Untitled Sermon (2)

“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.”

INTRO

James- Jesus’ half brother

Lived with Jesus and knows His teachings and life well

Head of the Jerusalem church

known as a pillar of the church

Letter of James

Written to the Jewish people among all nations () the 12 tribes in the Dispersion

James wrote to encourage Jewish believers to grow deeper in their faith. In a 5 chapter, but extremely dense, book James shares his wisdom

All his writing is heavily influenced by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the book of Proverbs, this book is a collection of a wise man’s wisdom

Hence the nickname: The NT Proverbs

Most importantly, James is not sharing any new revelation from God, no new teaching that hasn’t been taught before. While, yes, James’ book is God-ordained book, inerrant and infallible is all its ways, there is nothing ground-breaking about his wisdom.

He teaches the same truths Jesus did, James’ writing serves as a reminder, a checkup, a confrontation even to his Jewish audience that these things still matter and that we still have things to learn and to continue to grow

With the same teachings as the OT writers and Jesus himself, James challenges his audience then and to us today

And that’s the same truth today

This message will not be a new groundbreaking idea or a revolutionary philosophy, but we will read and learn as the audience of James

What I read and teach is probably nothing you haven't heard before, nothing that is not normally taught.

But the age old truths of scripture and their truth

Now let me be clear: these ancient writings are ALIVE, they are indeed the LIVING WORD OF GOD

So these same words do have the power to change us, even if we’ve heard them before

So while this message is nothing new, that doesn’t make the Word any less powerful!

So let us press into the words that James wrote thousands of years ago and be changed by them

PRAY

BODY

That’s where I want to really begin today:

That we (me included) don’t have it all figured out, that we have more things to learn and room to grow

Just because we heard it already doesn’t mean we are done learning it, in fact we will never be done learning it.

Our lives as Christians, as followers of Jesus, constantly learning the Word and growing in our following of Jesus. Sanctification is a lifelong event.

In this life, we never arrive

I will say that again ...in this life we will never arrive

We will never be done growing, growing to look more like our savior, Jesus

And many of us know the reality of this growth and the growing pains that come with it

I’m 19 and I’ve immensely experienced the struggle and even the suffering that accompanies sanctification

Regardless of age, maturity, knowledge, or faith, we all experience it. The struggle of living a life for Jesus. Jesus doesn’t say it might happen, He actually assures that if you follow Him, you will struggle, we are called to bear our own cross, and crosses are hard to carry.

Often times, in the middle of this struggle, we feel like we are left in the waiting room of Heaven. That God is a busy doctor overwhelmed with patients and simply doesn’t have time to answer our requests or tend to our needs

But brothers and sisters, this is not the case!

We are not abandoned, in fact that’s where we pick up and read His Word in

“therefore” - In prior verses, James speaks to the rich who oppress others

like most of us, James’ original audience needs encouragement to help them be patient because they are in a time of hurt

But notice how he doesn’t say “wait until they stop oppressing you” or “wait until it gets better”

James writes wait “until the coming of the Lord”

James is not going to give the people of God false hope

As much as I could wish I could say once you receive one answer from God that you’ll be done waiting, that’s not the reality of this world.

I’m not gonna stand up here and think I know it all. That I’ve been through it all. That I’ve overcome it all. I know that’s not true, in fact I have experience if only a fraction of what the majority of you have been through. So I’m not speaking from a position of arrival.

I do know one thing, our waiting will not be done until the coming of the Lord, until we meet Him face to face.

If He were to take away your problem right now another one would show its face a second later.

The reality is that we live in a broken world, and that will continually be broken until Jesus returns.

So MCC, lets learn how to wait. Because we have waiting to do. As someone still in school, I have A LOT of waiting to do. Oh how crucial it is to learn to wait in obedience.

Luckily James gives us plenty of wisdom on what an obedient patience looks like.

Verse 7- …“you also be patient”

As a farmers waits for their crops, we wait for the Lord.

How do farmers wait?

In an agricultural setting, farmers are dependent on sources outside of themselves, especially in James’ day when there were no high-tech irrigation systems.

Too much rain, crops rot. Too little rain, crops drought. In frost, crops freeze. Farmers are dependent on the Lord to give them the amount of rain needed. Talk about patience.

But this waiting is not passive.

It’s not like waiting at a stop light, sitting there idle, doing nothing but staring at your dashboard.

This patience is active.

While farmers cannot control the rain, we cannot control some of our circumstances we sure can’t change someone else’s heart

But God does give us opportunity, control, dare I say, responsibility over things right here right now!

It is the balance between trusting God with what you cannot control, and honoring Him with what you can.

The question now becomes, what is it then that we can control, that we can do in the waiting?

In verse 8, James uses the phrase “Establish your hearts”.

Same phrase is found in and similar verb all throughout the NT

Calling us to have a firm grip, a firm adherence to the faith in the midst of our trials and our waiting.

What we can control is how we respond to the Lords silence

We cannot control when or how our struggle is resolved, but we can control how firm our faith remains in the meanwhile.

To stay firm, we need faith.

Faith requires action.

