SPEAKER_00: This evening, we're going to continue our study in the book of James.
SPEAKER_00: Please turn in your Bibles to James chapter 5.
SPEAKER_00: And we'll begin in verse 7.
SPEAKER_00: We'll look at three verses this evening: James 7, 8, and 9.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to talk to you guys about waiting.
SPEAKER_00: I want to talk to you today about the hardest things that you've had to wait for.
SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes time can play tricks on our mind.
SPEAKER_00: We have 24 hours in a day, we have 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds in a minute.
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes our our perception of time can be distorted.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we can feel like time is going slow or it's not going fast enough.
SPEAKER_00: And oftentimes when we're waiting for something that we really desire, that we really want badly, we can become impatient.
SPEAKER_00: We can grow to be frustrated.
SPEAKER_00: We can say things that are hurtful.
SPEAKER_00: We can say things and do things that are unkind that are hurtful to other people.
SPEAKER_00: And I want us to put our minds into the context of what James is speaking about tonight.
SPEAKER_00: Again, there's a group of Jewish Christians who are being mistreated for their faith.
SPEAKER_00: They're being persecuted as they wait for Jesus to return.
SPEAKER_00: Their job is to remain faithful, remain on task, and their job to go and make disciples has not changed.
SPEAKER_00: Their job to endure and to consider the trials of their lives as joy.
SPEAKER_00: Let's remember what's going on here.
SPEAKER_00: Let's remember the mission.
SPEAKER_00: Let's remember what we're waiting for.
SPEAKER_00: As you endure mistreatment, as you're tempted to grumble, as you're tempted to mistreat your brothers and your sisters in Christ, there's a lot going on.
SPEAKER_00: But let's not lose sight and let's not lose our cool.
SPEAKER_00: Let's remain patiently and joyfully and eagerly.
SPEAKER_00: Let's continue to wait for the return of the king.
SPEAKER_00: And the title of the sermon is waiting for the king.
SPEAKER_00: And at the same time, we're also waiting for the king.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus has not returned for his people yet.
SPEAKER_00: We're still waiting.
SPEAKER_00: We're still anticipating his return even now.
SPEAKER_00: Even now.
SPEAKER_00: And this is a great challenge for us, as it was for James's audience.
SPEAKER_00: And we really need to focus.
SPEAKER_00: We need to fix our eyes on what are we to do?
SPEAKER_00: If we're in Christ, if we're truly saved, we're a Christian, what is our, what is what are the marching orders?
SPEAKER_00: What are we supposed to be doing as we're waiting for Christ to return, as we experience these difficulties in life.
SPEAKER_00: In life.
SPEAKER_00: Let's look to the text here.
SPEAKER_00: James chapter 5, verses 7, 8, and 9.
SPEAKER_00: Follow along with me.
SPEAKER_00: It says, Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
SPEAKER_00: You also be patient.
SPEAKER_00: Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
SPEAKER_00: Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged.
SPEAKER_00: Behold, the judge is standing at the door.
SPEAKER_00: The judge is standing at the door.
SPEAKER_00: When I was younger, I uh I was pretty impatient.
SPEAKER_00: I would tell my mom, I'm bored.
SPEAKER_00: Mom, I'm bored.
SPEAKER_00: My mom was a teacher, and uh summer is uh a time for me to spend a lot of time with mom because she wasn't going anywhere, and neither was I.
SPEAKER_00: We were we were at home together, and it was two and a half, three months of what's next?
SPEAKER_00: What's next?
SPEAKER_00: It was easy for me to grow impatient, not knowing what the next day would hold for me.
SPEAKER_00: Is it gonna be the same?
SPEAKER_00: Am I gonna do the same things?
SPEAKER_00: Am I gonna have to do a new chore?
SPEAKER_00: Am I gonna have to play with my siblings again?
SPEAKER_00: Am I gonna have to do the dishes, take out the trash?
SPEAKER_00: Are my tasks the same?
SPEAKER_00: I was impatient and I and I grumbled quite a bit.
SPEAKER_00: You could ask my mom and my dad.
SPEAKER_00: I grumbled, I complained.
SPEAKER_00: I had a heart that was not content, not fixed on the blessings that God had given me, the the riches of great parents and and the siblings that I had.
SPEAKER_00: I I wasn't thankful for them.
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't thankful for the way that God was was taking care of me and providing for me.
SPEAKER_00: And I wasn't thankful for the opportunities and the jobs and the tasks that were before me.
SPEAKER_00: And that was a problem.
SPEAKER_00: And it led to more grumbling and more complaining.
SPEAKER_00: And my parents were faithful to correct me, to show me the air of my ways.
SPEAKER_00: And uh when I said I was bored, they gave me more tasks to do.
