Sermon Tone Analysis

The end is near

When Jesus was asked by his disciples, “When will the end of the age come?

What will it be like?

How will we know the end is near?(Matthew 24:1-3).

Jesus responded by describing the end of the age.

First he says there is going to be deception and apostasy (Matthew 24:4-5; 10-12).

Many will fall away from the faith.

There will be lawlessness and Godlessness.

Jesus says the wicked will increase and without a lethargy for doing what is right.

Paul describes the godlessness as difficult times because most of society will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arroagnt, abusive, disobdeint to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, hearltess, unappeasable, slanderous, wiothout self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

Paul says we are to avoid such people, which will prove difficult when society is filled with such people (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Jesus also says there will be scoffing and persecution of the saints (Matt 10:30; Luke 21:12-17; 2 Peter 3:3-4; Jude 18-19).

Paul says it will be hard, extremely difficult to be a believer during these times (2 Timothy 3:1).

Paul describes the hardship of faithful Christianity in the midst of Satan veiled paganism;

This is the Christian life in the last times, as the days are drawing near.

Pressure, like a vice grip, from persecution, poverty, deception, apostasy, scoffing, and lawlessness, will squeeze ours hearts.

The question is, “What will come out?”

Will the death and resurrection of Jesus pour out, or will grumbling and unbelief?

I ave noticed something about myself when pressure is applied to my heart.

I grow impatient and weary.

Frustration will get the best of me and I will convey my impatient frustration with harmful words, especially toward people I love.

In my experience, impatience gives room in your heart for frustration and disappointment to fester.

An impatient heart that is festering with frustration easily pours out grumbling toward your neighbor and unbelief in the goodness of God.

In verse 8, James alludes to the times we are living.

The Lord’s coming is at hand.

James readers were living in similar times with similar situations as we are living now.

There was obviously conflict and tension in the church, as we have already seen in Chapters 1-4.

The rich and poor were at odds with each other.

Their was persecution from outsides pressing them on every side.

There patience with God’s sovereign plan to come back and with each other was growing thin.

James saw their impatience with the way they spoke to each other.

From the abundance of their heart their words conveyed they were not happy with God’s patience in sending Jesus to restore justice and peace on earth.

Instead of pouring out mercy, grace and patience with each other, the pressure from hardship and persecution was spewing grumbling and unbelief.

Because they were not being patient with God’s good plan they were not persevering well in the faith.

Their impatience disrupted the unity and fellowship of the church.

Through the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit, James exhorts his readers, and you and I, to

Be patient with each other and persevere well as you await the Lord’s return.

We are living in the last days.

And all of us feel the pressure of living in a godless society.

we must not let that pressure tear our fellowship apart.

Brothers and sisters,

Be patient with each other, for justice is coming soon (James 5:7-8)

The word James uses in verse 7 means to be long-suffering, to endure wrongs, to be content and not look to get even, but to wait for deliverance.

The the greek tense of the verb implies that patience is to be a habitual attitude, or a constant attribute in the life the believer.

Faithful Patience (James 5:7)

He uses an agricultural metaphor to help describe faithful patience.

James 5:7 (ESV)

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

“Faithful patience trusts God’s timing and process of spiritual harvest.”

Farmers trust the process God has wired into the earth to produce a harvest.

They till the land and plant the seed.

Then they wait for the rain to water ground to produce the fruit.

The farmer cannot rush the process and change it.

It si God’s design for beans and corn to grow in the soil, with the write mixture of sun and rain, over time.

God has wisely wired patience into the harvest of fruits, grains, and vegetables.

In the same manner as a farmer must trust the process and time for the seasons to grow their crops, James says so must you have the same kind of faithful patience to trust God’s timing and process to harvest the church.

Faithful patience is not sitting on your hands being idle.

The Farmer work the ground, sowed the seed, and fertilized the soil.

In the same way, Christian, your faithful patience is to be a working patience.

Idleness in the church breeds contempt.

Paul describes such contempt when in his first letter to Timothy.

He exhorts the abled bodied widows to not be idleness allows gossip and being a busybody (1 Tim 5:8-13).

Faithful patience is a working patience that joyfully advances the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus until the church, community and hime joyfully abide in Jesus at his return.

God’s faithful patience is filled with mercy and grace.

God’s faithful patience is full of mercy and grace toward sinners.

When God reveled himself to Moses, He said,

Exodus 34:6 (ESV)

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

David says in

His mercy, grace, and patience are intertwined together like three threads of a cord.

Dr. Wayne Grudem describes these three characteristics of God.

He says,

God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress.

God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment.

God’s patience means God’s goodness in withholding of punishment toward those who sin over a period of time.

Peter is particularly mindful of the last point.

Peter makes it clear that God’s patience, coupled with his mercy and grace, is a demonstration of his heart toward the wicked.

Peter says,

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

What is holding back the Day of the Lord?

What is keeping God from bearing his wrath on the wicked at this very moment?

It is not slowness, Peter says.

It is his faithful patience.

Some of James’ audience might have been taken back by such an imperative.

I’m thinking of the poor in the crowd who were suffering at the hands of the rich.

We know that James has them in mind by the word “therefore” in verse seven.

The word “therefore” indicates James’ imperative is based on the preceding verses, James 5:1-6.

James warns that judgement is coming to the rich who act wickedly.

God is going to give justice to the poor.

James says to the rich,

James 5:5 (ESV)

You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence.

You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

God will not resist the wicked, but will ultimately destory them.

Peter gives some insight to their future.

Peter’s second epistle is ripe with God’s condemnation of the wicked, especially those who are driven by greed.

Peter, speaking of false teachers whose love for money was exploiting the church, says

2 Peter 2:3 (ESV)