The Patience of a Saint – Pt. 2

If God’s people would please
take your Bibles and turn to the book of James, James chapter
five. We’re in a familiar passage because
we were in the same section essentially last Lord’s Day where James is
addressing patience or better yet the need for patience. He’s
addressing the very common problem, the common human problem of impatience. And as we began to look last
week at the patience of a saint, a well-turned phrase, a very
common saying, but one that is particularly fitting for this
particular passage because he’s talking about the saints. He’s talking about God’s people,
Christians, who are in need of godly fortitude. James here describes
this godly fortitude in verses 7 through 8, and he told us there
that he gave us a picture of the saints’ patience. He told
us about the duration of A saint’s patience. He told us what a saint’s
patience looks like. It looks like a patient farmer
waiting and watching. And then he told us the motivation
for a saint’s patience. But that really was a window
into verses nine through 11. It is motivation to know that
the Lord is at hand. But that’s essentially what verses
9 through 11 elaborate. The fact that the Lord is returning.
Let’s take this passage in its completeness, verses 7 through
11. Where James writes, Be patient,
therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient
about it until it gets the early and late rains. You to be patient,
strengthen your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brethren, against
one another that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the
judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren,
of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord. Behold, we count those blessed
who endured. You have heard of the endurance
of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that
the Lord is full of compassion and merciful. having begun his
discussion of patience, the need of patience. And just by way
of reminder, these were a people that were oppressed. They were
in the midst of persecution. They were growing up literally
in the Jewish system. And so there was great hostility
towards Christianity, great hostility toward individuals who claimed
Christ. And as a result, after simmering
in that pot for a while, there were almost expected eruptions
among those same individuals. And so James lays to them not
only the call to patience, but how long they’re expected to
wait. They’re expected to be patient,
he says in verse seven, until the Lord’s return, until the
coming of the Lord. James alludes there very clearly
to the second coming of Christ. And if we have need of being
patient and bearing with our various circumstances and trials
until the Lord returns, then that is God’s sovereign design
for our lives. No wonder the picture of a farmer
waiting. That’s all a farmer does, it
seems. He waits for spring. He waits for the ground to soften. He waits for the time to plant.
He waits for the seed to germinate. He waits for the plants to reach
maturity. He waits for the plants to set
fruit. He waits for the fruit to mature.
He waits for the time of harvest. He waits for spring all over
again. He waits. He’s a patient farmer. And that is exactly the picture
that James calls his fellow believers in Christ. To do, he closes here
in verses seven and eight with that motivation, as we’ve already
pointed out, that the coming of the Lord is at hand. And what
a great motivation that is to remember for us to remember that
Jesus Christ is going to return. This isn’t hypothetical. It isn’t
fiction. We believe in our hearts, in
the imminence of Christ’s return, meaning that in a very real way. Christ could return even today
and we should live accordingly. Well, having introduced a motive,
and it’s a great motive, isn’t it? To be ready, knowing that
Christ is going to return, James layers on to these already given
points, he layers on additional motives to long-suffering. the first of which we see in
verse nine, the first of which really is in concert with that
which is given in verse eight. It’s the nearness of the judge. The nearness of the judge, the
fact that Jesus Christ is coming has already been presented as
a great motivation, but here he makes it that much clearer.
when he says the judge is right at the door. Look at verse nine. Do not complain, brethren, against
one another, that you yourselves may not be judged. This is an
indicator that patience is worn thin, that patience has been
abandoned, and the natural recourse of the human spirit has taken
over. When he says, do not complain,
this word is a fascinating word. It speaks of sighing, groaning,
and it’s used in a variety of ways in the only six times that
it’s used in the New Testament. I love these words because without
a whole lot of breadth, we do get a lot of depth even in these
short few verses. in using this particular word,
James isn’t saying something altogether different
than he said in the past. In James 4.11, you might remember,
he said, do not speak against one another. It’s a completely
different word. Don’t get into this backbiting.
Don’t get into this recrimination that takes place all the time.