SPEAKER_00: How many of you can relate with that?
SPEAKER_00: Mom, I'm bored.
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'll give you something to do.
SPEAKER_00: I got plenty.
SPEAKER_00: I got a list.
SPEAKER_00: Do you want to do the laundry?
SPEAKER_00: You want to uh scrub the sink?
SPEAKER_00: Do you do you want to go feed the animals?
SPEAKER_00: Do you do you want to go uh wash the car?
SPEAKER_00: There's a there's a laundry list of things that you can do.
SPEAKER_00: There's plenty of things to do.
SPEAKER_00: It's not easy to be patient.
SPEAKER_00: It's not.
SPEAKER_00: If we're honest with ourselves, if we're really looking, looking deep inside, we're thinking, like, yeah, like I have a hard time being patient.
SPEAKER_00: Being patient.
SPEAKER_00: Now, all of us have tasks to do, all of us have um a job to do, whether you have a you're a business owner or you your only responsibility is to take the trash out when you see that it's full.
SPEAKER_00: We all have work to do.
SPEAKER_00: And for the Christian, I'd like to draw our attention, if uh, if you will, for for James.
SPEAKER_00: He's speaking to his audience here.
SPEAKER_00: He's speaking to the Christians in Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: They're being mistreated, probably by the people that are wealthy, people that have influence, that have power, um, that have some kind of uh authority in in the city or in the surrounding areas.
SPEAKER_00: They're they're being mistreated.
SPEAKER_00: And they're experiencing persecution.
SPEAKER_00: And in that, James is using the word brothers again.
SPEAKER_00: He's drawing their attention to the familial aspects of their relationship and their foundation in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: He's saying, brothers, brothers.
SPEAKER_00: Not every single person in the church of Jerusalem was directly related to James, the brother of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: But in Christ, they were related.
SPEAKER_00: They have a stronger bond through the Savior, and he's saying, brothers, brothers, listen, listen, be patient.
SPEAKER_00: The king is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: The king is on his way.
SPEAKER_00: The king is right around the corner.
SPEAKER_00: He's almost here.
SPEAKER_00: We got to be ready.
SPEAKER_00: We got to be patient.
SPEAKER_00: We got to stay focused.
SPEAKER_00: And he's drawing his attention, his uh, his readers' attention to the farmers.
SPEAKER_00: The farmers.
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have ever sown a seed and watched something germinate and grow?
SPEAKER_00: When I was in in elementary school, we had this project.
SPEAKER_00: We took a sunflower seed and we got a cotton ball and we we put it in a ziploc bag and we put some water in it and we put it on the windowsill, and day after day you go and look.
SPEAKER_00: Did anything happen?
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: The next day, nothing, nothing.
SPEAKER_00: Whose seed was gonna sprout first?
SPEAKER_00: It was a competition.
SPEAKER_00: I was confident that mine was gonna sprout first.
SPEAKER_00: It didn't.
SPEAKER_00: It didn't, but we were eagerly waiting, looking, anticipating, is it gonna happen today?
SPEAKER_00: It's today the day.
SPEAKER_00: It's today the day that we get to see the growth.
SPEAKER_00: It's today the day that something happens.
SPEAKER_00: And uh for a culture that didn't have uh irrigation like we do here in the valley, they didn't turn on their sprinklers when spring hit.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't blow out their sprinklers uh before winter comes.
SPEAKER_00: No, they were waiting and dependent on the rain that God provided.
SPEAKER_00: They were waiting, they were praying, they were anticipating God's provision for them, and they looked, they looked up, they looked to the sky, and they were waiting for what would happen next.
SPEAKER_00: The rains would would come in in the fall and in the spring, and uh God provided through through the means of his changing of season.
SPEAKER_00: And and the the people that that James is speaking to really had no control.
SPEAKER_00: They couldn't uh they couldn't fly a plane over and cloud seed, they couldn't uh they couldn't just dig a trench and run you know hundreds of miles of of piping to pipe in water.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't have that capability.
SPEAKER_00: No, they they were dependent, they were awaiting patiently, day after day after day, patiently waiting for something to happen, for the precious fruit that would come after the rains, the the growth and and the the harvest that hopefully that they they prayed for at the end of the season, they were anticipating something to happen.
SPEAKER_00: And and James is using this illustration to draw his readers in.
SPEAKER_00: Just like you're waiting for the growth, just like you're waiting for something to happen, for food to grow, for you to eat, wait for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He's on the way.
SPEAKER_00: Wait for the coming of the Lord and do it patiently.
SPEAKER_00: It's not easy.
SPEAKER_00: It's not easy to be patient, it's not easy to wait another year for uh for Christmas, it's not easy to wait for the weekend, it's not easy to wait for the school day to be over sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: I just want this to be over, please.
