may seem that you are perfectly within your rights to do it. Because, after all, criticism is everywhere! You deal with critics at your work. You deal with critics at home. If you are in any type of leadership situation out there in the world, you will inevitably have critics.

But don’t follow their lead. Because look at what James says in the rest of verse 11: When you “speak against” your brother or judge your brother, what you’re really doing is criticizing or judging the Word of God. That’s what he means by “the law.”

Whoa, wait a second. How did we jump from criticizing to judging? Well, you see, according to James, the two things are pretty much one in the same! When you criticize a brother or sister in Christ, someone who is made in the image of God, indwelled by the Spirit of God, what you’re really doing is vocalizing your judgment, putting a voice to the judgment that you’ve made in your mind.

The bottom line? If we are going to endure, we have to stay close in our relationship with God and, second, we must…

Stop criticizing the people of God

I had a pastor friend, just this week, get slammed online, brutally criticized for something he said in the announcements at his church, a statement that was edited and taken out of context that some people interpreted as being politically motivated. It wasn’t. In the fever to generate clicks, this group online edited his statement and jumped to criticize him.

And folks, these were believers who did, people who CLAIM the name of Christ. Did they call my friend to ask for clarification about what he said? Nope. Did they reach out to him at all? Nope.

Without doing anything that Jesus instructed us to do when a brother or sister offends us, they got their chubby, greasy little fingers out and started typing, calling him names, accusing my friend of things that (1) aren’t true, and (2) that they would never say to to his face, in DIRECT disobedience of this scripture.

And that’s a problem. Because, no matter who you are, when you judge another believer doing their best to live for Christ, James says you’re not just judging that person, but you’re actually judging the law. You’re judging the Word of God.

You’ve decided that Scripture isn’t enough, that it needs your help, that it doesn’t say enough about that issue, so you’re going to put your own two cents in. So, when you criticize a brother or sister in things that Scripture doesn’t speak to, what you’re doing is you’re putting yourself above Scripture, you're putting your own authority above that of scripture!

But that’s not all. In verse 12, James says that when you criticize, you’re not just judging out loud, and you’re not just putting yourself above the revealed Word of God. According to verse 12, you’re also putting yourself above God Himself. Check it out:

James 4:12 NASB 2020

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you, judging your neighbor?

God is lawgiver and God is judge. But God is also the one who dishes out the consequences and the one who offers forgiveness. We don’t get to do that. We don’t dish out the consequences and we can’t forgive sin. And here’s the thing: only forgiveness of sin can stop sin.

 So, if you have a problem with being critical, give it up. And instead of talking about people, start talking TO people…if someone has hurt you, talk to that person. If someone is living a life that's not bringing glory to Jesus, talk to that person about Jesus and remind that person of what Jesus has done for them. That’s accountability. That’s encouragement, not criticism.

If you want to endure to the end, stop criticizing the people of God, because you NEED the people of to walk alongside you.

Look at our next passage, look down at James 5, James 5:8-9:

James 5:8–9 NASB 2020

You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

Now, at first glance, it might seem like these two verses don’t really have much to do with each other, but the context tells us otherwise. We have to remember that James is writing to a church full of Jewish Christians who are enduring all kinds of persecution and hardship. And so, in verse 8, James tells them, “Look, be patient. The Lord is coming soon. This isn’t going to last forever!” And in verse 9, he says, “And this is how I know you’re being patient. This is how I can tell that you are being patient. You’re not going to complain about one another!”

And that brings us to another principle of endurance to take home today. Stay close in your relationship with God. Stop criticizing the people of God, and third…

Stop complaining against the people of God.

When life is hard, it's easy to complain. It's easy to complain about our circumstances, and when we get in the habit of complaining about our circumstances, it's easy to get in the habit of complaining about the people around us, complaining about one another.

So, let me ask you, are you a complainer? Complaining is different from criticizing. Complaining is less personal. But complaining is still something that we need to work out of our lives. And the way we do that is not easy, but it's pretty simple: Stop dwelling on things to complain about. Instead, dwell on Jesus.

Because if our focus is on Jesus, if our minds are wrapped up with Jesus and what He’s done for us. If our hearts are saturated with what Jesus is still doing in us. And if our lives are driven by the grace that Jesus still pours out on us, what do we really have to complain about?

