James 5:7-11

Bringing the sermon home:

James now elaborates upon the word of comfort for crushed Christians that was embedded in the preceding word of warning for the wicked wealthy, assuring the oppressed that their cries “have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts” (v. 4), and that “the coming of the Lord is at hand” (v. 8). The vindication and glorification of every believer is coming, and so we are called to “be patient,” but this is easier said than done!
 
From the example of the farmer, we see that patiently waiting on the Lord requires the humility to accept that God is God and we are not. We must draw a clear line between what little is in our control and what all must be entrusted to the Lord. We then see that grumbling against one another is a symptom of unbelief that God is among us. Unlike the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 17:7), patiently waiting on the Lord requires the faith to believe that God truly is at work in our lives, even when things get rough.
 
Finally, in drawing our attention to the steadfastness of Job, we see that patiently waiting on the Lord requires the wisdom to trust that God knows what He’s doing. Job’s questions about why God was permitting such suffering to befall him were never answered, and yet, Job was given the wisdom to trust God in it. Ask God for this wisdom (1:5), and you too will be enabled to patiently wait for the coming of the Lord.

Sermon Outline:

Waiting on the Lord requires:

1. the humility to accept that God is God and that we are not (vv. 7-8)
2. the faith to believe that God is at work in our lives (v. 9)
3. the wisdom to trust that God knows what He’s doing (vv. 10-11)