SPEAKER_00: Let it be over.
SPEAKER_00: I can't take it anymore.
SPEAKER_00: And there's a particular way that I think God would want us to wait.
SPEAKER_00: There's a particular way.
SPEAKER_00: Um it's it's gonna honor him, it's gonna show him uh love and respect, and it's gonna show the fear of the Lord uh as we wait.
SPEAKER_00: And it has to do with who God is, who his character is.
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna have to do with God's promises.
SPEAKER_00: God said that he would return for his people.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said that he would be back, and there's work to do.
SPEAKER_00: Go and make disciples of all the nations.
SPEAKER_00: That was their mission, that was their job.
SPEAKER_00: They weren't sitting on their hands waiting, twiddling their thumbs, watching paint dry, waiting for Jesus to come back.
SPEAKER_00: No, there was work to be done, but they they should do it with patience.
SPEAKER_00: They should do it with a confidence, and they should do it with an excitement.
SPEAKER_00: There, there's a lot of things that we can do that that show uh a patience as we wait.
SPEAKER_00: We can do it by having a confidence that we know what is about to happen next will actually happen.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, with mom and dad said, We're gonna go and get uh we're gonna go and get a milkshake at Reeds, and uh you trust them, you believe them.
SPEAKER_00: Well, you just have to wait.
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_00: And they might give you a timeline or they might not.
SPEAKER_00: But but you have a confidence and a faith that goes and waits on their leading.
SPEAKER_00: You do that patiently.
SPEAKER_00: You're not anxious about it, you're not sure if they're telling you the truth.
SPEAKER_00: You're confident, you're you're not wavering.
SPEAKER_00: You have to, there's a level of excitement when when your mom and dad make a promise that you know they're gonna uh come through with.
SPEAKER_00: There's there's uh an anticipation that comes along with that.
SPEAKER_00: So let's so let's write this down for point number one.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be waiting patiently, wait patiently, confidently, and eagerly.
SPEAKER_00: Wait patiently, confidently, and eagerly.
SPEAKER_00: A patient person that's waiting isn't going to be complaining about the timeline that they're on.
SPEAKER_00: They're not gonna be impatient.
SPEAKER_00: They're not going to have their way or try to persuade or manipulate the people that made the promise in order to accelerate this timeline.
SPEAKER_00: There's no haste involved, there's no frustration involved.
SPEAKER_00: And in the face of delays or difficulties, James is charging his readers, his listeners to wait, to wait patiently.
SPEAKER_00: Be patient, wait on the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He's coming, he's on the way.
SPEAKER_00: You just have to wait.
SPEAKER_00: His promises are true.
SPEAKER_00: There's a confidence that comes in that.
SPEAKER_00: There's a faith element to that.
SPEAKER_00: When we describe someone that is confident, there's a boldness, there's not a wavering or a doubt that is infused.
SPEAKER_00: They they're self-assured, they're not fear of the failure of the promise.
SPEAKER_00: They're fixed, they're confident, they have faith that what is told to them will happen.
SPEAKER_00: That's how a Christian should be waiting for the Lord's return.
SPEAKER_00: And there's an eagerness, there's an excitement.
SPEAKER_00: Just like you would be excited for a vacation or a trip to the bowling alley or the arcade or K1, there's there's an excitement.
SPEAKER_00: If you know what's going to happen, there's there's energy inside, there's joy inside, there's a lot of enthusiasm when you are looking forward to something that is good.
SPEAKER_00: When you're looking forward to seeing an old friend again that you haven't seen in a while.
SPEAKER_00: And the person that that we wait for, the person that the Christian longs to see is the Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: That is the person that they are patiently waiting to see.
SPEAKER_00: Now it can it can be difficult when the surrounding circumstances are painful, when the surrounding circumstances leave you feeling lonely, relationally damaged.
SPEAKER_00: There's there's some waiting that happens, and there's some rocky roads ahead, but I want to challenge you, stay stay true, stay on the narrow path, student.
SPEAKER_00: Stay fixed and focused on God's promises.
SPEAKER_00: Don't argue and quarrel along the way.
SPEAKER_00: Don't lose your temper along the way.
SPEAKER_00: Don't get lost on rabbit trails falling and fixing your mind on other promises that won't come true, fixing your mind on lies that the world might try to make you believe.
SPEAKER_00: Don't lose focus, don't lose energy, and don't lose heart.
SPEAKER_00: These are the things that will challenge you as you wait.
SPEAKER_00: There's going to be many challenges awaiting you as you uh mature, as you grow in your understanding of the word, as we await the return of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to challenge you stay patient, stay dependent, stay fixed and focused on the Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: James is really good at making himself clear.
