James Study - Part 12

“The Virtue No One Wants”

James 5:7-11 (Message #12 in James Series)

INTRODUCTION:

            Over the past weeks we have watched the “Occupy Wall Street Movement” continue to spread to cities all over America. Most of the participants are young, between the ages of 18 and 30, with a few old hippies and homeless people thrown into the mix for seasoning. Here in Portland they are occupying two full city park blocks (Lownsdale Square and Chapman Square) between SW 3^rd and 4^th and between SW Madison and Salmon. I am not going to talk about politics this morning, although I certainly have my own opinions. Rather, I just want to point out what I have observed and heard in interviews with many of the young people in this movement. They are upset because they feel they are not getting things they believe they are entitled to, what some refer to as “their fair share.” For years they have been raised in a nanny state and led to believe in entitlements, rather than raised to recognize that “there is no free lunch.” Of course, this just plays into human nature because everybody loves free stuff! These young folks want high-paying jobs, and nice cars, and amnesty on their school loans, and free health care for everyone, and a nice house, and the revocation of all laws against marijuana, etc. They want “stuff,” but they do not want to pay the price for the “stuff.” They want privileges but they do not want the responsibility of earning those privileges.

            However, most of us recognize that in this life the road to comfort and security is paved with hard work. If you want to live in a nice house you must work, scrimp, and save to buy a place. Then you must pay off the mortgage over many years of regular sacrifice. If you want a good job then you must invest the time, effort, and money to go to school and get a good education and the training that will prepare you to compete in the workforce. No one owes you a job, and no one will give you a job just because you think you deserve to have one.

            I read some time ago about a fellow who bought a military officer’s uniform on Craig’s List. He looked so good in it that he also bought some citation awards and other decorations and hung them on his uniform. Then he began living the life, passing himself off as a decorated war hero because it made him feel so good to be thanked and appreciated wherever he went. He wanted the honour without the sacrifice. Of course, the authorities eventually caught him, but his story illustrates my point. Who would not like to be able to wear an Army Distinguished Service Cross, a Navy Cross, an Air Force Cross, or better yet, a Medal of Honour? But who wants to go through combat to get it?

            Yet many of the best things in life must be earned, and often at the cost of great personal sacrifice. Today we are going to examine a spiritual virtue that everyone admires in others, and hopes one day to possess, but that no one wants to earn because of the cost involved. I am referring, of course, to the virtue of PATIENCE.

TRANSITION:

            You will remember that last Sunday we studied James 5:1-6 in which James gives wise counsel and a stern warning to the rich. He points out in verses 1-3 that possessing wealth can often turn out to be a curse rather than a blessing. That is because many times riches end up owning us, rather than us owning, and managing them. Money tends to enslave those who possess it. He also explained that God holds those who have more of this world’s goods to a higher standard of stewardship than those who have little. In verses 4-6 James shows that the pursuit of riches and material things can be a curse because the person who misuses the resources over which God has made him a caretaker will one day stand before God, “the Lord of Hosts,” to give account, and that warning is designed to be a serious threat to those who steal what is rightfully God’s to spend upon themselves. In verse 6 James talks about the viciousness of fraud, pointing out that it often ends in murder, because greed and avarice will stop at nothing.

            But remember, most of the people who were hearing and receiving this letter from James were not wealthy. Most of them were poor. So, what is his message to those who have little? It boils down to this:

• Be patient. Endure. Things will not be like this forever.
• Do not seek retaliation against those who oppress you. God will handle it!
• Beware of recrimination. Leave the judgment of others to the Lord.
• Learn from and follow the example of those who have come before you.

            Now as we work our way through these verses, I would encourage you to underline or highlight the key phases, and to note especially how many times James refers to patience and endurance.

MAIN BODY:

Verse 7: Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

• So, James turns now from addressing the rich who were oppressing the poor, to address the poor who were on the receiving end of that oppression. He tells them that they should patiently bear up under their economic and social situation in view of the imminent return of Christ. Notice that there is no suggestion here for the forceful overthrow of the social system. In fact, twice in this verse James urges his readers to be patient. He couches his exhortation within the metaphor of a patient farmer who, in faith, works for a long time before ever seeing the fruit of his labour. Yet he keeps on. He gets up early every morning and goes to work, even though he has not yet seen even one little green shoot. He hoes the weeds. He chases off the birds. He waters the rows. He fertilizes the ground. He prays for rain.
• Speaking of rain, James mentions two seasons of rain. You must remember that Palestine is basically a desert. Their “early rain” comes in Oct./Nov. after the crops are planted. Then in April/May comes the “latter rain” as the crops are maturing. For centuries farmers have depended on both rainy seasons for the success of their crops. 
• Look again at the verse. What are these people to be patient about? Remember the context. In the verses leading up to this James has been talking about how the rich have been oppressing and cheating the poor out of their rightful wages. Now he reminds them that the Lord is coming and will make all things right. He will take care of business when He gets here. Here the phrase “the coming of the Lord” refers to His coming in judgment to reward the righteous and to judge the wicked. But James says, in the meantime, we need to wait patiently and act like the patient farmer who keeps on keeping on, working, yet believing that a better day is coming.
• Is there a lesson here for modern Christians? I think so. We too need to live patiently, in the awareness of the fact that Christ will return one of these days. But in the meantime, we need to stay busy doing His work so that He will find us serving faithfully when He comes.

