DO YOU BELIEVE CHRIST IS COMING?

DO YOU BELIEVE CHRIST IS COMING?

James 5:7-11 (KJV)

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

I am of the opinion that one of the most important topics a Christian can spend time on is the coming of the Lord.

·   It is not important just because it is an interesting subject

The return of the Lord Jesus Christ IS THE CHRISTIAN’S HOPE.

·   Being saved isn’t so we can become better people right now

·   Being saved isn’t so we can have a better life right now

·   Being saved isn’t so we might have better governments right now

Being saved is 100% about an eternal future living with Jesus Christ.

When Christians get their affections focused on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that changes everything for them right away.

·   A Christian who is looking for Jesus to come again will be a good marriage spouse

·   A Christian who is looking for Jesus to come again will make a better citizen and general all around good person

·   A Christian who is looking for Jesus to come again will be a better steward of his possessions and therefore a better provider for his family

Though our focus in this message is found in verses 7-11, realize that the chapter fits together.

Verses 1-5 are focused on the rich man; and the focus is negative.

·   This guy is probably unsaved at the very least

·   This guy is absolutely worldly and carnal

But in verse six the attention swings from “ye rich men” to “the just”

And verse 7 is directed to the Christian.

I want you to picture in your mind a beautiful golden ring and set within that ring are three magnificent gems. The golden setting is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The three gems are three qualities Christians are urged to have.

·   These are qualities have been remarkably demonstrated among Christians in past centuries

·   These qualities have led to the saving of millions of souls but

·   These qualities are so contrary to human nature, they may only be manifested in us when we have our hearts firmly fixed on the coming of Jesus Christ

Quality Number One is

I. PACIFISM

James 5:6 (KJV)

Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

One of the most remarkable facts in Christian history is the story of the persecution that Christians have experienced and of their testimony of bearing under that persecution.

One story is of a Christian lady whose name was Perpetua.

Born of nobility, when Perpetua was to be killed for her testimony for Christ. Both she and her handmaiden were taken into the arena, to be torn asunder by a wild bull.

As the bull attacked, the two women stood together. The first charge was not a death blow. Perpetua helped her servant girl back to her feet and then straightened both hers and her maiden’s dresses so as to be modest as the bull made its next charge.

·   No hatred

·   No mean spiritedness

Only a holy modesty and a gentle spirit to help one another.

Another Christian woman was sentenced sometime later to be executed by beheading.

She laid her head in the block but the executioner, was so reticent to do his duty to this beautiful Christian person that his first stroke missed her neck and struck into her backbone.

With a composure and grace that we cannot comprehend today she spoke reassuring words to her axe man and set the blade upon her own neck as if to point to the spot she wished him to strike.

·   She did not fight back

·   She did not sling condemning words

·   She reassured her executioner it was all right to do his duty

One man, Polycarp, requested at his execution that he not be tied to the stake where he was to be burned to death.

Polycarp said that the God who had saved his soul and given him strength to serve Him these 80 year of his life, would also give him the strength to stand in the fire.

The grace by which these people died was supernatural.

·   Some would be burned at the stake with their Bible strapped to them. Often the straps holding the Bible would burn off before they died and they would fling their Bible out for the crowd to read

·   Some would sing and pray while the fire was claiming their bodies

·   Others would preach to the onlookers to repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ

So powerfully did their testimonies impact the crowds that multitudes of them would get saved watching a person die for being saved.

Their persecutors actually took to either cutting out the tongue of the convicted or tying a wet leather strap to their throat so that, as it dried, it shrank and choked them and prevented them from preaching.

The thing that is glaringly missing in all of the history of these Christians persecutions is stories of Christians fighting back.

They never did.

In no case.

·   Is there no account of a Christian band of outlaws breaking them out of prison

·   Is there no account of family friends or other Christians trying to overwhelm the authorities

·   There were no riots that took place at these executions

These Christians were killed by the hundreds and none of them resisted their persecutors.

I know the term pacifist is sort of a negative one these days

·   We get visions of a peacenik running to Canada instead of fighting for his country.

·   Or of some coward who hears the cry of a woman being attacked and does nothing

That’s not what I am speaking about.

King David, I believe, should be described as the sort of pacifist to which I refer.

David was a courageous and valiant soldier.

David was quick to execute judgment on those who, for instance, participated in the death of King Saul.

But not once did he ever take up the sword to defend himself.

Some of the best soldiers in history have been Christian people.

Stonewall Jackson fought fearlessly because he believed a man was immortal until God was finished with him on earth.

In one battle they said, he was in a dangerous position overseeing his soldiers on the battlefield. 