Don’t do that. Because he who speaks against
a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges
the law. James has made that point. This
point is over and above. This point, in a sense, is not
a repetition, but a clear addition. He’s layering upon what he’s
already said. And it’s not so much murmuring,
but it’s a sigh or a groan. As I said, these Christians,
likely in Jerusalem itself, certainly in the surrounding areas, were
under great oppression. And the sense is here that they
were giving way to the natural inclination of the human heart
to lash out at others in the midst of this persecution. The
word points to an inner sentiment. Something that maybe doesn’t
bubble to the surface or maybe isn’t verbalized. It’s an ongoing
irritation that they end up giving way to
what one called a smoldering resentment. It’s grudging one another. It’s
a seething, simmering sentiment that ultimately will be seen,
if not heard. The word is a beautiful word.
As I said, it’s used in a lot of different ways. Do you know
that this is the same exact word that is used in Romans 8, 23,
when it talks about that we groan within ourselves
waiting eagerly for the adoption of sons. That’s not a sin. Not
a sin for Christ to long for Christ to burst through the skies
for us to be taken to glory. It’s not a sin. In fact, the
word is used of Christ on the cross, looking up to heaven with
a deep sigh. Same word. Paul uses it several
times in his epistle to the Corinthians, his second epistle to the Corinthians.
He says that in this house, almost the same exact sentiment that
he told the Romans, in this house we groan longing to be clothed
with our dwelling from heaven. That kind of groaning is not
a sin. Hebrews 13, 17, which verse we
looked at just several weeks ago, intentionally, obey your
leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls
as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and
not with grief, not with groaning. There it’s used again in the
negative sense. As one faithful pastor put it,
The groaning or sighing is not of simple sorrow. It’s not just
that they were under difficulties and trials. It’s not just that
they were suffering inconvenient things, even painful things.
Even though there be no word or act or ill will to the brethren. Though the feeling remain buried
in the heart. or have only the inarticulate
utterance of a sigh. Yet exercises of the soul of
this kind are grievous to the soul and hurtful to the soul
itself. They corrode and in feeble, they
sully the tender bloom of the beauty of holiness. Did you hear
what he says? It weakens the soul of the Christian
to let these things fester even in the heart. They’re not even
articulated yet. It betrays the attitude of a
heart of an unspoken complaint. This is the eye roll, right?
This is essentially what an eye roll does. Where you haven’t
actually verbalized it, but In truth, you’re irritated at this
brother or this sister. It’s not even necessarily a verbalized
complaint. I remember when I was preparing
to preach Romans 12. I made this point and. With great appreciation of the
saints. I said that we would be The greatest Christians the
world has ever known. If not for people. And then I started to wordsmith
this list. Check your own heart. See if
these don’t bubble to the surface of your own heart with regards
to your brothers. Who act funny or are aloof or
they’re backstabbers or boastful or boring or bothersome or they
bug you. They’re cheap. They’re critical.
They’re crude. They’re cruel. They’re deceitful. They’re demanding,
disloyal, disruptive. They’re egotistical, extroverted,
flippant, foolish. They get on our nerves. They
get under our skin. They gossip. They’re greedy.
They’re grumpy. They’re impatient. They’re insensitive. They’re
insincere. They’re introverted. They’re
intrusive. They irritate, they’re lazy,
they lie, they look funny, they’re loud, they’re mean, they’re needy,
they’re negative, they offend, they’re opinionated, they’re
ornery, they’re phony, they’re pretentious. I’m not done. They’re
proud, they’re too quiet, they’re rude, they’re self-centered,
they’re selfish, they’re shallow, they slander, they smell funny,
some. They’re sneaky, they’re snobby,
they steal, they’re stingy. They swear, they talk too much,
they talk too little. They test our patience, they’re
thankless. They drive too fast, they drive
too slow. They have bad habits, they’re
unfriendly, they’re unproductive, they’re untrustworthy, they’re
withdrawn. I would tell you that those are almost, not only are
they almost the very reports that people have come to me,
to vent and complain about someone else. Test yourself. Haven’t you thought
these things in your own heart about a brother or a sister? It’s not even necessarily, James
says, a verbalized complaint. It’s just something that simmers
below the surface. It’s a grumbling against fellow
believers. because of the pressure that
you’re under from without. Because of the persecution they
were facing, because of the oppression with which they found themselves,
they vent. There’s a funny, if it weren’t
so sad, there’s a funny saying that I learned in the business
world that if you have a bad day at work, what do you do?
