Perfecting Patience
James 5:7-11
Patience, just the word alone reminds us of how much more of it we need. It’s like having small children and traveling a good distance in the car and hearing that alarm go off every few miles, “Are we there yet?”
One dad had heard enough of that and he told his four year old son if you say that one more time I’m going to spank you. The little boy thought for a moment and then he said “Dad, how much farther?”
The dad said, “90 more miles and don’t as again.” The little boy thought for a moment and then said, “Will I still be 4 when we get there?”
We live in a world that is not patient. I heard a story about a man whose car stalled at the red light. He tried and tried to start it but no luck. The guy in the car behind him just honked and honked on the horn.
Finally the man in the stalled car got out walked back to the other guy’s car and said this, “I can’t seem to get my car started. Why don’t you go try and start my car and I’ll sit in yours and blow your horn for you.”
We even have an expression time is money. The annual cost of people running red lights in the United States is 7 billion dollars. The average time saved by running a red light is 50 seconds.
We are always trying to figure out how to cram more and more things into less and less time. That is why we are constantly struggling with this word patience.
Thomas Jefferson tried to help Americans with patience. He thought his plan was so good he included it in his “Rules of Living” where he outlined how men and women should live. He wrote, “When angry count to ten before you speak; if very angry count to 100.”
About 75 years later Mark Twain revised Jefferson’s words and wrote, “When angry count to 4. When very angry swear.”
Many have tried to define patience. Someone said that “Patience is the ability to put up with people you’d like to put down.” James told us when we began our sermon study this in James 1:3, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (NKJ)
This is why James comes back to this all important topic at the end of his book. He knows that we all struggle in this area of life so James very masterfully writes why God is perfecting patience into our lives. So let’s look at the two truths God is building into the life of the believer so we can learn patience.
I. The Explanation of Patience (v.7-9)
Here in verses 7-9 we have the explanation of Patience. Patience is a word that stresses non-retaliation. It means to hold one’s spirit in check. The hindrance to patience is a lack of hope. That is why James speaks of the reasons we are to be patient:
A. The Biblical Reason (v.7a, 8-9) Here we have two biblical reasons for us to develop patience.
1. Jesus and His Second Coming—(v.7a, 8) James was written some 30 years after Jesus returned to heaven He says to the church of Jerusalem The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back.
That is why we are to develop patience. He is coming for His church and we need to never, never, never, lose that hope. Just think this was only 30 years after He left and now another 1900 have passed and we are still awaiting His return.
Pastor and author G. Campbell Morgan said this, “To me the second coming is the perpetual light on the path which makes the present bearable. I never lay my head on my pillow without thinking that, maybe before the morning breaks, the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without thinking that perhaps He may interrupt my work and begin His own.”
Folks that’s our hope! That is what the church must keep its eyes on, He is coming again. That’s why we witness, give, serve, and care for each other.
2. The Judge is standing at the Door—(v.9) Here is an interesting illustration. The bible is saying that you and I are not to grumble or complain about each other because the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ is ready right now to judge.
Make no mistake there is coming a judgment day. We will be judged according to our service and sacrifice as Christians. There will also be a day when every wrong is made right. God never promised here on earth the scales of justice will be balanced. However, the lost world, filled with its immorality will one day drink the cup of God’s wrath.
There is the Biblical reason for patience:
B. The Biological Reason (v.7b)
The one thing a farmer can not do is hurry the seasons. His life is known for its patience. He can do nothing but sow his seed and pray for enough rain for his crop to grow and not too much to drown the crop. He can’t command the weather. Because everything He plants is in the hands of God we have this wonderful illustration of how we are to live.
Unfortunately many have not learned this biological reason and they never realize they are not in control. That is why so many today are stressed. America is a land plagued with burned out and burned up people.
According to the American Institute of stress, stress has been described as the #1 Health Problem in America. Stress will affect our health:
The Mayo clinic claims that 80-85% of total caseload is due directly to worry and anxiety. One leading physician stated that in his opinion, “70% of all medical patients could cure themselves if they got rid of their worries and fears.”
Medical science has tied worry to heart trouble, high-blood pressure, ulcers, thyroid malfunction, migraine headaches, and a host of stomach disorders.
25 million Americans have high-blood pressure due to stress or anxiety. 1 million more develop high blood pressure each year. 8 million have stomach ulcers and every week 112 million people take medication for stress related symptoms.
We live in a stress filled world. Experts say that 43%--almost half of all adults—suffer adverse affects due to stress.
But God’s Word tells us we can’t change anything. Be like the farmer who waits patiently for the timing of the Lord. That’s the key. Wait on God to go before us and work it out for us. His timing is perfect.
Look at this, this is good, He is telling us to be still in v.7 wait on Him and He’s telling us to be strong in v.8. Establish your hearts. How can we wait and be patient in an impatient world? Because everything is happening according to His plan and if I settle that in my heart no matter what happens to me today He’s in control—Amen!!!
