Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from James 5. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- It is really hard to wait for really good things to come. We can remember the expectations we had as little children, when we knew something good was coming – how slowly the time seemed to pass and how difficult the waiting was!
- I guess this is also the way it should be for us Christians, who are awaiting all of the wondrous good things that will be ours when the Lord Jesus returns in glory. Much of the Old Testament Lesson describes the beauty and blessedness of what is coming to us.
- So the apostle James encourages Christians to be patient in our “waiting” for the “coming of the Lord.” Well, we don’t need to be patient if we don’t believe that He is coming again – or if we get so busy with earthly affairs that we all but forget about His return in glory. And I think that for some Christians, this is exactly what has happened – although this is unbelievable if we really know and believe God’s Word in regard to the “coming of the Lord” and the blessings to come!
- So perhaps it is important for us to first be absolutely sure that we understand and keep in mind that:
I. The Lord’s Coming Is At Hand
Text: “You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Statement: Jesus taught the same, that we should be ready at all times in that we will not know the day or the hour of His return. All of the apostles assumed that Jesus’ return was imminent, that it could happen at any moment. They taught this, and as a consequence they also had to counsel the early Christians to be “WAITING PATIENTLY.”
James uses the example of farmers – who know and understand that the harvest for which they have toiled in expectation has its own timing. But farmers must be ready for the opportune time to harvest. They cannot press on and harvest too soon – for this would ruin everything, destroying the crop they worked so hard for. Neither can they be unprepared for the harvest, for waiting too long would have the same effect – destroying and wasting the crop they labored to obtain.
Application: So also we must be ready – eager and expectant; but we must also have patience, for the Lord is surely coming, but we leave it in His hands as to the opportune moment! We should have enough excitement and eagerness that patience each day in waiting for the Lord’s coming is required of us. It is a hard balance to maintain, but an important one – if we are to respect God’s Word and heed the counsel of our dear Savior.
Transition: So what should we do to maintain this balance, to be prepared and eager but to also have patience? James encourages us to:
II. Establish Your Hearts
A. To Remain Firm In True Faith At All Times
Text: “You have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
B. To Remain Patient Also In Our Love For One Another
Text: “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”
C. We Are To Remain Steadfast In All Suffering
Text: “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 remain steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job and seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
Statement: Nothing is more important than knowing and believing the love that God has for us, especially the love shown us in the gift of His Son Jesus, our dear Savior. In Jesus we especially see the compassion and mercy of the Lord. He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, so that in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Now everyone who believes in Him has eternal life – and peace with God.
Those who know God’s love are empowered and compelled to have the same love for others – so that we do not grumble against others and judge them, but rather have the same compassion and mercy toward them as we have received from God. This is tremendously important – whether in marriage, with our children, within the church, or with all other people. The greatest reality is not “right and wrong” – we are all sinners, in the wrong; the greatest reality is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our trespasses against us.
So those who know and believe God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, who establish their hearts in God’s love, compassion, and mercy, are able to withstand all manner of evil, persecution, and wickedness perpetrated against them. They know God’s purpose, and His timing, that they will be preserved and delivered!
Application: So we too are encouraged to establish our hearts in God’s love, mercy, and compassion – by hearing and learning His Word, and by participating in His Sacrament, His body and blood “given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.” Then we also will be kind, compassionate, merciful and loving toward others. Then we will also be imbued with the patience we need to eagerly await the coming of the Lord!
Conclusion: So it is that we too “consider those blessed who remain steadfast,” those who remain steadfast in faith in God’s love and compassion, steadfast in patience and kindness toward others, and steadfast in “WAITING PATIENTLY” for the Lord’s return!
The whole life and blessedness of the church – which then extends, preserves, and strengthens this blessed steadfastness in others – is dependent on our being established in faith and the knowledge of God’s purpose, His compassion and mercy! Each of us must consider these things for our own life and being – but we should understand the effect that our faith, patience, kindness, compassion, and mercy has upon others. Ultimately, much is at stake!
I suppose we could just forget about the Lord’s coming – but then all of this would fizzle away and become of little importance! What blessedness would be lost! So it is important for us to keep kindled and alive eagerness and yearning for the Lord’s return. I guess this is another way in which we are to remain like little children! But as we do so we must also remember the importance of “WAITING PATIENTLY,” so that we contribute to the Lord’s purpose – that of building up His kingdom, His church!
God grant such blessedness and constancy to each of us, and to our whole congregation! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.