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Have you ever felt that the world isn't really the way it ought to be? It's one of the great frustrations of life. We hear it every time politicians promise solutions that never materialise. We see it when poorer or weaker people struggle while those with less moral compass seem to succeed.
But it isn't just the world that fails to live up to what it should be — the people of God, the church, are the same. Even the early Christians James wrote to showed favouritism to the rich, slandered one another, quarrelled, boasted, and promoted injustice. James doesn't mince words about this:
"Come, listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that's coming on you. Your wealth has rotted and moths have eaten your clothes..." (James 5:1)
Most of us don't feel like the exploiters — we feel exploited, frustrated rather than fulfilled. So where is the victory, the strength to overcome the struggles we share? What can we do about the flaws in our own lives, this frustrating world, and the imperfect church that God has called us into?
James' answer is characteristically practical:
"Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming." (James 5:7)
He gives us a glorious hope, three practical examples of living it out, and one very practical priority.
The hope running through this whole passage is simple: one day justice will be done when Jesus returns.
God's intention is not to patch over the problems of this suffering world — he is going to totally renew it. That means finally dealing with all the selfishness and sin that corrupts this world, and corrupts us.
Even the youngest children learn a deep sense of injustice — try giving a lolly to a sibling and not to them, and they know it. Yet if we're honest, we know we're part of the problem too. We've caused as many hurts as we've healed. For a perfect new world to come, we need sorting out. And that is God's promise too — a judgment is coming that will end the selfishness and evil that cripples our relationships. That judgment would rightly end us as well, because we are flawed.
Except for Jesus Christ. He knows exactly what we are — the hypocrisy, the corruption within us — and yet he has left us not only without excuse, but with himself as our Saviour, one who bears the consequences of that coming judgement for us.
This is not a religion of "try harder, be nicer, earn God's favour" — that's what every other religion and philosophy offers. Jesus is more radical: he saves those who trust him despite what they are like. We are loved despite being damaged goods, accepted and forgiven despite being fatally flawed. Our future is a free gift of his grace.
If you're a guest tonight, thank you for coming. What has changed the lives of those being confirmed here isn't that they've become perfect or religious — it's that they simply said yes when Jesus asked, "Do you want a new life? Do you want a future?" It's loving him that has changed them.
It is never too late to say yes to Jesus — even tonight.
For those of us who have put our trust in Jesus, this hope should transform how we handle frustration and struggle. We can persevere, knowing a day is coming when Jesus will be our judge — and that the delay gives more people the opportunity to find this truth for themselves. We put up with pain, knowing it isn't forever, out of love for others we hope will come to share this faith.
A farmer (v.7) knows that seed, once sown, will eventually yield a harvest, despite enduring torrential rains and hardship along the way. One day the harvest comes.
If you know the Lord, your life now has a purpose that will make a difference forever. Who you are matters to God — with all your weaknesses, flaws, and failures — because he has a purpose for you, and shares your life so that what you do makes a difference in others' lives.
The people who have most influenced my Christian faith were not sermons, but the faithfulness and peace of Christians patiently enduring their pain. When you share your life with Jesus, even your most frustrating moments have the potential to be a blessing. You carry the seed of eternal fruit.
"Take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord" (v.10)
The Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming Messiah but never saw the day arrive in their earthly lives. It must have seemed foolish to those who didn't believe them, because God's countercultural truth is costly. Yet they were vindicated — Jesus came, just as God promised.
They are an example that it is no foolishness to follow God's word with the whole of your life. When you know the author of these words will be your judge, you listen — even when his teaching is profoundly counter-cultural. Most people think Jesus' teaching (love God, love your neighbour) would be good for the world, as long as someone else has to live it out first. It's worth being among those who do.
Job suffered horrendously — losing his home, his job, his family, left only with a nagging wife, struck down with disease that turned his friends' stomachs. Yet through it all, Job held on to the sovereignty of God, trusting God had a good purpose even when nobody could see it. His friends said God must be punishing him; Job said, "No, that's not right, but I don't know what is right — but I'm holding on."
Crucially, Job did not try to strike a deal with God to escape his suffering — unlike so many who pray, "If only you bring me relief, God, then I'll be faithful from now on." This is likely why James goes on to warn against swearing oaths (v.12) — because that is exactly what people do when suffering: make promises to get out of pain.
God eventually blessed Job again. This isn't a promise that every experience of suffering will end the same way, but it shows that God is faithful — and he will be faithful to us too, because Jesus is coming.
As the Apostle Paul said, it's like childbirth: the joy of new birth far outweighs the pain of giving birth — otherwise no one would do it twice. The glory of the future is worth the pain of the present.
James won't leave this without getting practical. The common thread through this whole passage is this: we persevere by supporting one another.
One of our culture's greatest shames is that people in trouble — long-term illness, mental health struggles — are often avoided, and in the midst of their pain they become embittered or resentful that others haven't had it as hard. James is determined the church will not be like that. Again and again he calls them brothers and sisters (vv.7, 9, 10, 12) — not mere jargon, but one of the most life-transforming truths of the Christian faith.
Look at who you're sat with. You wouldn't normally choose this bunch — but Jesus would, and has made us a family: different ages, cultures, backgrounds, race, genders, abilities, and wealth, brought together for the purpose of being there for each other.
"Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged." (v.9)
Grumbling against your family is grumbling against yourself. Trust that Jesus the judge has given you what you need to be fruitful, and don't resent others who may have it differently.
Be like the prophets — speak in the name of the Lord (v.10). When people are struggling, mostly they don't want pleasant platitudes or mere expressions of sympathy. What helps us persevere is more of the word and promises of God. Encourage others in the truth; build each other up in faith.
"Do not swear... All you need to say is simple yes or no." (v.12)
This is partly a warning against bargaining with God in suffering — salvation is a gift, not a deal. But it's also a call to the wider church family: it's easy to say "I'll call round this week" or "I'll help with the shopping" and never follow through. If you are struggling, you know how vital it is that people keep such promises. Don't make promises you aren't willing to keep — those in need rely on them as a lifeline.
We have a glorious hope of new life, tasted now by faith through the family of the church, and fulfilled when Jesus returns as judge and Saviour. That is why it's worth persevering through the problems and pains of this life. There is hope, there is a future, there is a people to encourage us, there's forgiveness and new life — and though it won't be easy, it is God's way of growing something significant in us: lives that are fruitful forever, bringing good news to a world that is lost, broken, and hurting.
Some of us need to hear the call not to focus on self-pity or grumbling about how easy others seem to have it, but to ask the Lord to fulfil a good purpose through our pain — and, like the farmer, the prophets, and Job, to persevere.
If you want this hope — a forgiveness that assures you you're loved by God, a promise of a glorious purpose and eternal future, a family who will be there for you — Jesus says:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest... Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find."
If tonight you know you want to become a Christian, you can pray this in your heart:
Lord Jesus Christ, I know I have been living in your world as though there is no hope and no future. I am sorry. I know you sent Jesus to die for me, to free my life from sin and guilt. I know he has promised a future for me on the day he returns. Please give me the new life you have promised in Jesus' name. Amen.
And if you've prayed that, tell another Christian tonight, and ask them to pray for you this week. And if someone asks you to pray for them — please do it. Let's be the people who are there for each other, so that we can live what God's word says, love who God has made us to be, and share good news with our world.