The great Puritan preacher and author Phillip Brooks was known for his calmness and poise. His close friends, however, knew that he too 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. Dr. Brooks said, “The trouble is, that I’m in a hurry but God isn’t”
Turn to your neighbors and say this with me. “God is still working on me. I wish He’d hurry, but I’m glad He’s patient.” Amen!!!
I. The Explanation of Patience
II. The Example of Patience (v.10-11) Now James gives two examples of patience. He’s trying to show us that real patience only comes from God above. We cannot in our own strength just be more patient. We have to see that it is God working in us perfecting us that develops patience in every situation.
**v.10-11*
Notice our example:
A. The Prophet (v.10) The prophets of the Old Testament were unpopular preachers. Their own people disregarded what they said and they were often tortured or killed for speaking God’s truth.
Hosea was called a man of sorrows because of the life God made him live. Amos life was threatened by the high priest of a calf cult. That’s right calf cult. Micah was the first prophet to say that Jerusalem was to be destroyed. Zechariah was murdered, Jeremiah was thrown in a cistern, Isaiah was very popular and a friend of king Uzziah, but when the king died the new king Manasseh had Isaiah put in a hollow tree and sawn in half.
The New Testament example of a prophet was John the Baptist. He was beheaded, Jesus was crucified and 11 of the 12 Apostles were killed for their faith.
See the Bible is clear that a it is not the role of a preacher or of a Christian to “win friends and influence people.” It’s our job to “speak the truth in love.” And sometimes that means preaching hard truth. We are called to have conviction and courage.
But sometimes this suffering comes in ways we do not see. In order to teach us patience God allows situations in our lives that test us to see if we really are going to suffer for the Gospel.
I don’t like rude people. To me there is no excuse for being rude. I stop and get coffee most mornings on my way to the church. I usually stop at the same place every morning. I try to be a good witness, and I talk to the Indian couple that run this jiffy store and gas station. Their nice and friendly, always say good morning and I’m trying to build a relationship to witness.
One day last week I am getting my coffee and an older couple were getting coffee, traveling through town, and I strike up a conversation. I’m trying to be a witness. In comes 3 younger men on their way to work. They look like and talk like they had a rough night. One of them walks right by me and this older couple and BURPS.
I didn’t feel too friendly anymore kindness being a good witness, were the farthest thing from my mind. It turned out that man was behind me in line to check out. I always tell that nice couple good morning and God bless you today. The man always says thank you and good morning to you sir. I paid for my coffee walked out. The man then said to the rude man behind me good morning sir, he said, “Yeah, give me a pack of cigarettes.”
I walked out and God spoke this to me. I love him too. See it’s hard to be patient with people that cause us to suffer even in small ways. But even the prophets loved the people that didn’t love them back.
B. The Patriarch (v.11) Now James gives us an example of perseverance people who hold on to their faith to the very end even when circumstances of life make no sense to them. And this example of patience many of us would say is the example of patience. We love the people of faith that don’t throw in the towel. The people who quit usually don’t win our applause. But Job, man, how can any of us not see the patience, and integrity of a person of faith that hung on to the very end.
But here in v.11 is the central point of this text. Job didn’t know what God was doing but in His faith, because he persevered he was able to see God’s intended blessing at the end of the trial. He got to see the Lord is compassionate even when we don’t feel like He is.
See if you and I really are going to be patient we have to learn to trust God more. If we have a flat tire and we’re in a hurry God has a reason for the flat tire. If we lose someone we love it might be because through it all God will enable us to be a better witness of his faithfulness.
Just think what if Job would have got bitter and quit on God? What example would we have of great suffering? See job was an Old Testament picture of an example of Christ. And Jesus is the example of patience.
Conclusion: In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time Magazine, the satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the plant and its moons and beam data to Earth. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan because at that time no Earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars.
Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. In 1973 Jupiter’s gravity hurled Pioneer 10 one billion miles away from the Sun to the planet Saturn. The Pioneer 10 went 3 billion miles to Neptune then 4 billion to Pluto and in 1997 25 years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than 6 billion miles from the Sun and still beamed back radio signals to scientists here on Earth.
Most remarkable this little satellite that could did all this on an 8 watt transmitter. It radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light. It just kept going and going and going and accomplished more than it was ever designed to do.
So it is when we keep going on for God and trusting Jesus with every part of our lives. We cannot accomplish anything in our own strength but if we learn to let the Lord live through us and don’t quit we can go farther than we ever thought possible for God.
Some today you might be thinking of quitting. Don’t! You might need to get into the game by joining our church family. We need you. Our church is growing and it’s not time to take a break its time to get to work. God won’t give up on you so don’t you give up on God.
PRAY