“faith without works is dead”

Therefore the call to “establish [our] hearts” is one of faith, one of action, and one of obedience

I’m not going to begin to guess or assume what you are waiting on, whether its a prayer to be answered, a marriage, to overcome a sin struggle, a job opportunity, or you’re simply waiting for me to be done talking so you can go to lunch.

I’m not going to begin to guess or assume what you are waiting on, whether its a prayer to be answered, a marriage, a sin struggle to overcome, a job opportunity, or you’re simply waiting for me to be done talking so you can go to lunch.

I can think of times when I struggled with waiting for an answer, for direction. The biggest and most recent was deciding which college to attend. Thinking back it’s hard to understand why I put so much pressure and stress on it, but in the moment it was a massive weight on my shoulders. I mean it’s where I’m going to live for 4 years of my life and where my family is going to spend too much money so it better be the right choice.

College decision illustration

Faith

I may not be able to sympathize with your pain. Others may not be able to fully understand what you’re going through. But Jesus can.

Action

We don’t follow a distant, disconnected God

Obedience

But one who dwelt among us, in Jesus, the one who wore flesh like us, who felt earthly pain and trial.

I may not be able to sympathize with your pain. Others may not be able to fully understand what you’re going through. But Jesus can.

He felt the pain of waiting that we do, crying out to the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane

We don’t follow a distant, disconnected God

Jesus surrendered Himself to the Father’s will when He didn’t get a response

But one who dwelt among us, in Jesus, the one who wore flesh like us, who felt earthly pain and trial.

Jesus ultimately suffered more than any of us would. The Father turned His back on Jesus, forsook Him

He felt the pain of waiting that we do, crying out to the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus felt the pain of silence and abandonment so that we wouldn’t have to

Jesus surrendered Himself to the Father’s will when He didn’t get a response

Jesus ultimately suffered more than any of us would. The Father turned His back on Jesus, forsook Him

So we can run to the throne of Jesus in confidence because He knows.

Jesus felt the pain of silence and abandonment so that we wouldn’t have to

In the growing pains of waiting, we need to hold fast to the promises of Jesus. Hold fast to His Word. Hold fast to HIM.

Because, let’s be honest, we are an impatient people.

So we can run to the throne of Jesus in confidence because He knows.

If you don’t believe that then I call you after the service and go drive through Atlanta

In the growing pains of waiting, we need to hold fast to the promises of Jesus. Hold fast to His Word. Hold fast to HIM.

I think we can all attest that traffic above all is the pinnacle of unsettled, impatient, angry waiting

Because, let’s be honest, we are an impatient people.

Why does traffic make us this way?

If you don’t believe that then I call you after the service and go drive through Atlanta

Because there are outside factors that we can’t control

I think we can all attest that traffic above all is the pinnacle of unsettled, impatient, angry waiting

We can’t move every car in our way and blow through every stop light and max out our speedometer

Why does traffic make us this way?

And even if we could we would still be dependent on how fast our car drives and how much gas we have

Because there are outside factors that we can’t control

We have to trust outside sources in able to get to where we are going

We can’t move every car in our way and blow through every stop light and max out your speedometer

As we read v.9 it may seem out of place in the passage. What does grumbling against one another have to do with waiting?

And even if we could we would still be dependent on how fast our car drives and how much gas we have

Right in the middle of this passage, James gives us a prime example of how we become disobedient in our waiting

We have to trust outside sources in able to get to where we are going

But James is human and lives with humans, he knows what waiting does to us.

As we read v.9 it may seem out of place in the passage. What does grumbling against one another have to do with waiting?

We let our impatience turn into frustration with others.

Right in the middle of this passage, James gives us a prime example of how we become disobedient in our waiting

I have to confess that depending on someone else’s timing, and other aspects that I can't control makes me angry, frustrated, and if someone is in the car with me, im sorry. And if you’re at the destination I’m going, I’m sorry.

But James is human and lives with humans, he knows what waiting does to us.

Our impatience tends to spill out onto other people

We let our impatience turn into frustration with others.

As we hold fast, as our hearts are being established in trust and faith, we still LIVE and DO. Our faith DOES.

I have to confess that depending on someone else’s timing, and other aspects that I can't control makes me angry, frustrated, and if someone is in the car with me, im sorry. And if you’re at the destination I’m going, I’m sorry.

There’s some truth to the phrase “Fake it till you make it”

Our impatience often spills out onto other people

“Good practices are both catalysts and incubators for new thoughts, they initiate them, and they nurture them” -Mark Buchanan

As we hold fast, as our hearts are being established in trust and faith, we still LIVE and DO. Our faith DOES.

Even if we don’t FEEL patient, or feel like we trust the Lord with our plans. We need to live as if we do.

There’s some truth to the phrase “Fake it till you make it”

We are still called to obedience in the midst of hardship. And just because the feeling may not be there does not invalidate your obedience to God.

“Good practices are both catalysts and incubators for new thoughts, they initiate them, and they nurture them” -Mark Buchanan

Our feelings are fleeting, our thoughts are ever changing.

Even if we don’t FEEL patient, or feel like we trust the Lord with our plans. We need to live as if we do.

We can’t afford to trust them all the time, to live by them, to surrender to them.

