I want to invite you to open up to James chapter 5. We’ll be looking at verses 7 through 11 this morning. I have to say, it’s interesting, you know, when Pastor Ryan or whoever’s preaching, when we plan the service, we most of the time try to pick songs that correlate or go with what we’re preaching, which is why, obviously, I chose the songs I chose. But it’s interesting, because they’re songs I’m familiar with. I’ll read some of the lyrics, but I don’t always go through and read every verse. But as we were singing some of those songs, even that last one, I was like, wow, it just It correlates so much with what we’re going to be looking at in this text today. The songs we sang were just so beautiful.

James 5, verses 7-11. Before we get into the sermon, let’s start with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for allowing us to be here today. We have the freedom to worship, to praise you, to talk about you, to talk about how you are the sovereign ruler over everything. We thank you that we have the opportunity to open up your word and see what it says and how we are to live our lives. I pray that the Holy Spirit works through me as I preach this morning and you open up all our hearts so that we receive your word as truth and put it into practice in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I think it is safe to say that the overwhelming majority of earth’s population can all agree that traffic stinks. I was thinking about that this week as I was working on this sermon and I was thinking about traffic Traffic is just the worst. No one likes traffic. And if someone says to you, I like traffic, then you maybe want to say, you should see a doctor about that. But traffic is just not fun. No matter who you are or where you live, we can all agree it’s no fun.

Stuck in the car for what can seem like an eternity. And it sometimes can even feel like a form of suffering. Now, it’s not really suffering, but I think sometimes we can convince ourselves, like, we’re suffering right now, sitting in this traffic. And I’m sure as we’re all, and we’re all picturing probably different times in our life where we’re stuck in traffic. Oftentimes, we get stuck in traffic when we feel like we have to get somewhere, you know? And I’m sure we can all picture those times, and as we’re picturing ourselves in the car wanting the traffic to be done, wanting to get to wherever we need to get to, we know that feeling of our patience waning. The patience that we maybe had before we got in traffic, and as the traffic goes on and on, we become a little more impatient and a little more frustrated. In fact, we can become very impatient in traffic. Maybe you can’t, but I have at times become impatient in traffic, even to the point sometimes where you see people getting frustrated at the cars around them. yelling at the cars around them as if somehow that’s going to make traffic just suddenly go away.

But that’s what it’s like when we lose our patience in a situation like that. But patience, though it’s needed for traffic, it’s also needed for all areas of life. With family work and even waiting at the doctor’s office, we need patience in every part of our life. And like I said, traffic is really not a form of suffering, but I use it as an example because it’s something we can all relate to.

That miserable experience and that losing of our patience. And there is genuine suffering out there that real people experience. I’m sure we’ve all experienced genuine suffering. And when we come to this passage today, to James 5, verses 7-11, we see that Christians are to be patient in suffering. Christians are to be patient in suffering.

But before we get into these verses, let’s remember where we are. And we actually, as we get into this, these few verses, we need to actually look back to chapter one, verses two through four, and what James talked about there. In James chapter one, verses two through four, he says this. Consider, and this is, remember, this is how he starts his letter. He starts his letter with these verses. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So today’s passage in James chapter 5, 7-11 really relates back to what he talked about in chapter 1. In chapter 1 he talked about trials, enduring through trials.

James talked about how in those verses God uses trials to grow Christians in their faith. James told them that they would face trials and that they need to endure them. That they need to depend on God through them. And that God uses trials, as difficult as they are, to bring us closer to Him.

That’s what he talked about in verses 2-4 of chapter 1. And when we come to chapter 5 verses 1-11… We are given a snapshot, as it were, of one of the trials these Christians are facing. He says in chapter 1, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you face various trials. And he tells them about those trials, to endure through them. And when we get to chapter 5, these first 11 verses, like I said, we’re given a little bit of a picture of some of these trials they’re experiencing.

