Sermon Tone Analysis

*19—How to Face Trials Patiently (**5:7–11**)*

*Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

We count those blessed who endured.

You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

*(5:7–11)

In the first six verses of chapter 5, James sharply rebuked the wicked rich people who abused the righteous poor.

In verses 7–11 he shifts his focus from the persecutors to the persecuted, moving from condemning the faithless, abusive rich to comforting the faithful, abused poor.

James also instructs the suffering poor as to what attitude they are to have in the midst of persecution.

The theme of this section is defining how to be patient in trials.

Trouble is an inevitable part of life, and the universal experience of it reflects the reality that we live in a fallen, cursed world.

Job declares early in redemptive history that “man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).

Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you have tribulation,” while Paul warned new Christians in Galatia, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Paul also wrote to the Romans of the certainty of suffering in this world (Rom.

8:18), and told Timothy to “join with me in suffering for the gospel” (2 Tim.

1:8) because “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim.

3:12).

“Beloved,” Peter counseled, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing” (1 Pet.

4:12–13).

In addition to the normal trials of life, believers face a type of trouble not experienced* *by nonbelievers—persecution for the cause of Christ.

That the church faces rejection by the hostile world which rejects the gospel is a recurring theme in the New Testament.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(Matt.

5:10–12)

“If they persecuted Me,” He told His disciples in John 15:20, “they will also persecute you.”

Acts 8:1–2 and 11:19 describe the devastating persecution of the Jerusalem church led by Saul of Tarsus.

After his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians “for [their] perseverance and faith in the midst of all [their] persecutions and afflictions which [they] endure[d]” (2 Thess.

1:4).

Earlier in chapter 5, James described the persecution experienced by some of his readers at the hands of the wicked rich (5:1–6; cf.

2:6).

He commended them for not retaliating (5:6), but rather maintaining a spirit of gentleness and meekness.

By so doing they manifested the same attitude as Christ, who “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet.

2:23).

Yet James was wise enough to realize that believers might react wrongly to persecution.

Even the apostle Paul, outraged at illegally being struck by order of the high priest, burst out “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall!” (Acts 23:3).

That intemperate remark was an improper response to persecution, as Paul himself acknowledged (Acts 23:4–5).

Those who face trials and persecution risk losing patience with their circumstances, with other people, even with God Himself.

Recognizing that danger, James exhorted his readers to *be patient* in the midst of their persecution.

*Patient *is from /makrothumeō/, a compound word from /makros/, “long,” and /thumos/, “anger”; in modern English vernacular “long-tempered” (cf.

Ex.

34:6; Ps.

86:15; Prov.

15:18; 16:32; Rom.

2:4).

It is a different word from the one translated “endurance” in James 1:3–4.

That word, /hupomonē/, refers to patiently enduring trying circumstances; /makrothumeō/ refers to patiently enduring difficult people (cf.

Matt.

18:26, 29; 1 Thess.

5:14).

Both are essential; patience with people is just as important as patience in difficult circumstances.

Patience is the righteous standard God expects all believers to conform to no matter what trial they face.

Thus, patience under persecution becomes another test of genuine saving faith for James.

He also exhorts true Christians to remain patient no matter how severe or relentless their sufferings.

James gives six practical perspectives enabling believers to patiently endure trials: anticipate the Lord’s coming, recognize the Lord’s judgment, follow the Lord’s servants, understand the Lord’s blessing, realize the Lord’s purpose, and consider the Lord’s character.

*Anticipate the Lord’s Coming*

*Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

*(5:7–8)

Three times in this section (vv.

7, 8, 9), James refers to the believer’s great hope, the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The realization that things won’t always be as they are now, that believers are headed for “the city … whose architect and builder is God” (Heb.

11:10), provides great hope for those undergoing persecution.

For that reason, the more persecuted a church is the more eagerly it anticipates the return of Jesus Christ; conversely, an affluent, indulgent, worldly church has little interest in the Lord’s return.

/Parousia/ (*coming*) is an important New Testament eschatological term.

It is the most commonly used term in the New Testament epistles for the second coming of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor.

15:23; 1 Thess.

2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thess.

2:1, 8; 2 Pet.

1:16; 3:4; 1 John 2:28; cf.

Matt.

24:3, 27, 37, 39).

/Parousia/ refers to more than just coming; it includes the idea of “presence.”

Perhaps the best English translation would be “arrival.”

The church’s great hope is the arrival of Jesus Christ when He comes to bless His people with His presence.

That glorious truth appears in more than 500 verses throughout the Bible.

Our Lord said much about His return, especially in His Olivet Discourse (Matt.

24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21).

He taught that His return would be preceded by definite signs (Matt.

24:5–26).

He portrayed His coming as a dramatic, climactic event, as striking and unmistakable as the flash of lightning across the sky (Matt.

24:27–30).

It will be a time of separation, as the angels gather the elect to enjoy Jesus’ presence (Matt.

24:31) and gather unbelievers to banish them from it (Matt.

24:39–41).

Every Christian is to live in the hope of the certainty of Christ’s return.

“The end of all things is near,” wrote Peter; “therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Pet.

4:7).

With his own death imminent, Paul could confidently say, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim.

4:8).

The sure hope of Christ’s return is especially comforting to those undergoing trials and persecution.

To the Romans Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom.

8:18).

He reminded the Corinthians that “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor.

4:17).

Peter also encouraged suffering believers to remember their Lord’s return:

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

(1 Pet.

1:6–7)

Focusing on Christ’s return also motivates believers to godly living.

In 1 John 3:3 John writes, “Everyone who has this hope [the Second Coming—v.

2] fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

The study of end time events should not produce speculative eschatological systems, but holy lives.

After discussing the destruction of the present universe, Peter exhorted his readers, “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Pet.

3:14; cf.

Phil.

3:16–21; 1 Thess.

1:9–10; Titus 2:11–13).

To further reinforce his point that believers need to wait patiently for the second coming, James described a familiar scene using a simple, straightforward illustration.

*The farmer,* he points out,* waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

*The *farmer* would have been a tenant farmer or small landowner.

Having planted his crops, he *waits* expectantly for *the precious produce of the soil*—his crops—to come in.

That depends on something outside of his control, God’s providentially bringing together all the elements needed for the crops to grow.