Suffering & Comfort

Recap

Technology has come with many great promises. Computers would save time. Appliances would reduce work. It was predicted that we would eventually have to work only 20 hours per week, because we’d be so much more efficient at everything. Technology is amazing! A cousin of mine posted a video on Facebook showing a brick laying machine. Bricks get dumped into a hopper, they get sorted into a herringbone pattern and are gently angled into position as the machine moves along. Amazing.

But do we have more free time? We have less, I’d wager. People can access files, email, programs, right from their phones. Work is just a screen tap away. We’re busier than ever, packing more into our lives. We get frustrated more and more easily. We can’t bear to wait for a page to load, we complain about slow connection speeds. We complain about traffic.

Everything must be immediate. We need it now, we can’t wait. It drives us crazy to wait.

How many people here self-identify as being patient? I know I’m not. I want things now, I don’t like waiting. We get frustrated when technology doesn’t deliver instantaneous results, we get angry and upset when traffic backs up, for no apparent reason. We lose patience with our loved ones, our siblings, our friends, our spouses, our children.

The patience that James is talking about in our passage is deeper than those surface frustrations. Make no mistake, they matter to God also, but God is looking deeper. To sum up this passage, it goes like this: be patient: Christ is coming. Be patient: God’s at work in you, he’s not done yet, be patient with yourself, be patient with others. Be patient: you can trust God’s promises. Be patient with each other.

So, James is writing to people who are experiencing oppression from outside their community, as well as experiencing conflict within the community. While we don’t have much of the former, we have had and are still having some of the latter. But let’s learn what God is teaching us.

1. Be patient, Jesus is coming.

Christians have been waiting for Jesus for nearly 2000 years. There’s a lesson there, though every generation thinks that things are so bad now, that Jesus must be coming soon. Sometimes, when I’m tempted to think that’s true, I remind myself of the holocaust. I don’t think things are as bad as that, yet, though they sure are in some places in the world.

But we have something amazing to look forward to. There’s a reason why every generation thinks things are so bad. We’re always seeing the present in light of the future, or so we should. Listen to the picture in :

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'"

This is what we’re hoping for. Everything will be new, and right, and just and pure. No more sorrow, no more tears. No more worry, no more fears. We’re closer to that reality than we were yesterday! Be patient. Trust. It will come.

2. Be patient: God’s at work in you, he’s not done yet, be patient with yourself.

Remember the illustration James uses: “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.” This is hard to grasp.

Picture yourself on a timeline. Here’s the beginning, here’s Christ’s incarnation, his life, death, resurrection and ascension, here’s his return. We’re somewhere here, in between. We’re living under God’s grace, and he’s in the process of transforming us. He’s changing us from people who hated God and others into people who love him first and foremost, to loving others ahead of ourselves. In this process of transformation, God uses joys and sorrows to transform us, to conform us into becoming more like Christ is.

If you are going through a hard time, please know, please understand, it isn’t because God is punishing you for something you or your family did. God put all his punishment on his Son. You are loved and accepted and cherished if you belong to God. God works in you, but he doesn’t punish you, he may discipline you, but he won’t cause you to experience pain and sorrow because he’s mad at you. He’s not like an earthly, imperfect father; he’s a perfect heavenly father.

We love our children right? But we know they’re not perfect. We’re disciplining them. Discipline, can mean to punish, but it also means to teach, to train, to encourage a certain behaviour. Difficulty in life is God moulding and changing us to be like Christ. God’s discipline, motivated by his amazing love for us, causes us to change our behaviours. But we interpret this as painful and bad, because we don’t want to change our behaviours, we’ve become comfortable in them.

Remember in chapter 1:2-4 James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God is producing fruits of righteousness in you. Be patient; God is working in you through your struggles. He’s working through your joys. He’s working through the losses you experience. He’s working through the discipline he’s giving you. He’s building you up in your trust in him, and tearing down your trust in yourself, your idolatry. Be patient, God’s working in you. Be patient, he’s coming.

3. Be patient with others.

Chapter 5:9 says, “Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” Basically, we’re all in the same boat as everyone else. We’re all living under the same grace God gives to all people.

Sometimes we don’t see that. Sometimes, all we can see are the flaws. We look around, and we see the stained and separating carpet. We see the beat up downspouts. We see people who are not perfect. People who don’t agree with us, who don’t like the same things we like, who have different ideas, different preferences. We see people dressing differently than we think church people ought to dress, we hear people who don’t necessarily sing perfectly.

What happens is we take our eyes of Christ, and we look around, and we see things we don’t like. We get treated in ways we don’t think we ought to be treated. We feel attacked, and cheated. The people in the pew ought to know better. But none of us is complete. That doesn’t mean we can just brush it off, and say, “Well, that’s just so and so. Or, they’re not complete yet, no worries. No, we still need to hold people accountable for how they live. But with truth there must be grace. We must be firm but not harsh. We’re holding people, not to some arbitrary, this is what Springdale is all about, but rather, this is what Christ requires of us.

