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welcome to everyone for our call to worship you can turn in your Bibles to Psalm 37 Psalm 37 will read the first 11 verses Psalm 37 beginning in verse 1 a psalm of David do not fret because of evil doers nor be envious of the workers of iniquity for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb trust in the Lord and do good dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness delight yourself also in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart commit your way to the Lord Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him do not fret because of him who prosper zin his way because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass cease from anger and forsake wrath do not fret it only causes harm for evildoers shall be cut off but those who wait on the Lord they shall inherit the earth for yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more indeed you will look carefully for his place but it shall be no more but the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace amen well please turn in your Trinity hymnal to him number 136 hymn number 136 will stand as we sing together [Music] well let us pray a blessed God and Father we gather together again on this Lord's Day to bring praise and honor to the father through the son in the power of the Holy Spirit and we would pray that God would be all in all in this place that you would be exalted and glorified that you would be enthroned upon the praises of your people here and that Christ would be praised and worshiped and adored we ask our Father that you would help us to gather together and to come before you in fear and trembling and with great joy for you are indeed a holy God a God who is from everlasting to everlasting the God who made the world and the God who governs the world the God who has redeemed as a lacked out of it how we praise you for your great grace and your great mercy how we praise you that you have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ we know it wasn't because of good that we had done it wasn't because of some foreseen faith but it was solely and alone according to your sovereign grace and in this we rejoice we ask tonight that you would help us as we worship to do so in spirit and in truth help us to take every thought captive to the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ and may you constantly and continually humble us under your mighty hand and in your time lift us up so that we may indeed know that sweet Communion and fellowship with father son and spirit we confess our sins to you now Lord God as we consider your majesty and glory as revealed in Scripture as we look upon your holy law which is a revelation of your being we see our own waywardness and our own sinfulness and our God in heaven we confess those transgressions we confess those iniquities and that lack of conformity unto your law we thank you that we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous we thank you that we live in those days prophesied by Zechariah and there would be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness even now Lord God we pray that you would cleanse us and wash us and purify us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray for any and all who have come here tonight that are strangers to your covenants of promise and that are aliens from the Commonwealth of the Israel of God we would pray Most High that you would reach down in mercy and grace and bring conviction for sin and also set forth the supremacy in the excellency of Jesus Christ as the alone way of salvation for needy sinners we would pray God that today would be the day of salvation that you in the exercise of your sovereign will would bring forth sinners and that you would cause them to see into the light in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray for other churches in our community excuse me we thank you that we're not alone in this place and we would pray that your blessing would rest upon the other Churches of Christ that are seeking and striving to be faithful we would pray for this community that you would be merciful to sinners that you would use your people to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and give us boldness and opportunity to hold forth the word of truth we pray for this throughout Canada and to the uttermost parts of the earth we know our Lord's Commission is that that the Church of Jesus Christ go and make disciples of all the nations and we pray for the missionary enterprise that you would prosper and bless those engaged in this good work of disciple making and baptizing and teaching and in local churches we pray our Father that your word would be proclaimed throughout the earth and we thank you for the promise and the prophet Isaiah that your word does not return unto you void but it always accomplishes the purpose for which you send it so God send forth that word conquering and to conquer and make a thousand hearts your own through the preaching of the gospel men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and made God Most High be glorified among the nations of the earth bless those who suffer for the cause of God and truth be with our brothers and our sisters living in oppressive regime living in countries that are steeped in false religion that have such antagonism against the people of God we pray for the saints that you would just stop hold them that you would be their portion and locked in the midst of trial and affliction and that God you had caused them not to shrink back from declaring the truth and maintaining fidelity to the Lord of glory God we pray that you'd be merciful to the governing authorities in this nation we know Most High that your law demands righteousness and uprightness in the land righteousness does exalt a nation but sin is a reproach to any people and certainly in a nation that that not only legalizes but subsidizes the murder of the unborn the murder of the elderly and the infirm and parading sexual immorality as it's as if it's a another form of lifestyle god we could only pray that in your wrath you would remember mercy that you would correct these things by the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit and that you would instill the fear of God and the hearts of those and I places of government we pray that they would indeed tremble before the son lest they perish in his way when his wrath is kindled but a little have mercy upon these people grant them wisdom and if they will not be converted we pray they would be restrained by a sovereign and glorious God we ask the look with favor upon our congregation be with those who are not feeling well physically be with those Lord God who have ongoing struggles with pain and trial and difficulty and father we pray that you would encourage their hearts and cause us all to remember that though the outer man does decay day by day the inner man is being renewed and in this we rejoice be gracious to all of us as we all struggle with spiritual challenges and trials and difficulties and temptations Goethe sought by the power of the Holy Spirit caused us to be a people of your word and fortify us and stabilize us and cause us to do those things that are pleasing in the sight of the thrice holy God we thank you for this time to gather together now blast as we sing and as we look to the Holy Scriptures and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you may turn in your Trinity hymnal