11. Patient Endurance

It is so good to see you! I’m so grateful for The River Church for allowing us this space to worship together as a church family. However, what we are quickly being reminded about is that the saying is true: a church isn’t a building, it’s a people.

My prayer for us over the coming months is that we grow together as a church family and in fact grow as a church as people discover our community of Christians to be a breath of fresh air about how to live life following Jesus.

However, this means that we are going to have to face more ups and downs then what we have already faced. Finding a more permanent place to meet. Preparing that place. Keeping in contact with our church family. Dealing with loss. Finding a place to do baptisms. Celebrating growth. Navigating ministry in a difficult economy. The list could go on and on. So as we move forward…how do we navigate the uncertainty?

It reminds me of this familiar story. There was a wise man who lived on the northern frontier of China. One day, for no apparent reason, his horse ran away. When people in the community tried to console him, the man said, "What makes you so sure it isn't a good thing?" Some months later, the horse returned, bringing a splendid wild stallion. Everyone congratulated the man, but this man said, "What makes you so sure this is a good thing?"

The wise man's son loved to ride this wild stallion, but one day the wild stallion bucked, throwing his son off the horse, and the son ended up breaking his hip and he could not walk. People in the community tried to console him, but the father said, "What makes you so sure this isn't a blessing?"

Not long after, nomads from across the northern border invaded the land and every able-bodied man was called up to defend the country. This community ended up losing nine out of every 10 men, but because the man's son could not walk, he was allowed to stay home and care for his aging father.

This story illustrates that often we don't know whether something will prove to be a blessing or a curse, whether something is so-called "good luck" or "bad luck." Scripture goes even further. It teaches us that sometimes what we consider to be the best thing in the world turns out to be the very worst thing for us, and sometimes the things we consider to be the worst turn out to be the very best.

Losing our building to a fire is a sad, and an emotional thing, for sure. However, what if it provides us an opportunity we never even imagined!

I think the same thing can be said for anyone here who finds themselves dealing with loss; loss of a relationship, a job, a dream. It can be said for anyone who finds themselves in the midst of a struggle, with depression, anxiety, an addiction or unhealthy habit.

What are we to do when it feels like God has let us down and there are more obstacles against us?

What do we do as we stand in this space between what was and what will be?

God’s word gives us four words to live in this space. Here they are: Be patient. Stand firm.

Where do we find these words? Well, before I left on vacation, we were beginning to wrap up our study of the NT book of James. In it, we had been learning about how to practically live out a life of following Jesus well.

If you have a Bible, find James chapter five. If you are using the YouVersion Bible app, look for Events. Then look for Iowa City Church. All the Scriptures, Sermon Notes and announcements will be right on your device.

In chapter four and the first part of chapter five, James was addressing some the injustices that were taking place amongst the Christians; the unfair treatment of people, in some cases among Christians, as well as the desire to let greed dictate how they hoarded their money while others went without.

James follows these teachings up with the honest truth that following Jesus isn’t easy. Life in general isn’t easy, but devoting one’s self to Jesus adds another layer of struggle.

James gives important teaching for how the Christian is to live in that space of struggle, opposition and of waiting. Here is what he writes.

James 5:7–12 NIV

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

We all long for better days ahead. As Christians, we long for the return of Jesus to make all things right. So wherever you find yourself right now, whether it’s dealing the loss, or the struggle of hurt, or addiction, or just frustration over the way things are, there is this longing for the return of Jesus. As James points out, in this in between time…we must be patient.

In This In Between Time: We must be patient.

Patience doesn’t come easy for any of us…especially in a culture of now…of one click purchase, overnight delivery and instant downloads. Instant gratification is at our finger tips. However, it’s the attitude of patience that is paramount.

What James reminds his readers is that we are to be patient because even though it doesn’t feel like anything is happening God is at work. James compares the situation to that of a farmer. So whether you are a farmer or gardener, you understand immediately what James is communicating. You can work hard to prepare the soil. You can meticulously plant each seed right where it needs to be. However, very quickly things are out of your control. You patiently wait for the seed to germinate. You trust the rain is going to come. You pray for no hail storms. You essentially wait an entire growing season until…harvest.

We find ourselves in a season of patiently waiting. There is no way we are going to have a building built back anytime soon. For some of you, there might be hurts you are dealing with or loss you are experiencing…some of those things aren’t going to just magically disappear and everything is going to be better. So we learn how to be patient. Because while we patiently wait…our good God is at work!

One of the biggest issues with being patient comes from dealing with those around you. Notice what James says.