SPEAKER_00: He might hop around and jump around, but I love just how direct he is.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 7, be patient.
SPEAKER_00: First two words.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 8, you also be patient.
SPEAKER_00: Be patient, just like the farmer.
SPEAKER_00: Be patient, brothers.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, be patient.
SPEAKER_00: You also be patient.
SPEAKER_00: Establish your hearts.
SPEAKER_00: For the coming of the Lord is at hand.
SPEAKER_00: Is at hand.
SPEAKER_00: It's about to happen.
SPEAKER_00: He's on the way.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta be ready.
SPEAKER_00: Wait patiently.
SPEAKER_00: Wait patiently on the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Now, establishing your hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Establish, when we think about companies that are that are established, there's a fixed timeline.
SPEAKER_00: There's there's a beginning.
SPEAKER_00: There's a beginning.
SPEAKER_00: And as you think about the the ways that we can establish anything, there's a beginning.
SPEAKER_00: And there's a point in time when you first when you first realized the beauty and the truth of the gospel, and you made a decision.
SPEAKER_00: You place your hope, your trust, you place your faith in Christ for salvation.
SPEAKER_00: And James is talking to his his believing brothers and sisters that have a faith in Christ, the church in Jerusalem, and reminding them that Jesus is going to return.
SPEAKER_00: And it can look like a distant, like a foggy thing that's hard to see sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes your eyes can be blurred, you can be distracted, you can doubt.
SPEAKER_00: But James is saying, establish your hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, remember your training.
SPEAKER_00: Remember the truth of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Remember your foundation.
SPEAKER_00: Remember the goal.
SPEAKER_00: Remember what Jesus told you to do.
SPEAKER_00: Remember his promise that he was going to return again.
SPEAKER_00: Remember the cross.
SPEAKER_00: Remember the gospel, the gospel of Jesus that saves.
SPEAKER_00: That's how we establish our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: There's a confidence, there's a focus and a fixed hope on the reality of Jesus' return.
SPEAKER_00: And that's going to charge us up.
SPEAKER_00: That's going to fill us up with energy, with enthusiasm, with a confidence that is going to give us a drive for what we have to do.
SPEAKER_00: Colossians 3 says in verse 23, whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.
SPEAKER_00: You are serving the Lord Christ, for the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done.
SPEAKER_00: And there is no partiality.
SPEAKER_00: You get what you get, and it is pure and it is right and it is justified.
SPEAKER_00: If you are working and longing and putting your hope, your trust in the Lord Jesus, your reward is secured in Him.
SPEAKER_00: Your reward is heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Your reward is life everlasting with the Savior.
SPEAKER_00: So work hard.
SPEAKER_00: Work hard for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: You might have a boss one day that's not easy to work for.
SPEAKER_00: You might have a difficult manager.
SPEAKER_00: You might have some co-workers that are difficult.
SPEAKER_00: Keep your eyes fixed on the hope of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Keep your eyes fixed on the returning Lord Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And just remind yourself: when he returns, it's going to be relief.
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be peace.
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be satisfaction in the fullest.
SPEAKER_00: Life in him.
SPEAKER_00: No more sin, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears, no more suffering of any kind.
SPEAKER_00: Work hard for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He's on the way.
SPEAKER_00: He's coming back soon.
SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes when my my little guy is sad, mom's away.
SPEAKER_00: Mom's away.
SPEAKER_00: She's got some errands to run.
SPEAKER_00: She's with some friends.
SPEAKER_00: She's she's uh working out.
SPEAKER_00: She's rollerblading with, you know, who on the green belt.
SPEAKER_00: She's she's she's not home.
SPEAKER_00: Some guy, sometimes my little guy will wake up from a nap.
SPEAKER_00: Little Shep will wake up, and he is just distraught.
SPEAKER_00: He is wrecked.
SPEAKER_00: Where's my mom?
SPEAKER_00: Where's my mommy?
SPEAKER_00: Over and over, and he just won't stop crying.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what I tell him.
SPEAKER_00: You know what I tell him, hey buddy, I'm here.
SPEAKER_00: I'm here, but guess what?
SPEAKER_00: Mom's coming back.
SPEAKER_00: She's she's on the way.
SPEAKER_00: She's gonna be back soon.
SPEAKER_00: And there's there's a comfort to him.
SPEAKER_00: He's he's feeling the sense of like, okay, yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: She's yeah, she'll be back soon.
SPEAKER_00: How much more, how much more can our hearts be filled?
SPEAKER_00: How much more can our endurance be charged up again?
SPEAKER_00: How much more can our focus be sharpened, our joy increased when we think about the return of the Savior, the return of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: You might be really struggling, you might be suffering either now or maybe at some point in your future.
