“I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” That’s what Jesus said to Peter prior to his crucifixion. He knew that Peter was about to come under enormous temptation and that the stress and tension of a threat to his own safety would rock him. And it did. Peter went from proclaiming, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33) to swearing, “I do not know the man” (Matt 26:74) only a bit later.
This episode in Peter’s life is a reminder to all of us that times of great suffering, stress, and/or persecution can be a ripe opportunity for sin. Just as books can be written about believers who refused to deny the name of Christ even as they were tortured, stoned, sawn in two, and killed with the sword, so could the stories be multiplied of individuals who refused to obey Christ as times got stressful and difficult.
Is there any wonder, then, why James starts this book by encouraging steadfast faith and endurance amidst our struggles and then focuses so strongly on rebuking sin? James moves from this call to joy and endurance in the midst of trials to rebuking sin because of the reality we see in Peter’s life. The stress of suffering will either lead to endurance, steadfast faith, and greater maturity, or it will lead to sin. This is what we saw in James 1:1-18. And with many to whom James was writing, their suffering had led to sin. Sometimes that sin was manifested in showing partiality to the rich man – the very ones who were persecuting them. In some cases it had led to an abandonment of holiness and an arrogant spirit that showed itself in slander and gossip, as James’ audience were using their tongues to destroy their brothers. Therefore, in this final chapter, James brings together once more these two poles, as he uses these verses to encourage his hearers to endure amidst struggles and trials and warns them once more against sin that would result in their condemnation.
So, as we come to James 5:7-12 James has two agendas: 1) to encourage believers to patient endurance, as they await the coming of the Lord, and 2) to warn them against sinful speech lest they find themselves condemned on that final day. It is fitting in light of the whole of this letter, and it is helpful for us to be reminded of these two things again lest we leave this letter and forget the two main controlling issues in this epistle. So, turning to these verses, James first reminds us that we must faithfully and patiently endure suffering as we wait for the coming of the Lord.
The fact that patient and steadfast endurance is the call of these verses does not require some kind of special discernment. James writes in verses 7-8, “Be 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 earthly and late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” Then again in verses 10-11, “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, 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.”
James acknowledges that we will have suffering and trials. He’s already reminded us at the beginning of this letter that we will encounter trials of various kinds in life. We go through the deaths of loved ones, fight health-related issues, battle with depression, have pain in relationships, are persecuted, and on and on and on. Trials will come; suffering will be present in our lives. In fact, Jesus reminds us that if the world hated and persecuted him, it will hate and persecute his followers as well. So what do we do? James tells us that we are to endure with patience and steadfastness, awaiting the certain coming of the Lord.
That is, there is coming a day when Christ will return and all will be right. There will be no more sickness, pain, death, sin, or Satan. Tornadoes will no longer demolish buildings with people inside and earthquakes and disease will no longer leave thousands orphaned. But until that day comes, we are to be patient and steadfast, holding to our faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. But how do we patiently endure all the evil around us and the suffering we go through as we await the Lord’s return? James tells us that we need to consider three things.
First, consider the certain coming of the Lord.
That is, James wants us to know that though the Lord’s return may be far off, we can know that it is certain. James gives us an example of the farmer in Palestine. He writes, “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains” (v. 7). You see, in Palestine there would be an early rain in about October, and this would enable the easily planting and germinating of the seed. And there was a late rain that would come about March or April that would cause the grain to swell and guarantee a good crop. So, the farmer would plant his seed, get that early rain, and then just wait patiently, knowing that the hope for his harvest lay in a coming rain that was still half a year away. Consider that farmer’s patience as he waited for those long months.
The first car I bought (which is the one I still currently drive) was from a used car salesman in Paducah named J. C. Swinford. J. C. is a believer who was very gracious to me and allowed me to buy two vehicles from him right at his cost. Each time he told me that he was going to give me the vehicle at cost, he’d tell me that he could afford to do this because my dad had bought so many cars from him over the years. This always gave my dad an opportunity to point out that he considered it unjust that he spent all the money and I got the payoff, and it gave me an opportunity to encourage my dad not to begrudge another believer’s generosity.