And we talked about this, it would have been last Sunday night, but these Christians are being oppressed by wealthy unbelievers. They’re being mistreated by them. They’re not being paid for their work. They’re working for these landowners and they’re not receiving their pay. They’re being mistreated. That’s genuine suffering. Their livelihood is being taken away from them.

So we see that these Christians James is writing to are going through a genuine trial that is causing suffering. And James is going to remind them that Christians are to be patient in suffering. And I have one heading for our verses this morning. It’s simply, be patient.

And that covers verses 7 through 11. But remember, before we even start looking at verse 7, I want us to remember that in verses 1 through 6, James was talking to these Christians about the wicked unbelievers who were oppressing them. So when we look back at 1-6, we see James is talking to these Christians, but he’s talking to them about the wicked unbelievers that are oppressing them. Now in verses 7-11, he returns his focus to the Christians. He’s talking about the Christians to the Christians now.

And that is signaled in verse seven when he says, therefore, be patient, brethren. Your version may say brothers, but that’s an important word because it kind of signals the shift back to, hey, I’m talking about you specifically now. I’m talking about you and your lives. I’m talking about how you are to handle the suppression you are facing. And verse seven says, therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. James tells these Christians to practice patience.

He’s just explained their oppression, he’s explained, this is what’s happening to you, and now he’s going to tell them how they’re to handle it. That’s one of the amazing things about God’s word, is it just doesn’t lay out the problem for us. It lays out the problem and the solution, and we see that a lot in James. He says, hey, this is what you’re doing wrong, this is the problem, do this instead.

But even before moving on, I want us to take a look at this idea of patience, because that’s a word that gets thrown around a lot. Be patient. We need to be patient. It’s talked about in scripture. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit. But it’s one of those words I think sometimes it helps us to slow down and think about what does this word mean? What does it actually mean?

And I think often we think of this word in the context of waiting for something. A parent telling their child to have patience for something. Or needing patience while stuck in traffic. But there is more to it than that. And John MacArthur has a very helpful quote in kind of understanding what patience is.

And I’m gonna read it twice. He says, patience has to do with tolerance and long-suffering that endures injuries by others, and it’s the calm willingness to accept situations that are irritating and painful. I’ll read it again. He says, patience has to do with tolerance and long-suffering that endures injuries by others, and it’s the calm willingness to accept situations that are irritating and painful.

I like how he ends that. He says, it’s the calm willingness to accept situations that are irritating and painful. You’re accepting what God has allowed to come into your life. And he says irritating and painful. He just doesn’t say painful. He says the irritating situations. Situations we just don’t like.

And I think this is a helpful quote because it gets at several of the important parts of patience. Patience doesn’t seek vengeance. It doesn’t retaliate. As Romans 12, 17 says, we are not to repay evil for evil. The person who is patient is not looking at how to get back at someone who is doing them wrong.

But also patience requires a continual trust and hope in God no matter what is going on. And I think that’s one of the really key parts of what patience is. A continual hope and trust in God no matter what is going on. Remembering that God is still working His perfect plan and has not forgotten us. He’s not abandoned us.

This morning in Sunday school with the middle schoolers we talked about the episode in Mark chapter 4 verses 35 through 41 The disciples and Jesus go on the boat in the Sea of Galilee and a storm comes and it’s a terrible storm. And you know it’s a terrible storm because these seasoned fishermen are like, this is a bad storm. So if they think it’s a bad storm, it obviously is.

And we see them scared and they come to Jesus and basically say, Jesus, do you not care about us? They’re saying, if you abandon us, you’ve ignored us, you’ve forgotten about us. And as we look at that passage, we see that though they know Jesus had power, they thought for that moment he didn’t care about them or that he had abandoned them. And we talked about in Sunday school that Jesus understands all that’s going on in our life.

He understood what was going on with that storm. And it’s not that he doesn’t care about us. He doesn’t abandon us. This idea of patience has to do with not trying to control everything in our life and not doubting God’s goodness. The patient person recognizes that God is good no matter what. And this is something James reminded these Christians of in verse 5 of chapter 5.

