Pastor Dan Eddy
James 5:7-11
I want patience and I want it…ASAP
12-10-10
Let us pray: Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight through our Advent King, who this Advent Season is advancing our faith, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
The text for this morning’s meditation is our Epistle reading from James 5:7-11
In the Name of our Advent King. Amen.
I. Introduction: The Value of Patience
The value of patience: Nelson Mandella was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. However before that happened, the anti-apartheid advocate spent 27 years in prison for his views, and another 4 years after his release, campaigning before winning political victory. Would you sacrifice that much and be that patient to become president?
The value of being patient: The Old Testament patriarch Jacob waited 14 years before he was allowed to marry his wife Rachel. And that was after it was initially agreed Jacob could marry her after 7 years. Can you imagine waiting 14 years for the love of your life?
The value of patience: For life long Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans…their team lost the first 26 games in their team’s franchise history. After a brief winning era in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team suffered through 14 consecutive losing seasons. Then for a 10-year period they were consistent playoff contenders, but never won the Superbowl until 26 years after they became an NFL team. Now that’s patience. By the way, the Minnesota Vikings have been to the Superbowl four times, and still haven’t won, and are not going to win with Brett Favre.
We don’t always see the value of patience until it can be shown that waiting produces or gives you something valuable.
But our culture and our lives say “I want patience and I want it, ASAP.”
The value of patience for believers in Jesus Christ is not political power, or gaining a spouse, or winning a sports victory. The value of patience for you is a stronger faith in the Lord to resist the temptations of the world and to endure the hardships our broken world afflicts on us.
Where are you lacking patience in your life? With a spouse, child, sibling, friend, enemy, co-worker, with your job, with an addiction, while driving, with finances?
My prayer during this Advent season is that you see the value of patience and the joy it can bring in your struggles today.
II. Christians of James Day - victims of sin
James’ Epistle was written to an early Church under oppression. The primary hearers were born Jewish, received faith in Christ, but were being oppressed by Jews who had rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They were the victims of sin. They were suffers of unfair business practices, malice, and being shunned.
This was not the first time Israelites had turned on their own. In verse 10, James states that the Lord’s true prophets of days gone by who had suffered needlessly. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel are just three examples. There were condemned by kings, jailed, thrown into holes in the ground, and/or threatened with death. Other so-called “prophets” spoke against them. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and other true prophets exhibited patience.
And the idea of patience is more than waiting a long time to get what you want. The Greek word used in the original text, μακροθυμέω has the sense of long-suffering, long-tempered, implying pain, inconvenience, discomfort, and perseverance, with no guarantee that you’ll get what you want.
It’s like holding 20 pound weights in each hand for five minutes…or running 7 mph for 30 minutes on a treadmill…not activities that bring pleasure, comfort, and warm feelings, but sweat, pain, and aching muscles. Yet when you workout often your body becomes healthier and stronger. Your blood pressure is lower. You weight drops. All this is done so you can endure putting up Christmas decorations or bring in big packages without feeling winded. You are more productive at work and have more energy to play with your kids at home. The long-suffering of a workout is worth it because of the outcome, even if you’re not guaranteed to live to be 100 years old.
Having a strong faith in Christ ultimately better prepares you for life’s troubles today, to better accept death, and to look forward to Christ returning in the flesh someday. It doesn’t mean in waiting you get what you want. It doesn’t always change the outcome, but allows you to more joyfully accept life as it is. But being patient is not easy.
III. Problem with Patience
The problem with being patient is it’s much easier to be impatient, especially when it appears evil people and non-believers seem to be getting more riches, benefits and living a happier life. This impatience erodes our faith when we feel we should be rewarded from God for sacrificing our Sunday mornings, saying our prayers each day, reading our Bibles, putting in our offerings, and helping out at church. We should be rewarded from our Lord for being good, ASAP!!!
Take a look at John the Baptizer. Here’s a blood cousin to Jesus. His mom and Mary were pregnant six months apart. Now as an adult John’s out there in the desert preaching repentance in the name of the Lord. The heathen are being converted. John even baptizes Jesus…hears God the Father speak from Heaven. John lays the groundwork for Jesus’ earthly ministry and what’s the thanks he gets…he’s in prison, on death row. He thought Jesus was going to kick out the unbelieving Jews and get rid of the oppressive Romans. In his impatience, John the Baptizer sends his disciples to Jesus to make sure we all have the right Messiah here.
And our culture’s fast-pace, instant messaging, Google answers-at-our-fingertips, got-to-solve the problem ASAP…feeds our impatience.
Perhaps, like John, when our expectations of what we think God should be doing in our lives, in our own timing, in our own way is not meant…that is when impatience spreads like a virus, ASAP!!!
