James 5:7-10

While you wait...

We are currently in a state of waiting. We are waiting for Christmas, and all the good that surrounds the holiday. More so, we are waiting for Christ's return, and all the good that will surround that event.

While we wait, James has important instructions.

(it's worth remembering, WHY we are waiting. 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us that Jesus is taking his time because he wants to give people ample opportunity to repent. It's worth considering that we should get on board with this idea and invest some of our time in giving people opportunity to repent.)

1. James expects patience (especially in suffering)

• Illustration: The Farmer -- A farmer is always waiting. In the planting season, and through the summer he waits for rain. In the fall he waits for the harvest. But he is not lazy. Farmers work much harder than most people, even though they are aware that their success or failure is largely dependent on God. Yet while they are waiting, they are working! We are not to simply sit in our pews and wait for Christ to return. There are relationships to be cultivated, seeds to be planted, hearts to be watered, and harvests to be reaped. We must be patient, but we must not be lazy.
• Illustration: The Prophets -- The OT Prophets worked hard. They were faithful in their proclamation of God's Word, but they saw very little fruit for their work, and they did not live to see the coming of the Messiah. But they were faithful. Even when they were ignored, or ridiculed, or arrested, or persecuted, or killed; they were faithful. Our faithfulness while we wait for Christ's return is a sign of the genuineness of our conversion.
• IMPATIENCE IS A SIGN THAT THE TEMPORAL IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN THE ETERNAL.

2. James expects peace

• While we wait, we must not turn on one another. Have you ever been in a difficult situation with someone else that turned ugly. Likely, the person you were with had nothing to do with the breaking of the relationship, but the external pressures were too much and one or both of you succumbed to the temptation to take out your frustration on the other. Anytime relationships within the church are broken, it is a sure sign that the harsh reality of sin has crept in where it ought not be. Someone has given it a foothold.
• James' statement that "the Judge is standing at the door!" is a reminder of the imminence of Christ's return, and an encouragement to settle disputes quickly and appropriately! I am reminded of Ephesians 4:26 which advises us to not let the sun set on our anger. Disputes with brothers and sisters should be settled quickly, so they do not fester and infect the whole body.

FINAL THOUGHT: Christ is returning. Your choice to wait patiently and peacefully will determine the state you are in to greet Him.

Psalm 146:4-9

God is actively involved in our lives. He is worthy of our hope.

Often we put our hope in other people (or ourselves), and anticipate that they will give us what we're looking for or lead us where we want to go. But, humans will always disappoint. They'll never give us everything we expect, and even those who love us most will let us down at some point.

Our hope should be in the LORD. He will never disappoint. Here are six roles God will play in our life when we depend on Him:

• Creator -- He made all things, and He will make all things new.
• Provider -- He provides justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, and care for the widows and orphans. When no one else cares for you, you are in the perfect place to be cared for by God
• Liberator -- He freed Israel from Egypt, he can free you from sin
• Healer -- Physical healing, spiritual healing, emotional healing, and relational healing are all in His portfolio
• Encourager -- He lifts up those who are weighted down. There is no more encouraging word (if we'll receive it) than, "Your sins are forgiven"
• Protector -- He is most concerned with protecting those who would be oppressed. Remember that you are under His protection. Whatever situation you find yourself in, it cannot conquer you unless you let it. He will protect you from anything you cannot withstand.
  

Isaiah 35:1-10

The Return of the King is Good News.

Most of this passage looks ahead to Christ's second advent (in fact, all of it could be descriptive of that time), however some of it is predictive of his first advent. Verses five and six particularly are the passages Jesus referenced about himself when confronted by John's disciples in Luke 7.

As those living between the first and second advent, we may be especially encouraged because we know that what he has already began to fulfill, he will most certainly complete.

The Return of the King is Good News!

1. For the earth.
His creation, which has been abused and destroyed by mankind, will be restored to its original state of completeness and ideal functionality.

• wilderness and desert will no longer be wastelands (while this is partly descriptive of the middle east climate in which Isaiah lived, there is a deeper meaning in that those whose souls are parched and desolate will be nourished and become fruitful)
  
• all lands will have ample water supplies (in John, Jesus references the Spirit when He talks about the river of life that will come from Him. Not only will creation be given the water it so desperately needs, we are given the Spirit as the sustaining force behind our lives)

2. For the underprivileged.
The Gospel is always good news for those who get little good news. It flattens the landscape and creates an equal playing field. While some may be oppressed by men, none are shown favoritism by God.

• this news strengthens tired hands... those who have worked long without results, are strengthened to go on.
• this news encourages weak knees... those whose lives are collapsing are held up
• this news emboldens the fearful... those who are afraid to follow God are convinced of their future. Fear is destroyed when we realize that "God is coming to destroy your enemies...to save you" (vs.4)

3. For the ransomed.
The best news of all is that those of us who are sinners have been purchased out of our deserved punishment, and can look forward to the return of our great Savior. (the reverse is sadly true. the coming of the king is bad news for those who continue in their evil ways)

• We will forever be in the presence of God (the very thing for which we were created. there is no more longing when you have the one thing which you have always needed)
• Sorrow and mourning are replaced with joy and gladness (the difficulty of life will be quickly forgotten as we drown in glory of God)
  

Romans 15:4-13

The focus of this passage is on Jesus' acceptance of us (particularly us as Gentiles). However, the reason Paul wants to talk about Jesus' acceptance of us is because he has something he wants us to learn about our acceptance of each other. In typical Paul fashion, he doesn't get right to the point. He takes his time, builds his case, and then drops his big idea once he's defused any reasons we might have to disagree. So I'm going to insert us as his audience and then try to rebuild his case using a slightly different structure that helps to reapply his teaching:

