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Patience in SufferingA man’s car stalled in the heavy traffic as the light
turned green. All his efforts to start the engine failed, and within a few
seconds the car behind him began a chorus of honking, his frustrations grew as
he tried to start the car but without success. Finally he got out of his car
and walked back to the first driver and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to
get my car started. I’ll tell you what - if you’ll go up there and give it a
try, I’ll stay here and lean on your horn for you.” We have seen how growth comes when we are tested and tried, we have studied about true wisdom, and how it is birthed in humility. We have found out the balance between temptation and sin, and talked a lot about the taming of our tongues. We have been encouraged to be doers of the word and to keep the royal law, to love our neighbors as ourselves. With many other practical topics we have truly seen just how faith is to move into action, how it is to work, and just how the just live by faith. As we near the closing of the book, James is giving the early church and us his final thoughts and in today’s text we will look back at others who have fought the good fight of faith and see how they can be an example to us of how to persevere in times that are hard. As our nations enters a time that may be unsure, we do not know where the course of things will lead us, but as Christians we do know that, if God be for us who can be against us. We do not know what the future holds but we do know who holds the future. Trust in the Lord, look to him in this time of fear, and he will give you peace no matter what comes down. That is the message for us, that is what we see in the these godly examples of patience. READ THE TEXT. JAMES 5:7-12 PATIENCE IN SUFFERING. Last Thursday evening as our president addressed this
nation and the world, he spoke about the patience that we will need during this
time of suffering our nation is going into. We will need great patience in
this trial, this time of darkness, and patience comes from faith, and faith
comes by hearing the word of the Lord. Of course often we are like the old
plaque that says, “Lord, give me patience, and give it to me now!” Patience is seen in an attitude of being prayerful,
faithful, and waiting without grumbling toward other people even when we may be
suffering.
James begins with the sureness of Christ’s return, we are to wait with long patience. Remember that with the Lord a thousand years are like a day, and a day is like a thousand years. But no matter when he comes, we can be sure that Jesus will return. He will return for us as individuals or for his church. James tells us that we need to be patient like a farmer who works his fields, because there is a sureness of Christ’s return and when we keep that fresh upon our hearts we will have great endurance in our faith. 2 Peter 3:3-4 …. In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." Peter tells us that one sign of the end of, a sign of the
Lord’s return will be people who just don’t keep the promise of the Lord’s
return on their hearts. When we don’t believe he is coming we loose our edge,
we loose our sense of immediacy, we loose our patience in suffering. The Greek
words for “Be patient” comes from a compound word meaning to be “long in
temper”. The idea is to set the timer of one’s temper for a long run. Think
long, focus on the final lap in the race of life. Have a long fuse. Look ahead
to the future keep going. A young woman was expecting her date. She was dressed-up and waiting patiently. However, by the time he was an hour late she figured she’d been stood-up. So, she took off her makeup, put on her pajamas, gathered all the junk food in the house and sat down to watch TV with the dog. Just as her favorite show was just coming on, the doorbell sounded. It was her date. He stared at her wide-eyed: “I’m two hours late, and you’re still not ready?” The Christian is called to run the race with endurance, look to the long race, our faith is a marathon, keep running keep watching and be ready for the sureness of Christ return when it is real in your life, you will gain strength to persevere, strength for the patience we need in the long hall. Titus 2:13 …. wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Like waiting for the sureness of Christ’s return, James encourages us to wait for the sureness of God’s justice. The Judge is at the door. The Apostle Paul had great patience, when his life was about to end, he wrote Timothy. 2 Tim 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Paul had suffered many trials and his patience was refined, as he endured, he had fought well, ran well, and he knew that his judgment would go well, because he had endured and would be judged by the righteousness of Christ. James tells us not to grumble against one another for he knows - what we have recently become very aware of in this country, that we need to live with an immediacy, in our lives for life could end at any moment. How are we living with our brothers our sisters? Are there relationships that are not what they should be? Are you grumbling against a brother? You can say, “Rich you don’t know what they have done to me, I have every right to grumble against them.” I say, did not Christ die for them also? Jesus said. Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Are you grumbling against another? Grumbling and complaining is a sign of impatience and God is calling us to patience in times of suffering. Do you have ought against someone? Are you a gossip, a backbiter, spreading hate and rumors? The scriptures tell you that your mouth is full of evil, and you need to repent to God and be restored to your brother your sister. James tells us that patience is needed during suffering, and it will come when we know the sureness of Christ’s coming and the sureness of God’s judgment. Jesus said. Matt 12:36-37 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." For the Christian, we will be held accountable every careless word spoken, but when the sureness of God’s justice is real in our lives, we will gain great patience, and endurance for the as Peter tells us speaking about God’s judgment on the earth. 2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives. Actions and words living in holiness that is what God desires, we can not do it without the Holy Spirit working in our lives and He will develop great patience as we look to the sureness of Christ’s return and the sureness that God is watching everything. From The Saturday Evening Post - comes a cartoon where the boss caught Calvin sitting at his desk gazing out the window. ‘Why Aren’t you working, Calvin?’ Without much thought Calvin confessed to his boss, ‘Because I didn’t see you coming.’ Oh be watching for his coming and his judgment and that will give us great patience in times of suffering.