But our two cars are not the only thing that I bought from J. C. in my life. I also bought from him my wife’s wedding ring. This came about as one day Dad and I were on J. C.’s lot and I told him that I was soon going to propose to a girl. To my surprise, J. C. said, “Well, if you ever need to buy a ring, I can give you a good deal on an engagement ring.” Seeing my bewildered look, he then told me that most of his life was spent in the jewelry business. In fact, he’d gotten into selling cars after years and years of selling jewelry. And when I asked him why he had transitioned from selling jewelry to selling cars, he said that after three heart attacks, he just couldn’t stay in the jewelry business.
Now, before that day, I wouldn’t have know that selling jewelry would be any more demanding than selling cars. But J. C. told me that the way it worked is that he would have to buy all his year’s inventory in January so that he could have a full display all year long for anyone who might want to buy a ring or something for a wife or girlfriend on her birthday or the like. However, ninety-five percent of his yearly sales came during the week of December 23rd to New Year’s Eve. Therefore, you’d spend eleven months looking at the books and seeing that you’re carrying all kinds of debt before finally making enough profit over the last week of the year to make the entire year a financial success.
But you can imagine the stress of coming to work every day, looking at the books, and thinking, “Business is terrible.” You can imagine the fear of thinking, “What if there’s some kind of a blizzard or something and no one gets out and buys jewelry that last week of the year?” J. C. said that every year without exception he made money. But three of those years he had a heart attack because though he knew the end of the year and its profit was coming, he couldn’t get his eyes off the discouraging numbers in front of him for eleven months.
Similarly, James tells us not to set our focus on this world and our present suffering but to consider that the Lord’s coming is certain. Just as the farmer waits, knowing that late rain is coming, so James tells us, “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (v. 8).
Christ is coming back. It is near. We don’t know how near, but in the history of the world, we’re closer to the return of Christ than anyone who’s lived. And it could be any day. We don’t know when Christ is returning, but we know that his return is certain. Therefore, James tells us to be patient and establish your hearts. Be steadfast and endure, reminding yourself that Christ’s return is certain. Can you imagine if J. C. one year had said, “I can’t take it any more, I’m going to take my losses and close shop” the first week of December? We would say, “Brother, I know it’s hard, but there is a payoff right at hand. Be steadfast and patient.” That’s what James is saying to us.
And, to encourage us more in steadfastness and patience as we await the certain coming of our Lord, James also reminds us of the fact that we consider the prophets blessed.
Second, consider the example of the prophets whom we count blessed.
James writes in verses 10-11a, “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.”
James tells us to consider the example of the prophets. Were their lives full of suffering? Certainly they were. A glimpse of Hebrews 11 reminds us of our brothers and sisters who were thrown in lions’ dens, tortured, imprisoned, mocked, flogged, stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword, put in skins of sheep and goats and hunted, wandering about in dens and caves and deserts and mountains. Jeremiah’s suffering as he obeyed the Lord was so trying that he repeatedly questioned the Lord as to why the wicked were prospering and asked him, “Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?” (Jer 15:18). Again, later he said, “O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived” and asked, “Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?” (Jer 20:7, 18).
And this was a man who knew God, one whom God told that he knew him and called him to himself even when he was in the womb. Was the road of obedience that the Lord had for Jeremiah a hard one? You better believe it was. You don’t just say the things Jeremiah says in those verses while battling a hangnail. He suffered intensely. But consider him now. Do you consider him blessed? Of course you do. Why? Isn’t it because he’s with the Lord.
You see, if you could speak to Jeremiah in the midst of his suffering you would tell him, “Endure. Be patient. Be steadfast,” wouldn’t you? You would tell him this because you’ve seen the end for him. You know what’s coming. You’d say, “Compared to the weight and eternal nature of the glory you’re getting to experience, this affliction is light and momentary. I’ve seen the end; you’re blessed.”
James tells us to consider these men. You’re exactly right they’re blessed, so speak the same thing to yourself. Your calling right now may be hard. Maybe it’s obeying the Lord though you’re a single mother, without a spouse, or unable to have children. Maybe obedience means that you’re in a dangerous place, do a job that leaves you with little income, or exposes you to hardship. James tells us to consider the prophets and consider that they are blessed as we are tempted to shrink back and abandon hold of the faith.