SPEAKER_00: You might you might want someone or something badly in thinking that that's going to bring you relief, but nothing will bring more joy or more relief than the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing at all.
SPEAKER_00: Fix your eyes on him.
SPEAKER_00: Remember him.
SPEAKER_00: Remember when Calls us to do.
SPEAKER_00: We have a job to do.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 1 through 3 speaks to the day of the Lord, the day that the Lord Jesus Christ returns.
SPEAKER_00: Says this.
SPEAKER_00: Now, concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
SPEAKER_00: You already know this.
SPEAKER_00: This is in your understanding.
SPEAKER_00: For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
SPEAKER_00: Blink.
SPEAKER_00: While people are saying there's peace and security.
SPEAKER_00: Your life is comfortable.
SPEAKER_00: Your life is good.
SPEAKER_00: You're saving lots of money.
SPEAKER_00: You're getting to go on whatever vacation you want to.
SPEAKER_00: You got any any rifle or any kind of any kind of compound bow that you could ever want and you're safe.
SPEAKER_00: There's peace, there's security.
SPEAKER_00: Then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
SPEAKER_00: The first time Jesus came to earth, he came to seek and save the lost.
SPEAKER_00: He came to bring salvation.
SPEAKER_00: He ascended after conquering death, after defeating sin.
SPEAKER_00: When he comes back again, it's going to be different.
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be sudden.
SPEAKER_00: And if you're not prepared, it's not going to go well for you.
SPEAKER_00: In the blink of an eye, like a thief in the night, you don't expect it coming, and all of a sudden, it's over.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be ready for his return.
SPEAKER_00: We need to have a confidence that I'm in right standing with the Savior, with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: You need to have a confidence.
SPEAKER_00: You need to be sure.
SPEAKER_00: You need to know the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: Later on in chapter 5 in 1 Thessalonians, says this, verses 12 through 18.
SPEAKER_00: We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
SPEAKER_00: Speaking about the teachers, speaking about the pastors and the elders who are over them that are leading them.
SPEAKER_00: Be at peace among yourselves.
SPEAKER_00: And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle.
SPEAKER_00: Get them going.
SPEAKER_00: Stop being lazy.
SPEAKER_00: Encourage the faint-hearted, those in despair, those who are struggling.
SPEAKER_00: Remember Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Remember his goodness.
SPEAKER_00: Remember his faithfulness.
SPEAKER_00: Help the weak.
SPEAKER_00: Take care of the people that are that are struggling around you.
SPEAKER_00: And be patient with them all.
SPEAKER_00: Be patient with them all.
SPEAKER_00: See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
SPEAKER_00: Rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: Pray without ceasing.
SPEAKER_00: Give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
SPEAKER_00: If you're thinking about complaining, if you're tempted to like look at your circumstances and be like, man, this is the worst.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just, this is anything but this, please.
SPEAKER_00: Anything but right now.
SPEAKER_00: This this verse should be an encouragement to you.
SPEAKER_00: There's work to do.
SPEAKER_00: Do good.
SPEAKER_00: Do good to one another, to everyone.
SPEAKER_00: Always rejoice.
SPEAKER_00: Rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: That's a command from the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Rejoice always.
SPEAKER_00: Never not praying.
SPEAKER_00: Pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: That's easier said than done.
SPEAKER_00: I know some brothers and sisters have had some tough weeks in the past, some tough conversations, some tough interactions.
SPEAKER_00: They've been let down.
SPEAKER_00: They've thought that something was sure, then it's it's changed.
SPEAKER_00: Many of you have had some friendships in the past that kind of got shuffled up a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: Things aren't the same, things are different.
SPEAKER_00: Pray without ceasing.
SPEAKER_00: Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
SPEAKER_00: You also, verse 8, you also be patient.
SPEAKER_00: Establish your heart for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
SPEAKER_00: That's how we combat the attitude that says, I don't have it the way that I should.
SPEAKER_00: That's how we combat the temptation to grumble and complain.
SPEAKER_00: The temptation to argue, to quarrel with people that God has placed in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: That's what we do.
SPEAKER_00: We take heart.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 31, verses 23 and 24 says this Love the Lord, all you saints.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
SPEAKER_00: Be strong and let your heart take courage.
SPEAKER_00: All you who wait for the Lord, wait on him.
SPEAKER_00: Trust his timing.
SPEAKER_00: Depend on him.
SPEAKER_00: Love the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to preserve you.
SPEAKER_00: Trust in him always.
SPEAKER_00: Remain humble.
SPEAKER_00: He's against you.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to repay the wicked acts of those who are pride, who are proud, who are filled with pride in their hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Take courage.