Verse 8: You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.    

• To put an even finer a point on it, James says almost the same thing he said up in verse one but in a little bit different way. “…strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” Again, the reminder that Jesus will come back, just like He promised.
• But how can we “strengthen our hearts”? What does that mean in practical terms? It means to not lose heart, to not become discouraged.

Verse 9: Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 

• Our adversities and trials always tend to cause tensions, and these in turn tend to result in strained relationships with those around us. You know what I mean. You have a rotten day at work and come home feeling like you have been chewed up and spit out. So, you come home in a grouchy mood and take it out on your spouse, your kids, and the dog.
• From this verse I glean that God does not want us to become angry and judgmental toward one another. He does not want us to judge one another. James tells us to keep in mind that the real Judge is on His way and could arrive at any minute.  

Verse 10: As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 

• In verse 10 James comes up with another example of patience amid suffering. He points to the godly prophets of old who endured suffering and abuse at the hands of their enemies. Although they “spoke in the name of the Lord,” when people did not like the message, they often attacked the messengers. Just think, for example, of the patience and endurance of poor old Jeremiah. He told the people exactly what God told him to say, and he suffered greatly for his trouble. In fact, in his lifetime he was never vindicated. He was hated, scorned, mistreated, and vilified. Yet he remained faithful to God, knowing that he was doing the Lord’s work and would eventually be rewarded. So, James uses the example of men like Jeremiah to say to his readers: “Look around. You are in good company!”
• But the same thing still goes on today. Anyone who speaks forth God’s truth will experience persecution. The world does not like Christ, and they do not like to be reminded of Him or His teachings, and if you speak out you too will taste the world’s anger and scorn.

Verse 11: 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 is merciful. 

• “We count those blessed who endured.” James is still referring to the prophets, saying that today we can look back at their lives and recognize that despite their suffering, God had a purpose in all of it. It was not suffering in vain but to accomplish the work of God. It was that confidence that sustained the prophets and kept them going. And they eventually reaped the blessings of their obedience and faith in God.
• Interestingly, this is the only reference to Job in the entire NT. Here he is listed among the prophets, as he was traditionally considered by the Jews. James uses Job as a specific model of patience, endurance, and steadfastness. He reminds his Jewish readers that they know the story of how God restored Job after his time of testing. When that season of life was over God poured out His compassion and mercy on Job and his family.

CONCLUSION:

            These verses should remind you of some comments James made earlier in this letter. Way back in chapter 1 we heard James say, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (or patience/steadfastness). And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” So according to James, patience is produced through trials.

            I have entitled this message, “The Virtue No One Wants.” That is not quite true though, is it? We want patience. We just do not want to have to go through trials and tribulations to get it. If there is a shortcut then we will be all over it! But unfortunately, I do not know of any shortcut. The Apostle Paul discusses the path to acquire patience in Romans 5:3-4 (NLT). “³ We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance (patience).  ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Those are all good things—right? Yet Paul says that the way we get endurance, strong character, and a confident hope are through problems and trials. Furthermore, he says that we should rejoice in the trials and tribulations exactly because of the good work that they will do in us if we allow “patience to have its perfect work” in us.

            Unfortunately, this is where our spiritual flabbiness and lack of spiritual discipline kicks in. It is really the same problem we have about going to the gym. We know that it would do us good. We know that it would improve our quality of life, help us lose the extra weight, make us stronger and maybe even live longer. Moreover, we want the things that regular exercise can do for us. We want the buff body with the skinny waist, tight gluts, big biceps, and six-pack abs. We want others to look at us and go, “WOW!” But how many of us are willing to pay the price? How many will get up off the couch and go work out at the gym? Not many.

            In the same way, most Christians prefer to sit around on their spiritual backsides, content to live in the spiritual doldrums. Now do not get me wrong. I am not saying that we should deliberately go out looking for trials and tribulations just so that we can develop patience. That would be stupid. But neither should we isolate ourselves from the world out of fear that trials might come to us. We should simply live each day in obedient dependence on our Heavenly Father, “…sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts, always being ready to make a defence to everyone who asks us to give an account for the hope that is in us, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). Trust me, if you do that you will end up with enough trials to produce all the patience you can hold. But therein lies the joy and adventure of the Christian life. Our job is to obey and be faithful. His job is to guide, direct, and protect us, to put His character in us, and to take us home when the job is finished.