HANG IN THERE!
Text: James 5:7-12
Introduction
1. Illustration: Several years ago, an experiment on endurance was conducted at the University of California at Berkeley. The experiment involved placing Norwegian field rats in a tub of water, where they were forced to swim until they grew exhausted and finally drowned. During the first experiment, the researchers discovered that on the average, these rats were capable of swimming for over seven hours before drowning.
A second experiment was conducted, exactly like the first but with one exception. This time, when a rat was getting too exhausted to swim any longer, the researchers would remove the rat from the tub of water for a few seconds, then put the rat back into the water to continue swimming. These rats were able to swim for almost 20 hours before perishing.
The researchers concluded that the rats in the second group were able to swim so much longer than the first group because of one factor: they had HOPE. They had experienced a rescue---and what kept them going was the HOPE that they would be rescued again.
2. One of the things that separates Christianity from all other religions and philosophies around the world is hope. We have hope for today, tomorrow and for eternity.
3. Romans 15:4 (NLT)
4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
4. But our biggest reason for hope is the promise that Jesus is coming back for us to bring us to be with him forever. We call this our "Blessed Hope."
5. In our text today, James tells us to have
A. Patient Anticipation
B. Patient Disposition
C. Patient Imitation
6. Let's stand together, out of respect for the Word of God, as we read James 5:7-12.
Proposition: We need to patiently endure as we wait for the soon coming of our Lord Jesus.
Transition: First, James tells us to have...
I. Patient Anticipation (7-8).
A. Patient As You Wait
1. Illustration: One day a man was praying and he said, "Bless me with patience. Not opportunities to be patient, I've had plenty of those and they don't appear to be working. The actual patience..."
2. In our text today James talks about us being patient as we wait for Jesus to come back. In v. 7 he says, "Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen."
A. The believers are to be patient even in the midst of injustice.
B. The Greek word translated "be patient" (makrothumesate) basically means "be longsuffering." Just as God suffers long with difficult people, believers are to do likewise (1 Thessalonians 5:14) (The Complete Biblical Library – Hebrews-Jude, 243).
C. The believers need to endure, trust in God through their trials, and refuse to try to get even for wrongs committed against them.
D. But patience does not mean inaction. There is work to be done—serving God, caring for one another, and proclaiming the Good News.
E. There is an end point, a time when patience will no longer be needed—the Lord’s return. At that time, everything will be made right.
F. The early church lived in constant expectation of Christ’s return, and so should we. Because we don’t know when Christ will return to bring justice and remove oppression, we must wait with patience (see 2 Peter 3:8-10).
G. As an example of patience, James talks about the farmer who must patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. Patience must be exercised and developed between the rains.
H. Even non-farmers have plenty of opportunities to develop patience. The waiting for the arrival of a baby, starting a new job, finishing school, waiting for a loved one’s visit, slowly improving health during a prolonged illness—all these situations try our patience.
I. We will exercise patience as we concentrate on the end result of our waiting. God’s way is seldom the quick way, but it is always the complete way (Barton, 1090).
3. Then James adds a word of encouragement for us. He writes in v. 8, "You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near."
A. Instead of being like the rich people of verse 5 who have “fattened” their hearts on the wealth of this world, believers are to allow the assurance of Christ’s return to help them be patient and take courage.
B. To "take courage" means to strengthen, make fast, to set firmly so the heart will be unshakable.
C. Whatever the circumstances, James encourages us to be rock solid in our faith and to have a faith-inspired joy that permeates every part of life.
D. Like the farmer, we invest a long time in our future hope. The farmer is at the mercy of the weather—it is outside his control. But we do know that the coming of the Lord is near (Barton, 1091).
B. Encourage One Another
1. Illustration: Biblical prophecy provides some of the greatest encouragement and hope available to us today. Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent, so both testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ’s second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second advent of Christ--an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ’s first advent, there are 8 which look forward to His second! (Today in the Word, April, 1989, 27).
2. We can be patient as we wait for the Lord because we know he keeps his promises!
A. 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 (NLT)
10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
B. As I mentioned earlier, the promise of Jesus return is our blessed hope.
C. We know that Jesus has never broken a promise to us, and he is not going to start now.
D. That means that no matter what the world throws at us we still have hope.
E. It means that no matter how bad our day has been, we still have hope.
F. It means that despite the fact that things might not be going as we had planned, we still have hope.
G. No matter what people may take from us they cannot touch our hope because it is based not on circumstances, but rather on our great God and Savior and he does not change!
Transition: Not only are we to be patient as we wait for the Lord, but we also need to be patient with one another. This means a...
II. Patient Disposition (9).
A. Don't Grumble About Each Other
1. You know it does make much sense to have the hope of Jesus coming and tear each other apart while we're waiting! It's been said that the Christian army is the only one that shoots it's own wounded!
2. James addresses this in v. 9, where he says, "Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!"
A. These believers, facing persecution from the outside and problems on the inside, may naturally find themselves grumbling and criticizing one another.
B. James doesn’t want them to be filled with resentment and bitterness toward each other—that would only destroy the unity they so desperately need.
C. Refusing to grumble about each other is part of what it means to be patient (5:7).
D. When people have severe problems, the "grumbling" can become murmuring or, criticizing others for real or imagined grievances.
E. This judging of others is the opposite of the patience James wrote about in the previous verse (The Complete Biblical Library – Hebrews-Jude, 245).
