THE POWER OF PATIENCE ( 8 OF 8)
by Craig Smith
Scripture: James 5:7-12
This content is part of a series.
The Power of Patience (8 of 8)
Series: Real Religion
Craig Smith
James 5:7-12
Big Idea: real religion leads us to wait patiently for the greater good only God can accomplish.
I. Introduction
A. The Problem With Patience
[Illustrate]...turn with me to James 5:7
B. Catch Up and Transition
Last week, we saw James pronounce a prophetic judgment against the wicked wealthy, people who had used their wealth and influence to oppress the Christians James was writing to encourage. And what he says there is: God's going to make this right. Ok? What he does in this passage is turn his attention back to the followers of Jesus in order to tell us what we're supposed to do in the meantime, how we're supposed to live while we wait for God to make it all right.
So let me just ask this: how many of you have ever faced circumstances that feel unfair, that seem unjust? Ok, whether you've faced these kinds of circumstances in the past, are facing them right now or just know that you are likely to face them at some point in the future, James has some important instructions for how we're supposed to handle those situations:
II. Main Body
A. What To Do
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. (James 5:7a)
If we boil everything that James says here down to the basics, what he basically says is: be patient, right? Be patient. Be patient until the Lord's coming.
Now when he says ''the Lord's coming'', I believe he means that both literally and figuratively. He means it literally in that he's saying that Jesus is coming back and when he does, he'll set everything right, so we have to wait patiently for that. That's kind of our worst-case scenario...that we may have to wait until Jesus literally returns to see the justice we long for. But I think he also means this figuratively. He's not just talking about the Lord's literal return, he's also talking about God's redemption of our circumstances. As we're going to see in a litt ...
Series: Real Religion
Craig Smith
James 5:7-12
Big Idea: real religion leads us to wait patiently for the greater good only God can accomplish.
I. Introduction
A. The Problem With Patience
[Illustrate]...turn with me to James 5:7
B. Catch Up and Transition
Last week, we saw James pronounce a prophetic judgment against the wicked wealthy, people who had used their wealth and influence to oppress the Christians James was writing to encourage. And what he says there is: God's going to make this right. Ok? What he does in this passage is turn his attention back to the followers of Jesus in order to tell us what we're supposed to do in the meantime, how we're supposed to live while we wait for God to make it all right.
So let me just ask this: how many of you have ever faced circumstances that feel unfair, that seem unjust? Ok, whether you've faced these kinds of circumstances in the past, are facing them right now or just know that you are likely to face them at some point in the future, James has some important instructions for how we're supposed to handle those situations:
II. Main Body
A. What To Do
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. (James 5:7a)
If we boil everything that James says here down to the basics, what he basically says is: be patient, right? Be patient. Be patient until the Lord's coming.
Now when he says ''the Lord's coming'', I believe he means that both literally and figuratively. He means it literally in that he's saying that Jesus is coming back and when he does, he'll set everything right, so we have to wait patiently for that. That's kind of our worst-case scenario...that we may have to wait until Jesus literally returns to see the justice we long for. But I think he also means this figuratively. He's not just talking about the Lord's literal return, he's also talking about God's redemption of our circumstances. As we're going to see in a litt ...
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