again to number 427 hymn number 427 we'll use the second tune and we'll stand together [Music] [Music] we can turn to the Prophet Amos for our scripture reading this evening Amos were in chapter 4 remember Amos was a northern prophet prophesying against the Kingdom of Israel in the eighth century prior to the Assyrian invasion when Assyria would serve as the chastening hand of God to collapse the Northern Kingdom and to take those peoples out to exile them from the land for their persistent unfaithfulness to the Covenant God in Amos chapter 4 the Prophet continues to denounce the people of his day beginning in verse 1 hear this or hear this word you cows of bation who are on the mountain of Samaria who oppress the poor who crushed the needy who say to your husbands bring wine let us drink the Lord God has sworn by His Holiness behold the days shall come upon you when he will take you away with fishhooks and your posterity with fishhooks you will go out through broken walls each one straight ahead of her and you should add you will be cast into harmon says the Lord come to Bethel and transgress at Gilgal multiply transgression bring your sacrifices every morning your tithes every three days offer a sacrifice of Thanksgiving with leaven proclaim and announce the freewill offerings for this you love you children of Israel says the Lord God also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places yet you have not returned to me says the Lord I also with hell drain from you when there were still three months to the harvest I made it rain on one city I withheld rain from another city one part was rained upon and where it did not rain the part whither so two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water but they were not satisfied yet you have not returned to me says the Lord I blasted you with blight and mildew when your gardens increase your vineyards your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured them yet you have not returned to me says the Lord I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt your young man I killed with a sword along with your captive horses I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils yet you have not returned to me says the Lord I over threw some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning yet you have not returned to me says the Lord therefore thus will I do to you O Israel because I will do this to you prepare to meet your God o Israel for behold he who forms mountains and creates the wind who declares to man what his thought is and makes the morning darkness who treads the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name Amen so the chapter begins with this denunciation of these women of Samaria who are representative of the sorts of sins going on in the Northern Kingdom at that particular time verses four and five are somewhat ironic or sort of an attack upon them they certainly do go through the motions in terms of worship in terms of an approach to God in terms of the externals but they do not bring the heart and then we see God's plan in terms of trying or calling these people to repentance he uses the Covenant curses verses 6 to 11 indicate that he sent hunger he sent drought he sent crop failure he had destroyed some as in the days of the overthrow of sodom and gomorrah and yet this is punctuated each and every time by yet you have not returned to me says the lord we ought never to minimize or underestimate the chastening hand of god there are those occasions in our lives where god brings those sorts of negative sanctions to bear upon us to call us to repentance we're not supposed to resist that we're not supposed to harden our hearts toward it but when we see these afflictions and when we see these trials we are to blame a glean from them the purpose in view and nine times out of ten ten times out of ten the purpose and view is to bring us back to the Lord our God now ultimately because they resist Amos they resist the other northern prophets they continue in idolatry and in rebellion against God he will magnify or bring these things to bear upon them exponentially in the collapse of the Northern Kingdom we have seen that in our studies in 2nd Kings chapter 17 records for us the fall of the Northern Kingdom and then intriguingly verse 12 is not an invitation but a warning therefore thus will I do to you O Israel because I will do to do this to you prepare to meet your God o Israel that's not an invitation tax it's a warning tax judgment is coming and judgment from the God who is absolutely sovereign the one who forms mountains the one who creates the wind the one who declares to man what his thought is and makes the morning darkness the God who treads the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name so the people of the North did not heed the prophets warnings and therefore they collapsed we will see in our studies in 2nd Kings that the people of the South do not heed the prophets warnings and therefore their Kingdom collapse we need to take heed we need to listen and we need to understand that the Lord God is calling us to return to him to be faithful to him to walk humbly before our God and to glorify his most holy name well let us pray our Father we thank you for the written word and we thank you for the examples of the north and the south in the Old Covenant god help us as the Christian Church not only to hear these things but the threats of the Lord Christ to the seven churches in Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3 give us ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches give us grace to receive these things and cause us to walk faithfully before you and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well for our final him before the preaching of the word will turn to number 240 hymn number 240 will stand as we sing together [Music] we can turn to the book of James chapter 5 James chapter 5 last Sunday night I mentioned that James functions similarly to the Prophet Amos and to other prophets in the Old Covenant that came to the people of Israel and upbraided them for their sins against God called them to return to him specifically in James for we see that call to repentance in verses 7 to 10 and throughout this section James is condemning the various sins that the professing people of God engage in fact if you look at chapter 5 verses 1 to 6 it's a condemnation of wealthy oppressors the sorts of people that conduct themselves like those cows of Bashan in Amos chapter 4 and tonight our focus will be on verses 7 to 12 where the overarching emphasis is on patience so I'll begin reading in chapter 5 at verse 1 come now you rich weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten your gold and silver are corroded and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire you have heaped up treasure in the last days indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields which you kept back by back by fraud cry out and the cries of the Reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth you have lived on the earth and pleasure and luxury you have fattened your hearts is in a day of slaughter you have condemned you have murdered the just he does not resist you therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain you also be patient establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand do not grumble against one another brethren lest you be condemned behold the judges standing at the door my brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of Lord as an example of suffering and patience indeed we count them blessed to endure you have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord but the Lord is very compassionate and merciful but above all my brethren do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath but let your yes be yes and your no no lest you fall into judgment is anyone among you suffering let him pray is anyone cheerful let him sing songs is anyone among you sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins he will be forgiven confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit brethren if any any one among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins amen let us pray father in heaven we thank you for the word of God we thank you for the clarity of this book of James god help us to return unto you help us not to turn a deaf ear to these admonitions and exhortations that give us the grace to receive them by the Holy Spirit and to put these things into practice grant us grace Most High that we may glorify and honor you and conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent with what we find here in the scriptures and we pray the Holy Spirit would guide and direct us now that he would help us that he would indeed remove any obstacles from our from our understanding that he would take these things and apply them in our own lives and in our own conduct and we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen now as we look at this particular section in verses 7 to 12 some of the connections are a bit difficult like why does James turn directions so quickly and move from this condemnation of the of the wealthy oppressors to exhort the Brethren to patients so that's one of the things that we'll have to deal with and then verse 12 some commentators place verse 12 with what follows and say that it's a part of the concluding exhortations but I think there's a good argument to be made for including verse 12 with what precedes it essentially what we have is an exhortation to be patient an exhortation to be steadfast and long-suffering until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and then James highlights two particular obstacles that stand in the way of the cultivation of patience one of those is grumbling toward one another grumbling against one another and the second is not speaking truthfully bearing false witness or swearing rash oaths or engaged in that sort of language and conduct that is not becoming a Christian a Christian believer but the overarching theme is clear in fact if you look at the debts notice in verse 7 be patient the illustration is the farmer who waits the farmer who waits patiently the repetition in verse 8 be patient establish your hearts and then again at the end of verse 10 we'll look at the profits as an example of patience verse 11 were to see the profits as an example of endurance we're to look at job as an example of perseverance so we need to understand that's the theme that's the emphasis that's what James wants to communicate to us so whatever may be difficult in terms of particular connections the bottom-line is clear we as God's people need to be a patient people with reference to our relationships one to another and in light of the second coming of our Lord Jesus so let's look first at this exhortation to cultivate patience in verses 7 to 8 notice therefore be patient go back to just just one page to James chapter what you'll see this repeats a theme that's already been set forth by James in James 1 notice in verse 2 my brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience but let patience have it's perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing so James wants the people of God to be patient and in this particular tax verse 7 be patient until the coming of the Lord so in other words every single moment of every single day of your lives there's never to be a time when you're not when you're not exhibiting patience that ought to be characteristic that ought to be definitional that ought to be descriptive of your life and mine James uses two particular words in this context he uses patience and then notice in verses 10 and 11 he uses or in verse 11 he uses endurance and perseverance Douglass move describes it this way patience can sometimes be distinguished from endurance the former denoting the long-suffering attitude we are to adopt toward other people the latter can be noting the strong determined fortitude with which we need to face difficult circumstances so there's substantial overlap in the meaning patience and endurance the whole idea is steadfastness and long-suffering in the midst of certain circumstances but the first word has reference to our relationship with one another and the second word has reference to our disposition and attitude under trial and affliction just compare a few passages with me concerning this patience with others turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 13 1st Corinthians chapter 13 the great love chapter describes love this way in verse a beginning in verse 1 though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and of angels but have not love I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal and though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains but have not love I am nothing and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned but have not love it profits me nothing you see the emphasis by the Apostle what he's about to write or pen concerning love trumps everything else in other words our usefulness in the kingdom our ability to engage in great religious exploits all of that pales in significance if we have not love and now Paul goes on to describe love and this really is what love looks like Hollywood shouldn't define love the rag your newspaper shouldn't define love the latest internet sites shouldn't define love God's Word defines for us love God Himself is love and God demands that the people of God love in this manner so in other words if you say that you love brethren but you're not patient or if you say that you love brethren but you're envious or you say that you love brethren but you do not rejoice in the truth then it's an empty clinging symbol notice in verse 4 love suffers long and is kind that's patience that's how we are supposed to be with one another we're supposed to suffer law we don't have short fuses we don't immediately fly off the handle when somebody confronts us or somebody does something to us or dare somebody's sin against us brethren we sin against God continually repetitiously how does the Old Testament more often than not describe our God but that he's slow to anger he is patient those who say the God of the Old Testament is full of wrath and fury and judgment and all those sorts of things couldn't be farther from the truth our studies in 1st and 2nd Kings have shown a rebellious people time in and time out a people that reject the prophets of people that despise God the people that do not walk in covenant faithfulness and it took hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years before God dispatched the Assyrians and then the Babylonians to destroy the north and the south so we need to understand that love suffers long is kind notice as well in Ephesians chapter 4 whole idea of patience with others Ephesians chapter 4 beginning in verse 1 I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called you see that's why God saved us so that we'll walk in a manner that is consistent with the gospel that he used to save us notice with all lowliness and gentleness with long-suffering bearing with one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace these things don't just create themselves you don't just have a peaceful church context with that hard disciplined work on the part of the people of God and the necessary ingredients are lowliness gentleness long-suffering bearing with one another in love and then endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and then notice in 1st Thessalonians 5 verse Thessalonians chapter 5 specifically at verse 14 again just highlighting this patience with others it's not an isolated concept in James chapter 5 notice in 1st Thessalonians 5:14 now we exhort you brethren warn those who are unruly comfort the faint-hearted uphold the weak be patient with all not with some not with the people you really like but be patient with all not just your clique not just your immediate social circle but be patient with all Paul says and then in terms of enduring or persevering through difficulties turn to Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter age is to illustrate these two terms used outside of James 5 7 or 12 to see that it's a recurring New Testament emphasis that the people of God are patient toward one another and they endure or persevere under hardship affliction and trial notice in Romans chapter 8 specifically at verse 25 but if we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with perseverance or endurance and then in second Corinthians 1:6 again these are just sample texts the whole Bible is fill with this but these particular admonitions second Corinthians chapter 1 verse 6 now if we are afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer so you see James sheds light on both these concepts we need to be patient in our relationships and dealings with one another and we need to endure or persevere under the trials and afflictions and the hardships that may come our way it's inevitable brethren when you live in a sin cursed world you try to maintain fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ there will be opposition when you live in the midst of even redeem the sinners there's always going to be tension there's always going to be abrasion I'm often you know perplexed when people say I can't believe there's sort of turmoil in the church I can't believe that you know everything doesn't just smoothly sail along and and there's no hardships or no difficulties or no sort of friction or tension do any of your family sail away that sail along that way isn't tension friction difficulty something indicative of every community relationship I mean do your families really have no friction your frat families just you know we all sing you know happiness to one another we hold doors open for each other we we bring coffee to each other we never have tension or friction in the context of the home how is it that we accept that and we we learn to deal with it but when it comes to the church we can't believe there would ever be any tension any friction or whatsoever but the Briella the bottom line is is that it's going to be there we are called to deal with it biblically and righteously second Corinthians one six indicates that reality in terms of persevering under affliction then second Thessalonians 1:4 final text with reference to these terms second Thessalonians 1:4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the Churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure so that is James emphasis and going back to five seven he says therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord I recently preached a long ish series on the Olivet discourse where I define the coming of the Lord in that particular context as his coming in judgment to judge Jerusalem in AD 70 now some commentators take this term or this phrase or this reference in a similar or like manner I think it better refers to the second coming gill says not to destroy Jerusalem but either at death or at the Last Judgment when he will take vengeance on their oppressors and deliver them from all their troubles and put them into the possession of that kingdom and glory to which they are called so that's the exhortation so what is the connection why is it the case that he exhorts us at this particular point in the Epistle to be of a patient some commentators suggest this is the response to the wealthy oppressors in verses 1 to 6 he condemns those who defraud the poor he condemns those who hoard their riches he condemns those who condemn and murder the poor and so conversely the fact that these men are engaged in this sort of activity for the suffering and oppressed people of God this is to be your attitude this is to be your disposition this is the course you are to pursue the Lord God will ultimately bring these oppressors into judgment and into condemnation but in the meantime you need to be patient in the meantime you need to bear up under these trials and afflictions in the meantime you need to endure and persevere don't arm up and shoot the oppressors rather cry out to the Lord of sabe off he hears the cries and he will ultimately bring them into judgment and condemnation but you right now your disposition and your posture is to be patient I think that connection is probably legit but as well it's a general exhortation there is never a time in the history of God's people when we haven't been ripe to receive this exhortation I mean who of us can say well he's preaching on patience tonight I don't have to show up he's preaching on patience tonight I've already mastered that particular virtue I'm the most patient fellow I've ever met brethren I doubt that's your experience when it comes to this particular virtue now notice the illustration it's straightforward see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it till it receives the early and latter rain I just won one significant note there that that phrase the earlier and latter rain it appears several times in the Old Testament always in connection with God's faithfulness always in connection with God's faithfulness in terms of blessing the people with bounty with precious fruit but underscored is God's faithfulness Deuteronomy 11:14 Jeremiah 524 Hosea 6:3 Joel 2:23 and Zechariah 10:1 this early and latter rain now note he goes on to repeat this commandment a report repeat this exhortation verse 8 you also be patient establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand so it's one of those commands that we need repeated it's one of those commands that we need emphasized it's one of those commands that recur frequently in the pages of the New Testament because we have hard hearts we have thick skulls and we don't receive the Word of God as we ought so James pounds the nail into the wood and he says I want you to be patient but then also he says establish your hearts you see patience is it just a disinterested passivity it's not just I'm gonna go lay on the couch until all of these trials and tribulations sort of pass by I'm gonna go hide in my bunker until the the afflictions that God's people suffer all pass by no it's not only a be patient but it's an establish your heart there's an active sense where the people of God are not disinterested passive agents that are stoical in terms of the dish difficulties that they face in the world they need to establish their hearts they need to strengthen their hearts they need to gird themselves up they need to watch they need to pray they need to be faithful they need to be the kind of people that the New Testament calls them to be John Calvin makes a great observation on this phrase establish or strengthen your hearts he says in the meantime he bids us to correct the softness of the heart which weakens us so as not to persevere in hope and doubtless the time appears long because we are too tender and delicate we ought then to gather strength that we may become hardened and this cannot be better attained than by hope and as it were by a realizing view of the near approach of our Lord in other words establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is a tant living light of the second coming of Jesus what do you want to be doing when Jesus does return you want to be whining in the bunker passively disinterested while all the troubles sort of sail by are you going to be one of those persons that are faithful in the midst of the trials and difficulties who've established or strengthened the heart and are standing fast in the midst of it that's James's point in this particular section now notice the obstacles to overcome in the cultivation of patience as I said there are two first this prohibition against grumbling notice in verses 9 to 11 do not grumble against one another brethren lest you be condemned now again I think James is just continuing to beat the drum of several themes that he's already introduced he's dealt with patience he's dealt with the tongue he's dealt with it in verse 26 of chapter one if any man thinks he is religious but does not bridle his own tongue then this man's religious is useless it is futile he is dealt at length with the sins of the tongue in chapter 3 verses 1 to 12 so the two obstacles that are facing the people of God with reference to the cultivation of patience has to do with the tongue has to do with the way that we grumble against one another and has to what do with the way that we either swear false oaths or we engage in rash oaths or hasty oaths when we do not put a premium on the use of the talk we will not be cultivating the patience that the Lord God calls us to in this instance the grumbling or groaning toward others that characterize more often than not the people of God indicates a lack of patience why else would we grumble against one another unless we lack patience we get irritated and because we get irritated because we live in the 21st century and we are taught to express ourselves we wine and we grumble and we complain brethren that is a mark of impatience Paul tells us in Philippians 2:14 do all things without grumbling and complaining why is it that we still grumble and complain so much and oftentimes against one another there are biblical strategies in the Word of God for dealing with one another and one of them is not to grumble against one another if your brother sins against you go to him tell him his fault between him and you alone and if he hears you you have won your brother grumble against him don't whine against him don't you know engage it you know character assassination of him but man up and go to him if you are presenting your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has an issue with you what does Jesus say go ahead and go through the motions go ahead and deal with it go ahead and present your sacrifice no he says first go be reconciled to your brother and then present your gift at the altar you see those are the two strategies for how we are to deal with one another in the context of the church if my brother sins against me I go to him and call him on it if I remember I know that my brother has an issue with me I humbly seek him out and I deal with it one of the ways that is obviously not condoned by the Word of God is grumbling against one another this is a mark or an indicator that one indeed lacks patience and note again the coming of the Lord Jesus is the argument for our present effect do not grumble one another brethren lest you be condemned behold the judge is standing at the door it's the eschatological Reason Lords the coming of Christ is not to occupy us in the sense of charts and descriptions of who is Antichrist or trying to identify the current political leaders as to the man of sin and the beast of Revelation and and and and the the Antichrist no eschatology in the new testament is an argument for godly ethics in the present age let's John say in first John he says everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure in the context it's the return of Christ the coming of Christ I'm not suggesting we can't study eschatology to know what's gonna happen and that simply means the end of times the study of the end of times the study of last things theology doctrine of God Christology doctrine of Christ eschatology doctrine of the eschaton that's last or end that's what it means brethren it's given in this particular context to urge the people of God to engage in righteous practice and notice he then gives illustration James is great at these patterns he gives the exhortation or command and then he note in verses 10 and 11 he says look at the prophets and look at Joe verse 10 my brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience you see grumbling against one another is an obstacle to patience that theme has continued from verses 7 to 8 right there in diverse verses 7 to 8 it is continued right there into verse 10 so verse 9 is obviously a violation of the cultivation of of patience so do not grumble against one another the theme is visited here in verse 10 in an illustrative way my brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience indeed we count them blessed who and door now the prophets do in the Old Testament they spoke in the name of the Lord so I think that this is very powerful at least by way of a preliminary observation this way we think that when we're engaged in good things everything should just go splendidly I mean after all I'm doing service to God why would there be any opposition why would there be any hardship why would there be any difficulty have you opened your eyes ever have you seen the world that we live in have you understood the doctrine of remaining corruption have you read through Scripture dare you ask I'm engaged in a good thing why in the world are their trials and afflictions because it's the way it is these men spoke in the name of the Lord and what did they get I mean you could go through the Old Testament and go you know each of the prophets I have a few thoughts and mind in terms of in terms of a few of them remember my care the Prophet what was his crime telling ahab the truth about a battle that he was going to lose so Zedekiah the son of taken a kanay UNAM slaps him in the face and then a hab orders him to be put into prison and to be you know given a ration of bread and water why what did he do he spoke the truth if they would have heated him and listened to him they wouldn't have gone in a battle and lost he spoke in the name of the Lord and he was persecuted but he didn't whine he didn't grumble he didn't cry he went to jail and did what he was supposed to do consider the Prophet Jeremiah I mean there was threats against his life according to Jeremiah chapter 11 and then he spent a significant amount of time in a dungeon in Jeremiah chapter 38 considered Daniel how did Daniel end up in Babylon do you think it was because it was a good holiday destination do you think it was because they had you know great some water activities to do there in Babylon Daniel is in Babylon in Daniel chapter one because of a deportation that took place at the beginning of the collapse of the southern kingdom remember Syria comes they take the northerners out of the land when the southerners come or when the southern kingdom is going to collapse Babylon comes to invade the land there was a first and a second deportation and Daniel was one of them so he's in Babylon not because of water sports he's there under the Exile of Babylon and then you've got the prophet Ezekiel remember that scene or instance in prague in ezekiel chapter 24 god the lord tells ezekiel i'm going to take from you the desire of your eyes it's a beautiful way to describe a wife isn't it i'm going to take from you the desire of your eyes that was Ezekiel's bride that was Ezekiel's help me that was Ezekiel's love but it was a sign ultimately to Judah at that particular time to convey biblical truth to down remember that in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11 at verse 37 that Great Hall of faith says that that one was sawn into history and tradition tell us that was the prophet Isaiah so you know as you're sitting there perhaps like me going nuts because the light is red think about Isaiah being sawn in two think about my cab being slapped in the face and being given a ration of just a little bread and water each day think of Jeremiah down there in the dungeon I mean brethren these men suffered for speaking the truth of God and yet they endure yet they persevere yet they move forward again a theme that James already has set before us notice in James 1:12 blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him and then behind this no doubt is Jesus words in Matthew chapter 5 James often in the least in terms of what he has written here often has Jesus were and a lot of times Leviticus in his mind as he writes to his audience but remember in Matthew 5:11 and 12 blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you so James's point my brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience indeed we count them blessed who endure this serves the greater imperative that James is setting forth to be patient to establish your heart don't grumble against one another but rather look at what Isaiah went through rather look at what Jeremiah went through instead of whining and grumbling and complaining against another brother cultivate patience chill out just relax and some of the stuff that we get all up in arms about it's sort of embarrassing at times isn't it I mean we flip out over things that I mean it should just be calm of what we know people are gonna sit against us see that's what I suspect I think that we all accept the doctrine of remaining corruption I mean if you're in this church and you're a reformed believer you you accept the doctrine of remaining corruption Romans 7 Galatians 5 the flesh lusts against the spirit spirit lost against the flesh these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things you want that's remaining corruption I think we all accept that at least in a doctrinal sense we certainly accept it in our own sin right Lord when we sin we oh yeah I have remaining corruption Romans 7 Galatians 5 see here's where the rub is I think I don't think we like it when people sin against us we accept theoretically the doctrine of remaining corruption we accept it practically when it comes to our remaining corruption but boy oh boy oh boy when somebody sins against me we just can't tolerate that that's when you know stop the presses stop everything that you you have crossed a line brethren you need to lighten up and be patient and not grumble against one another that's what James says three points to the profits he points to job now the legitimacy of the example of Joe did job always persevere in a perfectly upright way he did not there were seasons and instances in that sort of period with Joe where you know he wished he too never left I mean he didn't just say well thank you Lord you know may I have another thank you Lord for you know destroying me and destroying my family taking all my possessions this is great no he's possible he's perplexed he cries out to God he says some things that you know men don't typically say when everything's all right Calvin explains why Jobe is employed here why does the Apostle so much commend the patience of Job as he had displayed many signs of impatience being carried away by a hasty spirit to this I reply that though he sometimes failed through the infirmity of the flesh or murmured within himself yet he ever surrendered himself to God and was ever willing to be restrained and ruled by him though then his patience was somewhat deficient it is yet deservedly commended I think Calvin's right Manton makes this beautiful observation he said he showed much impatience and murmuring cursing the day of his birth but not a word of all this where the bent of the heart is right the infirmities of God's people are not mentioned we've seen that with certain kings in Judah they did some pretty despicable things and yet they get a summary statement that they did right in the sight of the Lord when the bent of the heart is right God doesn't capitalize on the infirmities David was a man after God's own heart David committed adultery and he committed murder he's a man after God's own heart Manton again where God cioth grace he doth as it were hide his eyes from those circumstances that might seem to deface the glory of it that's quite beautiful and then we see the faithfulness of job in the midst of suffering again it wasn't perfect he had his times to be sure but he says what he says in job 1:21 he says what he says and job 2:10 to his wife he says what he says in job 16 and job 19 I know that my redeemer lives and when he says though he slay me yet will I trust him brethren this is the kind of perseverance and endurance that is commended to us as an example and then notice specifically at the end of verse 11 you have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate merciful people go a couple of ways on this particular statement they say well at the end of jobs life God returned on to him many many blessings no words he had more kids you had more possessions he had more good gifts you know what I think the end intended by the Lord was turn to job 42 for just a moment job 42 I'm leaning on mo tier here because I think he's absolutely positively 100% right so if you look at 42 12 to 17 you see that he was blessed in the latter days the latter days of his own life was James saying consider job he was faithful he persevered he endured so he got all these good gifts now I'm not saying that it's not good that God gave him those good gifts you know what's even more important for job is the experiential knowledge of God notice in 40 to 1 then job answered the Lord and said I know that you can do everything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you you asked who is this who hides counsel without knowledge therefore I have uttered what I did not understand things too wonderful for me which I did not know listen please and let me speak you said I will answer you or I will question you and you shall answer me now note verse 5 I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear but now my eye sees you what was the intent or the end intended by our Lord god you see that's what perseverance through afflictions ultimately yields not more property always not more children always not raises at work always but always it yields knowledge of God that's the end intended by our Lord I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear I had a categorical understanding of theology proper but now why I see him now I've entered in now I understand now it's become experiential and on the heels of that therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes and specifically according to James chapter 5 that that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful this was the lesson that ultimately job learned through this trial so that is the first obstacle with reference to overcome in the cultivation of patience the prohibition against grumbling now no finally the prohibition against unnecessary oaths in verse 12 but above all my brethren do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath but let your yes be yes and your no no lest you fall in the judgment Gill explains the connection he says as impatience should not show itself in secret sighs groans murmurings and refining x' so more especially it should not break forth in rash oaths or in profane swearing for of such sort of swearing and of such ODEs as the apostle to be understood brethren the idea being is that when we are pressed or when we are tried or when we have these issues or difficulties we are quick to profane the truth and I think that's what's in view here as well I mentioned earlier that James seems to use Leviticus 19 a lot he quotes it directly in chapter 2 verse 8 love your neighbor as yourself that's the Royal law but Leviticus 19 is behind a whole lot of passages in the books book of James Leviticus 19:18 James to aid Leviticus 1915 in James 2:13 Leviticus 19:18 in James for 11 and 12 Leviticus 19 9 and 10 in James 5 for Leviticus 19 12 says and you shall not swear by my name falsely nor shall you profane the name of your dog I am the Lord so know where it's a difficulty to the cultivation of patience is grumbling against one another but it's also being hasty with our words it's not being accurate and precise with truth that's play loose with those things that ought to define and characterize us again mow tear makes an observation as well I'm not sure if it's absolutely positively what James is referring to but it's something to consider what happens when you're tried what happens when you're afflicted what happens when you're in a difficult situation now hypothetically I doubt it's happened to any of you I remember it happened to me many many years ago I got pinned under a raft at Seal Beach and I thought I was going to drown and I made an oath to God I swore to God Lord if you free me from this raft you get me out of here I'll go to church every Sunday I will do what I'm supposed to do is that a tendency that we sometimes a dock we barter with God we we truck with God we trade with God we we proffer things to God God if you relieve this present trial if you stop this current affliction you remove these people from my life you ingest or inject money into my bank account well you know I'll start reading my Bible like all right and all I'll not miss the prayer meeting like I ought not I won't miss the Wednesday night meeting you make these olds and you swear fidelity to God insofar as he relieves you from your particular situation maybe that's in here god I swear if you just stop this particular situation I will be faith what's James saying no you need to be faithful without swearing oaths you need to be faithful without having to swear on a stack of Bibles I don't think James is condemning lawful oaths the background very particularly as Matthew 5 33 to 37 James is simply saying the exact same things that Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount it's not a prohibition of lawful oaths but rather it is a prohibition of unlawful oaths oaths are legitimate Exodus 20 Leviticus 19 number sturdy Deuteronomy 6 our confession of faith is very specific the name of God only is that by which men ought to swear and bearing it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name or to swear it all by any other thing is sinful and to be abhorred yet as in a matter of wait and moment no words if somebody and James's original Church had been arrested or rather had been called to be a witness at the case of somebody who had been arrested James wouldn't tell them not to swear in court that's absolutely an abuse of this particular passage it is not a condemnation of lawful oaths but a condemnation of unlawful oaths as Jesus and James makes clear in matters of wait a moment for confirmation of truth and ending all strife an oath is warranted by the Word of God so a lawful oath being imposed by lawful authority in such matters ought to be taken you get called to testify in a court don't say well James 5:12 says I can't swear no there's a particular type of swearing that you're not supposed to do but when it comes to turning evidence upon a criminal by all means swear take the lawful oath Jesus took oaths in Matthew 26 and I would argue revelation 10 God took oaths according to Hebrews 6 there was nothing greater than God to swear by so he swears by his own name if those are always unlawful then Jesus is guilty and so is the father as well the Apostle Paul takes oaths so it's not a condemnation of olds at the condemnation of the kind of OHS that Jesus condemned and that was still obviously rampant in James's day Jesus addressed and does James this swearing by the creature notice in verse 12 above all my brethren do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath there had been a detailed system implemented wherein the creature was substituted for the creator and it provided a bit of wiggle room in terms of in terms of one's actually obeying the oath that they swore that's what's condemned by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount it legitimately look basically legitimized falsehood and then as well the oath became commonplace it became commonplace it wasn't in matters of weight and importance so suffice it to say oh through lawful brethren in the proper context but never swear by the creature and you don't need to swear to take the trash out that's a commonplace use of oaths that we don't use that's not what the oath is for it's for matters of weight and and necessity it's for something heavy and weighty that that we need to give testimony in that type of oath taking is absolutely legitimate but what is in view here and what is in view in the Sermon on the Mount is this rash or commonplace approach to things note the remedy prescribed let your yes be yes and your no no lest you fall into judgment that's it be a man a woman who speaks the truth let your yes be yes and your no no you don't have to swear on a stack of Bibles every time you make a statement you don't always have to preface everything I'm not lying believe me I'm always put on you know alert when somebody says I'm not lying believe me well why would I have a reason to suspect you we're gonna lie why am i exhorted EE to listen to you just just tell me B yes yet let your yes be yes and your no no be no that's the emphasis these talk types of things stand in the way the cultivation of patience groaning against brethren grumbling against brethren and being persons that are not accurate and precise with their speech so that's our exposition we'll close with a few thoughts and then we'll conclude first the need for patience among the people of God case you missed that point let me just hammer at home the need for patience among the people of God Douglass move says in light of the soon return of Christ as judge and deliverer verses 7 8 and 9 believers need to imitate the farmer verse 7 and the prophets verse 10 in displaying patience with their situation and with each other verse 9 and to annotate job in the endurance of difficult circumstances you see those illustrations are there for us it's actually a command in verse 10 take the prophets it's not a suggestion it's a command you absolutely positively need to think about my care you positively absolutely need to think about Jeremiah you need to think about Isaiah you need to think about Daniel you need to think about Ezekiel because their problems their endurance through those problems makes what we're going through nine times out of ten seem very trivial and very menial by comparison we need to cultivate patience now the difficulty of cultivating patience in the midst of trials I'm not here to say this is easy I am one who struggles at red lights my wife will often say do you think people wake up in the morning and they're out to get you and I'll say yes I just really have an issue with these red lights in Chilliwack I need to remember the prophets brethren it's a tough thing to cultivate and typically nine times out of ten it's not cultivated during times of peace you know we go through these hardships and we say boy I wish God would give me patience that's one of the purposes of hardships is to promote and produce you patience you're not going to learn patience sitting on the beach in Mexico sipping iced tea and reading a book on patience you're gonna learn it when your kids do horrible things or brethren say wretched things or you don't have any money or whatever the condition or the situation may be it is in that crucible that more often than not we learn patience it's one of those virtues that is better caught than taught and we catch it more often than not through trial and affliction Manton said it is the duty of the children of God to be patient under their sufferings though they be long and sharp it is easier in a calm and sedate condition to discourse the discourse of patience than to exercise it in time of trial philosophers have discourse of it and commended it but Christians themselves have staggered when they have been exercised with a sharp sense of Evil's brethren I think all of this should cast us upon the mercy of God in Jesus Christ all of this in terms of we need patience Lourdes ought to produce prayerful nests we ought to fetch it from the throne of grace and seek the lord's aid and assistance when it comes to the cultivation of patience we need to guard against these obstacles Groening against one another is never sanctioned by the Word of God that is not a strategy that the Lord has given for you to deal with your issues one with another man up go to somebody who sins against you and deal with them if you know that you sinned against somebody man up go to them humble yourself and ask them to forgive you those are the two ways now there is the first Peter for option which reflects the teaching of Solomon in the Proverbs you can let love cover a multitude of sins but as I said many times in our confession study I think that's a weaselly way out if we say we're gonna let love cover a multitude of sins and then our disposition or our attitude changes towards that person then we have not let love cover it we just don't want to do the hard work of Matthew 18 and go to somebody and and reprove them for their sin well I'm going to just let love cover it why because you're a coward you know on a Matthew no I'm gonna really live cover it then let love cover it don't treat them differently don't separate yourself from them don't wander around them when they're when you see them walking down the hallway brethren those are the options and groaning against one another is not one of them as well the tendency to distort the truth by subterfuge and perhaps that tendency to deal with God in the midst of trial Lord get me out of this and I'll do this get me out of this and I'll read get me out of this and I'll be nice to my people get me out of this and I'll show up at church brethren guard against that tendency in temptation let your yes be yes and you know no as well you need and I need to consider scriptural examples this is positively important for the people of God you're tried you're Baxter you're sorely afflicted think about Isaiah being sawn in two think about Jeremiah in a dungeon think about my care being whacked on the face by a false prophet and then put in prison by a wretched King as well we need to consider the coming of Christ I like Manton here he says the nearness of the judge should all us into duty the nearness of the judge should all us into duty thinking light of the second coming of the Lord Jesus I mean the language that is employed here and he's coming until the coming of the Lord the Lord is at hand behold the judge is standing at the door brethren consider that reality and may it have an impact on your present ethical life and may you and be live in light of that second coming and then finally I would suggest that we ought to appreciate afresh the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ because we're not patient like we're supposed to be we're not those who are immune from groaning or grumbling against one another we are not those who have so trained our tongue that they only ever say yes when yes is the accurate response or no one no is the accurate response we ought to be prayer prayer praising God most I for the glory of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that when James finds us out in our sin and I submit he finds us out in our sin every single step of the way we go to the fount that is open for sin and uncleanness and we delight ourselves in the blood of the Lamb who does cleanse us from all unrighteousness it is that good news not to be an argument so that will go out and continue to sin impatiently but it's that that should provide for us comfort and encouragement and fresh resolve to not be the sort of person that grumbles whines complains and is untruthful and full of impatience and if you're not a believer here tonight that's your answer as well your issue may not be patience it may not be you know the sorts of things that are being dealt with particularly in this passage your issue is a sin issue in the only way the only remedy the only help for sinners is in and through the Lord Jesus Christ the only way of relief is by faith in Him looking to him looking to the one who was raised up the way that the serpent was raised up in the wilderness all who looked at that serpent live the same is true with reference to the Savior all who have been bitten by the serpent of sin look to Christ and they will live will let us pray our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the clarity of this particular passage grant us grace to cultivate patience help us to endure and to persevere in the midst of trial and difficulties and afflictions may we take the profits and may we look at Jobe and may we see other scriptural examples may we not soon forget the reality of our Blessed Lord Jesus who learned obedience through suffering may we always realize that this life is going to be punctuated by difficulties but you give great grace help us in these things and grant us help in this coming week to bring glory and honor and praise unto you and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you