You go home and you kick the dog. Of course, now, in this
day and age, we wouldn’t ever, we certainly don’t advocate such.
But this is essentially the equivalent. Because of the difficulties that
are happening in life, because of the challenges that the society
is bringing, because of the persecution we’re under, the hardship that
we’re facing, we come home and we kick the dog, only we don’t
kick the dog. We abuse the very people that
we love. We talk down to our wives. We talk down to our children. We talk down to our brothers
and sisters in Christ. James is going to close this
very epistle, verses 19 and 20, by telling Christians the right
way. The right way to express your
concerns. The right way to confront sin.
This here in verses nine through 11 is the wrong way. This is the nitpicking grumbling
that is done not for the good of the hearer, but somehow to
appease the one who’s carrying these complaints. I was struck by one commentator
who I think even if he had the opportunity to write it again
would write it differently. He painted the picture like this.
These people live in oppressive situations that cause them to
lose patience, cause them to lose patience. They choose to
lose their patience. They sin in their loss of patience. It wasn’t the oppression’s fault.
It wasn’t the life circumstances that made them do this. This irritability will find its
way to vent to the surface eventually. Grumbling, complaining against
each other is a sin. And that’s what James is addressing.
As one godly commentator said, the apostle cautions his reader
against the impatience with one another to murmur not merely
against their enemies, not merely against the long suffering of
God, but against their fellow believers. There’s a passage, rather a saying,
a quote that I I heard it echoed many times when I was in seminary.
Godly men teaching the younger men, teaching us not just about
Hebrew and Greek, but teaching us about life and ministry. And
I remember them saying, hurting people hurt pastors. Don’t take
it personally. When you get out there and you
get in the trenches and people lash out at you, they’re not
necessarily lashing out at you, they’re hurting. The phrase went
on, hurting people hurt pastors, hurting pastors hurt churches. Be careful what you allow. And
that’s why I’ve even shared with several that this passage, this
book is a study for my own sake. I came across an interesting
little part of a poem that paints this picture well. It said, to
walk above with the saints we love, that will indeed be glory. To walk below with saints we
know, well, that is another story. It does test our patience. We
do need to watch our hearts. We do need to guard against erupting
and lashing out at one another. Muttering underneath our breath.
Taking revenge with our words. I love the way Matthew Henry,
he articulated really three different kinds of giving way to this sin. He said that there are the groans,
murmuring groans, he called them, at what befalls you, the circumstances,
your difficulties, your particular struggles. There are the murmuring
groans, but he also said there are the revengeful groans against
the very instruments of your suffering, against the people
who do these things, where you constantly give way to this different
kind of murmuring. And then finally he said, there
are the envious groans at those who may be free from your calamity.
Did you hear what he said? We have this tendency to look
at somebody who maybe has things all figured out and things are
going well for them and they’re enjoying life. They’re enjoying
their walk with Christ. And we see our own situation.
We see our own life. And because of that, we lash
out at them. We do. He knows people, Matthew Henry
does. He knows sinners. Stephen Sharnock said, let us
imitate God’s patience. He is unlike God who is hurried
with an unruly impetus to punish others for wronging him. The consideration of divine patience
should make us square ourselves according to his pattern. How
distant are they from the nature of God who are in flame upon
every slight provocation from the sense of some feeble or imaginary
honor. Sharnach there says, we shouldn’t
give way. We should seek to be like God
in these things. And happily, James will tell
us exactly what God is like. Well, James concludes this first
verse by telling us why. Why should we not grumble? Why
should we not complain? And the words are essentially
an echo of the Sermon on the Mount. Do not complain, brethren,
against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged.
