We live in a world that wants instant gratification.  And let’s be honest—we’re right there too. When we want something we want it now! 

• We have fast food restaurants with drive through lanes for instant service.  And we get a little hot under the collar when the food is not ready when we pull up to the window.

• We have pay at the pump gas stations but we are still sort of annoyed because we really don’t like waiting for the receipt.

• We have ATMs so we can get instant cash when we need it—but we don’t like to drive around looking for one.

• We have credit cards so we can buy it now and pay for it later.

• We have high-speed internet because dial up just isn’t fast enough.

• We have remote controls so we can sit on our couch, drink a soda, chomp on some pretzels and change the channel on the TV at the same time.

• We have cell phones so we can reach anyone, anywhere at anytime.

• We have microwaves so we can heat up our pre-packaged dinners.

• We have instant pudding, minute-rice, microwavable popcorn, and on and on we could go.

We are by nature impatient people.  Athletes and coaches have a great propensity toward impatience because of the stress and expectations of winning. Yet as we come to James 5:7-11, we find the great admonition to “be patient”. 

The Book of James is an extremely practical letter written by James, the half brother of Jesus—the same James who guided the Jerusalem church and led the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.  It is referred to as one of the general epistles because it was written to a general audience (1:1 “to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad.”) and the theme of this great epistle centers around how our faith works in everyday life.

In James 5:1-6, James boldly addresses and condemns the unsaved rich who have pursued wealth and a life of pleasure and who have rejected Jesus Christ. Beginning in verse 7, James transitions away from the unsaved rich and speaks directly with his primary audience, these suffering Christians who have been dispersed abroad.

James 5:7-11“Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold for the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.  You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may be judged; behold the judge is standing right at the door.  As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  Behold, 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.”

In this brief passage, James gives THREE GREAT EXAMPLES of the patience we are to have as God’s people:

Example #1 “The Patient Farmer” (James 5:7-9)

• In verses 7-9, we find the example of the farmer who patiently awaits the harvest.

Example #2 “The Prophets of Old” (James 5:10)

• In verse 10, we are given the example of the prophets of old, who spoke in the name of the Lord and who suffered with great patience.

Example #3 “Job” (James 5:11)

• And then in verse 11, we are reminded of the blessed endurance and the great patience of Job.

Concentrating primarily on example #1 (“The Patient Farmer” in verses 7-9), there are FOUR IMPORTANT LESSONS for Christians as we patiently await for the coming of the Lord:

The FIRST IMPORTANT LESSON is…If you want to live a life pleasing to the Lord—you must practice patience.  

Before we look at the patience that we are to have, it is important to be reminded of the patience of God.

·      As God dealt with Moses and the nation of Israel in Exodus 34, He proclaimed of Himself—“The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth…”

 

·      David said of the Lord in Psalm 86:15, “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”

 

·      Peter speaks directly of the patience of God in I Peter 3:20, and then in 2 Peter 3:9 Peter says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

In chapter 5 and verses 7 James tells these suffering Christians to “be patient” and then he repeats himself in verse 8. 

This word “patient” here is the Greek word makrothumeo.  It is a compound word from makros which means ‘long” and thumos which means “anger”.  And so in our vernacular it means, “long-tempered”.  It’s the polar opposite of short-tempered. We have all met people with a short fuse.  This word makrothumeo means to have an endless fuse.

While the directive to “be patient” is a universal principle that applies to all, someone (probably a woman) once wrote this little poem…

Patience is a virtue,

Possess it if you can.

Found seldom in a woman,

And, never in a man.

That being said, I believe my grandpa had the longest fuse of anyone I have ever met and so he must be the exception to this little poem here.  My grandma had a way of chronically nagging my grandpa but he was always so patient.  One day he and I were fishing and he mentioned something to me about grandma and I mentioned to him how patient I thought he was with her. He said, “Duke, when your grandma starts her nagging I just slowly reach up to my ear and turn down my hearing aids and she can nag all she wants”.  My grandpa was a true example of someone who practiced long-tempered, makrothumeo patience.