1. Paul's assumption about our situation.

• He assumes we are waiting. Verse 4 points out that the Romans, and us, were waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises. We are today waiting for the final piece of our salvation. While Christ's sacrifice freed us from the penalty of sin, and the Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we can have victory over the power of sin, we are still waiting for Christ's return to eliminate the presence of sin around us. Sin's presence impacts our lives daily. Often we encounter suffering as a consequence of our own sin, but sometimes we also suffer consequences of other people's sins.
• It's not stated explicitly here, but we can all understand that every one has to deal with the presence of sin in different ways. We are all tempted, but some deal with more difficult and more addictive temptations. We all suffer, but some must endure much more painful and long-standing trials. We all long for something more, but for some the poverty from which their longing springs is much darker and encompassing than for others.
• He assumes we are waiting patiently. Obviously, he knows we are not always patient, but this is perhaps Paul's way of gently encouraging us to wait patiently. We don't know when Christ will make all things right, but we do have the Scriptural promises that it is indeed coming. We all need that reminder from time to time so we don't lose sight of the fact that this is not the end of the story, there is something more we are waiting for. We need to be patient in this in-between time.

2. Paul's formula for patient waiting.

• The easiest way to wait patiently, is to focus on others. Paul says it is fitting that followers of Christ live in harmony with each other. If we are pursuing harmony with our brothers and sisters, our focus will no longer be on ourselves. Sometimes, when I'm really hungry, I need to stop thinking about food. As long as I'm focused on my hunger and the food I'm waiting for, it only grows worse (even as I type this, my stomach growls). But when I start focusing on tasks I need to accomplish, people I need to contact, and anything else; eventually, I discover that the hunger has subsided. As we wait for Christ to make things right, we must move our focus away from how the presence of sin is kicking our butts, and focus instead on living in harmony with our brothers.
• A simple way to think about living in harmony is to remember the "Three S-Words of Christian Community". These are based on the example of Christ:

1. Submit -- What I WANT is not very important to me.
2. Sacrifice -- What I HAVE is not very important to me.
3. Serve -- What You NEED is extremely important to me

• Later, Paul suggests that the best way to pursue harmony with each other is to accept one another. This is really where Paul wanted to go. He desperately wants to see the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians accept one another. He sees divisions in the church that are keeping people from living in harmony and keeping people from waiting patiently for the Lord's return (because they are so focused on themselves). He recognizes that the solution is for the Jewish Christians to accept the Gentile Christians and for the Gentile Christians to accept the Jewish Christians.
• Acceptance needs to be more than just a recognition of the existence of others. Paul sees acceptance as a willingness (and a desire) to be united in worship with others. The sign that these Christians were accepting one another was that they were willing to worship God together. (vs. 6)

3. Paul's Reminder of Christ's Work

• Jesus came for the Jews to fulfill the promises God made to their ancestors. Therefore the Gentiles shouldn't scoff at the Jewish tradition, but should recognize how rich they are because Christ made it all real.
• Jesus came for the Gentiles so that they could be included in the family of God. Therefore the Jews shouldn't force them to be second class citizens or to conform to traditions that were not meant for them.
• By citing several psalms that refer to the day when Gentiles would be united to God, Paul makes it clear that this was not just some secondary plan or afterthought, but that all along it was God's plan to make the Gentiles his own.
• Most importantly, knowing that Jesus submitted himself to the Father by becoming human and sacrificed himself on the cross so that he could serve us should be all the motivation and example we need to accept one another, pursue harmony with one another and worship together so that our focus will be right and our waiting will be patient.

Concluding Thoughts: If the presence of sin is kicking you around and you are having a hard time waiting patiently for Christ to reveal Himself, you may need to get the focus off yourself and on to others!

Psalm 72:1-7

Justice and righteousness are often cited together in the Old Testament. Here they are the desired character traits of the king and his son. Essentially, these two are the current and future rulers of Israel. When justice and righteousness are happening together, everyone gets treated by God's standards, especially the poor.

1. The Appropriate Relationship Between Government and the Poor

• The poor need to be treated fairly. They should receive the same benefits as the wealthy, and as much as possible be given the same opportunities as the wealthy. As is the case in many other passages, preferential treatment of the rich is antithetical to God's way.
• The poor need to be defended. History has taught us that usually power is held by the wealthy. Too often, that power has been used to oppress. The government must be watchful to ensure that those who cannot defend themselves are not being oppressed.
• The children of the poor need to be rescued. In dire situations, the government must take care of abandoned and abused children. This is NOT a mandate for the government to become a parenting substitute, but rather to step in when needed and take emergency action.
• The oppressors of the poor should be crushed. It is hard not to think of corporate America and some of the banks and lending institutions who have leveraged poverty to create wealth. The government should crush these people.

2. The Appropriate Perspective on Prosperity

• Agricultural prosperity is good for everyone. Nothing demonstrates the care of God for his creation like the annual harvest of crops. While farmers can work hard and plan ahead, only God can actually make the plants grow. When a region has a bountiful harvest, everyone benefits because there is more food and it is less expensive. When we ask God to bring a fruitful harvest we are remembering that true prosperity comes from Him, it is not something we can produce on our own.
• Prosperity is not a bad thing as long as it doesn't come at the expense of the poor. The psalmist asks for "abundant prosperity." Based on the rest of the psalm, we should conclude that he desires prosperity for all, not just for a few (or even many). Prosperity that is built on the backs of others is not true prosperity, it is a temporary distraction from God, and it is an idol to self-sustenance. Prosperity that is built with others because of dependence on God is a just and righteous prosperity.

Concluding Thoughts:

1. Treat all people as God would treat them
2. Rescue those who are being oppressed
   
3. Rely on God for your prosperity