Because essentially what you’re doing when you begin to complain
is you are playing not only judge but jury. You’re not only criticizing,
you’re condemning with your words. I love the way one pastor put
it when he said that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the
judge is standing right at the door. He said it very graphically
when he said the sinner is only one heartbeat away from the judge. Do you realize that? Stepping out in front of a bus,
contracting some incurable disease, One heartbeat away from facing
the judge. Do we live like that? He says, judge not. And what
it implies in this whole context is a critical spirit. An uncharitable judgment towards
our brothers in Christ because of the pressure that we are under.
And what he says here, essentially, is that this is contrary to Christianity. This is not God honoring. It’s not God honoring behavior. And Christ is right at the door.
He’s already hinted, and this is the third time that he’s mentioned
the nearness of Christ. We saw it in verse seven, be
patient until the coming of the Lord. We saw it in verse eight.
The coming of the Lord is at hand, and now we have the judge
not just near, not just drawing near. He’s at the door. He’s
at the door. And when James says here, behold,
he’s calling attention to every believer, not just to the fact
that as to the proximity of the judge. But of his imminence. He has his robes on. This is essentially the image
of a courtroom where you know in a courtroom the bailiff walks
in and says all rise. The judge is right at the door. What a motivation is ours to
arrest this behavior in our lives in the here and now immediately.
If we have a tendency of mulling over other people’s shortcomings,
and who doesn’t? He says we should deal with that.
He says we should repent of that. He says that we should do away
with that grumbling and critical spirit. What a great motivation
this is, isn’t it? The nearness of the judge to
set aside that kind of behavior. But there’s another motivation.
The second motivation that he gives us here in this passage
is the example of the prophets. The example of the prophets,
look at verse 10. As an example, brethren, again he uses the word
brethren, pointing to the fact that he’s talking to his brothers
and sisters in Christ. As an example, brethren, of suffering
and patience, take the prophets. Consider the prophets. who spoke
in the name of the Lord.” This word example, you can have good
examples and bad examples. It’s used both ways in scripture.
It’s the very word that Christ used in John 13 5 after washing
his disciples’ dirty feet. He said, do you know what I’ve
done for you? I’ve given you an example. Do as I do. It’s a positive example that
he sets before them here, that I’m bringing before you a positive
example, the prophets. They were an example. They were exemplary in their
behavior, particularly in these two things, suffering and patience. They were really, really good
at suffering. and patience. You say, no, thank
you. We don’t have that option. There
is no door number two here. We’re going to have difficulty
in this life. And so he points us to those
who have done it and done it well. The first word, suffering,
is used only here in all of the New Testament. It’s a fascinating
word. It just talks about enduring hardship. It’s difficulty from
within. It’s gutting it out, if I may. Paul uses this very word in writing
to encourage young Timothy. Pardon me, he uses a form of
this word. And the fascinating thing about where we find this
particular word used in Timothy, it’s not in 1 Timothy, it’s in
2 Timothy. And in 2 Timothy, these very
passages are what really remind us that Paul was probably imprisoned
in Rome for a season. Two years, says Acts chapter
28, and then he was released for a time. It doesn’t tell us
about that. That’s conjecture, but I think it’s reasonable conjecture,
and I’ll tell you why. Because when Paul is writing
this epistle to Timothy, we believe that it’s his last. It seems
like his last. He’s drawing closing words, closing
words to his very ministry. But he tells Timothy this, In
the first imprisonment, we see Paul, he’s really enjoying kind
treatment, isn’t he? His friends were there. He was
in his own rented quarters. People were coming and going.
He had a little bit of a writing ministry going on. Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Surrounded by friends over and
over, many passages point to how many different people came
and attended to Paul and ministered to Paul, brought Paul things,
took Paul’s letters. And from what we read in Philippians,
Paul expected to be released. And that’s what leads most scholars
to say that Paul was released in time after two years. He had
a very brief stint where he went about. and did some things and
then he was arrested again. Only this imprisonment is totally
different than the first. Totally different. This time
he’s suffering as a criminal. This time he’s alone and abandoned. Even his closest friends would
not stand up next to him in trial for fear of their own lives.