Finally, he tells us to consider the compassion and mercy of God.
He writes in 11b-12, “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” James tells us to consider Job’s steadfastness. He had every reason to want to curse God and die as his wife told him. He suffered in every single way imaginable. He lost his family, his wealth, and his health, experienced rejection and verbal onslaught from his wife and friends. And it went on and on and on. But was God out to get Job? Was God like a little boy punishing a helpless little bug on the ground? No, he wasn’t. The book ends with Job being blessed by God and being made a more righteous man. So, James tells us to consider Job so that we might consider God’s compassion and mercy.
God is a good God. He gives good gifts and loves his children. So, right now, as you’re going through a struggling time and are tempting to give up and shrink back from your faithful obedience to Christ, consider that the Lord’s return is certain, that those who endure are blessed, and that the God who is over all events in your life does not even let one hair from your head fall to the ground apart from his knowledge, loves you enough to send his Son for your redemption, and is compassionate and merciful toward you. Let these be weapons for us as we patiently endure suffering and hardship, holding fast to our faith as we await the coming of the Lord.
And though it’d be nice just to end there, James also includes a warning in these verses. Not only does James encourage us to patiently endure, he warns us against giving ourselves over to sin in the midst of our trials, lest we face judgment.
Now, we anticipate this, don’t we? After encouraging us to take joy in light of what the Lord is purposing through our suffering in 1:1-11, James warned us against allowing our suffering to push us to sin and even claiming that God tempted us in that suffering. Rather, James reminds us that when we sin in the midst of our suffering, it’s because we’re lured away by our own sinful desires that bring forth death.
Similarly, James warns us in these verses not to sin with our tongues in the midst of enduring suffering. First, he writes in verse 9, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at your door.”
See, one way that those to whom James wrote this letter were sinning was by grumbling against their brothers. And, we react the same way, don’t we? Sometimes when we’re struggling ourselves we turn and lash out against others. We come home from a hard day and grumble against our spouses, kids, or roommates. We’re having struggles raising our kids and gossip about how we disapprove of the way others parents and raising their children. Struggles and suffering can be a time when we grow in persevering faith or we sin, most easily with our tongues.
Similarly in verse 12 James warns us against swearing or taking oaths. Now, he’s not here condemning something we would have to do in court. Rather, he’s warning us against becoming the kind of people whose word is untrustworthy. Why would you make someone take an oath or swear? Isn’t it because at some level you don’t trust that they are true to their word? Well, James tells us that we must be people of our word. He writes, “But above all, my brothers, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” In the midst of our struggles, we must be people who do not sin with our tongues but are people of our word.
So James warns us against this and warns us that if we go down this road of sin and ultimately show ourselves not to be believers, never to have truly been justified, then when the Lord returns, we will not find ourselves rejoicing as we await our Savior but mourning as we meet our Judge. In both verse 9 and verse 12, James speaks of the fact that whether we remain steadfast in the faith or choose the road of sin is not the difference between buying this cereal or that one. It’s not like either is fine but you might enjoy one more than the other. No, to not endure in the faith and pursue sin, showing yourself never to have been saved means that you will face Christ as Judge (v. 9) and that you will fall under condemnation (v. 12).
You see, the coming of the Lord cuts both ways. For those whose faith is in Christ, we eagerly await the coming of our Lord as the day when we will finally be delivered from our suffering, pain, and sin. For those who do not hold to faith in Christ, his coming will mean the arrival of their judge and their condemnation. Therefore, what are we called to do? Does this mean that we scramble around and make sure we’re living perfectly so that the Lord will not condemn us on that final day? Of course not, that’d be hopeless. Rather, this text reminds us to once again repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who lived perfectly for us, died to pay for our sins, and was raised on the third day. Then, as those who are justified by faith, this text reminds us to hold fast to this faith, considering that the Lord’s return is certain, that those who suffer in this life and die in faith are blessed, and that the Lord is gracious, merciful, and compassionate. So, let us even now as we close the service proclaim once more our faith this day in the crucified and risen Lord as we come to the table, eat of this bread, and drink from this cup. Amen.