Patience in the Waiting: Enduring the Trials of Life

Bible Passage: James 5:7–12

James 5:7–12 “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. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 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. 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.”

How this passage could point to Christ: James highlights Christ as the ultimate example of endurance, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). This forms a connection showing how faith in Christ empowers us to endure similarly.

Big Idea: Through patience in the waiting, believers reflect Christ's endurance and witness to the world of God’s faithfulness in trials.

1. Persist with Patient Expectation | Prohibit Petty Grievances | Praise Persistent Integrity

James 5:7–8 “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. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Be patient, James is saying be long suffering, slow to anger slow to punish.  The brothers which could also includes sisters shows just how personal James is being with us.  He is continuing to remind us that this is what it looks like to be a Christian, so if you are a Christian act like one and be patient.  The therefore in verse 7 signals that he is beginning to wrap up his letter.  We are entering his summary statements where he will tie the letter together telling us first off to be patient until the coming of the Lord.    

James in his usual practical fashion gives us an Illustration using a Farmer and his precious fruit.  How he must be patient as he is waiting for the early and late rains which will produce the precious fruit in its due time.  Have any of you guys grown a garden or worked someone else’s garden?  If so then you understand the illustration, waiting for rain, waiting for harvest but being busy at getting the weeds between the rains.  We can’t let the weeds grow so what James doesn’t mean is that we just sit and wait but that we are active in our waiting.  James also uses the word patient 3x and patience 1x showing us that it is important and that we should pay attention. 

What does James mean by patients?  If you have ridden with someone who drives faster than the speed limit, one possible reason is that they are in a hurry or don’t have the patients to wait just a little longer being long suffering and slowing down.  The result of their lack of patients might be a ticket.  There are of course other reasons for breaking the speed limit but most often the primary reason is selfishness of our time and not wanting to be patient until we get there.  James says you also be patient.  This applies in all sorts of situations in life not just driving.  Being patient as we wait for an employer to call after an interview , patients as we wait for test results when we are sick, patients as we save money to get back on our feet when we are struggling. You can see our patients exercised in all sorts of circumstances and situations. James tells us just to be patient and as we do establish your heart for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Paul helps us to understand this idea of established in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 where he says 'so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.'  Paul is saying that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ may direct you and make you abound in love for one another as we do for you and as He does, he will establish your heart blameless in holiness.  This is what is meant by establishing.   

Following in our passage we find that what is established is your heart. What James is trying to reveal is that your heart is your inner self, your personality, your inner being. Man being made of Body, flesh and Soul or heart, James is telling us that what is established or grown is the in material part of you and what makes you, -you. Its what you find treasure in. What makes you do what you do. Jesus speaking to the Pharisees says in Matthew 12:35 'The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ‘ This treasure is your heart. We can tell a mans treasure by what he does. Does he bring forth good or evil? How about you?

Why is it important that we are patient in our suffering? Take a look at vs 8b where James answers: “for or because the coming of the Lord is at hand”. this is the second time in two verses that James tells us about the “coming of the Lord” James bookends being patient in suffering telling us the Lord is coming. How can we not despair in the sufferings of this world? By remembering that the Lord is coming as a matter of fact His coming is at hand.

Summary: How are you doing here? Are you being patient and long suffering as you wait for the coming of the Lord? Are you honoring the Lord as you suffer in the circumstances your in? Is your heart being established and blameless as you suffer through the trials of life? Are you persistent with expectation that God through Jesus Christ will fulfill the promises he gives us? Are you patiently waiting for the Lord?

2. Prohibit Petty Grievances

James 5:9–10 “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”

vs 9 James tells us not to grumble against one another - why? That we may not be judged. To grumble means to complain or groan. Grumbling often indicates pain or discomfort.

In the story of the Exodus the Israelite witness the ten plagues God used to convince Pharaoh to let Gods people go. In the end Pharaoh lets them go only to pursue them to the Red Sea. Moses by Gods strength parts the Red Sea and the Israelites cross the Red Sea on dry ground. Getting to the other side, God closes the sea on the Egyptians who were in pursuit, protecting His people.

Exodus 15:22–24 “Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?””

Three days into the wilderness and the people complained. These are the same people who had seen the ten plagues, who had seen God protect them at the parting of the Red Sea and now what are they doing? Complaining! Why? Because they didn’t trust God to provide water to drink. This is the first time the people complain against the Lord but wouldn’t be the last. Are we not guilty of the same?

