Trey H. Little

Sermon Text:  James 5: 7-12

December 12, 2010 (Advent 3)

Albany, Texas

“What to Expect When You Are Expecting:  Patience is a Premium”

Have you heard “the” words yet this year?  The two words that are so important this time of year.  The two words that most everyone needs to hear—but only some ever actually embrace their significance.  The two words that have a way of placing everything into the proper perspective.  The two words that appear so innocent and helpful and yet are so difficult to apply.  Have you heard them yet?

Turn with me to James 5: 7-12 and let’s see if you can figure out the two words I am thinking of—they may not be the two words you think they are.

Be patient!

Are those the two words you were thinking of?  Probably not—you were probably thinking about the two words “Merry Christmas.”  But if you think about it—how can we ever expect to have a Merry Christmas without patience?

We certainly must “be patient” when we are going down the toy aisles in Walmart.  We must “be patient” when the gifts we ordered online don’t arrive when we thought they would.  We must “be patient” when we have to wait in long check out lines at the mall.  We must “be patient” when our children don’t want to sit still for the perfect Christmas card photo.  

Be patient—two of the most important words we could stand to hear this time of year.

Last week, Leslie and I had the great privilege of being treated to an evening in Dallas.  We had a fabulous dinner and then went and enjoyed a magnificent concert by Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.  It was a lovely evening.  After the concert, we made our way back to the hotel where we were to stay the night and when we got to our room there was a card lying on the top of the pillows.  These words were printed on the card:  “In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.”  Charlie Brown is credited with that quote.

For some of us—this may be a discouraging truth.  But in a sense—this quote reminds us to “be patient.”  Life is a gift—and like any gift—the surprise of what’s inside is part of the splendor of it all.  Part of the gift of life—is that we don’t have all the answers but we can trust in the One who does.  But there is no doubt that patience is a premium in the gift of life.

This morning you may be at a place where you just want to know.  You want to know what tomorrow will bring.  You want to know when your pain is going to end.  You want to know when your finances are going to get better.  You want to know when your parents are going to quit bugging you.  You want to know when you are going to meet that “special someone” to spend the rest of your life with.  You want to know when it is going to rain again.  You want to know if your ailing loved one is going to get better.  You want to know why you are buying presents again this year when you haven’t even paid off the ones you bought last year.  But, then again, you want to know what you are going to get for Christmas.

Be patient—two words that are certainly at a premium this time of year.

Perhaps that’s why I felt the Lord leading me to James 5 for this week’s sermon.  Perhaps it was because the Lord knew I wanted to know—perhaps it was because the Lord knew I needed a reminder—perhaps the Lord knew you did too.

James writes:  “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.”

Don’t you think it would have been a little easier if James would have said:  “Be patient, then, brothers, until the New Year.”  That would seem a little more doable, wouldn’t it?  But instead, James suggests we be patient until a “day and an hour that are unknown.”  Only to bring to light the reality that if we are in a hurry we better get out of the Christian faith.  

James reminds us that if we are expecting the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords then we must “be patient” until He comes.  Just like the farmer who waits for the land to yield its valuable crop—certainly an analogy many of us here this morning can relate to.

But what strikes me about what James has to say is in verses 8-9.  He says, “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.  The Judge is standing at the door.”

You see, I am convinced that being patient has everything to do with expecting.

One pastor put it beautifully when responding to his daughter’s question:  “Daddy, why do we prepare for Jesus’ birth when Jesus has already been born?”  To which he said:  “Because Jesus still needs to be born in the hearts of people who overlook, ignore or simply pass by his manger” (From a sermon by William Ritter entitled A Survival Guide to the Waiting Room).

Are you expecting Jesus to be born into your heart?  Better yet, has Jesus come alive in your heart?

If so—then patience is a fruit of the Spirit that lives within you—Galatians says:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” (Galatians 5: 23).

The point is this friends—not a day goes by that you and I aren’t put into situations that can try our patience.  They literally exist every minute of every day.  The alarm doesn’t go off in the morning—resulting in you over sleeping and being late to a morning meeting.  You spill your coffee in your car on the way to the meeting.  While in the meeting your pen runs out of ink.  After the meeting you begin to drive down the road and return the phone calls you have missed.  However, right in the middle of one of the conversations you lose your cell signal and the call is dropped.  Then after a couple of hours of computer glitches you decide to make your way to lunch.  The service is slow; the food is marginal and the price is high.  Finally, you make your way home for the evening and your children have not done what you had asked them to do.  The cat has gotten sick on the living room floor.  The telemarketers won’t stop calling.  Then finally, you lay in bed with hopes of getting a good night’s sleep and a better start to the next day.  And right about the time you fall asleep—the dogs begin to bark uncontrollably outside!!

Be patient—that is a difficult one!

But the bottom line is that it is an action—it is something we do—it is someone we are.  And James reminds us that patience can only be present if we embrace the promise of the coming of the Lord.  Patience is sustained by the expectation of the Lord being near.  But if you and I continue to walk by and ignore the manger—then all we will see is ourselves—and if all we focus on is ourselves—we will forever be impatient.  We wait because we know the best is yet to come!!

Therefore, this morning, I would like to challenge you to invite the Lord to come so alive in your heart that you will be filled with His compassion and mercy.  And that His compassion and mercy would be what is displayed when you are on the verge of losing your patience.  When you really want to lose your temper with one of your children—instead, let lose the compassion and mercy of Jesus.  When you really want to cause a scene in the check out line at Walmart—cause the cashier to smile with the joy you chose to share rather than anger.  When you really want to scream because of the stress in your life—be still and listen for the voice of the Lord.  When you really want to say negative things about another person who has hurt you—remember that their words are not what define you—it is He who lives within you.  

Be patient—two words that are very seasonal—we need them regardless of the season!

Let me close with this:  Many of you heard this week that Elizabeth Edwards passed away on Tuesday.  The former wife of Presidential candidate John Edwards had been battling cancer for years.  In her last moments she posted a statement on her Facebook page—one I think speaks to our focus this morning.  She wrote:  “The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered.  We know that.  And yes, there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and PATIENCE as we would like.  It’s called being human.  But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious.  And for that I am grateful.”

Friends, be PATIENT until the Lord’s coming—do so by clinging to the HOPE that comes to those who have allowed Christ to come alive in their hearts.

What are you expecting?

AMEN.