Wait With Grace, Mercy is Coming
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Florence Chadwick was an incredible swimmer… born in 1918… and at the age of 32 swam across the English Channel from France to England in 13 hours and 23 minutes. In 1952 Florence attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California Coastline. As she swam she had boats kind of surrounding her on each side watching for sharks and ready to help if she grew weary. AFTER ABOUT 15 hours a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt and grow weary… she told her mother in one of the boats that she did not think she could make it.
She swam another hour, before asking to be pulled out. As she sat in the boat she learned that she had stopped swimming less than a mile from her destination.
2 months later she tried again… the same fog set in, but this time she made it. She said that she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam…
Continuing to walk through James chapter 5.
These believers were in need of encouragement as they faced the difficulties of the journey… Comfort to those that were being taken advantage of.
They needed a picture… a reminder that the journey was worth every mile. That the shoreline was in sight… Don’t give up. Don’t grow weary… (He didn’t say… your trials are over… but he said. GOD Knows all that you are going through.
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
Mercy is coming! Justice is coming. MERCY IS ON THE WAY!
JESUS is coming! Wait with Grace!
He is going to take what is broken and make it new.
disappointment and hurt to joy
no more heartache
no more pain
no more sickness
There will be peace in the valley!
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
Patient: able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious
makrothyme
verb, aorist, active, imperative, second person, plural | finite verb
Sense: to be patient (enduring) – to be even-tempered while enduring trying circumstances. Imperative - Command.
Patient:
If you are a parent - how are our kids doing with this? Patient. Not so much. - “I’m Bored.” Scared of being bored more than the coronavirus!
Hang in there! THE LORD IS COMING!
Gives the example of the farmer! There is a harvest is coming. The work is going to be worth every drop of sweat. Every hour of labor…
Growing up… work the gardens.. As a young boy… I didn't so much enjoy the planting… I didn’t enjoy the weeding… but there was a time I loved so much. I would walk with my grandfather… a beautiful garden on the side of the road … queen branch… ride my motorcycle through the bottoms down by the river and would pop out… we would walk through the garden harvesting my favorite thing! Sweet Corn… We would eat it raw right in the garden! I thought back to those moments and a tear swelled up thinking of those hard working hands… the joy in those moments… his work was worth the wait! Canned… eat for years… feed the neighbors… give some of it away…
instant society… aggravated in the drive through if we wait 5 minutes. On demand streaming. No commercials.
8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Strengthen your hearts!
Hang in there. Don’t give up!
Firm resolution… Daniel purposed in HIS heart that he would not defile himself.
Like the farmer! -
Might be getting low on groceries, but the harvest is coming. Patient. Jesus is coming. Mercy is coming. Wait with Grace!
Two ways - to see if we are waiting with GRACE
9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
Unity:
instead of division. - Unity is not uniformity.
We are not complaining against one another. God desires unity in HIS Body!
10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
As we look back to the prophets… they have been enjoying the presence of the LORD
The endurance of Job. God is full of compassion and mercy.
God is not absent in the hard times. In light of the glory that awaits us…
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
2. Truth
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
They wont compromise there character for comfort. We will not bow down to the agendas of this world… Eph 6 Spiritual Battle. Not verse mask or no mask...
Hold firm. Stand in the truth… WAIT WITH GRACE.
Wait with Grace.
Embrace His Grace
Extend His Grace
Trusting - God is sovereign. He is working. Jesus is coming.
Telling - The message worth standing on is clear. The message of the Gospel.
Together - Don’t let the trials divide you! Don’t let the coronavirus divide you!
We are the body of Christ. Unified, not uniform, on mission for the glory of God!
Waiting with Grace. What does it look like for you?
Reggie Holland Story.
J. D. Greear Sermon Archive Self-Centeredness: Philippians 2:1–6
When in humility you realize how much of your life is grace, then you start to think less about what you deserve; and you start to count the needs of others more significant than yourselves. Why? Because that’s what Christ did for you. Christ, who was worthy, became sin for you so that you could be saved.
The way to overcome the emotional stronghold of despair, depression or hopelessness is to fast-forward through the tough times and look to the end. Look toward the place where you surrender your thoughts to the love, grace and faithfulness of God.
When you do that, then the thing that is causing you to feel the way you do will no longer own you. Whatever is going wrong in your life will not have the last word. Remember, Satan may have “a” word, the doctor may have “a” word, your job, friends or spouse may have “a” word, but God always has the final word. Tony Evans.
Jesus is coming Wait With Grace!
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
The fog is thick! God’s Word paints a picture each day of that beautiful shoreline!
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lift your eyes … the SON IS SHINING THROUGH THE FOG!