Rare Breed: Patient
Notes
Transcript
Rare Breed: Patience
INTRODUCTION
-ILL- neighbor's dog growing up- wait in front yard until he called for it.
-ILL- Impatient society- Microwaves, fast food.
Steak and Shake, "Please be patient, made to order does not mean fast."
Patience= endurance- keep getting stronger by going through trial.
-it is not sitting back and doing nothing waiting for things to get easier.
-it is struggling through the current reality knowing that God has a purpose through it.
James 5:7-11
7 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.
8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 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.
PRAY
James 1:2-3
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
6 Important Components of Patience
Waiting (7)
Waiting (7)
James 5:7
7 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.
ILL- Dog abuse- owners that put steak on dog’s nose- make it wait.
Farmer
Early and late rains of Palestine
This is out of the farmer’s control.
Waiting involves trust.
Red Rock Wheat farmers- Waiting involves preparation- farmers prepare for harvest.
Prepare tractors/ silos/ barns/ train harvesters.
wait, wait, wait, GO!
Crop= reward
It is worth the wait when we wait through the trials.
Strengthening (8)
Strengthening (8)
James 5:8
8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
“establish your heart”= stand firm.
not just standing still.
Making foundation strong.
“coming of the Lord is near”
Near= can come at any time
Matthew 25:1-13
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
We must be established/ ready/ prepared/ for the coming of Christ.
Unifying (9)
Unifying (9)
James 5:9
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Grumble = complain about each other.
Trials are better overcome in community not solitude.
God takes unity seriously.
Church can be its own worse enemy.
Paul spent lots of his writing talking about unity.
We were not expected to live this life alone.
“judge standing at door”
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
He can walk in at any time.
ILL- kids fight differently in front of parents than they do when they are alone.
Suffering (10)
Suffering (10)
James 5:10
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Prophets were faithful despite circumstances.
They weren’t popular.
They weren’t tv evangelists.
We all have access to God’s Word and are called to proclaim God’s Word.
They are the example of who we should be.
Proving (11a)
Proving (11a)
James 5:11
11 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.
Job
Proved his faith in God.
Lost all- still trusted God.
Job 2:3
3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
Trials prove who we are. They reveal the truth.
Rewarding (11b)
Rewarding (11b)
James 5:11
11 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.
Compassion and mercy
God blessed Job after a tough life.
Christianity was never promised to be easy.
The promise is the reward.
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
CONCLUSION
Are you showing patience?
Are you prepared to stand before God in judgement?
-it’s not about whether you have done good things.
-it’s about whether you are forgiven.
Our patience comes as God’s Spirit works in us.