He says, you have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. Actually, I’m sorry, I got to go back up to verse 4. I wrote that wrong. And the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. What he’s saying there is, hey, your cries of suffering, the trial you’re going through, God hears it. He hears what you’re going through.

And patience is similar to the idea of persevering and endurance. And James actually, in this passage, he’ll use both patience and endurance in these few verses. And he seems to be using them in similar ways. And there may be a distinction there between endurance and patience. Endurance may convey the idea of pushing through a challenge more than patience, but they are very similar.

So for the majority of the sermon, I’ll be using the word patience, and I’ll be using it in a similar way as endurance. So James is telling these Christians to not retaliate against their oppressors, but to continue to trust and hope in God no matter what is going on. He’s telling them not to lose hope. Remember, they’re literally not being paid. Their means of living has been taken away. Some of them maybe have been kicked out of their homes. Some of them may not have food to provide for their families. And James is saying, don’t lose hope. God has not forgotten or abandoned you. Don’t try to take matters into your own hands. Wait on God.

And they are to remember that God is greater than whatever they are going through. And that’s important because I said, God is good and in control no matter what. I think sometimes we think, okay, this situation in life, God has abandoned me in this one, but only in this one. But no matter what is going on in life, God doesn’t, it’s like he doesn’t just turn off his brain or something and forget what’s going on.

He knows everything. There aren’t just certain things in life where He ignores us. I think sometimes we have to be careful because we can fall into that trap of thinking, in this situation, how could God be helping me? Because I don’t feel Him helping me, but He hears us. He does. Remember that God is greater than whatever they are going through. Psalm 62, verses 1-2 says this about God.

My soul waits in silence for God alone. From him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. I will not be greatly shaken. I love verse 2. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. God is our protector. He’s who we can trust in. He protects us. He holds us fast. That’s the God we love. That’s the God we worship. That’s the God who saved us. And as we go on in verse 7, he says, Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

So James is also telling these Christians they need to remember that their Lord and Savior will return. John chapter 14 verse 3, this is Jesus, and he says, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. While Jesus was on earth, he said, I’m coming again. And when Jesus returns, he will free his children from their oppression and punish their enemies.

Now James is not saying that God does not ever remove the suffering and oppression we face here on earth, because he does. He sometimes does remove different obstacles and trials we’re facing. But James is pointing to the day when all suffering, pain, and oppression for believers will end. And we’ll be free from it.

It is interesting that the coming of Christ is meant to cause two different reactions. For the wicked unbeliever, and this goes back to verses 1-6 of chapter 5. If we remember the wicked unbeliever, James says, In those first six verses, James talks about the coming judgment of the Lord. He says the Lord, he doesn’t necessarily say the Lord’s coming back, but he talks about the judgment of the Lord, and he’s saying, hey, you will be judged when the Lord returns, and you need to dread it and be scared, because you will face divine judgment. But in this passage, seven through 11, James is talking to the believers, and he’s saying, hey, Jesus is coming back, and this is great comfort for you. So it’s interesting how the same event can cause two different reactions.

But James is saying, hey, Jesus is coming back. He’s coming again. And that is cause for great comfort. Because these Christians hope isn’t in their financial status or their social status, it’s in Christ. The one who’s returning. James is reminding these Christians to continue looking to Christ. because he will return.

It’s not that he’s probably going to return, he will return. I appreciate Pastor Pi, as we were singing that song, Coming Again, there’s a line where it says, maybe coming again, and he says, I hear Pastor Pi singing next to me, and he goes, he is coming again, or he’s surely coming again. I think that’s helpful, because is he coming again? No, he is coming again. It’s not maybe, he is coming again. That’s what we believe. That’s why we sang that song. That’s why we’re talking about it here. That’s what James is saying. He’s literally coming back. And James is reminding these Christians to continue looking to Christ because he will return. And we need to realize something, this is not easy to do. It’s not easy to have patience when suffering. Instead of focusing on our suffering, we need to focus on one day Christ will return. And I don’t think James’ audience, when they would have heard this, I imagine they probably would have thought, I know how I would have thought. He says, therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Like, seriously, James? You just talked about all that’s going wrong in our life. You talked about how we’re not being paid, how we’re being mistreated, all the oppression we’re facing, and all you have to say to us is be patient? That’s all you’ve got for us?