James 5:9 NIV

9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Before there were all of these devices to keep us entertained, we had to patiently put up with each other on long car rides. Do any of you remember these moments? On summer vacations we would have to patiently put up with our siblings while we traveled to our destinations. There were a lot of accusations being thrown around, “He’s touching me!” “She’s looking at me!” “He’s breathing too loud!”

In our moments of patiently waiting, it’s not too uncommon to begin to point out the faults or behaviors of others. There are few things more difficult then patiently waiting together. James points out to the Christians suffering through hardships that they need to not grumble and complain about each other. Instead, let the judge deal with the situation. It’s not for your to point out other people’s faults.

Moving forward for our church, it’s going to be easy to criticize or complain about other people. Be patient. Remember who’s ultimately in charge.

James uses two other important words for us in this season of in between: stand firm. Whey stand firm, why endure? Because the Lord’s return is near. Now, obviously the word, “near” is a relative term since this was written two thousand years ago. However, what it means is that in the grand story of God’s work in this world, the next act will be the return of the King. It’s next on the dock-ate.

So the point is, we stand firm, we persevere because the best days are ahead. James gives a couple of examples. One is of the OT prophets. These men were the mouth piece of God, instructing Israel and what they needed to do, how they needed to repent…and for the most part they were completely ignored, chastised and persecuted. Yet, they believed in their calling and stood firm. Persevered.

That will be one of our greatest challenges going forward. When things get hard, there will always be opposition, a variety of opinions and suggestions about what should be done. The reality is we continue to live in a culture who has a different value set then what we have. So we set our focus on our mission of making disciples of Jesus, who love God, love people and serve others. We stand firm with that mission, not matter what…because in the end King Jesus returns.

James uses one other example of perseverance. It’s that of Job. If you are not familiar with Job, he was a faithful devoted, man of God. God allows persecution and hardship to come upon Job, and even though his friends and wife urge him to curse God and die, Job remains faithful. God blesses him in the end.

This is why James uses this reference because through his perseverance, Job was rewarded. Likewise, we will be rewarded for our perseverance. Let’s read what James wrote again.

James 5:11 NIV

11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

So whether it’s us collectively as a church as we walk this challenging path, or whether it’s you individually as you struggle with brokenness, addiction, or dealing with sin or a habit you just can’t break. To stand firm, and not lose your faith will be rewarded. So just simply hanging on when you come to the end of your rope will ultimately help you experience God’s compassion and mercy!

Lastly, in verse 12, James reminds his readers that no matter what they are going through they don’t need to swear oaths that we will do what we say we will do. In other words, when times are hard, your word is good enough. Is you say yes, then it means you will faithfully do it, just like God does. You don’t have to make some false promise and then say, “I swear on my moms grave.”

If we are going to live a God’s people, we need to trust him and live lives of patient endurance.

The apostle Paul gives a helpful snap shot of what this look like:

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 NIV

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I don’t know what the future looks like. I don’t know what the next few weeks or months is going to bring. But in those moments, I will fix my eyes on what is eternal…and patiently stand firm.

Here’s an example of what that looks like. This is the story about Florence Chadwick, the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. On the Fourth of July in 1951, she attempted to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. The challenge was not so much the distance, but the bone-chilling waters of the Pacific. To complicate matters, a dense fog lay over the entire area, making it impossible for her to see land. After about 15 hours in the water, and within a half mile of her goal, Chadwick gave up. Later she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself. But if I could have seen land, I might have made it." Not long afterward she attempted the feat again.

Once more a misty veil obscured the coastline and she couldn't see the shore. But this time she made it because she kept reminding herself that land was there. With that confidence she bravely swam on and achieved her goal. In fact, she broke the men's record by 2 hours!

So here we are in this space between what was and what will be. What are you going to do? James would say, patiently stand firm. In fact you could say it this way: When faced with uncertainty and difficulties, we will trust the Lord and patiently stand firm.

What are some things you can do to patiently stand firm?

Fast & Pray - for the month of July as a church we are going to fast and pray. Every Tuesday, set aside specifically to fast from a particular item or food and instead, devote it to praying for our church and the mission we have been given. Every day at 6:25 I want you to set an alarm to stop and pray for our church and our mission. So every day, and every Tuesday, we will be united as a church patiently seeking the Lord for direction.

Commit to weekly worship - More the ever, we need each other. We need to be together, worshipping, celebrating, encouraging and doing life together. If you are in town, make it a priority to be at our weekly worship service.

Who Can You Invite to Join Our Adventure? - We have been given a unique platform to share our faith. We are a part of the church that burned down....come see what God is doing!

And while we doing those things…we will patiently stand firm.