The bible tells us that many of the prophets of the old testament were put to death some even by their own people, yet they faithfully preached the word of God with great patience and perseverance. Jesus spoke about these people when he accused the Pharisees of being like those who killed the prophets. They stayed on course because they were looking beyond this life and looking to eternity for their reward. How do we become patient in suffering? By looking to the eternal. Jesus said. Matt 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Speaking about those prophets of old. Heb 11:36-38 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. How could they be so patient? Heb 11:13-16 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, and as we read and study the word of the Lord, our faith is built up, our patience grows because we see how God used these men/ these women of old, how they persevered in suffering, and we come to greater faith as we understand that there is more to life then this moment, there is eternity. Look to the sureness of the promise, the sureness of Justice, and the example of the prophets the result will be great patience.
If you want to know about patient endurance you must consider Job. Job was a righteous man, and blessed by God. So the devil came to God and asked if he could harm Job as a test, and you know the story Job endured so much pain and sorrow and yet he persevered. He did not give up on God, he knew God was in control, God was Lord over all and nothing that came against him would keep him from persevering. Job is having a normal day when suddenly a servant comes in and tells him a some foreigners came and stole all his donkeys and his oxen, and killed his servants, before he could even process that bad news, another servant comes to Job and tells him that fire came from heaven and burned up his sheep and those tending the flocks all died. Then before he could react, more bad news comes, another raiding party came and stole his camels and killed the servants tending them. But that was just the start of the day, suddenly the worst news came, his children were having a party at his eldest sons home and a great wind came which collapsed the house and they all died. How did Job react? Did he just give up? Did he grumble? No, listen to his words. Job 1:20-22 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Satan would have wanted Job to grumble, to complain, to give up, but Job stands as a shining example of perseverance. How did he have such great patience? What gave him his strength? James tells us to look at his life and see what the Lord brought about in the end, when Job was more blessed then the first part of his life. But Job did not know how it would all turn out. He didn’t know that things were going to get much worse, and then much better, yet he had great patience. What gave Job that strength? We can see some clues in his initial reaction. He tares his clothing and saves his head and worships the Lord. Job had an amazing relationship with the Lord. He saw God as his provider of life and things and blessings. And he saw God as the owner of life and things and blessings. What a great way to look at the Lord. He is Sovereign, he is Lord. Its all his, so we need to be good stewards of his stuff, not squandering anything but being responsible for whatever God has blessed us with. And then recognize God is in control. James tells us to look to Job as an example of perseverance in suffering. Job brings to light the scriptures in: Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God is working something out, he is working out your salvation, your development, your growth, and sometimes it takes trials or suffering to help us grow in our faith. Like exercising a muscle, it needs to be worked to grow. We heard a great example of how all things work together for the good. Sue makes a great spaghetti sauce. The ingredients are important, each one by themselves may not taste too good. Tomato sauce before it is cooked with the other ingredients tastes like a squished tomato, oregano is not very tasty, garlic by itself will wipe out your taste buds. Raw meat before it is simmered and mixed with the other ingredients is not real appetizing. But mix them together, cook them just right and they all work together to create a wonderful sauce that all you can say is “bon-appite.” Look to the sureness of God’s promise, the sureness of God’s justice, the examples of the prophets, and the life of Job. The result is greater patience in your life and perseverance when suffering may come your way. The final thing that will give us patience in our faith is. 5. EXAMPLE OF OUR LIVES. James gives us this final area that will provide patience in trials, in suffering. It has to do with our own lives and how we live by our words. He reiterates the words of Jesus when he tells us don’t make promises you will not keep. Just live by what you say. Matt 5:33-37 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Have you ever said to God, “Lord if you just get me out of
this mess I’m in- I’ll do this for you.” “I’ll nerve smoke again if you just
heal this cancer”- “I’ll go to church if you just get me out of here alive.”
Come on –we’ve have all done something like that. Look at it like this a sign
of losing patience swearing, making such oaths is wrong, James says, because it
makes some speech more reliable than others, but as Christian’s all our speech
should be equally truthful and known by others to be dependable. He’s talking
about those silly promises made in times of trial that are forgotten as soon as
the trial is past. To do that it involves thinking before you say something to the Lord. Then living by what you say. As Christians we need to be people of our word. If you make a pledge, keep it, if you make a vow live it out. Vows like - for better or for worse, until death due us part. A vow made before the Lord is not just words, but let it be yes, don’t say it unless you plan on doing everything in your power to keep it. That mean, you die to yourself, you die to your desires and live for the will of the Lord. You will gain great patience, and you will be blessed. Live out your vows, like the most important vow of “Jesus be Lord of every part of my life.” If you have never really committed your life to the Lord, now is the time, let him be Lord, master of your life, turn to him in repentance and be Born again. Then make a vow of to Jesus that he can be “Be Lord of my temper, Lord of my lusts, Lord of all of my life.” It will take patience to live out your vows, so let your yes be yes and your no be no, don’t swear by anything, and then don’t waver in what you have committed to. Patience is God’s will, impatience prevents God’s will, had Jesus been impatient, had he complained, and grumbled we’d all be headed for hell. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 1 Peter 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. As we seek the Lord for patience in suffering, I am reminded of a famous speech. On October 29th 1941 Winston Churchill gave an address to his old public school, Harrow-in that now famous speech which has been often quoted and misquoted he told these young men, to: "Never give in--never, never, never, never, - in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in - except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.'' INVITE. SING PRAY BENEDICTION. Series: James -Through the Bible |
(C) High Sierra Fellowship 2008 |