And I can imagine them thinking, like, there’s gotta be something else, James. How do we get out of this? And we can have the same thoughts in the midst of whatever it is, whether it’s the fighting of cancer, the loss of a family member, the loss of a job, the loss of a home, whatever it is, we can think, be patient, that’s it, that’s the answer? But that’s what James tells us to do. And sometimes we want that one thing that will make all the suffering go away, and we search for it, we think, if I find this one thing, all the suffering’s gonna go away. But James says to be patient. And the answer is, as hard as it is sometimes, to be patient and wait.

As I was working on this passage this week, the Lord showed me that this answer, being patient and waiting on the coming of the Lord, that’s enough. I think sometimes we look at certain passages of Scripture and think, oh, we need to add more into that. We need to give more to what God said. But this is what God said, and that is enough. The answer is to be patient and wait.

God allows us to go through difficult seasons because He knows what is best for us. Romans 8, verse 28, a very famous passage. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good. Not for decent, not for kind of good, for good. To those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Those who love God, who are his children, who have been safe from their sins, he works everything for good. He doesn’t just work the nice things, he doesn’t work just the comfortable things. It says he causes all things to work together. That includes what these Christians are going through. That includes the sufferings we face in life, whatever they are. God can work through those.

And James is not saying that when we’re in the midst of an oppressive situation or trial or whatever it is, that we can’t try to get out of it. But what he’s emphasizing is that no matter what trial we are in, whether we’re in the midst of it or we have been freed from it, we must continue trusting God and loving others. In the midst of the trial, we must have patience.

And as verse seven goes on, we see that James gives an illustration from everyday life to help explain his point. Verse seven continues, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

I gotta be honest, it’s kind of funny that Pastor Ryan, who’s our resident farmer, isn’t here today, but that’s okay. But he gives an illustration from everyday life. And we see that James does this a lot. He gives illustrations that these people would have been familiar with. And he does it to help these readers understand what he’s talking about. This farming illustration would have resonated with his readers.

And just like a farmer plants their crop and then must wait for the rain to come, So must Christians be patient and wait for Christ’s return. After the farmer plants their fields, all they can do is wait. They must wait for the rains to come. They can’t just suddenly magically grow the crops on their own. They have to wait for the rain. And that’s similar to how Christians need to wait on the Lord. Need to wait on him.

And as James moves into verse 8, he sort of restates what he’s already said. Verse 8 says, So he’s told them what to do in verse 7. And in verse seven, he’s also giving them a picture of what to do, and now he’s telling them what to do again. And it is clear from these two verses that James wants his audience to get this. He wants them to understand what’s happening. And he wants them to understand it because he knows they need it. He knows the suffering they’re going through. He wants to help them through this time.

And he wants them to be ready for Christ’s return by strengthening their hearts, strengthening their hearts by seeking God at all times. And when you seek God throughout all of life, you’re gonna be trusting Him more and more. When you’re seeking to know Him more, growing in your love for Him, you’re going to trust Him more. That’s what James means by the strengthening of your hearts. He says, you too be patient, strengthen your hearts for the coming of the Lord is near.

Be ready for Christ’s return. And Christ’s return could be at any time. That’s why verse 8 says, the Lord is near. That’s a phrase used throughout scripture. And what it means is Christ could come at any time. The imminent return of Christ is what it’s sometimes called. We are in the last days now and we must be ready for Christ’s return.

But the last days just doesn’t refer to the tribulation. I think sometimes people, Christians, will think the last days refers to that period right before the final end of days when Christ returns and judges the living and the dead. And they think that the last days refers to that period of tribulation, however long it is. That’s more of a unique and intense time of oppression, of suffering. But that’s not what the last days refers to. The last days in the Bible doesn’t refer just to the tribulation or the year before it.