Impatience produces grumbling, negativity, and whining. It was toxic t the early Church then, as it is today. It becomes toxic for a faith community like ours. In verse 9, James say stop that. Or as Mary Anne said in her testimony “Get the stinkin’ thinkin’ out.”
It’s hard to produce an argument that being impatience has any value, any virtue, and does anything to help our relationship with God and others. Because there’s no value in superimposing our will, our wants, our ways over God’s.
We don’t always see the value of patience until it can be shown that waiting, long-suffering gives you, produces something valuable.
IV. Ultimate patience: Job leading to Christ
In verse 11, James holds up Job as the ultimate example of patience…someone who suffered a long, long time.
If you remember, wealthy
Job lost almost everything: He lost 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of
oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and many servants. And to top it off…all his
children…his seven sons, and three daughters were killed. All his wealth and
almost all his family…gone. He was left with body sores, three well-meaning
friends who gave him bad advice, and a nagging wife who wanted him to curse God
and die.
Job’s suffering was long but it wasn’t forever. Job endured and eventually through much patience and, without guarantee, his wealth was restored to double what it was before. And he had seven more sons and three more daughters, and lived to age 140.
Job’s life served as a small example of what Jesus ultimately endured from the cross.
Jesus was patient…long-suffered, long-tempered…when it came to His ministry. He reflected the will of God the Father, who exhibited the greatest patience in fulfilling His promise of reconciliation with the human race.
It was at least 4000 years from the first promise He made to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, 2000 years from the time of Abraham and 1000 years from King David…before Christ was born human as Jesus to long-suffer for you.
Jesus never showed impatience when people rejected Him, when even at one point His half-brothers and sisters including the person who wrote today’s Epistle lesion, and His own mom rejected Him as the Messiah. Or when 11 out of 12 of His Disciples deserted Him at the Cross. Or even when His own heavenly Father had forsaken Him.
During His suffering and death on the Cross, Jesus was encouraged by the ones taunting Him to save Himself, ASAP. “Come down from that Cross.” But if Jesus had been impatient and done that, He would not have died for you, which means He would have given up on you.
The result of Jesus’ long-suffering is that you, as God’s greatest riches, have been restored to Him. That is how much compassion and mercy Christ patiently long-suffered to give you. This morning in the bread and the cup of His true body and blood…your impatience is forgiven, and patience is again renewed for your life.
And the Church has been patiently waiting 2000 years for Christ to complete His last promise and return to the Earth in the flesh. But as 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) says: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient (long-suffering) toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
God is patient despite seeing so much sin and misery in the world.
We don’t always see the value of patience until it can be shown that the waiting, and long-suffering of Jesus produces something most valuable….the value of our forgiveness, power over death, and everlasting life He give you by faith alone in Him. And that’s an outcome that is guaranteed.
V. How to live patiently. Be patient ASAP (Always Say A Prayer)
How do you live this patience with Christ inside of you? Do you know what James prescription was in the verses after this text?
Be patient, ASAP. No joke. Be patient, ASAP. Except ASAP didn’t stand for As Soon As Possible. It stands for Always Say A Prayer. (Hold up graphic.)
ASAP…This is when we take every impatient worry and turn it into a prayer, where we remove our expectations and accept God’s outcome for our lives.
Be patient ASAP means slowing down in life to see how the Lord is trying to resolve your problems. Think about how many times we impatiently rush to get ready for work or school, rush through our work or school, rush through our meals, rush through traffic, rush to get to church, rush to get to sporting events, rush to go shopping. We miss so much and we sap all the joy out of life because we are impatiently do things ASAP…but not with the ASAP of always saying a prayer. I found myself recently rushing through my morning devotions. So to slow me down, I now log onto the ESV Bible website and listen to God’s Word being spoken into my ears as I close my eyes and see His Word, His Love, penetrating my heart.
A few months back most of the world watched the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners. It was emotionally moving to see each of them come to the surface and immediately show their relief and gratitude. Impatience would not have gotten them rescued any faster, but would have made things a lot worse for them. And there was no guaranteed they were going to be saved.
But, most of the world missed the fact that each miner emerged wearing a shirt that said, “Thank You Lord” on the front and on the back, “To Him be the glory and honor.” And on one sleeve of each shirt was the name “Jesus.” Much prayer occurred over the two months trapped thousands of feet below the Earth. Through patience Christ converted a few hearts and renewed the faith of others.
They are a great example for us to “Be Patient…ASAP.” Please take time to develop the patient life this Holiday season by slowing down to admire the Christmas lights, slowing down to see the smile on a baby’s face, slowing down to walk appreciating God’s creation, slowing down to breath in the still crisp winter air, slowing down to smell good food being cooked or baked.
Let the value of patience can be shown as we trust in the long-suffering of Jesus Christ as we wait for His return in the flesh, to finish giving us something most valuable.