We are still called to obedience in the midst of hardship. And just because the feeling may not be there does not invalidate your obedience to God.

But we are called to live by something that doesn’t change, to have faith in a God that we know to be true, to be omniscient, to be love, to be merciful, and GOOD

Our feelings are fleeting, our thoughts are ever changing.

v.11 - we have seen how the Lord is good, how He is on our side!

We can’t afford to trust them all the time, to live by them, to surrender to them.

Leading and redeeming Israel, being faithful to the prophets, giving purpose and life to Job

But we are called to live by something that doesn’t change, to have faith in a God that we know to be true, to be omniscient, to be love, to be merciful, and GOOD

We know that He is good!

v.11 - we have seen how the Lord is good, how He is on our side!

- that all things WILL work together for the good of those who love Him!

Leading and redeeming Israel, being faithful to the prophets, giving purpose and life to Job

Even when He seems silent, we can trust He’s working for us

We know that He is good!

3 days between crucifixion and resurrection

- that all things WILL work together for the good of those who love Him!

Silence, sorrow, sadness, waiting for something to happen

Even when He seems silent, we can trust He’s working for us

In the silence and confusion, Jesus was defeating death FOR US

3 days between crucifixion and resurrection

When God becomes silent, He doesn’t stop working, He doesn’t stop being Good!

Silence, sorrow, sadness, waiting for something to happen

It's not easy, not comfortable, not safe. Trusting the Lord brings NO guarantee of an easy life.

In the silence and confusion, Jesus was defeating death FOR US

But man, we need to know where we are going. What we are promised.

When God becomes silent, He doesn’t stop working, He doesn’t stop being Good!

If you’re going somewhere you don’t want to go to (dentist, doctor) then you aren’t asking “are we there yet” because you are content where you are and where you’re going isn’t better

It's not easy, not comfortable, not safe. Trusting the Lord brings NO guarantee of an easy life.

But if you’re going to Disney you’re asking every hour “are we there yet”

But man, we need to know where we are going. What we are promised.

Why? Because you see your destination as somewhere much better than where you are currently sitting, somewhere where joy and happiness lives.

If you’re going somewhere you don’t want to go to (dentist, doctor) then you aren’t asking “are we there yet” because you are content where you are and where you’re going isn’t better

That’s our reality in this life. We live in a broken world where discomfort and challenge are often our closest neighbors

But if you’re going to Disney you’re asking every hour “are we there yet”

But this is will not always be the case:

Why? Because you see your destination as somewhere much better than where you are currently sitting, somewhere where joy and happiness lives.

That’s our reality in this life. We live in a broken world where discomfort and challenge are often our closest neighbors

As God’s children we are promised a NEW WORLD, one with no pain, no suffering

Yes God relieves our pain now, He speaks to us now. We have seasons of waiting and seasons of harvest.

As God’s children we are promised a NEW WORLD, one with no pain, no suffering

But we are promised a total, final, and eternal deliverance, a new Heaven and a new Earth

Yes God relieves our pain now, He speaks to us now. We have seasons of waiting and seasons of harvest.

A reality where there will be no more waiting, where everything is complete

But we are promised a total, final, and eternal deliverance, a new Heaven and a new Earth

Why wouldn’t we be longing for this?

A reality where there will be no more waiting, where everything is complete

This longing is actually a holy longing. We should be discontent with how much we don’t like and look like Jesus. With the hardship this world brings.

Why wouldn’t we be longing for this?

Recognizing that there is more for us, more of God to see, to experience!

This longing is okay, this longing is actually a holy longing. We should be discontent with how much we don’t like and look like Jesus. With the hardship this world brings.

I would step further and let this truth challenge us this morning in the fact that we should have this longing!

Recognizing that there is more for us, more of God to see, to experience!

If you aren’t asking the Lord “are we there yet” if you don’t feel like you’re waiting, I think this image in Revelation asks us “do you know where you’re going”

I would step further and let this truth challenge us this morning in the fact that we should have this longing!

If we feel content where we are right now, have we truly set our eyes upon Jesus? Have we seen our brokenness, our sin, our incompleteness?

If you aren’t asking the Lord “are we there yet” if you don’t feel like you’re waiting, I think this image in Revelation asks us “do you know where you’re going”

Have we tasted and seen the sweet promise of satisfaction, salvation, and restoration that Jesus brings to us today and evermore?

If we feel content where we are right now, have we truly set our eyes upon Jesus? Have we seen our brokenness, our sin, our incompleteness?

Do we, MCC, know where we are going?

Have we tasted and seen the sweet promise of satisfaction, salvation, and restoration that Jesus brings to us today and evermore?

But by faith, we don’t let our discontentment and our longing turn into impatience, into doubting His plan, His wisdom, His timing, His goodness.

Do we, MCC, know where we are going?

Let us return to where we started: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord”

But by faith, we don’t let our discontentment and our longing turn into impatience, into doubting His plan, His wisdom, His timing, His goodness.

Trusting God with what we can’t control and honoring Him, in faith and obedience with, what we can.

Let us return to where we started: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord”

Trusting God with what we can’t control and honoring Him, in faith and obedience with, what we can.