The Book of James – Part 14:
Patience in Suffering
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON INTRODUCTION
James is continuing his letter to the
twelve tribes, as leader of the Jerusalem council; he is giving this letter as
a teaching and instructional guide to those Jews who claim to be followers of
Jesus Christ. These letters and instructions can do us all good if we too claim
to follow Christ.
James told us in last week’s scripture,
that injustices will come, sometimes by the hand of the rich and fall on to
those who are innocent.
This week, James wants us to understand why
we must be patient for justice, and the Lord’s coming.
Are you being patient, and standing firm in
your faith during the trials and tests that are in your life?
LAST WEEKS SERMONS
Part 1 - Faith and Wisdom
Part 2 - Poverty and Riches
Part 3 - Endurance
Part 4 - Christian Living
Part 5 - Brotherly Love
Part 6 - Faith and Works
Part 7 - Taming of the Shrewd
Part 8 - True Wisdom
Part 9 - Worldliness
Part 10 - Submit Yourselves to God
Part 11 - Judging Others
Part 12 - The Self-Willed
Part 13 - The Stumbling Block
TODAY’S SERMON
Part 14 - Patience in Suffering
SCRIPTURE READING
James
5:7-12
“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.”
I.
PATIENCE UNTIL THE
LORDS COMING
a. Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the
Lord’s coming.
i.
James 5:1-6 Just spoke of the injustices that can take
place in this world, and the suffering that is caused by those who have riches,
and how the innocent can be condemned and murdered by them. James is now telling us through the Holy
Spirit, we are to be patient for JUSTICE IS COMING!
ii.
Romans 12:19 “19
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is
written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
iii.
The cure to all injustice in this world is the second
coming of the Lord!
b. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its
valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
i.
James reveals the plan of God through the Holy Spirit
in this verse, and gives the answer to why
the Lord waits to return. If you wonder
WHY God is waiting to return, and why justice is taking so long to come, this
is the reason.
1. The farmer awaiting
his land to yield its valuable crop is God waiting for humanity to receive
salvation.
a. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. Instead he is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2. This valuable crop
God awaits is you and me.
3. The rain from
heaven is the Lord, who came the first time as a lamb, to be sacrificed for our
iniquities, and make those who turn to Him, in a right relationship with God
again. This was the early rain.
4. The latter rain is
the second coming of the Lord, when all the injustices will be made right.
ii.
We see in scripture, the Holy Spirit reveals that the
second coming of the Lord is to happen late in the year, the year of all
time. This is going to take place during
the feast of the Lord called Rosh Hashanah.
iii.
The second coming, this late rain, is very near, and
the sounding of the trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, the rapture, is right at the door!
c. You too, be patient...
i.
We should be patient for our justice, knowing that
others have to come to the Lord as we did.
d. and Stand Firm
i.
Matthew 10:22 “You
will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands
firm to the end will be saved.”
ii.
Matthew 24:13 “but
the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
iii.
Luke 21:19 “Stand
firm, and you will win life.”
iv.
I Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore,
my dear brothers and sisters, stand
firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that
your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
v.
I Peter 5:9 “Resist
him, standing firm in the faith, because you know
that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind
of sufferings.”
vi.
Ephesians 6:14 “Stand
firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in place,”
e. Stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near...we
should be constantly thinking about the rapture, and what we are doing to serve
the Lord.
f. Do not grumble against one another...
i.
The Lord is coming to avenge injustice...
ii.
Even if that injustice is caused by another
believer...grumble against a brother or sister, and you will be judged...for
the Judge is standing at the door!
iii.
There are those, even now, claiming to be believers,
only God knows, who speak against other believers. Half truths, or their
perception of situations, not speaking the truth, but what they think or
believe. These injustices too will be
made right.
II.
PROPHETS ARE OUR
EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE
a. The prophets (and Apostles) are to be our examples of
patience in times of suffering, and affliction.
i.