The last days refers to the time between Christ’s ascension and his second coming. So we’re in the last days, we’re in the final age, however you want to describe that. Now obviously it’s been a long last days, but we are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ.

And in verse 9, as we get to verse 9, we see James shift the discussion to how these Christians should be interacting with each other in the midst of this trial. Verse nine, do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged.

Behold, the judge is standing right at the door. It’s interesting, he tells them the problem in verses one through six. He says, this is what you’re facing. This is the suffering you’re going through. This is the trial you’re facing. Verse seven and eight, he says, be patient. Wait on the Lord.

But then he adds something else. He says, hey, make sure you’re being nice to everyone. Don’t complain against one another. These Christians should not complain about their brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, they’re in a difficult season, and they’re probably becoming a little too impatient with each other, maybe even a little unloving. And that’s easy to do. We shouldn’t act like we’re better than them. That’s very easy to do. We can all relate to that.

And this complaining is not the same as rebuking someone for their sin. The complaining people are the ones who are always pointing out something wrong about something or someone. They’re never satisfied. They’ve always got to complain about something. Maybe they’re the person you could describe as glass half empty. I don’t know. And let’s remember that we can do this as well. It’s very easy to complain. And like I said, really this complaining comes from a lack of love. And he says in here, he says, do not complain brethren.

And remember, James is writing to what are most likely Jewish Christians. And we’ll talk about this a little later, these Jewish Christians who would have probably been very familiar with the Torah, with the Old Testament, with some of the big events of the Old Testament. And one particular big event in the Old Testament is the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness. And we read in Exodus 16, verses 2-3, an episode of their complaining. So when James said this to these Christians, don’t complain, these Christians might have, it may have brought the memory of what the Israelites did in the wilderness. And this is what Exodus 16, two through three says.

But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The sons of Israel said to them, if only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger.” They’re complaining about being rescued from Egypt.

They’re almost wanting to go back to a time of slavery in their lives. Clearly, grumbling and complaining is a big deal. This is why James is talking about it. He’s saying, hey, don’t complain. Don’t be like these Israelites. And James tells them that if they are complaining, they will be judged by Christ. Kind of refers to the final judgment when Jesus will judge the living and the dead. He’ll judge even Christians based off their works and give them rewards. Now this is obviously different than salvation. These are kind of eternal rewards. And we’re not sure exactly what these rewards will look like. But those who have not been as faithful will face a loss of rewards.

Sometimes I think we tend to downplay complaining. I was thinking about that this week. Complaining, I think, tends to be sort of that sin that’s like, ah, we’re not gonna worry about it. It’s not that big of a deal. Let’s not think about it. It’s okay to do every once in a while.

This guy annoys me, so I have a right to complain to him, or something like that. But, the next time we think that, let’s remember what the Israelites did. Are we like the Israelites? And also let’s remember, even if we may think complaining is not that big of a deal, it seems clear that Jesus Christ does think it’s a big deal. He’s the judge over it. That’s what James says. So maybe we shouldn’t think it’s just some little, little sin or downplay it.

As we move into verse 10, James resumes his focus of having patience and suffering. Verse 10, as an example, brethren, there’s brethren again, talking to Christians, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. He points to the prophets as an example of those who suffered. He’s telling them to be like the prophets, to handle their difficult situations like the prophets handled theirs.

And remember, Jewish Christians he’s writing to, so they would have immediately had some of these prophets coming to mind. They would have thought of Jeremiah, Elijah, and Daniel, who all suffered at the hands of others, and yet they all patiently waited on God. Jeremiah, Elijah, and Daniel, were hated, they were treated very poorly, that’s almost an understatement, and yet they continue to rely on God. Daniel, I always find this amazing about Daniel.