As the bullets were flying all around him, he pulled an apple off a tree and ate it.

·   A Christian is not called upon to be a sissy

·   Nor is a Christian ever dissuaded in the Bible to protect his family

But the Bible does say,

Matthew 5:38-44 KJV

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

So when I say that a Christian is to be a pacifist I mean that when you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, you won’t return your persecutor’s attack.

What was it that gave believers of old the strength to endure persecution and not resist their persecutors?

Vs 8

“…The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

They knew Jesus is coming. 

And when He arrives, He’ll set all these things straight.

That first gem then was the quality of pacifism.

The second quality is

II. PATIENCE

James 5:7-8 (KJV)

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 

James 5:10-11 (KJV)

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

James 1:4 KJV

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

As we strive for spiritual perfection, we are going to need to be patient.

You grow perfect through patience.

James gives us three examples of how patience is profitable.

A. The farmer

James 5:7 (KJV)

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

I can’t think of a more enjoyable job in the world than working for a farmer.

·   It is true that you don’t get paid much and

·   It is true that come harvest season you’ll work daylight to dark

But the rest of the time is a kick.

You meet at the coffee shop to begin your day and all the watches work on “about” or “around” time.

“Meet me “around” 7:00”

Illustration

One time I worked for a guy named Buck Hinchliffe.

Buck owned a feedlot up in the Blue Mountains.

People would bring their butcher cattle to his lot to fatten up before butchering them.

He would have hundreds and hundreds of cattle in his lot. And 

They would bring these cattle to his lot by the semi truck load.

Trouble was, his feed lot was WAY up in the mountains and it wasn’t easy to give the truckers directions to it.

So Buck hired me to sit at the restaurant on Saturday afternoons and wait for the trucks.

We only knew about what time they would be there so I would sit in my car – with an expense account to get food and pop from the restaurant, waiting for the trucks to come by.

When I saw them, I would call them on my CB and they would follow me up the mountain.

A farmer just knows “it don’t do no good to get in a hurry.”

Harvest comes when harvest comes.

B. The prophets

James 5:10 (KJV)

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Who suffered so much in the name of the Lord.

Give me one Old Testament prophet who would have had to have traffic officers out in his church parking lot.

Name me one Old Testament prophet who would have need to purchase a stadium to hold his crowds of hearers.

C. Job

James 5:11 (KJV)

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

He suffered for no apparent earthly reason.

Yet he did it patiently and was rewarded in the end.

Job’s story stands out as proof that God is able to bless us for patience despite all types of adversity.

And by the way Job wasn’t absolutely perfect.

He had days of 

·   Doubt

·   Discouragement and

·   Depression

Yet he was blessed in the end.

There is only one way to have that type of patience; you have to believe that

Vs 8

“…The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

That first gem is the quality of pacifism

The second gem is the quality of patience

The third quality is being quick to

III. PARDON

James 5:9 (KJV)

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

In other words, do not hold grudges.

Matthew 6:14-15 KJV

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 18:23-35 KJV

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

In both of these passages Christ taught one truth:

If we won’t forgive those who hurt us, we cannot expect God to forgive us.

·   All Christians are forgiven as far as eternal salvation is concerned.

·   But we are still responsible to maintain a right relationship with God through the service we offer God in this life.

If we hold grudges and refuse to forgive people 

·   We disobey Christ

·   We ignore a Bible command and

·   We quench the Holy Spirit in our life

And at that point we are not useful to God and He has no choice other than to discipline us as dear children.

Illustration

Some doctors claim that many of the physical ailments people experience are the direct result of holding on to grudges.

·   They have poor heart health

·   They have high blood pressure and

·   They have other sorts of diseases related to them

Our health problems in America might be more of the judgment of God than the media would like us to believe.

James 5:9 KJV

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Those who hold grudges can expect to be condemned and judged.

And as we see that Christ will return to judge soon, we will be more apt to confess our sin and forgive our debtors.

Conclusion

There is very little that is more beautiful on this earth than a Christian

·   Who does not resist when persecuted

·   Who is patient and waiting on the Lord and

·   Who is quick to pardon and refuses to hold a grudge

But I want to warn you, the point of the message is not that you need to: 

·   Make yourself a pacifist

·   Force yourself to be patient and

·   Pretend on the outside to pardon people

Self made righteousness is putrid before God and disgusting to man…

No one likes the self righteous….

The point of the message is 

Vs 8

“…The coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Do you believe Christ is coming?

Because He is coming,

·   Bless them that persecute you

·   Be patient and trust the Lord to dealt with your enemies and

·   Pardon those who despitefully use you