Patient Suffering
James : Faith Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Patience is a hard subject, and something to be quite frank, people just don’t have time for in this insta-everything culture that we are living in.
Be Patient vs.7
Be Patient vs.7
How patient?
Patient like a farmer, who plants, waters, and waits for a very long season. Winter, spring, summer, and then finally the harvest of fall.
Waiting for the early and the late rains.
5:7 The righteous are to wait until the coming of the Lord (see ), when he will right all wrongs. The early and the late rains describe the Palestinian climate, in which the autumn rains occur just after sowing and the spring rains just before harvest (; ). Even though three-fourths of Palestine’s rain fell from December to February, these two rains were the most critical.
Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2398). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
Jer
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: For he hath given you the former rain moderately, And he will cause to come down for you the rain, The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Establish Your Heart vs.8-9
Establish Your Heart vs.8-9
We are told to establish our hearts in verse 8.
This admonition has both a positive and negative. We are told something to do and something not to do in the process of establishing our hearts.
If we think about it in terms of heart fitness, the heart has both a need for exercise in a positive direction, and a need to rid itself of unhealthy calories that work against the positive gains in terms of overall heart fitness.
Establish Your Heart by Exercising Hope
Establish Your Heart by Exercising Hope
Establish your heart on the reality that the Lord is going to come back.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 The
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Establish Your Heart by Resisting Grumbling
Establish Your Heart by Resisting Grumbling
Establish Your Heart by Resisting Grumbling
Establish Your Heart by Resisting Grumbling
When we people go through trying times two kinds of grumbling can take place. Both are without patience and hope.
First, the kind of grumbling that can come from people in the midst of difficult suffering.
First, the kind of grumbling that can come from people in the midst of difficult suffering.
Think of Job’s wife, who in despair of devastating loss told her husband...
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Second, the kind of grumbling that lacks patience for those who are going through the midst of the fire of affliction and suffering.
Second, the kind of grumbling that lacks patience for those who are going through the midst of the fire of affliction and suffering.
Job’s “friends” might have fallen into this category.
Think back with me over and all of the divisive complaining that James seeks to address that was taking place in the church.
Beloved we must continue to look to the Lord, remembering that he is going to return.
While we wait, while we continue to serve together, fulfilling the one another’s, may we not begin to grumble against one another.
Rather may we step up the passion to pray for one another, care for one another, provoke one another, and serve one another.
Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Beloved we must continue to look to the Lord, remembering that he is going to return.
Rather may we step up the passion to pray for one another, care for one another, provoke one another, and serve one another.
We don’t establish our hearts in a strong way when we become self focused and run when times are challenging.
We often don’t give patience to our brothers and sisters that are going through a hard season.
We fail to show grace and patience with those, even who have walked with us for many years and through many dark waters.
Be Steadfast vs.10-11
Be Steadfast vs.10-11
How steadfast are we to be?
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
God reveals to us two examples of the kind of steadfastness that he desires from his people and they are the kind that we often fall woefully short of in our expedient self -focused culture.
Remember the prophets who suffered greatly and died, ultimately for preaching the name of the Lord!
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Consider the steadfastness of Job
Remember that the Lord is compassionate and merciful
We must pursue Compassion!
We must be Merciful!
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Cor 15:
Speak with Integrity vs.12
Speak with Integrity vs.12
Much discussion about the placement of this verse and whether it fits with these verses or the ones after it and if it really means the most important thing is to not swear an oath.
I believe that it seems to be best understood in light of the need to endure with our words even when we are going through great suffering and affliction.
Do not, for example say as Job’s wife did, to curse God and die.
Do not swear, either by heaven or by earth.
Do not swear, either by heaven or by earth.
Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
Like so much of James writing there is a parallel with Jesus, sermon on the mount.
:34-37
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Conclusion
Conclusion