These people who hate him, who want to see him go away and don’t want to see him succeed, they go to King Darius and say, Darius, let’s make a law that no one can pray except to you. If someone’s praying, they have to pray to you, King Darius. And Darius signs the edict, it’s law. And what does Daniel do when he hears about it? He goes and prays to God. Because he realizes he answers to God and not to man. He’s like, this is a terrible situation, what I’m gonna do, pray to myself, pray to Darius, I’m gonna pray to God. And that might have been what came to these Jewish Christians’ minds when James says, think of these prophets. They’re like, that’s what Daniel did. What did Jeremiah do, what did Elijah do? They stayed faithful, they weren’t perfect. But look at how they handled their sufferings. They handled them by going to God. And when we are suffering, we must go to God.

As we move into verse 11, the final verse, James gives an example from the Old Testament that helps explain his point. 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. Job endured his trial and was found blessed. And those who endure trials are blessed. Those who have patience through their trials are blessed.

And that can be very hard to comprehend at times. Remember, chapter 1 verse 2, what does James say? He says, count it all joy, my brethren, when you face various trials. It goes against our mind. It’s like, what? That doesn’t make sense. But you’re blessed when you have patience and you endure through the trial. Because, and let’s be honest, we don’t want to go through suffering, and that’s natural. You know, someone walks up to me and says, Pastor Steven, I’m ready for a trial. I’m ready to go through what I want. And I’ll be like, well, you know, let’s be ready for it. I don’t know if you want to go through it. But we do need to be ready for trials. But how will we endure them?

Job, of course, is a famous Old Testament character. He has his wealth, possessions, family, and health taken away from him. And yet, as we read in the first part of the book, he does not curse God. Yes, he questions the justice of God and God sort of reprimands him for that in the end, but he doesn’t abandon his faith or reject God. And because he endured, he grew closer to God and his life was restored.

Job chapter 42 verses two through three and then verse 10 say this. This is Job speaking in verses two through three. Talking about God. I know that you can do all things and that no plan is impossible for you. Who is this who conceals advice without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me, which I do not know. He says, God knows everything, I don’t. Who am I to question the justice of God? Who am I to question God? He knows all. His plans are never thwarted.

So this experience brought Job closer to God. Has a stronger relationship with him. But we also see in verse 10. of Job chapter 42, the Lord also restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends and the Lord increased double all that Job had. That’s what it says in verse 11 of James 5 when he says, and we have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings. The outcome of the Lord’s dealings is that Job grew closer to God but also that what he had was restored to him. God blessed him, he richly blessed him.

And James is telling these Christians to endure and have patience because God will end their suffering one day. James is not promising that the suffering is going to end the day they read this. He’s not promising it’s going to end in 10 years. But he is promising, and this is a true promise, that it will end when Christ returns.

But we need to remember something when we’re talking about suffering and trials and tribulations is that, and this is hard for us, the goal as we’re going through a trial is not, it shouldn’t be for the suffering to end. The goal is to grow closer to God. Now, like I said, that’s not me saying you need to want your trial, whatever it is, to endure and continue. That’s not what I’m saying. But we always need to have a theocentric mindset, a God-centered mindset, so that whatever we’re going through, it’s, Lord, this is hard, this is terrible, but I want to know you more. Whatever it is we’re going through, that should be the goal. And the glory of Christ’s return is far greater than what we are now experiencing. And that is important to remember. And it’s hard to remember as well, but it’s true.

Romans 8, verse 18, Paul says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Paul knew something about sufferings. Go read 2 Corinthians, where he talks about how he was shipwrecked, he was beaten, he was imprisoned. The guy went through a lot. And he’s talking about the sufferings of this present age, the trials we grow through.

But he says, he says, they’re not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. So what’s coming when Christ returns is far better, far more glorious than anything we’ve experienced. I want us to go back to that song we just sang that we opened our service with, Coming Again. Verse 3 says this. Standing before him at last trial and trouble all past crowns in his feet.

