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Grace Bible Church

4000 E. Collins Rd.   P.O. Box #3762   Gillette, WY  82717   (307) 686-1516

 

- Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 -

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT THE FRUIT OF PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE

 (James 5:7-11)    1-23-13

Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming

Pastor Daryl Hilbert

 

I.     EXHIBIT PATIENCE WITH ALL MEN (7-8)

 

A.    Be Patient Like the Farmer (7)

1.     James spoke of the evils and judgment of greed and self-indulgence upon the rich in Jm 5:1-6. In those verses, James referred to the unbelieving rich and their eternal punishment (“miseries,” “consume your flesh like fire,” “day of slaughter”). How should believers (“brethren”), who are being oppressed by the rich, respond? Beginning with “therefore” (oun - conjunction, therefore, so, consequently), James instructs them how to respond.

2.     He gives them the imperative to “be patient” (“You must be patient”). “Patient” is the Greek word makrothume,ō and literally means to have a “long (makro) temper (thumos - passion or emotion)” as opposed to having a short temper. This word is usually associated with people rather than circumstances (Mt 18:26; 1Co 13:4; 1Th 5:14). They were to have patience with all people, even with those who oppressed them.

3.     They were to have patience “until” (he,ōs - temporal conjunction) the coming of the Lord. Someday there would be an end to all their oppression and suffering.

4.     They were to be patient like the farmer (geōrgo,s - gê, - earth and e,rgon - work, i.e “earth worker”). The farmer patiently “waits” (ekde,chomai - expectantly wait, look for) for his seeds to grow. It is fruit that is precious (ti,mios - valued or honored, Eng. Timothy) to him. So he looks, he expects, he inspects, he waits, and it grows.

5.     All the while he is patient (makrothume,ō, same word) and does not lose his temper as he waits.

6.     He is waiting “until” (he,ōs, same word) the soil is watered by the early and late rains. In Palestine, the “early” rains come during the time of planting (Oct. Nov.) and the “late” rains come just before the time harvesting (Mar. Apr.).

B.    Be Strengthened by the Coming of the Lord (8)

1.     It is made personal and emphatic (humei,s - personal pronoun “you”) as in “You yourselves also be patient.” In other words, James’ readers were not to respond to their oppressors by losing their tempers or testimonies. “Patient” (makrothume,ō) not only carries the element of restraint, but sometimes it refers to the idea of expectancy (cf. Jm 5:7).

2.     Their hearts would be strengthened (stêrizō - stabilize or make firm and strong) as they expectantly waited for the coming of the Lord. At the coming of the Lord, their tribulation would end and they would receive their desired harvest, i.e. eternal life in the presence of Christ as well as rewards.

3.     James encouraged them by informing them the coming of the Lord is “near” (eggi,zō - soon approach, drawing near, Ro 13:12; 1Pe 4:7; He 10:25; Re 1:3). This does not refer to any kind of date setting for the Lord’s return. In fact, we are told from Scripture not to do so (Mt 24:36; Ac 1:7). However, every generation of believers is to expect the imminent return of Christ as if it could be in their time (Jn 14:2-3; 1Th 1:10; Tit 2:13; 1Jn 2:28). The word “coming” is the Greek word parousia, and literally means “being alongside” or “present alongside.” It is used for both the Rapture (1Th 2:19; 4:15) and the Second Coming (2Th 2:8). Sometimes it is difficult to be dogmatic to which it refers. Pretribulationalists understand the Second Coming with two phases: 1) the Rapture, when the Lord comes for the church, and afterwards 2) the Glorious Appearing, when the Lord appears and judges the world.

C.    Do not Grumble Lest you Be Judged (9)

1.     They were to be patient and strengthened by looking for the coming of the Lord rather than grumbling and complaining about their trials and difficulties.

2.     He commands them to literally “stop complaining” (a negative with a present imperative from stena,zō - here negatively groan or grumble with discontent inwardly and outwardly). They were grumbling against their oppressors as well as “one another.”

3.     James warns them that they need to stop or they would be judged, not in the sense of losing their salvation, but in the sense of losing rewards (2Jn 1:8). James adds that the Judge was standing right at the door, another reference to imminent return of Christ.

4.     Along with the anticipation of the coming of the Lord is the apprehension of losing rewards through grumbling attitudes. Grumbling is a sin in the Scriptures, because when we grumble, we are ultimately grumbling at the Lord (Nu 14:27-30) and the believer is to do all things without grumbling (Php 2:14; Col 3:13).

 

II.    EXHIBIT PERSEVERANCE IN SUFFERING (10-11)

 

A.    Learn from the Example of the Prophets (10)

1.     James’ readers must take the example (hupo,deigma - figure, copy, model) from the prophets. They would give them the example of “suffering” (kakopa,theia - facing evil circumstances courageously) and “patience” (makrothumi,a - noun form of makrothume,ō).

2.     The prophets “spoke in the name of the Lord” making them God’s spokesmen and representatives. Because of this, they suffered hardship and persecution (Mt 23:31, 37; Ac 7:52). Ex.: Moses (Ex 17:4), Elijah (1Ki 19:1-2), Jeremiah (Je 20:2; 32:2), Daniel (Da 6:16), Amos (Am 7:10-13), and John the Baptist (Mt 14:10).

B.    Learn from the Example of Job (11)

1.     In spite of this, the prophets endured (hupome,nō - lit. remain under, persevere or endure) all these things and continued to be faithful and serve the Lord (cf. He 12:1). In fact, James’ readers (and all believers) regarded them to be “blessed” by God.

2.     James also uses Job as an example of “endurance” (hupomonê,, noun form of hupome,). Literally, if you look up the name Job in the dictionary (Webster’s), endurance is used to describe him.

3.     It is significant that James does not speak of Job’s patience for despite the popular phrase “the patience of Job,” he hardly exemplified that quality (cf. Job 12:2; 13:3–4; 16:2). He was, however, an outstanding example of perseverance in the most trying situations (cf. Job 1:21–22; 2:10; 13:15; 19:25–27). (Expositor’s Commentary in loc.)

4.     Not only does James refer to Job’s perseverance, but also “the outcome of the Lord’s dealings.” “Outcome” is the Greek word te,los and can mean end, result, or purpose. The result and purpose was to glorify the Lord, His sovereignty, His attributes of “compassion and mercy,” and ultimately bless His children, if not in this life, certainly the next.

5.     The outcome or purpose of the Lord’s dealings with Job provides hope for all who patiently endure suffering. There were at least four important divine purposes for Job’s suffering: to test his faith and prove it genuine; to thwart Satan’s attempt to destroy that faith; to strengthen Job’s faith and enable him to see God more clearly; and to increase Job’s blessedness [Jb 42:10-17]. All those purposes were realized because despite all his trials Job remained loyal to God. (MacArthur Commentary in loc.)

 

III.  OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

 

A.    James does not question the extremely difficult trials that his readers were going through. Nor does he assume that the Christian life is easy. However, he exhorts them not to respond in a carnal and worldly way, but rather in the way other saints have persevered…

B.    By being long tempered they would not ruin their testimonies.

C.    By looking for the Lord’s return, their hearts would be strengthened.

D.    By understanding that we are accountable to the Lord for our attitudes and actions, we are motivated to curb our natural responses.

E.    By looking at the example of others who have persevered, we can attempt to emulate them.

F.     By knowing that the Lord is compassionate and merciful, we can rest in His love.

G.    With all of these, we can persevere, glorify God, and count it all joy when we fall into all kinds of trials.