Complaining is not a minor sin as some would have you believe. Grumbling declares that what we are complaining about is not good enough. When we complain about one another we are distorting the image of God in whom we are made in declaring those whom we grumble about are not good enough when God declared the creation very good after the creation of man. When we complain against God we are declaring that his sovereign rule is not good enough. This is reminiscent of James 4:11–12 “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.” and he is standing at the door!

James reveals the sin of grumbling and give us the antidote to suffering badly by grumbling telling us to look to the prophets as an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We should look at those who have persevered in their sufferings for how we are to handle our own sufferings.  We also must not mistake that we will suffer if we are indeed following the Lords will, 'For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil’ 1 Peter 3:17. 

Summary: God prohibits petty grievances. Those who claim to be Christians need to seek to place others needs first. We need to love and care for those around us much the way the prophets of old did. They met the peoples greatest need by revealing the peoples sin and speaking of the mercifulness of God.

3. Praise Persistent Integrity

James 5:11–12 “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. 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.”

James closes our our passage saying Behold! James uses this to get our attention. Don’t gloss over what he has to say next! Those who are steadfast are blessed! Do you want to be blessed by the Lord? Then be steadfast in the testing of your faith James 1:3! Steadfast means to endure or long suffering. It means to

To lean on God for strength during our trials

To get through trials without wavering

To continue to strive to live the commandments

To maintain a belief in Christ

To stand firm in the face of opposition

Showing us how to place those saints of old as an example, James brings ups the steadfastness of Job and how God shows his purpose through Job. Job was a very rich and righteous man who lost everything but his wife who told him to curse God and die. This enormous loss of Jobs children, property and health was an attack by Satan to show God that Job only sought to honor God for what God had given him. We are privy to the heavenly seen between God and Satan were as Job was much like we are in our trials and didn’t know the bigger picture of why. Despite not knowing Gods purpose in his suffering, Job proclaimed Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job endured as Satan tested Job and Job proved to him what God already knew. Job was faithful because he trusted the Lord. This doesn’t mean Job did everything right, he struggled with himself and others around him in his struggle but he never lost his faith. Job knew that the Lord could do all things, and no purpose of the Lords could be thwarted. And he repented in dust and ashes. Job 42:1-6 Job was steadfast and held on to the promise and counsel of the Lord and he was blessed. Job 42:10 “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Our reward may not look like Jobs with to doubling of what he had before physically. The Lord knew Jobs needs and met them and we can trust him to meet our needs in our sufferings. Romans 5:3–5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” When we suffer for Christ, Gods love is poured into our hearts. And that is a promise we can take to the proverbial bank.

The apostle Paul speaking to young Timothy reminds us of the Lords purpose when he says 1 Timothy 1:15 “ that Christ Jesus(the Lord) came into the world to save sinners.” We have all fallen short of Gods glory and therefore are all sinners. Because Adam disobeyed God, all man kind fell from innocence to corruption and are punished by physical and spiritual death. This is what makes us a sinner. The wage of this sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Though Christ perfect life, sacrificial and glorious resurrection Christ reconciled our relationship with God and brought us back to God if we would turn from our sins, confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead you will be saved! Romans 10:9 This is how God through the Lord Jesus shows us how compassionate and merciful he is. Do you know him?

Having seen the compassion and the mercy of the Lord, James continues and contrasts by the word ‘but’ the Lords compassion and mercy against falling under condemnation. Addressing the oaths that we make, James says, let your yes be yes and your no be no. James is returning to the idea of consistency in the Christian life much like the Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Our oaths should represent the same.

Since James has attached this as a contrast to the purpose of the Lord, I believe he is also giving us the idea that we cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) We are either in Christ or apart from Christ. Either you have seen the compassion of the Lord and his mercy or you have not. Though many think they can be in the world and live for the world, Jesus prays to the Father about those who have believed in his name, John 17:15–16 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” We are to be in the world, not of the world!

Summary: In James 5:7-12, James encourages believers to exhibit patience and perseverance in the face of suffering, drawing on the example of a farmer who waits for the harvest and the prophets who endured hardships for their faith. He concludes telling us our oaths must fall in line with who we are in Christ. The only way to exhibit patients and perseverance in the trials of life is to know the Lord Jesus who came to save you from your sins.