We will cast Jesus is coming again so when he returns and we stand before him at last all the trials and troubles are behind us and What we’re experiencing in the presence of our Lord and Savior He’s worked it in far more glorious than anything we could have experienced And James is providing great comfort to these Christians, this is not the end This will not be the end of you Do not be filled with discouragement and hopeless thoughts.

He is showing them that we have a compassionate and merciful God. God does not have to be merciful or compassionate. He does not have to send His Son back. He did not have to save anyone. But He did. He chose to do that. And He gives us the grace and mercy to endure our present sufferings and will one day send His Son back to earth. but we must be patient and wait on Christ. And as we look at this, these few verses in our own lives, we need to remember that we are to be patient.

Brothers and sisters of Fellowship Baptist, if you are in a season of oppression and trial, remember to always be trusting and hoping in God. He has not forgotten you, he hears you, and he is the only one with the power to ease your suffering, to give you the strength you need to endure it. And it may be that he allows you to deal with the trial most of your life. Pastor Ryan talked about this when he, I think it was his second sermon on John chapter nine with the blind man.

Some people deal with things their whole lives. But God will give the grace and mercy we need to endure it. And there are countless people throughout history where we see that as an example. I’m always amazed at the example of Johnny Erickson Tada, who I think when she was 17 or 18 years old, she became a quadriplegic. But the way God has used her throughout her whole life to show, hey, this isn’t the end, I can still glorify God, is amazing. And we see that God’s given grace and mercy to her to ease the suffering.

We should not seek to control everything in life, but lean on God. Lean on fellow brothers and sisters. Lean on the Word of God. Read what the scripture has to say. When you’re going through that difficult time, read Psalms. Read when David’s crying out to God because his son Absalom is chasing him in Psalm 3.

Read what James has to say. Sometimes we think to ourselves, I’m the only person on the planet who’s experienced that. Go to the Bible, you’ll see you’re not. And also talk to other people, you’ll realize you’re not. But go to the word of God. And when things get tough, don’t start grumbling. Don’t start complaining, especially against each other.

And we can look forward to the day when Christ will return and all pain and suffering will be gone. When He ushers in the new heavens and new earth and we can literally walk with our Lord and Savior. And we can talk with Him for all of eternity. In our glorified bodies there will be no pain, no suffering. All those saints from the Bible, all those people from church history, our family that we want to talk to, we can talk to them forever. Because Christ is coming back. And that will be a glorious day. It will be a glorious eternity. And finally, James talked about looking to the example of the Old Testament prophets, but let’s not forget to look to the example of Jesus Christ.

Because Christ faced opposition. Christ faced oppression. He was mocked, denied, betrayed, disfigured, and crucified, and He impatiently endured all of that for us. He was whipped, He was beaten, He had a crown of thorns thrust upon His head, the Son of God, God was mocked, and He did it all for us. And He didn’t call angels down to wipe out His oppressors.

He didn’t mock them back. He patiently endured all of that. So in those moments where we think, I can’t do this. How could I possibly be loving towards this person? Christ did. Our Savior did. He did it for us. And He didn’t do it because we deserve it or we could accomplish it. He did it because He chose to love us.

And to be patient in our suffering, we must first put our faith and trust in the one who has suffered the most. We must put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our Savior, if you are saved and you belong to Christ, He understands your suffering. better than anyone else. And that is great comfort. As we close, we need to remember that Christians must be patient in suffering. We must continue to trust and hope in God no matter what we are facing. We must not lose our patience with each other and become unloving.

We must patiently endure all that God allows us, that God allows to come our way, knowing that it will bring us closer to Him, and that one day Christ will return and usher in a new and eternal dawn. That is our hope of a Savior who will return. Please stand as we close in prayer and as we prepare to sing our final song for this morning’s service. Heavenly Father, we think about the words we just read and talked about, that we are to be patient in suffering and look forward to your son’s return, because he will return. Those are difficult words to live by, we recognize that, but you call us to live by them. And I pray that we do, that you strengthen our hearts and give us the strength to do it. And bless the rest of our service this morning. In Jesus’ name, amen.