James: A Letter from Jesus’ Brother
Patience – James 5:1-11
Jesus did not teach that following Him would mean the end of all our problems. Far from it. Now he did promise that following Him would bring us unsurpassed heart-satisfaction and joy in knowing Him. But He also promised that following Him would mean trials. Big trials. Difficult trials. Serious trials.
Some of you have ongoing pain and medical difficulties. Others have chronic unemployment or under-employment. Others of you have a marriage that is painful, stressful, difficult. And others of you are battling an area of sin, and you are resisting, but it’s hard. And I’m sure that to some extent, every one of us here this morning has some trial that we are dealing with.
So how are you responding to whatever trials you are going through. How are you dealing with them? In the next passage in James’ letter, he’s going to explain to us how and why we can be patient in the midst of the trials that we are facing. So let’s turn together to James 5:1-11. If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you. James 5 is on page 1013 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Let’s start by looking at what situation did James’ readers face? Look at vv.1-6 --
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Now when you first read vv.1-6, it sounds like James is talking to his readers, which would mean that his readers are these rich people who are oppressing the poor. But when you go on to read v.7 – you see how that’s not what’s going on.
Look at what James says in v.7. He’s just spoken profound judgment upon rich people who oppress the poor, don’t pay promised wages, who condemn and murder the righteous – and then go on to v.7 --
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
Notice that word “therefore” in v.7. That word shows that v.7 is the main point of vv.1-6. So the main point is not – stop oppressing the poor; the main point is – be patient. Which means that James’ readers are not the rich who are oppressing the poor. It shows that they are the poor being oppressed by the rich. That’s why James calls them to be patient under their oppression.
So in vv.1-6 what James is doing is letting his readers know about the judgment that their rich oppressors are going to face. He writes this as if he is talking to the rich people like an Old Testament prophet – calling down judgment upon them. But the reason he writes this is to help his readers be patient under their oppression.
So vv.1-6 don’t describe what James’ readers were doing – they describe what James’ readers were facing. So what were they facing?
Remember that James readers have fled persecution in
So that’s what James’ readers were facing. So what does James urge his readers to do? Read v.7 again –
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
James calls them to be patient. Patience means waiting peacefully. Waiting contentedly. And James calls them to be patient until the coming of the Lord.
When James talks about “the coming of the Lord,” he’s talking about the coming of Jesus at the end of history. We often call this “the Second Coming” of Christ. His first coming was 2,000 years ago when he came lowly and suffering to die on the Cross and rise from the dead; His second coming will be at the end of history when He will return as the rightful king of the universe, gathering to Himself those who have trusted Him, casting into hell Satan and his demons and those who turned their back on Him, and creating a new heaven and new earth.
So James urges his readers to be patient until the coming of the Lord. Now why would he just call them to be patient? Why doesn’t he tell them to move on, find another job, do something else? One reason might be because his readers don’t have any other options – maybe their only option is to stay there and be patient. Another reason might be because even if his readers have other options – the most crucial starting point is to be patient in trusting the Lord. You don’t want to make decisions out of impatience or out of haste – so be patient.
So if you are going through a trial right now – James would urge you-- be patient until the coming of the Lord. Are you going through medical and pain issues? Financial pressures? A tough marriage? A lengthy battle against sin? Be patient until the coming of the Lord.
Now this implies two things. One is that there will be trials until the coming of the Lord. Now it’s true that Jesus can, and often does, bring miraculous deliverances in this life. But generally speaking, there will be trials until the coming of the Lord,
The second implication is that the coming of the Lord makes all the trials worth it. We are at war here on plant earth. Not against people. But against supernatural powers that are holding people in darkness. And in war there’s casualties. We won’t get killed, but we will get wounded. But we know that the Gospel will advance, we know that men and women will be won from
So James calls his readers to be patient until the coming of the Lord. And that’s what he would call you to do as well. Are you going through medical or pain issues? Unemployment or underemployment? A difficult marriage. Ongoing battle against sin? James would say – be patient until the coming of the Lord.
But how? When you are in the midst of a trial, that can feel impossible. So let’s ask James – how can we grow in this kind of patience? James gives us five helps.
First, understand that there is precious fruit coming – the Lord’s return. You can see that in the second half of v.7 --
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
Picture a farmer sowing his precious seed, and then waiting. Now as he waits, is he frustrated? No. Is he pacing back and forth? No. Why not? Because he knows that precious fruit is coming. Great good is coming. He’s thinking about the corn and the lettuce and the cucumbers and the squash. Great good is coming – and that’s why he’s patient now.
Same with us. The reason we don’t need to be frustrated or pace back and forth is because great good is coming. Jesus is coming. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more weeping, no more sorrow, no more pain. Great good is coming – which is why we can be patient now.