SPEAKER_00: Establish your hearts.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: He's coming back.
SPEAKER_00: The situation that you're in, it's temporary.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: The sorrow that you're experiencing will be wiped away.
SPEAKER_00: It's not permanent.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: The grumbling heart wants to say, I don't like the Lord's timing for my life right now.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like the situation that God has placed me in.
SPEAKER_00: It's wrong to be in this situation.
SPEAKER_00: Check your heart.
SPEAKER_00: Choose to see God's kindness.
SPEAKER_00: Choose to see his goodness.
SPEAKER_00: And something that I just think about.
SPEAKER_00: I was talking to a brother before we started singing.
SPEAKER_00: It's the kindness of God, it's the mercy of God that is seen when he delays, when he waits.
SPEAKER_00: More people are yet to respond to the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: More people have not declared Christ as Lord and Savior.
SPEAKER_00: He's delaying so more people would place their faith and trust in him.
SPEAKER_00: If you're a Christian and you're in a tough spot, you're struggling.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord is with you.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord knows.
SPEAKER_00: He hasn't returned yet because he's waiting for those who are his to respond to the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: So think about the people who are against God that have not yet chosen to submit to him, to bend their knee to the Savior.
SPEAKER_00: For those who will be his, he's delaying.
SPEAKER_00: The trial that you're in, there's time still going on that people are still responding to the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: That's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_00: Be encouraged by that.
SPEAKER_00: Be encouraged by your brothers and sisters who are going through it.
SPEAKER_00: There's opportunities to love on them.
SPEAKER_00: There's opportunities for us to take care of our brothers and sisters.
SPEAKER_00: There is a kindness from the Lord in his tarrying, he's waiting.
SPEAKER_00: So be patient.
SPEAKER_00: Be patient.
SPEAKER_00: Trust that the situation that you're in, God has placed you there for your good and for his glory.
SPEAKER_00: So don't complain.
SPEAKER_00: Philippians chapter 2, verses 14 and 15.
SPEAKER_00: Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
SPEAKER_00: As you patiently wait, as you patiently suffer various relational challenges, mistreatment, corruption, trials of various kinds, as you are enduring these things, you are shining as a light in darkness.
SPEAKER_00: People are being encouraged in the body by you as you endure patiently, humbly, and confidently that the Lord is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: This is not a permanent thing that you're going through.
SPEAKER_00: So we need to be careful not to complain.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be careful.
SPEAKER_00: We have to protect our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: We need God's help.
SPEAKER_00: Let's write this down for point number two.
SPEAKER_00: Wait for Jesus with a guarded heart.
SPEAKER_00: Be aware of the challenges.
SPEAKER_00: Be aware of the enemy.
SPEAKER_00: Be aware of the traps and snares that surround.
SPEAKER_00: It's too easy to complain.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 9, do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged.
SPEAKER_00: Behold, the judge is standing at the door.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you haven't responded to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you haven't seen his mercy that he offers you the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you haven't realized that you need forgiveness.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe growing up in a Christian home is good enough for you to get to heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe having parents that that love you and that take you to church, maybe you think that's good enough.
SPEAKER_00: If you have not turned from your sin, if you've not placed your faith and trust and hope in Christ for salvation, that there is a judge that we will all stand before.
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to stand before the judge?
SPEAKER_00: We all stand guilty.
SPEAKER_00: We've all broken the law.
SPEAKER_00: We have all fallen short of his standard.
SPEAKER_00: And the enemy is also aware of that.
SPEAKER_00: Satan is also aware of that.
SPEAKER_00: He would love to, for you believers, he would love to discourage you, to tear you down, to heap shame on you.
SPEAKER_00: If you've fallen short, if you've sinned, call out for forgiveness.
SPEAKER_00: Christ has paid it all for you.
SPEAKER_00: He's paid it all.
SPEAKER_00: There's an advocate in the Lord Jesus Christ that we have.
SPEAKER_00: When the enemy says, You're guilty, you're guilty, you should just quit.
SPEAKER_00: Stop following.
SPEAKER_00: Stop trusting.
SPEAKER_00: Stop waiting patiently.
SPEAKER_00: Act impulsively.
SPEAKER_00: Act out on your fleshly desires.
SPEAKER_00: Act out.
SPEAKER_00: It's not going to hurt you.
SPEAKER_00: It's not going to kill you.
SPEAKER_00: God's going to forgive you, anyways.
SPEAKER_00: Just sin.
SPEAKER_00: It's okay.
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus is coming back for his own.
SPEAKER_00: Are you his?
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of things that we can be upset about.
SPEAKER_00: A job situation, a sibling situation, something that you don't agree about with your parents that they made a decision and you don't like it at all.
