James
Patience of Job
I don’t think we realize how natural evil and suffering is
The Bible says “All have sinned and fall short” Romans 8:23
Evil is the nature of our humanity
Without God’s intervention, we self-destruct
The corruption of the world is increasing as it was in the days of the prophets
And the day of James and in our day
We, too, must have the patience of Job and hold on to our integrity (innocence)
Who knows how God’s “Grace” will work
God’s Grace has been seen in every story of evil and suffering times
Our patience in the time of suffering always produces God’s Grace
His favor may come in this life time, but if not, it will come for all eternity
Our suffering is only a tear in the ocean
Our suffering is only a day in all eternity
Don’t make a big deal out of suffering
Make a big deal out of God’s Grace
Patience of Job
I don’t think we realize how
natural evil and suffering is.
The Bible says…
“All have sinned and fall short.”
Romans 8:23
Evil is the nature of our humanity.
Without God’s intervention, we self-destruct.
I find it so hard to wrap my head
around the evil in America…
The hate, the lying, cheating, the abuse
of our sexuality, the killing of babies
and the killing in our streets.
Government has become so
corrupt, trust is almost gone.
I have watched the cycle, in my almost
70 years, of this increase of evil.
This cycle is nothing new.
James tell us to consider…
“The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
James 5:10
What are we to consider?
God has sent prophets through-
out history to warn people.
Remember Noah…
The world Noah and his family lived
in had become filled with evil.
Remember Moses…
He grew up seeing the continuing
oppression of his people.
Than saw the growing lack of faith
as they went into the Promise Land.
Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel,
Jeremiah, Amos and others…
Saw evil and hard times.
And God spoke to them to stand on
His Word through those times.
Imagine the perseverance these prophets had to have.
Remember Elijah…
He saw prophets like himself killed
and he thought he was the only one left
who had not bowed his knee to Baal.
Romans 11:1 asks the question…
Did God reject his people? By no means!
Elijah gave up on God’s people.
God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he appealed to God against Israel: "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
Romans 11:2-6
It was bad in Elijah’s time…
But there was still God’s “Grace”.
James asks us to consider Job.
When I was in the 5th grade,
my English teacher gave me the
Book of Job as a book report, in
hopes it would discourage my faith.
Job, a righteous man, did not deserve
the things that came upon him.
He did not understand why he was suffering.
A key verse in the story comes from his wife…
His wife said to him,
"Are you still holding on to your integrity?
Curse God and die!"
Job 2:9
Notice she says, “holding on to your integrity”.
Job did not understand.
And truth be known…
You and I have questions.
But Job did not let go of his integrity.
He had trust in God.
Job questioned God and God’s answer was…
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Job 38:4
Job, like you and I, have
to hold on to our integrity.
We have to hold on to our trust in God
whose ways are above our ways.
Jesus says…
Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:
but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Matthew 10:22
All this sounds hard and it is.
Job’s accuser is our accuser.
"Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Revelation 12:10-11
The corruption of the world is increasing
as it was in the days of the prophets and
the day of James and in our day.
We, too, must have the patience of Job
and hold on to our integrity (innocence).
Who knows how God’s “Grace” will work?
God’s Grace has been seen in
every story of evil and suffering times.
Our patience in the time of suffering
always produces God’s Grace.
His favor may come in this life time,
but if not, it will come for all eternity.
Our suffering is only a tear in the ocean.
Our suffering is only a day in all eternity.
Don’t make a big deal out of suffering.
Make a big deal out of God’s Grace.
Scripture Reading
James 5:10-11 NIV
10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
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