And in this particular letter, he’s expecting to die. There
were two different imprisonments. But Paul uses this word, a form
of this word to to encourage young Pastor Timothy. Second, Timothy two nine, he
says, I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal. And then in chapter four, verse
five, he urges Timothy, but you be sober in all things, endure
hardship. That’s the sense of this word. It’s endurance. Enduring hardship
and doing so with great patience, or as is so often translated,
the second word, long suffering. Bearing it in mind all the while,
knowing that you’re doing it for a cause, you’re doing it
for a purpose, you’re doing it as unto Christ. No wonder James says, as an example,
brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets, look at their
lives, look at what they endured. God honored them greatly by calling
them into his service. And he had the greatest accolades
for these very men. No wonder Hebrews Hebrews 6.12 tells
us to be imitators of those whose faith and patience inherit the
promises. Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, all of them exhibit pictures of great patience. Moses, in his dealing for 40
years with stiff-necked and rebellious people, David chased around the
country by Saul. Elijah persecuted mercilessly
by evil rulers. Isaiah, allegedly from legend,
we know that he was sawn in two. Jeremiah harshly treated under
constant persecution. Ezekiel, likewise. Ezekiel, Amos, Zechariah, Daniel,
the perseverance, even when thrown into a den of lions, the whole
point is that they endured, they persevered. They pressed on. They laid hold of that which
Christ laid hold of in their lives. They spoke in the name
of the Lord, they were God’s servants. It’s an interesting thing that
we learned about Paul’s life. Because a lot of times you think
that, boy, if you’re going to serve the Lord, you’re going to have
a cushy deal. I had that attitude adjustment
very early on. I got to California alone during
my first stab at seminary. And I remember being there as
the servant of God, pushing my Datsun down the road as it had
broken down. And I remember having this very
conversation with God himself. I’m here to serve you. And this is the treatment that I
get? You can look down your nose at
me if you want, but you’ve had those thoughts. We’ve all had
those thoughts. Just because you’re in God’s
service doesn’t exempt you from difficult treatment. I would
later find out from the seminary that that is part of your training,
pushing your Datsun down the road. Maybe not that particular
feature, but those are the things they just don’t put in the catalog. Well, Paul had advanced warning. In Acts chapter 13, God dials
up a man named Ananias. Ananias, I need you to go pick
up a guy named Paul. This is before Uber. And he says,
I want you to go meet with this guy, Paul, and interact with
him. And Ananias catches wind of it,
and for some reason, God had mercy on him, because how many
conversations are there where you argue with God and live to
tell about it? Well, Ananias goes, because this is what God told
him. Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine. And if God had stopped
right there, what arrogance would be proliferated in the pulpits,
in ministry, in our attitudes in serving Christ? I am in the
service of God. Go, for he is a chosen instrument
of mine. Who wouldn’t lay hold of that
calling? But it goes on. Go for he is
a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles
and kings and the sons of Israel, for I will show him how much
he must suffer for my name’s sake. That’s the part that isn’t
in the catalog. That’s the part that people don’t
always talk about. That’s the part that people don’t
embrace. Unless they’re following after
the prophets. There’s a third motivation. To
patience, not only the nearness of the judge, not only the example
of the prophets, but thirdly, the blessing of God, the blessing
of God, look at verse 11. Behold, we count those blessed
who endured. You’ve heard of the endurance
of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that
the Lord is compassionate, is full of compassion and is merciful. He says what we all would look
and know and acknowledge. That those prophets, the very
prophets mentioned Moses and David and Jeremiah and all the
rest. We count them blessed. God was
with them. God took care of them. They endured,
they lasted, they were faithful to the end. James has used this
same word already in this particular epistle. James chapter one, knowing
the testing of your faith produces endurance. You’re called to the
same thing that the prophets were called to. And let endurance
have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing. Maturity, Christian maturity.