F. Grumbling against one another indicates a careless attitude of speech. Because of the dangers created by our speech, we cannot afford to be lax in the way we speak to and about each other.
G. James has already mentioned the great Judge. This Judge is not far away, but standing at the door.
H. James is warning believers not to be in the middle of judging, quarreling, criticizing, or gossiping when the one they should be serving returns.
I. Knowledge of Christ’s presence is not only comforting; it can also be convicting—especially when we begin behaving as if he were far away (Barton, 1091).
B. Love One Another
1. Illustration: "To love somebody is not just a strong feeling it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever."
2. To love one another is not a nice idea or a suggestion, it is a command!
A. John 13:34-35 (NLT)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
B. Notice that Jesus didn't say, "I'm giving you a new suggestion!"
C. He didn't say, I'm giving you a new idea!"
D. He didn't say, "I'm giving you a new concept!"
E. No, he said, "I'm giving you a new commandment!" There's no option, we don't get a choice, it's an order...do it!
F. There is way too much gripping, complaining and criticizing going on in the church, and the last time I checked that's not exactly how to show love to someone.
G. Another thing Jesus said was, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
H. If the way we treat each other is how the world knows that we are Jesus' disciples then I can understand why they're so confused.
I. Some of them look at us and don't wonder whether or not we love each other, they wonder if we even like each other.
J. Our love is like our faith, don't tell me about it, show it to me!
K. Are you ready to stop talking about and start proving it?
Transition: Another thing that James tells us to do is...
III. Patient Imitation (10-12).
A. Look At The Prophets
1. We all have heroes. I have mind and I'm sure you have some too.
2. James reminds us to look at the heroes of the faith. In v. 10 he says, "For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord."
A. The experiences of those who have gone before us, and their examples of godly perseverance can be like a beacon to guide us.
B. As these suffering Christians were told to consider the prophets as examples of endurance, they might have thought of people such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and Jeremiah.
C. The fact that they had "spoken in the name of the Lord" did not mean they were free from suffering (The Complete Biblical Library – Hebrews-Jude, 245-247).
D. Jewish Christians knew the stories of the prophets, many of whom suffered greatly or were killed for proclaiming God’s message.
E. James is reminding his readers that even those who spoke in the name of the Lord had to have patience in suffering.
F. Part of his point is that God does not preserve from suffering those he has called; rather, he preserves them in suffering.
G. They are an example to all believers because of their obedience and faithfulness despite the hardships they endured.(Barton, 1091).
3. James continues this idea in v. 11, where he says, "We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy."
A. Here James is leading his readers to apply the lessons from Old Testament lives.
B. For instance, Job may offer us a fascinating look at ancient history and an interesting biography, but Job’s best work is as a teacher: one who has suffered and can help us cope with suffering.
C. His life is an example we need to follow. Job may have complained, but he did not stop trusting or obeying God. And the Lord did deliver and restore him.
D. The believers, after all the suffering they had endured thus far, were encouraged not to give up—God would deliver and reward them.
E. We can see clearly from Job’s life that perseverance is not the result of understanding. Job never received an explanation from God for his suffering. This is partly because pain is often a part of life that must be endured beyond explanations.
F. There are many things we can understand, but not everything. God’s purpose is not that we just develop a mind full of explanations and answers; his purpose is to bring us to a place where we trust him.
G. God does not enjoy watching his people suffer. He allows them to face such pain because a greater good will be produced.
H. In the meantime, James encourages his readers to trust in God, wait patiently, persevere, and remember God’s tenderness and mercy (Barton, 1091).
B. Follow Me As I Follow Christ
1. Illustration: The Christian walk of Will Houghton, a preacher who became the president of Moody Bible Institute during the 1940s, played a large role in the conversion of an agnostic who was contemplating suicide. The skeptic was desperate, but he decided that if he could find a minister who lived his faith he would listen to him. So he hired a private detective to watch Houghton. When the investigator’s report came back, it revealed that this preacher’s life was above reproach; he was for real. The agnostic went to Houghton’s church, accepted Christ, and later sent his daughter to Moody Bible Institute. - H.V.L. - Our Daily Bread, September 29
2. Find a good example of a follower of Jesus and imitate it!
A. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT)
1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
B. There are many examples that we can follow.
C. Some of them are famous, others are just ordinary, everyday people.
D. But the secret to finding a good hero is are they following Christ?
E. Even Paul said, imitate me...as I imitate Christ!
F. He's not saying do everything that I do, because I'm far from perfect.
G. But follow me as I imitate the life of Jesus who was perfect.
H. I'm not perfect, none of us are, but follow my example as I follow the example of Jesus.
Conclusion
1. One of the things that separates Christianity from all other religions and philosophies around the world is hope. We have hope for today, tomorrow and for eternity.
2. But our biggest reason for hope is the promise that Jesus is coming back for us to bring us to be with him forever. We call this our "Blessed Hope."
3. In our text today, James tells us to have
A. Patient Anticipation
B. Patient Disposition
C. Patient Imitation
4. THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER...
A. BE ENCOURAGED JESUS IS COMING JUST LIKE HE PROMISED.
B. LOVE ONE ANOTHER THE WAY JESUS LOVED YOU.
C. FIND SOMEONE OF GREAT FAITH AND FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE.
