James and The Power of Patience (ER)
East Rock Campus
James 5:7-11
As we continue in our teaching series through James, he again is challenging us to see life through the lens of Gods kingdom, and to understand that patience is a required course for the follower of Jesus.
James 5:7
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.
To be patient is to exhibit self-restraint in the face of opposition and even aggravation.
– It is the opposite of being hot-headed, quick tempered, or short fused.
– It is to be slow to anger, Just like the Lord in Psalm 86:15
– The apostle Paul lists patience as a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5
James 5:8
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
The literal Greek wording here would be something like “Strengthen your hearts”
James understood that our hearts can grow weary under trials. That we can easily get tired of waiting on the Lord and give up our hope.
It is within the seasons of hard times or suffering that James’ call to patience perhaps finds its deepest significance in our lives.
James 5:9
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
James is talking about patience, about our need to endure, to stand firm in the Lord, and then he says “Hey, don’t take it out on your brothers and sisters”. “Don’t lash out at them”
James knows and understands the human tendency when we are under pressure, under the strains of life, to lash out at other people.
The harder things are going, the less patient we tend to be with others.
James 5:10-11
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 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.
James does not mention a specific prophet in this text, but it was well known that the prophets of the Old Testament were treated terribly by the pagan nations and even their own people because of the word they spoke.
As William Barclay says “Job’s example is no groveling, passive, unquestioning submission; Job struggled and questioned and sometimes defied, but the flame of faith was never extinguished in his heart”
James has not sugar coated the challenges and hardships that face believers in this life. He knows we are going to be weary- we are going to be tempted to grumble to the Lord, to one another, even about one another. We may even be tempted to think the Lord will not follow through.
Yet, he says be patient! Stand firm! Have confidence in the Lord my friends.
In response to the message today, what would it look like for you to take James at his word?
In the middle of the trials, the burdens, and the brokenness, will you make the decision to stand firm in the Lord?
Let’s make that stand together!
James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY