OUR OBLIGATION To PATIENCE-I—James 5:7-12
Need:
I live a fast-paced life. I enjoy it! I like to get things done! People that take their time slow you down. Why should I be patient?
Let’s go to church, get this thing done....head out....enjoy the day! Yeah, I love Sundays!
James declared/asserted that Christian’s are obligated to patience.
Christians are obligated to practice patience.
Why are Christians obligated to patience?
7 capacities obligating the Christian to patience.
Obligating the Christian to patience is its Capacity for...
1—Patience gives us the capacity for...
The LONG HAUL/(:7a)
Explanation: (:7a) Endurance
: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 & latter rain.”
In view of the self-indulgent attitudes Christians face in the real world & even among their own, it is wise that they, as brothers in Christ, maintain “patience” regardless of their individual & corporate situations.
James calls direct attention to the relationships surrounding every Christian as siblings, by using & referencing the term “brethren” thruout these ending verses. He uses it 5X from :7-20.
Lk. 18:7—““And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day & night to Him, though He bears long(makroyumew) with them?”
“Patient”(See :7 & N. @:10)—makroyumew—1) To be of a long spirit, not to lose heart—1a) To persevere patiently & bravely in enduring misfortunes & troubles, 1b) To be patient in bearing the offenses & injuries of others, 1b1) To be mild & slow in avenging, 1b2) To be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish. Strong—To be long-spirited, i.e. (objectively) Forbearing or (subjectively) Patient:-- Bear (suffer) long, be longsuffering, have (long) patience, be patient, patiently endure. Used 10X.
Argumentation:
Lk. 8:15—In the parable of the Sower, Jesus describes the endurance of the good soil:—““But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble & good heart, keep it & bear fruit with patience.”
Rom. 2:5-8—“But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, & immortality; but to those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation & wrath,”
Rom. 8:23-26—“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Gal. 5:5—“For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”
Mat. 24:38-44—““For as in the days before the flood, they were eating & drinking, marrying & giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, “& did not know until the flood came & took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken & the other left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken & the other left. “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched & not allowed his house to be broken into. “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
1Thes. 2:19—“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?”
Illustration:
Our Car/Expect it to last at least 200,000mi./We would never buy it knowing it would give us only 50,000 mi. when others are known to last 4X longer/Dependable/LONG HAUL
Marriage/Enter into it & expect it to last a lifetime/Dependable/LONG HAUL
The Earth/Expect it to last forever/Dependable/LONG HAUL
The Sun/Expect it to last forever/Dependable/LONG HAUL
Application:
?Are YOU Patient?
?Your Patience supply a Capacity for the LONG HAUL?
?Is Patience YOUR Christian Obligation?
2—Patience gives us the capacity for...
CERTAINTY(7b-8)
Explanation: (7b-8)Directed expectation
: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 & latter rain.”
An example of this type of patience is that exhibited by “the farmer.” The farmer indeed must “wait patiently” for the rain which he knows has & will come with the regularity God imposes.
“Israel is characterized as a subtropical region, between the temperate zone & the tropical zone.” “The rainy season extends from October to early May, & rainfall peaks in December through February.”—Israel Science & Tech.
“Farmer/Husbandman”—gewrgov—1) A husbandman, tiller of the soil, a vine dresser. Strong—A land-worker, i.e. Farmer:-- Husbandman.
RWP—“The worker in the ground (gh, ergw)...”
“Waits”—ekdecomai—1) To receive, accept; 2) To look for, expect, wait for, await. Strong—To accept from some source, i.e. (by implication) To await:-- Expect, look (tarry) for, wait (for). Used 8X.
“Precious”—timiov—1) As of great price, precious; 2) Held in honor, esteemed, especially dear. Strong—Valuable, i.e. (objectively) Costly, or (subjectively) Honored, Esteemed, or (figuratively) Beloved:-- Dear, honorable, (more, most) precious, had in reputation.
“Early(rains)/Autumn”—prwimov—Adj.—1) Early—1a) Of the early rain which fell from Oct. on. Strong—Dawning, i.e. (by analogy) Autumnal (showering, the first of the rainy season):-- Early. Used 1X.
Begin from Oct.-Nov. & continue regularly(or intermittently) thru Mar.-Apr.(“Latter rains”).
“Latter(rains)/Spring”—oqimov—1) Late, later—1a) Of the time of subsidence of the waters of the Nile, 1b) the latter or vernal rain, which falls chiefly in the months of March & April just before the harvest.
In Mar.-May. but non-existent thruout Sept. before October’s “Early Rains” begin.
:8—“You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Just as the farmer is patient, the Christian must be as well. Though some will inevitably take advantage of Christians, as well as others, we must endure the incivilities & hardships. However Christians know that the needed & nourishing ‘rain’ of God’s grace will indeed come in experiential reality if we are truly ready for it & will wait in expectation of it.
Heb 11:1,6—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”....“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
We must take it upon ourselves to set( “establish”/fix) our hearts upon Jesus....
Heb 12:1-2—“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, & the sin which so easily entangles us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author & perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”(NASB)
2Cor. 4:17-18—“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Such an establishing of the heart should occur especially more so seeing as the Lord’s return is imminent. It is much easier & exciting when it is grasped that our Lord could appear at any moment. We will live in readiness in view of the reality of our Master & His return.
