I. Introduction
A. Life is hard, isn’t it? But the Bible gives us more than enough help to deal with it all. And this morning, we’re looking at a passage which gives us a OT of guidance about how to make it through.
B. We’ve been working our way through the epistle of James. We’re now in the final chapter.
C. Remember from last week that the context of this passage is that God’s people are being financially oppressed by rich and unscrupulous men.
D. James 5:7–12 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
II. First, let’s walk through James 5:7-12 by breaking it into four sections:
A. 7-8 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
1. Waiting for the coming of the Lord
a. Last week we saw that James warned the rich oppressors about the coming judgment day, saying that they were “in the last days,” and were “fattening your hearts in a day of slaughter.” Jm.5:3, 5
b. Well, now James instructs the oppressed believers according to the same expectation: “be patient until the coming of the Lord...the coming of the Lord is at hand...the Judge is standing at the door.”
2. The farmer’s patience
a. It takes time for crops to grow.
b. It takes even more time for fruit trees to grow and start to bear fruit.
c. That’s the way life is. There is work to do, sowing seeds. And then there is waiting for the results.
d. Gal.6:9 Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
3. Establish your hearts
a. Fix them, make them stable, batten down the hatches, prepare for the storm
b. Why? The coming of the Lord is at hand. So, get yourself ready for it.
B. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
1. In times of high stress, it’s easy for tensions and conflicts to break out, isn’t it?
a. Stress exposes resentments and differences of approach.
b. Microfissures: there are all kinds of wedges Satan can use to drive a wedge between us.
2. Grumbling against one another
a. Criticizing others behind their backs
b. It’s easy to speak negatively about others when we’re not looking them in the face.
3. Judging one another
a. Judging means thinking the worst of others (not the best), judging another person’s motives, regarding one another with contempt (hardening our hearts against them), refusing to forgive, acting as if we have been given the position of judge over others when, in fact, God is. Rom.14:4
C. 10-11 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
1. In order to illustrate his point and inspire his readers, he cites examples of patience in suffering.
2. First, he cites the OT prophets. There are many prophets in the OT, from Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Obed and Huldah in Kings and Chronicles to the 16 prophets who have their prophecies recorded in a book by their own name. In all, there are over 65 prophets referred to in the Bible.
a. Their stories are different, but there are some general patterns in the stories of the prophets:
(1) They suffered opposition to their prophecies. And they were punished for it; some were killed.
(a) Jeremiah 2:30 “Your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.”
(2) They persisted in declaring the word of the Lord in spite of the opposition.
b. Examples:
(1) Elijah was persecuted and even hunted by Ahab and Jezebel, who had killed some of his fellow prophets (1Kings 18:4) but he refused to capitulate.
(2) Supposedly, Isaiah was sawn in two by King Manasseh.
(3) Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den rather than give in.
(4) Jeremiah prophesied in a time when an enemy nation – Babylon – was not only gaining power but had set its eyes on little Judah. Of course, this caused a surge in nationalistic pride and patriotism, and united Judah in their opposition to this looming threat.
(a) The problem is that Jeremiah was sent by God to declare to the people that these foreign invaders were God’s instrument of discipline and that therefore they ought NOT resist them.
(b) Well, needless to say, that was not a popular message.
(c) First, Jeremiah was put in the stocks for prophesying God’s word. Then King Jehoiakim shut him in prison. When he and his scribe Baruch meticulously wrote down all of Jeremiah’s prophecies, the king threw it all in the fire and they had to start all over. And when Jeremiah kept prophesying about the coming judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, and so the princes of Zedekiah submerged him in mud in an old cistern.
(d) Jeremiah 20:7-10 I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me... For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
c. So, the prophets spoke the word of God to an often-hostile audience, and thus James cites the prophets as examples of those who exhibited patience and steadfastness in the face of suffering.
3. Then James cites the example of Job.
a. One year ago we were deeply engrossed in a sermon series on Job, so his experience ought to be relatively fresh on our minds.
b. Job experienced such dark sufferings that we are shocked to read about it: loss of wealth & possessions, loss of family, agonizing physical pain, accusations from his friends. In the end, though, Job is honored for clinging to the Lord through it all (Job 42:7-9). And so James holds Job up as an inspiring example of steadfastness.
4. Finally, James cites the experiences his readers have had in their own lives – and heard of in the lives of others – when God proved Himself in times of struggle.
a. We have all seen the Lord intervene in times of trouble. We have all seen God bring comfort and strength in times of grief. We have all seen God bring good things out of bad and show us that He was in it all along. And James reminds us of this as a helpful tool to use when facing hardship.
b. “You have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
D. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
1. At first this looks like it doesn’t follow. He’s talking about being patient in suffering and then he adds, “But above all, don’t swear, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no.”
2. But thoughtful Bible scholars have speculated that there was probably a specific circumstance the hearers were having which explains all this. They suggest that there were unscrupulous rich money lenders squeezing these poor believers, and that some had been unable to pay back their debts. James is saying to be patient in the face of this suffering and with the ruthless tactics of these rich oppressors, but at the end he also adds that they ought not agree to something they might be able to fulfill.
3. We don’t know if this is correct, but it makes sense. The important thing for us is to honor this principle of being people of our word, which Jesus taught us in the sermon on the mount – Matt.5:33-37.
