by Dr. Bob Stouffer, elder
7Be 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. 8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, 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.
Are you an impatient person?
My Pastor, Dave Brooks, preached a great sermon for you yesterday. I had to do some real soul-searching as Dave proceeded through his three points. I invite you to engage in self-evaluation as well. I’m not doing so to make you feel guilty. I am not feeling guilty. But I am sensing conviction. Perhaps you will be convicted as well.
Pastor Dave is preaching through the book of James. James was the brother of our Lord. During his life, James apparently did not believe in own half-brother Jesus as Savior. But he did come to know salvation in Christ, and he served as a leader of the church in Jerusalem, writing one of the epistles in the New Testament. The book of James is filled with wonderfully practical teaching about various subjects.
As I indicated, the topic of Dave’s message on this Sunday – November 27th – was about patience, based on the above-quoted James 5, verses 7 through 11. Impatience does not change the circumstances of our lives, especially with events which are beyond our control. All of us can be ridiculously impatient from time-to-time in our lives. Perhaps impatience can even be a pattern in our lives.
Dave wondered aloud whether we are as impatient about Jesus’ Second Coming, a major theme of James 5:7-11. Are we? I doubt so. I get wrapped-up in the busy-ness and distractions in my life. But shouldn’t I be impatient about Jesus’ return to earth, understanding the urgency of the work I need to complete for Him? Of course. Jesus WILL come, and He WILL judge. Paul rightly pointed out in Romans that God’s creation is groaning in anticipation of His coming and redemption of the whole of creation. We cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” Jesus will make all wrongs right. We should long for His coming.
But how should we wait? We should wait through hindsight, in harmony with other believers, and with hope.
Wait through hindsight. Think back in your life about God’s faithfulness. Hang a rearview mirror somewhere in your home to remind you. Dave said, “Look back to look forward.” See the patterns of God’s faithfulness. The cross is the ultimate example of God’s faithfulness. Pastor Dave made an excellent point: We do not just wait with TIME in-mind, but with PURPOSE in-mind. The Kingdom of God is breaking through HERE and RIGHT NOW. God is working in this sin-riddled world of ours. What is my unique purpose to fulfill for God’s glory? What is your unique purpose? Wait through hindsight.
And wait in harmony with other believers in Christ. We generally don’t wait well as individuals or in community. We are harsh with each other. We gossip. We hold grudges. We grumble. Dave spoke the truth in love to us on Sunday: “We have hurt Jesus, and we do not remember that we have done so. We love to be everyone else’s judge, but we forget about THE ONE TRUE JUDGE. Be forgiving. Love one another. Be harmonious. . . .Be ye kind to one another.”
Wait through hindsight. Wait in harmony. And, finally, wait with hope. In the midst of trials and suffering, God is doing something through those worldly troubles. James calls us to think of the prophets who spoke the truth of God, which was seldom well-received by the people. Dave said, “We too often escort the forth-tellers out of our life.” Dave called all of us to live-out the truth of Jeremiah 20:9 – that we cannot hold the Word of God inside us – like a fire bursting out of us. Those who persevere through truth-telling are blessed. James also points to Job as a quintessential example of patience through the trials of suffering. He suffered with hope. Dave reminded us at Waukee Community Church: “Life is NOT ABOUT ME. Life is ABOUT GOD AND HIS GLORY!”
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy! Jesus is Lord! He is coming back! He gives us hope! Jesus suffered and hurt more than we can ever imagine. Jesus’ suffering had purpose – His death AND RESURRECTION – brought everlasting life to those who believe in and follow Him as Lord and Savior our lives! Wait through hindsight. Wait in harmony. Wait with hope. Wait for God’s timing. Such will result in God’s good, our good, and God’s glory! Amen!