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of things for us to disagree and argue and grumble and bicker about.
SPEAKER_00: There's so much.
SPEAKER_00: Ephesians 4 though.
SPEAKER_00: Ephesians 4.29 says, let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give give grace to those who hear.
SPEAKER_00: And anything that is unwholesome, anything that is not building up, anything that is not kind, not loving, don't say it.
SPEAKER_00: Don't let that proceed out of your mouth.
SPEAKER_00: There's plenty of things for us to be thankful for.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord has paid an enormous debt that we could never pay.
SPEAKER_00: I want to challenge you to play a game.
SPEAKER_00: Play a game with your siblings.
SPEAKER_00: Play a game with your parents.
SPEAKER_00: If you're struggling, if you admit that there's a temptation going on and you're like, mom and dad, I'm struggling.
SPEAKER_00: I have a heart that's just grumbling inside.
SPEAKER_00: I might not be saying it on the outside, but in my mind, in my heart, I'm grumbling.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not content.
SPEAKER_00: I'm complaining on the inside.
SPEAKER_00: Here's a game.
SPEAKER_00: Try to count out blessings in your mind.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe go back and forth with your parent or with the sibling.
SPEAKER_00: Blessings from A to Z.
SPEAKER_00: A to Z.
SPEAKER_00: A blessing that starts with the letter A.
SPEAKER_00: A blessing that starts with the letter B.
SPEAKER_00: Or the thankful name game, I call it.
SPEAKER_00: And we need to train our hearts, prepare our hearts to defend against these temptations.
SPEAKER_00: We need to guard them.
SPEAKER_00: Practice, train.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you play sports, some of you compete in various ways.
SPEAKER_00: You train before the game.
SPEAKER_00: You train before the event.
SPEAKER_00: You prepare for the test.
SPEAKER_00: Do you do that spiritually?
SPEAKER_00: Are you training your heart?
SPEAKER_00: Are you pruning off the things that don't belong?
SPEAKER_00: Are you shaping your mind and your heart to please the Lord with the way that you speak, the way that your heart responds to situations?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have a sibling that you could be thankful for?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have a cousin that you could be thankful for?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have a grandparent that's still alive that you could be thankful for?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have a relative that's no longer with you that you're so thankful for, that has showed you so much, that has taught you many things?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have a mom and a dad that takes care of you well?
SPEAKER_00: Praise the Lord for these things.
SPEAKER_00: Praise the Lord for the ways that God takes care of you.
SPEAKER_00: That's a great way to defend against the enemy to tempt you to complain of what you don't have, the situation that you're not in.
SPEAKER_00: Thank the Lord for what he has done and what he's currently doing in your life.
SPEAKER_00: Our hearts want to fix things.
SPEAKER_00: Our hearts want to identify a problem, complain about it, and then imagine a situation that would alleviate the stress, alleviate the problem.
SPEAKER_00: There's plenty of problems in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: There's plenty of things that could go wrong in our minds.
SPEAKER_00: You might be tempted to complain about the problems, the unfairness, the discomfort that you're in physically, mentally, socially.
SPEAKER_00: You might have a difficult task.
SPEAKER_00: You might have a lot on your plate.
SPEAKER_00: You might be, you might be suffering in a certain way.
SPEAKER_00: Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ has taken away your biggest problem.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus Christ is a fair judge.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus Christ experienced every discomfort known to man.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus Christ completed the most difficult task known to man.
SPEAKER_00: He lived a sinless life.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord Jesus Christ suffered for you.
SPEAKER_00: Consider the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He's coming back.
SPEAKER_00: Consider Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He's on the way.
SPEAKER_00: Like a thief in the night.
SPEAKER_00: There's going to come a day when the people that are his are gone.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to take them.
SPEAKER_00: He's coming for his own.
SPEAKER_00: So be strong.
SPEAKER_00: Be courageous.
SPEAKER_00: Wait patiently for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Wait patiently for him.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 27, 14 says, wait for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Be strong and let your heart take courage.
SPEAKER_00: Wait for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Every courtroom has a judge.
SPEAKER_00: Every courtroom has a supreme authority that says, you are innocent or you are guilty.
SPEAKER_00: And friends, we're all guilty before the judge.
SPEAKER_00: We all stand condemned.
SPEAKER_00: His standard is perfection, and we all are stained with sin.
SPEAKER_00: Christ is coming back, and he is the judge.
SPEAKER_00: The judge is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: So don't find yourself complaining when the judge returns.
SPEAKER_00: Don't find yourself being against a brother or a sister, against your parent, against your cousin, against a classmate, against someone that is annoying to you.
SPEAKER_00: The judge is standing at the door.
SPEAKER_00: The judge is coming back soon.
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready?