Second, understand that God uses trials to increase our joy in the Lord’s coming. I see that also in v.7. One reason the farmer waits patiently is because he knows there’s a process of planting seed, and early rains, and late rains, before the previous fruit is harvested. There is a process.
And that’s why we should be patient. Because, as Paul says, momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. As we are patient in trials, as during trials we set our hearts on Jesus, that trial will produce for us even more joy in Jesus’ return. So this trial does not mean a net loss for you. It means a net gain.
Third, establish your heart with the certainty of the Lord’s coming. You can see that in v.8 --
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
When trials come, our hearts can become weak. Our confidence can flag. We aren’t sure what’s going on. We are in doubt about the future. We feel fear. So what we need to do is establish our hearts. How?
By focusing on the truth that the coming of the Lord is at hand. The phrase “at hand” does not necessarily mean that it’s near in time. This same word is also used to show something that is near in distance (Acts 9:3). It’s the same picture as we see at the end of v.9 – “the judge [Jesus] is standing at the door.” So his opening the door and stepping on to planet earth is absolutely certain. So when you are going through a trial, take time to ponder the fact that Jesus will come again. It’s absolutely certain. This trial will not go on forever. It will end when Jesus returns.
As you ponder that, and pray over that, your heart will become established.
Fourth, trust that at the Second Coming Jesus will right every wrong. You can see that in v.9 --
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Jesus is the judge. He will judge the whole world. No injustice will continue. Every injustice will be judged. Every wrong will be righted.
You can see that in vv.1-3 where James speaks of what Jesus will do to those who have lived in luxury while others have suffered.
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
Some trials involve great injustice – and that can be painful. But you will strengthen your patience by trusting that when Jesus comes back He will right every wrong.
Fifth, trust that at the Second Coming we will receive great compassion and mercy. You can see that in vv.10-11
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
The Lord will be compassionate and merciful to you just like he was to Job. Remember the story of Job? God allowed terrible trials to come upon Job, where he lost all his possessions, all his children, and his own health. But Job was steadfast. Job is a perfect example of patience, saying “the Lord gave, and the Lord took away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job
Job was patient, and the Lord showed great compassion and mercy to Him – restoring his health, giving him more children, and restoring all his possessions.
And James wants us to understand that no matter what we are going through, God will show great compassion and mercy to us. Now he might do this before the Second Coming. He might deliver James’ readers from their oppression. He can deliver you from chronic pain; he can transform the heart of your spouse so your marriage is restored; he can give you a better job; he can permanently deliver you from an area of temptation. God might do that. But in His wisdom and mercy He also might not do that.
Which is why James focuses us on the Lord’s return, and tells us that at the Second Coming we will receive an outpouring of compassion and mercy.
So what does this mean for us? What impacted me from this passage is that I don’t think enough about the Lord’s coming. I tend to live much more for things in this life. But if I am going to grow in patience, if we are going to grow in patience, we need to set our hearts on the Lord’s coming.
Imagine that you are one of James’ readers – terribly oppressed by the rich. Think of how it would comfort and strengthen you to think – Jesus Christ is coming back. It is absolutely certain. My life will not always be like this. He will come back, and right every wrong, and pour out His compassion and mercy on me forever. Think of how that would comfort and strengthen you.
So take whatever trial you are in right now, and let’s do this.
Maybe you are facing ongoing medical or pain issues. Right now – set your heart on the coming of the Lord. He is coming back. My life will not always involve medical hassles and pain, because Jesus is coming back. I’ve got an eternity awaiting me. He is coming back, and will wipe away every tear from my eyes, and from that moment on there will be no more pain, no more crying, no more death. Let that comfort and strengthen you.
Maybe you are facing a very difficult marriage, or a tough relationship with a son or daughter, or a problem with someone at work. Set your heart on the coming of the Lord. He is coming back. He will right every wrong. And the injustice you endured, the forgiveness you gave, the unconditional love you showed for Christ’s sake – will all somehow increase your joy in Jesus forever – so you will look back and say “it was all worth it a hundred times over!”
Maybe you are facing an ongoing area of sin – where you are resisting and fighting and overcoming – but it’s hard. You long to be freed. Set your heart on the coming of the Lord. He is certainly coming back. You will not be fighting that area of sin forever. The day is coming when you will be transformed – never to feel temptation again. Deliverance is coming. It is certain. And every moment of fight in this life, all your effort to live for Jesus’ glory, will all increase your joy in Jesus forever – and it will all be worth it.
That’s how to grow in patience – set your heart on the Second Coming.
But of course the only way we can do that – is by coming to the Cross. We come to the Cross, and receive forgiveness for our impatience – and we come to the Cross, and receive grace so that we can see the Second Coming more clearly.
So let’s do that now as we come to celebrate Communion.