James 5:7- 12 (NKJV)

1. James 5:7-12(NKJV) 7Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

2. James 5:7-12(NKJV) 10My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

3. Patience, My Brother James 5:7-12

4. Patience, My Brother • Tonight we look at another portion of the book of James • We are in the last chapter, chapter 5, verses 7-12 • There is a very important subject addressed here by James • It pertains to us all

5. Patience, My Brother • James has just finished with some choice words for those Jews who trusted in their riches rather than God • If you remember, it was those same rich men that oppressed them and drug them into the courts • So James now turns to the faithful

6. Patience, My Brother • James’ message is a very simple one • It is a message of patience • James wishes to give them hope; a light at the end of the tunnel • James is not speaking of patience in the everyday sense of the word

7. Patience, My Brother • The word patience here deals more with longsuffering or endurance • So what exactly does James teach us about the idea of endurance? • What he says here may be one of the most important things that you and I can learn in our Christian walk

8. Patience, My Brother • 1. Value of patience (v. 7) • James begins by simply telling us to be patient until the coming of the Lord • That, however, is often easier said than done • James wants us to continue our spiritual walk, no matter what obstacles or persecutions may come our way

9. Patience, My Brother • 1. Value of patience (v. 7) • James is trying to give hope by pointing to the coming of the Lord • To get us to understand how important this longsuffering is, James gives an example • He speaks of the farmer who patiently waits for his crops

10. Patience, My Brother • 1. Value of patience (v. 7) • If a farmer can endure to see his crops grow to maturity, why can’t we also wait until the coming of the Lord? • Is not heaven worth more than a crop? • If heaven is the greater prize, why would we give up, quit, and walk away?

11. Patience, My Brother • 2. Means of patience (v. 8) • James also gives us some instruction on how we can be patient • “Establish your hearts” • James tells us to strengthen or make firm our hearts (minds) • That means setting our minds on the spiritual

12. Patience, My Brother • 2. Means of patience (v. 8) • We cannot let things pull our focus away from the Lord • Asaph (David) said that his feet had almost stumbled when he saw the prosperity of the wicked (Ps. 73) • We establish our hearts by being steadfast in His works and meditating on His word

13. Patience, My Brother • 2. Means of patience (v. 8) • We are told over and over to focus on the things above, including Christ (Col. 3:1-2; Heb. 12:1-2) • Our thoughts should always be centered on those things which are good and pure (Phil. 4:8)

14. Patience, My Brother • 3. Attitude of patience (v. 9) • Is patience truly patience if we grumble, murmur, and complain all while we wait and endure? • Would anyone have called the COI a patient people as they wandered through the wilderness?

15. Patience, My Brother • 3. Attitude of patience (v. 9) • Therefore James reveals the attitude of patience • Patience and endurance are to be had without the attitude of grumbling • All grumbling does is make everyone else miserable

16. Patience, My Brother • 3. Attitude of patience (v. 9) • Grumbling and complaining means that we are focusing upon all the wrongs that are done to us • Instead we ought to focus upon God, His promises, and His many blessings • That will help us be able to endure

17. Patience, My Brother • 4. Examples of patience (vs. 10-11) • How would we ever learn without examples to look to? • James gives us a couple of these to think about • He speaks first of the prophets and what they had to endure in the name of the Lord

18. Patience, My Brother • 4. Examples of patience (vs. 10-11) • Men like Jeremiah who almost gave up (Jer. 20:8-9) • Men like Elijah who became discouraged after having his life threatened (I Kings 19) • We could go on and on looking at the prophets that endured despite persecution

19. Patience, My Brother • 4. Examples of patience (vs. 10-11) • He also mentions the patience of Job • Job didn’t know how his story would turn out, nor why all those things happened to him • Yet he remained faithful to the Lord despite all of that (Job 13:15) and God showed him compassion and mercy

20. Patience, My Brother • 5. Commitment of patience (v. 12) • James finishes by speaking about an issue that those in that day were having • The issue was that they were taking oaths by heaven and other things • While we may look and say that is not something we do, it does still apply today

21. Patience, My Brother • 5. Commitment of patience (v. 12) • The main point being made here is that if we say we are going to do something, then we need to do it • We should be men and women of our word • That includes making a commitment to the Lord

22. Patience, My Brother • 5. Commitment of patience (v. 12) • If we say that we are going to be Christians, then let’s be Christians • If we say that we will do something, we need to do it no matter what (Ps. 15:4) • Remember that we all made a commitment, and we need to have the patience to keep it