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to stand for the verdict?
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to stand and hear the words that will leave the judge's mouth?
SPEAKER_00: There's only two options.
SPEAKER_00: Innocent or guilty.
SPEAKER_00: There's only two options.
SPEAKER_00: And the only way to be innocent is to be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
SPEAKER_00: That's the only way to be innocent in front of this judge.
SPEAKER_00: If you haven't confessed your sin, friend, if you haven't said, Lord, I need your forgiveness.
SPEAKER_00: Lord Jesus, I am I'm wicked.
SPEAKER_00: I need forgiveness.
SPEAKER_00: I'm a sinner.
SPEAKER_00: And only you can provide the remedy.
SPEAKER_00: Only you can forgive me.
SPEAKER_00: There's no other way to have life outside of you.
SPEAKER_00: If you have not asked the Lord to forgive you of your sins and you've not made an intentional commitment in faith to follow after him, friends, the guilty verdict is awaiting you.
SPEAKER_00: The king is coming back.
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready?
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready for the second coming of Christ?
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews 9 says, it's appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.
SPEAKER_00: So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time.
SPEAKER_00: He's already appeared once.
SPEAKER_00: Christ will appear a second time, and not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
SPEAKER_00: Are you eagerly waiting?
SPEAKER_00: Are you eagerly waiting for the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have a confidence that you are guiltless to stand before the throne of judgment?
SPEAKER_00: Second coming of Christ is the best thing, but also the most terrifying thing, depending on where you stand with him.
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready for the test?
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to give an account for your life and say, I'm so broken, I'm so sinful, but the Savior died.
SPEAKER_00: The Savior's blood leaves me innocent.
SPEAKER_00: I have no guilt.
SPEAKER_00: Can you say that?
SPEAKER_00: You must have faith in Christ to stand and with and withstand the judgment that's coming.
SPEAKER_00: The judge is standing at the door.
SPEAKER_00: So don't grumble.
SPEAKER_00: Don't find the things that are wrong with the people around you and say, you're so messed up.
SPEAKER_00: What's wrong with you?
SPEAKER_00: If that's the attitude of your heart, you're like, you're finding all the things that are wrong with the people around you.
SPEAKER_00: We've missed the point.
SPEAKER_00: Christ died for all the things that are wrong with you, with me.
SPEAKER_00: We're missing the point.
SPEAKER_00: Stop grumbling.
SPEAKER_00: Start waiting patiently.
SPEAKER_00: Start anticipating with eagerness the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Wait.
SPEAKER_00: Wait for him with eagerness.
SPEAKER_00: Wait for him with a confidence.
SPEAKER_00: Wait for him patiently.
SPEAKER_00: He's coming back.
SPEAKER_00: Is the righteous judge that's standing at the door?
SPEAKER_00: Is he your advocate?
SPEAKER_00: What will he say about you when he returns?
SPEAKER_00: At the end of your life, what will he say?
SPEAKER_00: That's a huge question to wrestle with, but it's one that's the most important question that you could ask yourself in this life.
SPEAKER_00: It's the most important one.
SPEAKER_00: Don't delay.
SPEAKER_00: Don't wait.
SPEAKER_00: Don't put it off till tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00: Don't just say, like, oh, this this question isn't that important.
SPEAKER_00: I have other important questions to deal with in my day.
SPEAKER_00: This is the most important question.
SPEAKER_00: Where do you stand before the judge?
SPEAKER_00: Where do you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ?
SPEAKER_00: He ever lives and pleads for you.
SPEAKER_00: If you're his, if you belong to Christ, he's your representative before God the Father.
SPEAKER_00: He's your representative.
SPEAKER_00: He's either going to judge you, condemn you for your sins, or he's gonna say, forgiven, you're mine.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: God, we struggle to be patient.
SPEAKER_00: We lose focus.
SPEAKER_00: We forget.
SPEAKER_00: We lose track of the most important things.
SPEAKER_00: God, fix our eyes on you.
SPEAKER_00: Fix our eyes to remember.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to wait patiently, without complaining, without grumbling, eagerly, with full excitement and joy, with a confidence that brings us peace, that brings us hope.
SPEAKER_00: God, will you give us faith?
SPEAKER_00: God, for those, if there's anyone in this room that does not believe, that does not have a faith and a love for Christ and an appreciation and a great satisfaction in him.
SPEAKER_00: God, will you work in a powerful way to give faith, saving faith in this room?
SPEAKER_00: God, we need you to remind us constantly, thank you so much for your word.
SPEAKER_00: God, help us to be patient, help us to be ready.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to be waiting with joy and anticipation, with an eagerness and excitement, with confidence in you for your return.
SPEAKER_00: God, we pray in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.