Even though they stood in a high and holy office, they
were not exempt from affliction...and neither are we.
b. Blessed are those who persevere!
i.
James began this letter blessing those who
persevere.
ii.
Persevere (LIT: enduring), implies that trials and
tests may last for quite some time! Long
enough to make you want to give up.
c. You have heard of the patience of Job and seen what the
lord brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
i.
What is Job’s example???
ii.
Trials and tests came by the hand of Satan, but they
were allowed by God.
1. They were for Job’s
good.
iii.
Job’s children were killed...how is this for Job’s
good?
1. Job 1:13 - the only thing
said about his children were they were all eating and drinking wine...they were
partiers, showing no regard for the Lord, or for their father’s faith. When we live outside of God’s Kingdom, we
live outside of His protection.
2. Zachariah 7:6 “And when you were eating and drinking,
were you not just feasting for yourselves?”
3. Luke 17:27 “People were eating, drinking,
marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then
the flood came and destroyed them all.”
4. Luke 17:28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People
were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and
building.”
5. Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating
and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit,”
iv.
They were living their lives for themselves...eating
and drinking, with no regard for the Lord, they were not living faithful lives
for God or His Kingdom.
v.
Job was also stricken by Satan, which God allowed...but
because Job was faithful to the Lord, Satan could NOT kill him!
vi.
Job’s wife was killed as well by Satan, but she too was
not faithful to the Lord...in Job 2:9 she tells Job to let go of his faith in the Lord and curse
God and die...but Job stood firm.
vii.
Job was attacked with disease, attacked by
his faithless family, attacked by his friends, lost all his
children and his wife and land and livestock, YET HE
STOOD FIRM.
viii.
God was merciful and restored to Job, his land, his
livestock and even his family...and he lived to be old and full of days, which
is another way to say he lives a happy and full life after this experience.
ix.
What the Lord allows in our lives is only for our
good when we belong to Him, even if we don’t understand it. We need to accept it, submit and repent and
allow God to do His work in our lives.
When trials and tests come, seek God to learn what the lesson is He is
trying to teach you.
III.
TRUTH - YOUR YES
AND NO
a. Above all...do not swear oaths, simply say “yes” or
“no”.
i.
One thing that drives me crazy...people who do not keep
their word.
ii.
Making commitments and breaking them, promising this
and that, and not following through.
iii.
The only thing worse than someone not keeping their
word, is when THEY make the promise/plans/ect and break it!
1. I didn’t ask you
for or to do anything, you offered...then you didn’t do it?
I have had people
step forward without being asked when they saw a need, make commitments and
promises to meet the need, choosing their own date, time, and even the offering
of labor or money...and then, as if it were never promised, you never hear from
them on the matter again!
b. We are not to be double minded
i.
We represent the Lord, and the Body of Christ here on
earth...we need to rightly represent Him, and His steadfast honesty, integrity
and trustworthiness.
ii.
When God says “Yes”, He means Yes...and when God says
“No”, He means no.
iii.
We too should live this way, not being double minded,
flip-flopping all the time on what we say, and how we feel, being unstable in
all our ways.
iv.
James 1:6-8 “But
when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is
like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person
should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person
is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
v.
Double-mindedness comes from a lack of faith...and
those who lack faith should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. We receive from the Lord BECAUSE of faith...not
always “what we want”, but ALWAYS “what we need”
CONCLUSION
We are to be patient in life when tests and
trials come our way, and when we are suffering or an injustice has befallen us,
we are to be patient in the Lord’s coming and the judging He brings with Him.
There was a time we ourselves were not
saved, and what a terrible thing if God had not been patient with us.
When we are suffering, or going through
trials and tests, we need to STAND FIRM in our faith.
When we do, we will be blessed beyond
anything we could ever imagine.
Look to the Prophets, and the Apostles for
inspiration and example.
Above all, do not turn on one another,
because the coming of the Lord is near, and the Judge is at the door, and all
injustices will be made right...even if those injustices come by the hand of a
believer.
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