Well, these are our heroes of the faith. Remember Hebrews 11,
they’re essentially ensconced on the wall as if you’re walking
down a great hall of statues. The hall of faith. In other words,
we don’t look at these people, we don’t look at the great prophets
of the scriptures. We don’t look at them who endured
great suffering and consider them to be truly blessed because
of their sufferings. Boy, I wish I could be sawn in
two, that’s absurd. What we look to is their faithfulness. What we look to is to their endurance. What we look to is to the grace
of God to get us through whatever we’re called to endure. Because the words of Christ echo
in our heads just as they likely did for James. He who endures
to the end, he will be saved. Same word. And then he gives
us this great example, Job. Right? I mean, when you’re talking
about examples, you’re hoping that he doesn’t spring this one
on you, but he did. You’ve heard of the endurance
of Job? Buckle up. This particular word, the endurance
of Job, could be translated perseverance rather than patience, like some
of the older translations. Patience, as one described it,
is passive endurance. You just kind of hold on and
wait your way through it. Perseverance is different. Perseverance
is the active determination of a believer whose faith triumphs. in the midst of afflictions.
What a great time to mention Job. Perhaps the greatest example
of one who suffered so greatly and who, by God’s grace, endured
to the end. Our friend Job. In the face of
all the difficulties that he experienced, God graced him to be a model. Not necessarily of patience,
because he wasn’t always patient, but he endured. He endured to
the end. And that’s what James has in
mind when he says, you’ve heard of the endurance of Job. And
you’ve seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings. The Lord is
the one that gets the credit for Job. The Lord is the one that gave
him the grace. The Lord is the one that trained him. The Lord
is the one that schooled him. The Lord is the one that stretched
him. The Lord is the one that gave him the grace to endure.
I love the way John Calvin put
this in perspective when he said no one, as far as we can learn
from histories, has ever been overwhelmed with troubles so
hard and so various as Job. And yet he emerged from so deep
a gulf, though he sometimes failed through the infirmity of his
flesh or murmured within himself, yet he never surrendered himself,
pardon me, yet he ever surrendered himself to God and was ever willing
to be strained and ruled by him. You’ve seen the outcomes of the
Lord’s dealings. God was merciful to Job. because
God is compassionate and merciful. The particular word here, much
affectioned. He loved Job with everything
in his being. He wasn’t mean to Job. He wasn’t harsh to Job. God is full of compassion. And that’s because with any of
God’s attributes, God possesses them in perfection, in completeness. But God is not only exceedingly compassionate, he’s
merciful. He saw Job and God’s mercy is
always infinitely practical. He came alongside Job and he
gave Job precisely what he needed. He gave him the means, the grace
to persevere. And that’s James’s point. We
need to draw on Christ’s we need to look to him. We need to set
our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith. We need to keep
in mind absolutely the nearness of our judge that we will give
an account. We need to look at the prophets. And we need to remember the blessings
of God. Those things, God’s people, those
things will ready us to please God, even in the midst of horrible
trial. Would you humble yourselves as
we prepare for the Lord’s table? Our merciful King. We thank you so much. We didn’t
even realize how impatient we are with our brothers and sisters
in Christ until we come face to face with this passage that
speaks of it. And rather than exonerating us,
rather than excusing away our bad behavior because of the great
difficulties that we face. Lord, you call us to repentance.
And we pray that you would do so in our lives for your glory.
Make us to be people who endure to the end. Grant us the grace
to set our focus not on our earthly circumstances and not on our
brother’s weaknesses and failings. Help us to set our sights on
eternity. Lord, we humble ourselves before
you. And we pray, and as we pray, Lord, we pray that even with this particular
context, that you would examine our hearts. Lord, we know from the passage
before us, we have sinned against you in many ways. And we would
take one final opportunity in the quietness of our hearts to
deal with our own sin. Even now. Our merciful God, we draw near
to the Lord’s table now. And we thank you for. Your mercies
towards us. They are indeed new every morning.
We thank you for this word. We thank you for this passage.
We thank you for this book. Lord, we thank you now for the
opportunity to draw near to the Lord’s table. We ask your blessing
upon it in Jesus’ name. Amen.