A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF JAMES
Sermon #11
THE POWER OF PATIENCE
JAMES 5:7-11
Is
patience difficult for you? A man in Los
Angeles, California was arrested for negligent discharge of a weapon after shooting his
toilet bowl five times with a 38 caliber handgun. He claims that he just got upset. He
couldn't take it any longer. His daughter had flushed a hairbrush earlier in the day and
clogged the pipes. So he shot the offending toilet. I have no word on the toilet's
condition, but the man's patience was long gone.
Someone
has said,
Patience is a
virtue,
Possess it if you
can.
Found seldom in a
woman,
Never in a man.
“Perhaps you can relate this story. “One
After that, he became angry.
Seeing one of those photograph booths nearby (the kind that accepts coins into a slot and
takes four shots while you pose on a small bench), he had an idea. He assumed the most
ferocious expression he could manage, which wasn't difficult under the circumstances, and
in a few moments he was holding four small prints that shocked even him!
He wrote his wife's name on the
back of
He then returned to his office
content that, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then four photos must be a
full-blown lecture! His wife saved those pictures. She carries them in her purse now.
Shows them to anyone who asks if she is married.” [Sermon Illustrator. Patience – “Wait
Training” www.sermonillustrator.org]
How are you with patience? It seems that
there is always something to try our patience. Having to wait is one of those things. We
wait on traffic and we wait in lines. We wait to hear about a new job. We wait to complete
school or to retire. We wait to grow up or for maturity in a child. We wait for a decision
to be made. We wait for someone to change his or her mind.
Every day presents plenty of occasions for
training in patience. We can resent waiting, accept it or even get good at it! But one
thing is certain - we cannot avoid it.
Perhaps
we can hear the Lord speak to us about the possibilities for patience in our own lives
today, that is, if we are not in too much of a hurry to get out of here. We have all heard
the expression; I need patience — and I need it RIGHT NOW!!!
The story is “told that the
great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was known for his calmness and poise. His
intimate friends, however, knew that he suffered moments of frustration and irritability.
One day a friend saw him pacing the floor like a caged lion. ‘What is the trouble, Dr. Brooks?’ asked
his friend. ‘The trouble is,’
replied Brooks, ‘that I’m in a hurry,
but God isn’t.’” [David Jeremiah. Turning Toward Integrity.
(Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1993.) p. 166.]
Haven't
we felt the same way many times? Patience is what James addresses in our text. Turn with me now to James 5:7,
“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.”
James here addresses
the problems that we all face when problems overwhelm us, (1) We are tempted to Lose
Patience, (2) We are tempted to Lose Perspective, and (3) We are tempted to Blame Others.
First, When We Are Tempted To Lose Patience – Remember
It Will Be Worth the Wait! 5:7-8a
“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…..”
James sets the theme for the whole section
with this command he gives right up front. In fact he states it twice, once in verse
seven, and once in verse eight. He begins verse seven with this command and the word "therefore" or "so then." The people to
whom James is writing were experiencing tremendous difficulty and persecution. As we
learned in the first six verses of James 5, the wicked rich were oppressing and
persecuting Christians, but their condemnation is coming... therefore, James says, "be patient."
Be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others. This appears to be perfect advice for what his
audience is going through, doesn’t it?
We know this passage is addressed to
believers because James uses the term brethren four times (vv. 7, 9, 10, 12). The reason
is that the kind of patience to which James is referring can only be achieved by a person
whose life is connected to God.
“Be patient” (makrothumia) in Greek means to be “long tempered” The word translated patience
comes to us from the combination of two Greek words (makros)
which means “far away” and (thumos)
which means “anger, heat or rage.”
This is not a passive resignation but an attitude of self-restraint that enables one to
refrain from hasty retaliation in the face of provocation.
Patience is one of the fruits of the
Spirit. It is a characteristic of being born again. As such it is one of those things that
set the believer apart from the world. But patience is not one of those things that comes
easily. There is a price to pay for patience. The easy road leads us to impatience
We have all experienced the hurt of
mistreatment and misunderstanding. Such hurts come in a variety of forms; intolerable work
situations, domestic conflicts, difficult relatives, individuals who take advantage of us,
friends (so called) who turn against us, neighbors who believe false things about us and
dozens of other hurtful circumstances. Our natural tendency is to retaliate, to return
evil for evil, to get even, or to hold a grudge and become bitter. But there is a better
way to respond to such hurtful circumstances and James as pastor of the church of
Jerusalem reveals this to his congregation.
God is calling the Christian to overcome our natural reaction with a supernatural response. We find out what that response is from Peter (1 Peter 2:18-20). “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. (19) For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. (20) For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.” Anyone can endure when things are going well. And enduring suffering as a result of sin is nothing extraordinary. However enduring unfair treatment with patience is particularly noteworthy. When we respond in such a supernatural way, God is pleased. Peter twice in this passage states that “this finds favor with God.” “The word for “favor” in the Greek is charis, the same word translated grace. God considers patient endurance of injustice grace, something that is commendable because it is beyond the ordinary human response.” [Charles Swindoll. James: Practical and Authentic Living. (Fullerton, Calif., Insight for Living, 1991). p. 170. ]
Paul reveals that the
incentive to patience is “the coming of the Lord”- our incentive
for patience is to be in anticipation of the return of the Lord. The word used here for "coming" is (parousia),
which actually is the Greek word for "presence" or "advent." we look
forward to His Second Advent, an event that became known simply as, "The Parousia." It was spoken about as
such in Matthew 24:3, and Paul refers to it in the same way in 2 Thessalonians 2:1. James
is exhorting us as Christians to wait patiently until Christ returns.