It’s interesting, when James instructs these scattered, suffering Christians to “endure” in James 1:2-4 he uses a different Greek word.  “Endure” in 1:2-4 is the Greek word hupomone which means to patiently endure the circumstances of life.

Our word for “patient” back in James 5 doesn’t refer to circumstances but to people.  While each of these words emphasize different aspects of the patience we are to have, both are essential as we strive to honor Christ.

Over and over in the Scriptures we as God’s people are instructed to “be patient”.   

·      In Colossians 3:12, we are told to “put on a heart of…patience”

 

·      In I Thessalonians 5:14 we are instructed to “be patient with every one”

 

·      Not only are we instructed over and over to “be patient” we learn in Galatians 5 that “patience” is a fruit of the Spirit.

James says that we are to “practice” patience.  This indicates that there is work involved and shows a great need for resoluteness and determination.

2.    The SECOND IMPORTANT LESSON for Christians as we patiently await the coming of the Lord is…While we often want instant gratification, it usually isn’t God’s design.

We live in a world that wants instant gratification.  A good example of this is the millions and millions of people who play the lottery.  They want to plop down a quick twenty bucks in hopes they can make a cool 20 million.

But the lottery mentality is not what God prescribes in His word.   In the realm of athletics, we are seeing more and more athletes using steroids to obtain instant gratification rather spending the necessary time in the gym that is required to get those same results.

Here in verse 7, James uses the illustration of the farmer.  The farmer patiently waits for his crop to come in.

When James refers to the early and late rains (vs. 7) his readers understood just how long the farmer had to patiently wait.  The early rains in Palestine arrive at the time of the fall planting season (October and November), the late rains just before harvest time (March and April).

The illustration of the farmer patiently awaiting his crop mirrors the patience that we are to have as we await the coming of the Lord. There is no instant gratification for the farmer—he patiently waits for his crop to come in.

The THIRD IMPORTANT LESSON for Christians as we patiently await the coming of the Lord is…More often than not, the fruit of impatience is wrecked relationships.

A person that is impatient is likely to be a complainer (vs. 9)—one who blames others.  James tells these suffering Christians to not complain against one another lest they come under judgment when they stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10; I Corinthians 4:5).

I have been around a number of unwise, immature people in my life who, if they become impatient with someone or something, they will go on the attack against another.  They are the consummate bridge burners.  They fly off the handle, make accusations and then want everything to be ok when they cool off.  This is, no doubt, what these suffering Christians were prone to under the weight of their trials.  James strongly condemns this kind of behavior and lays out the warning here not to do it. 

Impatient people, chronic complainers, people who are always casting blame at others—often think they are really something.  But James says you may get away with that on this earth but wait until you stand before the Lord.  The Judge is watching and listening…

The FOURTH IMPORTANT LESSON for Christians as we patiently await the coming  of the Lord is…Chronic complaining questions the sovereignty of God.

This is really just a practical point born out of the admonition in verse 9.  But it is important.

I remember sitting in my first theology class at Bible College and the professor said, “worry and impatience is practical atheism.”  In other words, an impatient person loses track of the fact that God is in control.  Among other clear passages, Romans 9 lays out for us in great detail that God has foreordained all things and He is in complete control. He actively brings circumstances and people into our lives for our ultimate good—refining us and making us more like His Son, Jesus Christ.  While open theists suggest that God does not fully know the future, the Scriptures teach otherwise.

Every aspect of our life should bathed in patience.  I Corinthians 13 tells us that “love is patient”.  So as we truly love one another we are to be patient.  2 Timothy 2:24 tells us as servants of Christ we are even to be “patient when wronged”.

As we have briefly reviewed James 5:7-9, the overarching lesson is this—we are not to be like the world who succumbs to the pressure of their circumstances, but we are to be like the patient (long-tempered) farmer in our dealings with people (and circumstances) as we all patiently await the coming of the Lord.  And what a glorious day that will be!