Rev. 1:3—“Blessed is he who reads & those who hear the words of this prophecy, & keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
Rev. 22:10-13—“And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” And behold, I am coming quickly, & My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End, the First & the Last.””
“Establish/Stablish/Strengthen/Stand firm”—sthrizw—1) To make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix; 2) To strengthen, make firm; 3) To render constant, confirm, one's mind. Strong—To set fast, i.e. (literally) To turn resolutely in a certain direction, or (figuratively) To confirm:-- Fix, (e-)stablish, steadfastly set, strengthen.
“At hand”—eggizw—1) To bring near, to join one thing to another; 2) To draw or come near to, to approach. Strong—To make near, i.e. (reflexively) Approach:-- Approach, be at hand, come (draw) near, be (come, draw) nigh.
Argumentation:
Heb 6:17-20—“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure & steadfast, & which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Heb. 7:22—“by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.”
2Pet. 1:5-11—“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, & to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours & abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, & has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call & election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.”
2Pet. 1:19—2:1—“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, & bring on themselves swift destruction.”
1Jn. 2:18-19—“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, & you know all things.”
Hab. 3:17-19—“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls-- Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.”
Trusting God despite His seeming failure to provide...CERTAINTY rules the day for the true child of God!
Php. 3:7-14—“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Jn. 10:2-5—““But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. “To him the doorkeeper opens, & the sheep hear his voice; & he calls his own sheep by name & leads them out. “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; & the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. “Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.””
This presupposes personal & intimate knowledge of both sheep 7 shepherd.
Illustration:
Fishing/May not be biting today but if you stick with it long enough you will catch fish/CERTAINTY
Outreach questions presuppose CERTAINTY!:
“Have you come to the place in your life where you know for certain that you have eternal life & that you will go to heaven when you die?”
“Suppose God were to look you in the eyes, call you by name & ask, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven?’ ”—What would you say?
Calling vs. Texting our son Sam/When we call him, he rarely answers/However, Sending him a text message eventually gets a response/We have learned that the best way to contact him is by texting/CERTAINTY
Application:
?Are YOU Patient?
?Your Patience supply a Capacity for CERTAINTY?
?Is Patience YOUR Christian Obligation?
3—Patience gives us the capacity for...
CHANGE(:9a)
Explanation: (:9a) Transformation
:9—“Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!”
Patience has a direct effect upon how one relates to one’s brothers & sisters in Christ. It effects one’s attitude toward others & reveals the status of our hearts.
If we have a complaint against a Christian brother, we honor God by refraining from “grumbling against” them. This is a behavior which we must choose to emulate as it goes against the basic human desire. That desire is to exonerate ourselves by measuring our faults thru another’s which we see as obvious.
Christians can & do indeed “grumble against” even their own brethren in Christ...
But such conduct makes us vulnerable & answerable to the “Judge” in a negative sense. In Christ...we are still vulnerable to the Judge but in a positive sense....
There is no fear on the part of the innocent in a court room situation....However there is great fear on the part of the guilty!
*Patience(supplied by God) gives the Christian a capacity to...
1)Accept CHANGE(in ourselves & others).
2)Look forward to CHANGE (in ourselves & others).
3)Contribute to CHANGE(in ourselves & others).
4)Recognize CHANGE(in ourselves & others).
“Grumble/Grudge/Complain”—stenazw—1) A sigh, to groan. To express grief by inarticulate or semi-articulate sounds, to groan. Strong—To make (intransitively, be) in straits, i.e. (by implication) To sigh, murmur, pray inaudibly:-- With grief, groan, grudge, sigh. Used 6X.
“Against”—kata—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; (prepositionally) Down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined).
“One another”—allhlwn—1) One another, reciprocally, mutually.
“Condemned/Judged”—katakrinw—1) To give judgment against, to judge worthy of punishment—1a) To condemn, 1b) By one's good example to render another's wickedness the more evident & censurable. Strong—To judge against, i.e. Sentence:-- Condemn, damn.
Argumentation:
1Pet. 1:22-23—“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives & abides forever,”
1Jn. 3:14-15—“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, & you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
Isn’t “grumbling” a form or an expression of hatred? Patience with another’s lack of Change, in turn, Changes us! We become more Christ-like, more godly, more understanding, more loveable, & more approachable.
Rom. 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Mat. 5:20—““For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
1Cor. 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, & the dead will be raised incorruptible, & we shall be changed.”
Joh 12:24-25—““Most assuredly, I[Jesus] say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground & dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, & he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
1Cor. 15:51-53—“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, & the dead will be raised incorruptible, & we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, & this mortal must put on immortality.”
Illustration:
Changed lifestyle:
Monday night’s storm felled one of our trees/My brother-in law has a chainsaw stored in Granny Ralston’s shed/I went over to familiarize myself with the saw(never used one before!)/To dissuade me, She told me about 2 brothers before the days of chainsaw safety features/One brother was sitting near the other reading, while his brother cut up a fallen tree into carryable logs/While the one was carrying the running saw, the other looked up from his reading & caught the saw across his face!/
Attitude toward chainsaws is CHANGEd for life!
Application:
?Are YOU Patient?
?Your Patience supply a Capacity for CHANGE/Transformation?
?Is Patience YOUR Christian Obligation?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Patience gives us the capacity for...
1. The LONG HAUL(:7a)
2. CERTAINTY(7b-8)
3. CHANGE/Transformation(:9a)
Presented 05/01/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