Complaining is a form of spiritual distraction. It’s a side road that you don’t want to take. It’s a muddy dead end that will get you stuck spiritually. So, don’t go there. Work negativity, work complaining out of your life.

Endure to the end. Stop complaining about the people of God.

Skip down a few verses to verse 16:

James 5:16 NASB 2020

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

In verse fifteen, James reminds us that prayer, which comes from faith that God hears our prayers and answers our prayers, brings healing. Often, that kind of prayer brings physical healing, but ALWAYS that kind of prayer brings spiritual healing—it brings forgiveness of our sin.

And, so, that’s why, in verse 16, James tells us that we ought to saturate our lives with prayer and confession. Confession makes us righteous before God, and the prayer of a righteous person gets things done!

So, that brings us to the fourth key to enduring when life gets hard. Stay in close relationship with God. Stop criticizing the people of God. Stop complaining against the people of God, and HOW do we do all this?

Step up confession and prayer with the people of God.

Again, we need each other! See, there’s something else that happens when we confess our sins, not just to God, but to one another. First, it strengthens our relationship with God. We’re able to get closer to God, because we’re intentionally dealing with our sin.

There’s something that happens when we’re open with one another about our struggles and sin. It puts us in a position of endurance when it comes to the relationships that we have with one another. And it puts us in a position of endurance when it comes to our ability to resist the inevitable temptations that will come.

If my heart is in confession mode day after day, I’m going to stop thinking of myself as superior to you, and I’m going to realize that your shortcomings really aren’t any greater than my own.

And so, when someone irritates me, I’m going to pray for that person, and I’m going to pray WITH that person. And I’m going to do that, not in a self-righteous, holier-than-thou kind of way, but in a sympathetic way that says, “God, I know what you’ve done in me, and I know what you’re still doing in me as I struggle with my issues. And I don’t want to see this person, my brother, my sister in Christ, caught up in this thing that their dealing with, and so, God, is there any way you could help us both grow closer to you?”

Nothing spurs on reconciliation, nothing fuels fellowship like that kind of prayer.

Because what happens is you’ll begin to see those who irritate you with sympathy and they’ll begin to see you with sympathy, and you’ll learn to love each other and have compassion for each other out of the love and the compassion that you’re both receiving from God through Jesus.

And as you go through life together, you’re able to encourage each other, hold each other accountable, build each other up…all the way to the end.

You see, we are all really in the same boat. We are all broken, sinful creatures in need of grace. And we live in a world that is broken and in need of grace. I believe God’s heart breaks when His children dwell on each other’s shortcomings and failures. I believe God’s heart breaks when we insist on criticizing and complaining when there’s SO MUCH work to do! There are SO MANY people who still need to hear the gospel, who still need to hear about what Jesus has done for them!

That’s why we’re here. That’s the only reason we’re still here in the situation we’re in. If everyone who needs to be saved was saved already, Jesus would be back already. But He’s not. And so if you’ve got a criticizing problem, dump it. If you’ve got a complaining problem, get over it. Let’s confess our issues to each other, let’s pray for each other, and let’s get out there and lead some people to Jesus.

Because without Jesus, this world has no hope.

Without Jesus, you have no hope. So, let me just ask you. Do you know Jesus today?

I have to be careful when I preach sermons like this one, because there's a temptation to hear a sermon like this one and get it backwards. There's a temptation to hear a sermon like this one and think, "Well, if I just stop criticizing and if I just stop complaining and if, instead, I start confessing and praying, if I just do those things, then maybe I'll be right with God."

When the fact is, if you know Jesus, you're already right with God. God has already forgiven your criticism. He's already forgiven your complaining. He's already forgiven all your sin! No, we don't do these things so that we'll be right with God. We do these things because we're right with God.

This message is a message for believers, for Christians. James was writing to the church, and I'm preaching to the church. If you are a follower of Jesus, this is what your life should look like, not so God will love you more. God couldn't possibly love you any more!

But if you're not a Christian yet, this is not where you start. Where you start is by coming into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ...

You see, the Bible teaches that we are all sinners. We all fall short of God's glory. That means that none of us, NONE of us, has what it takes to be in a relationship with God. But the good news of gospel is that God sent Jesus into the world as a gift to us. He was good for us, and He took our place of punishment. He died on a cross, so that we wouldn't have to experience the consequences of our sin.

He, and only He, gives us to the power to endure. Wouldn’t you like to receive Him today?