III. As we look over this passage, there are important lessons we must take away from it.
A. The reminder of the return of Christ
1. James mentions this in v, 7, 8, and 9 — Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
2. According to the NT, the return of the Lord is key to facing the hardships of this world.
3. But it’s mentioned a lot more in the NT than in Christian conversation, isn’t it?
4. James wants this to be an important part of their psychology. Is it an important part of ours?
5. James says it is coming soon. It is “at hand.” He is “standing at the door.”
a. James thought it was soon almost 2000 years ago. Was he wrong? Well, in 2Peter 3, this question is addressed. Peter says that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day (2Peter 3:8).
b. But there’s something else which can be said. We know for sure that the day of the Lord’s return is almost 2000 years closer to us than it was to James. So, for us, the Lord isn’t just going to return soon, He’s going to return about 1980 years sooner than whatever James meant by “soon.”
c. It might seem unrealistic to think the Lord will come in the next 50 years or so in light of the fact that generations have expected His return to no avail.
d. Well, if every generation has that attitude, then the generation in which Christ actually does return will not be ready.
e. It seems to be going on and on, but the sand is running through the hourglass.
B. (Christians are called to patience in suffering)
1. In light of the imminent return of Jesus, Christians must be patient in the face of present suffering.
2. The Christian life is all about patiently enduring suffering.
3. This is entirely contrary to the world’s idea of a good life.
4. What isn’t a major theme in the NT is that believers can expect life to be easy, simple & smooth. We will not be “carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease.” (Isaac Watts)
5. The problem is, we don’t want to wait for paradise. We want heaven here and now!
6. And people are very creative in figuring out ways to try to have heaven now. But not the Bible!
7. The Bible keeps telling us to be patient in suffering and wait for the day of the Lord: “Be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
8. There are those who claim that God’s people will live lives void of suffering. They are not only under-reading the Bible, they are also underestimating the depth of sin still at work in us and the need we have to be sanctified through trials.
9. When it comes to paradise, this isn’t it, and we must not expect this to be it. And we must patiently wait for it.
10. “In just a little while, the wicked will be no more... But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” Ps.37:10-11
C. The treasury of faith
1. If we are going to be able to face our trials with faith and patience, we are going to need help. And this passage illustrates the kind of help we need.
2. It reminds us that difficulties are common and ought not incite panic.
3. It points to the principle of farming, that you don’t just put seed in the ground in the morning and then harvest crops in the afternoon, that there is a time of patiently waiting as God sends rain to water the ground that in the end it might produce an abundant harvest for us.
4. It cites examples of people in the Bible who also went through struggles like us.
5. It reminds us of experiences we ourselves have had, and others like us have had, when God showed Himself to be merciful and compassionate, experiences which we must recall to mind when we face scary times.
6. The fact is, each one of us needs to store up a treasury of tools to bring out when trials come.
a. We need to be able to remind ourselves of truths in God’s word, and of stories in God’s word which illustrate those truths. That’s what Hebrews 11 is all about: a long list of examples of faith.
b. We need to recall God’s faithfulness in our own lives, and in the lives of our friends.
7. In other words, we need to be able to import resources from the past to deal with our circumstances in the present.
8. This shows how we need to know the Bible, but not just intellectually. We need to know it experientially! And we need to not only use in now, we need to store it up for use later.
a. This affects how we listen to each sermon, each Bible study, each devotion, and each time alone reading the Bible ourselves.
b. We are storing up a treasury of resources which we need to face the things we’ll be going through for the rest of our lives.
9. But it’s not only the Bible, honestly. It’s also our own experiences of God’s faithfulness, of God’s deliverances, of God showing us His mercy and compassion.
a. You see, the experiences of life often cause us to feel like things are not going the way they should. Right now, I think it’s safe to say that most of us have some things in our lives which we are concerned about, things which disturb us, things which worry us, things which grieve us.
b. God doesn’t want us to live in turmoil! And it’s not healthy to live that way.
c. Clearly we need help! And God gives us the help we need! His word is filled with helps and examples to give us hope, to help us face our troubles with peace and faith.
d. And our experiences in the past also have an important role. God has proven Himself to us over and over again as having a purpose for what He allows to happen in our lives, that, in spite of how it sometimes feels, He does love us, and He does have compassion on us, that He doesn’t allow us to suffer because He enjoys watching us suffer. He allows us to suffer precisely because He loves us, and because He loves us so much that He wants what’s best for us, instead of just what will make us feel better.
e. We are very poorly equipped to judge what is best for us – even though in our sinful nature we are so amazingly arrogant to think that not only do we know better than God Himself what’s best for us!
D. In the end, we need to remember that we are dearly loved.
1. 11b You have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
2. God has shown us that in spite of the pain, in spite of the appearance of chaos, in spite of the confusion, in spite of the fact that it seems like He has abandoned us, yet He is not only with us, but He is doing all things just right – just what we need – because of His mercy and compassion.
3. And so we know that all our troubles don’t mean that He doesn’t love us. They are His tools of love to do His wonderful work in us.
4. So, even if we face tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or danger, even when we feel like “we are being killed all day long...like sheep to be slaughtered,” we know that God’s love in Christ has NOT been removed from us, but in fact “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” For nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
5. Like you, in the darkest moments of my life, this is what has enabled me to keep going. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”