Three times James reminds us of the
James also gives a classic illustration of
“Some of the greatest missionaries of
history devotedly spread the seed of God's Word and yet had to wait long periods before
seeing the fruit of their efforts. William Carey, for example, labored 7 years before the
first Hindu convert was brought to Christ in Burma. In western Africa, it was 14 years
before one convert was received into the
Christian church.
In New Zealand, it took 9 years; and in Tahiti, it was 16 years before the first harvest
of souls began.
The word “patience,”
means to endure under. You don’t really need patience when everything around you is
going right. You need it when life is hard on you. Suffering and patience seem to go hand
in hand. As a matter of fact, the Bible talks about tribulation working patience in us.
James gives the reader two examples of why
we should have patience, first there is the example of the Old Testament prophets (v. 10). They have given an example that you will
need patience when you are mistreated. “My brethren,
take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and
patience.”
Jesus explained the
plight of the prophets in the parable of the vineyard
(Luke 20:9-16). The prophets amidst difficult
Here is a reminder that Scripture says that
“all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12) Although God honored the prophets by using them
this did not guarantee their escaping persecution by the world. The implication is that if
they did not escaping suffering why should we expect to?
Secondly we have the example of the
Patriarch Job (v. 11) You need patience when you don’t know why. “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.” Job is a
wonderful example of endurance. In the face of all his unexplained suffering he is a
memorable model of endurance under tremendous testing (Job 1:21, 2:10, 16:9-21, 19:13-27)
Job was
blessed above every other man of his day. He was prosperous and had a wonderful family. It
seemed he had everything his heart desired. Then suddenly came calamity and devastation.
He lost all of his property, his possessions and his family, and his health. The only
things he had left were his wife and his own life. The devil didn’t kill his wife
because he knew he could use her later.
Job did
not understand what was happening or why but in knew his life was in God’s hands.
Even in his confusion he cried out to the Lord.
Job is a wonderful source of
When We Are Tempted To Lose Patience – Remember
It Will Be Worth the Wait and….
Secondly, When We Are Tempted To Lose
Perspective – Strength Your Relationship With the Lord. (5:8b)
In the second portion of verse eight James
utters another command, “…. establish your hearts, for
the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
He says that instead of feeling agitated
and shaken up by the experience of oppression we are to develop an inner sense of
stability. We are told in verse eight to “establish”
or strengthen our hearts, this is a charge to us as patiently waiting Christians to firmly
establish our hearts in God’s Word and truth and strengthen ourselves against the sin
and temptation and trials of the world. Strengthening your heart has to do with supporting
something that is heavy. When you have been done wrong your heart is heavy.
To strengthen our hearts is to strengthen
our relationship with the Lord. I want to point out three things you can do. Strengthening
our hearts requires prayer. Strengthening our hearts requires attention to the
Scripture. And here’s the one we often neglect, strengthening our heart requires
fellowship with other Christians. I don’t mean just church attendance. The purpose of
fellowship with other Christians is the building up of one another.
When We Are Tempted To Lose Perspective
– Strength Your Relationship With the Lord and…
Third, When We Are Tempted To Blame Others – Grumbling
will not help! (5:9) “Do not grumble against one
another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!”
Impatience with our circumstances leads to
impatience with God, which in turn leads to impatience with God’s people. What do we
usually do when we begin to feel the heat? We complain to anyone who will listen! We lash
out at each other because of the pressure that we are feeling.
In verse nine Paul
issues another command, “grumble not” – this
is literally a command to stop grumbling.
Apparently this is an internal problem for he
says, “one against another, Brethren.” This
addresses the human tendency when subjected to oppression and injustice to lash out at
those nearest them.
“To walk in love the saints above,
will be a wondrous glory;
But to walk below with the folks we know,
well that is another story.”
Paul says this behavior must be abandoned
– “lest ye be condemned.” Imminent judgment
should remind the Christian, that Jesus has prohibited believers from judging one another
for in (Luke 6:37)
Paul speaks of the
believers presence at the judgment seat in (2 Cor. 5:10) “For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the
things done in the body, according to what he
has done, whether good or bad.”
Judging one another is a bad idea considering the nearness of the heavenly judge. He is “before the door” literally facing the door and ready
to push it open.
James says, “Look Christ may
return at any time, he is literally standing at the door. He may open the door at any
minute and walk in, so he had better find you waiting patiently, standing firm and not
grumbling against Him or one another, or else you will be judged!”
To avoid grumbling to
others take this actions first -
· Be
careful to think first
· Be
careful to pray first.
· Be
careful to show love
· Be
careful to find out the facts.
· Be
careful to consider our example.
· Be
careful to remember our Obligation.
“forgive as we have been forgiven”
Conclusion
First, When We Are Tempted To Lose Patience
– Remember It Will Be Worth the Wait and….
Secondly, When We Are Tempted To Lose
Perspective – Strength Your Rela
Third, When We Are Tempted To Blame Others – Grumbling Will Not Help!
(5:9)