James message 11
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Living in Expectation of Jesus’ return
Living in Expectation of Jesus’ return
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Intro: We’ve all went through hard times. We’ve had others treat us wrong. (vs 1-6)
We’ve had questions why?
One day Jesus will return.
A Christian, went to an older believer to ask for prayer. "Will you please pray that I may be more patient?" he asked.
He agreed. They knelt together and the man began to pray, "Lord, send this young man tribulation in the morning; send this young man tribulation in the afternoon; send this young man...."
At that point the young Christian blurted out, "No, no, I didn’t ask you to pray for tribulation. I wanted you to pray for patience." "Ah," responded the wise Christian, "it’s through tribulation that we learn patience."
How many of you have a problem with a lack of patience. Now, how many of you are willing to pay the price that is required in order to gain patience?
Most of us when we recognize the need for patience, we pray a prayer that goes something like this: “Lord, give me patience, and give it to me NOW!” Patience, like most Christian characteristics, is one of those character traits that grows over time rather than being given to us overnight.
When Jesus left this world, He promised his disciples that he would soon return. They failed to understand that “soon” did not mean the same thing to Jesus as it meant to them.
The verses that we are going to look at this morning remind us that we need patience while we live in this world and anticipate the Lord’s return to the earth. Let’s read verses 7-11 of James 5.
The reward of patience is maturity/strength. VS 7-11
The reward of patience is maturity/strength. VS 7-11
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
“Therefore”
All that James had spoke of in the first 6 vs
Being treated unjustly.
One day, all the bad that has ever happened, all the mistreatment, will come to an end. Either in death (heaven) or when Jesus returns.
“Therefore be patient Brethren” (Brethren is a term for all believers.
“Be patient”
Don’t you love that word?
The word patient here: Long suffering”
Be long-suffering, patiently enduring the mistreatment of others, restraining your soul from the passion of anger,
For the 1st Christian church that James is writing to, they had faced sorrow, and difficulty's. James is encouraging them to “Be patient”
James is saying, I know you have been mistreated, there is injustice, opposition, I know the wicked seem to have it all. But remember God will judge them, leave that to God.
We see bad things happen to people, and ask why? 13 servicemen, 11 men 2 women. Killed. They were helping others.
Next week will the 20th anniversary of 911. All those innocent people killed.
Life is not fair.
“Be patient”
4 times in these 5 verse, James speaks of being patient.
Main theme. “Patience”
2nd main point. “The coming of the Lord”
The Lord is coming back. He will make it all right. Until then we are to be patient. What a word.
When we think of patience, we think of waiting, (in line, in traffic. At the doctors office.
Long suffering:
It is when we are mistreated by others, without be resentful or bitter.
As Christians, we will be mistreated, even persecuted. James says “Be patient”
How patient?
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain
Waiting, watching, working. (song we’ll work till Jesus comes)
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
As for you, you also be long-suffering, patiently enduring the mistreatment of others, restraining your soul from the passion of anger. Stabilize your hearts, because the coming of the Lord has drawn near and is imminent.
“Be patient”
“Establish your hearts”
You can enjoy this kind of a harvest only if your heart is established.
Establish: strengthen. (Lord be my strength)
One of the purposes of the spiritual ministry of the local church is to establish the heart
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to establish the young Christians in their faith.
The ministry of the Word of God and prayer are important if the heart is going to be established. A heart that is not established cannot bear fruit.
Keep in mind that the farmer does not stand around doing nothing; he is constantly at work as he looks toward the harvest.
James did not tell these suffering believers to put on white robes, climb a hill, and wait for Jesus to return. “Keep working and waiting” was his admonition.
Nor does the farmer get into fights with his neighbors. One of the usual marks of farmers is their willingness to help one another. Nobody on the farm has time or energy for disputes with the neighbors. James must have had this in mind when he added,
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
“Impatience with God often leads to impatience with God’s people, and this is a sin we must avoid. If we start using the sickles on each other, we will miss the harvest!”
Wiersbe, Warren
Jesus said, “Love one another”
10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
A Jewish congregation would understand this simple reference that James made to the Old Testament prophets.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also used the prophets as an example of victory over persecution
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
For one thing, they were in the will of God, yet they suffered. They were preaching “in the name of the Lord,” yet they were persecuted.
Satan tells the faithful Christian that his suffering is the result of sin or unfaithfulness, and yet his suffering might well be because of faithfulness!
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
We must never think that obedience automatically produces ease and pleasure. Our Lord was obedient, and it led to a cross!
The prophets encourage us by reminding us that God cares for us when we go through sufferings for His sake.
Elijah announced to wicked King Ahab that there would be a drought in the land for three and one-half years, and Elijah himself had to suffer in that drought. But God cared for him, and God gave him victory over the evil priests of Baal.
Many of the prophets had to endure great trials and sufferings, not only at the hands of unbelievers, but at the hands of professed believers.
Jeremiah was arrested as a traitor and even thrown into an abandoned well to die. God fed Jeremiah and protected him throughout that terrible siege of Jerusalem, even though at times it looked as though the prophet was going to be killed.
Both Ezekiel and Daniel had their share of hardships, but the Lord delivered them. And even those who were not delivered, who died for the faith, received that special reward for those who are true to Him.
Why is it that those who “speak in the name of the Lord” often must endure difficult trials? It is so that their lives might back up their messages. The impact of a faithful, godly life carries much power. We need to remind ourselves that our patience in times of suffering is a testimony to others around us.
But have not many faithful Christians suffered and died without any notice or recognition? Yes, but when Jesus returns, these “obscure heroes” will receive their rewards. The prophets were killed and buried, but today their names are honored. When our Lord comes again, He will bring His reward with Him
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
This example that James used from the Old Testament prophets ought to encourage us to spend more time in the Bible, getting acquainted with these heroes of faith.
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
The better we know the Bible, the more God can encourage us in the difficult experiences of life. The important thing is that, like the farmer, we keep working, and, like the prophets, we keep witnessing, no matter how trying the circumstances may be.
11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
But you cannot persevere unless there is a trial in your life. There can be no victories without battles; there can be no peaks without valleys.
If you want the blessing, you must be prepared to carry the burden and fight the battle.