We’re all moving toward the day when Christ comes and makes all things new. But we’re not there yet. God never grows tired with us. No matter how much we fail and fall. We can, however, grow tired of one another. But we must keep Christ, we must keep the end in sight. God’s grace never runs out. But be careful not to grumble against your brothers and sisters, says James. God is super, incredibly gracious. He’s watching, he has the right to judge. Be gracious also.

Remember the parable of the unmerciful servant. He was forgiven a huge amount of debt—millions of dollars. But then when he came across someone who owed him a couple of dollars, he threw him into prison until he paid him back. If you constantly remind yourself of all the garbage God has put up with, all the stuff he’s already forgiven you, then you’ll be more forgiving toward others.

But we tend toward thinking we’re all that. I’m right. Everyone else is wrong, they don’t understand. We’re some more than others, think that Jesus has barely had to forgive us of anything. Some Christians think they’re better than others. They think that they’re the example the rest have to follow.

James is warning you, “God’s watching. He’s at the door. Keep your mouth shut.” To the extent you’ve received mercy and grace, to that extent give it. If you haven’t been honest with yourself before God, if you haven’t really understood just how terrible your sinfulness is, then you’ve never experienced, never received much grace, and you won’t be very gracious with others, either.

4. Be patient: you can trust God’s promises. Look at verses 10-11

“Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” Job is a curious book. The accuser, Satan comes along to a meeting God’s holding, and God asks him, “What have you been up to?” “I’ve been looking at your people,” Satan replies. “Oh, have you noticed Job?” “Yeah I have, Satan replied, “But he only loves you and honours you because of the stuff you’ve given to him. He’s rich, and has ten wonderful children.

What happens? In hours, days, Job looses everything, all his wealth, all his children, everything except his wife. How does he respond? “I brought nothing into the world, I’ll take nothing with me.” Then Satan attacks Job’s health. How does Job respond? “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Lord.” One thing to remember. In every attack, Satan has to ask God’s permission. God allows Satan to attack, but he puts up rules. He can affect health, but he can’t kill Job.

Now Job is suffering with boils from head to toe. His wife, encourager that she is, says, “Curse God and die.” Sometimes, the closest people to us, those who should give us the greater encouragement, can bring us even father down.

So, how does this encourage us? We know what happens in the story. Job gets frustrated, Job asks God a pile of questions, almost none of which get answered with any satisfaction, but throughout it all, Job keeps faith. He trusts God. And almost like a country song played backwards, he gets everything back.

We have struggles right here, right now. We have the tragic death of a father. We have the struggles of our children. We have illness and disease. We have loss, we have pain. We have hurts inflicted by people not in this room. We have hurts inflicted by people in this room.

We can’t see the whole picture. We can’t see what this difficult moment is creating in us, as God uses it to disciple us, to train us in righteousness. Remember our series studying Joseph. His brothers meant all kinds of evil to Joseph. But later, Joseph saw that all of it happened in order to bring salvation to his whole family. That’s what God’s doing in your life. He’s bringing salvation to you, to your whole family. Trust God’s work in you!

5. Be patient with each other. Look at verse 12

“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.” In this verse, James is telling people, don’t add weight to your words, by calling on the name of the Lord. Don’t say things like, “As surely as the Lord lives, I’ll…” Christ fulfilled the Old Testament law. We don’t live under it, we live under the law of love, the law of freedom, as we learned in chapter 1.

As you’ve received Grace from God, give grace to others. This is what it looks like. “If I can serve you, I will. If I can’t serve you, I’m going to do what I can to help you get you to where you need to be.”

We’re all in process. Some of us have had extremely difficult days leading to today. We’re at wits end. Some have no idea how to face the week to come. Some are depressed, some are full of doubt. Some are weary. This day is a day of grace for you. God is here saying, hang in there. Trust me. I’m leading you; I’m at work in you. One day, you’ll be able to step back and see the whole picture, and it is beautiful. I’m doing a beautiful work in you.

For some of us, God’s saying, “Why are you grumbling all the time? I don’t grumble about you. You fail me way more than I fail you, because I’ve never once failed you. Can’t you see your own hypocrisy? Can’t you see your own self-righteousness? I’m at the door. I’m coming. Watch out! As I’ve been merciful to you, be merciful to others.”

Remember, God’s promises are true. God is gracious. He is true. He’s forming us, shaping us to be like his son, to bear his Son’s image. Be like Christ. Trust the day that is coming. Trust the one who is coming. God will never, ever let you go, no matter what you face, no matter where you go. He is able to keep you from stumbling, to him be all praise and glory, amen.