You’ve noticed, no doubt, that we are returning to the same text that we
looked at last week. We do this not merely because there is more to be seen
in our text. We do this because there is more to benefit you in our text.
James is encouraging the saints as they are confronted with the conflict of
this life. Last week we saw how he supported his cause by using the
illustration of the farmer. This week we’ll see how James uses the examples
of the prophets and Job to the same end.
Let’s start with the prophets. First, let me remind you who the prophets
were. These were people whom God chose for a special task. They were
included in God’s inner council and entrusted with God’s message. This
calling was quite a privilege. There haven’t been many chosen for this task.
Yet, for James, they are examples of ‘suffering and patience’. Why? Consider
what Jesus said. ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to it!’ [Matthew 23:37] Then there are the
comments of Stephen before his murderers. ‘Which of the prophets did not
your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the
coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered… [Acts
7:52] A prophet received a high calling and was granted a great privilege by
God. And yet, he faced intense conflict. Now, bear in mind the source of the
conflict for the prophets. It wasn’t the pagans. To whom were almost all the
prophets sent? They were sent to the Church, the people of God. And what was
the goal of their mission? It was a mission focused on the good of the
Church. Their goal was to turn these rebellious saints from their sin so
that they might avoid the looming judgment of God. Jesus and Stephen record
the sad response. Here we have conflict within the Church! On the one side
there were the prophets seeking the good of the people of God and on the
other were these defiant saints who resisted and more. But notice James’
commentary on all of this. ‘Behold, we consider those blessed who endured.’
[11] The prophets kept at it until they reached the finish line which more
often than not was their martyrdom. They stand as a great example of
faithful servants of Christ.
Now, let me ask a couple of questions to try to bring this home to you. How
would you like to be a prophet? No? Doesn’t sound very appealing, does it?
That’s understandable. And yet, if that’s what you’re thinking, then
consider this question. Are the blessings of God worth the pain? The
prophets were blessed. Was their suffering worth it? This is an important
question to ask yourself because you deal with the same conflict they did.
Here, I would offer a heads up; something to watch out for. Beware of the
temptation of cherishing your comfort. How much are you willing to endure
for the sake of serving Christ? The prophets endured much, and they were
blessed. The Spirit is using them as an example for us.
Let’s turn to Job. Here is another person who faced the same conflict that
the prophets did and that you do. First, a quick review. Job was a righteous
man. And because of that Satan attacked him. So, we read about the
messengers who came to Job with the news that all his wealth was gone. And
while Job was hearing that others came to tell him that his children, all
ten of them, had been killed. As he tries to deal with that his health is
broken. He was covered with painful sores, head to toe. Then comes the final
touch. Three ‘friends’ come to comfort Job. And what do they tell him. ‘Job,
obviously you’ve sinned in some horrendous way. Just admit it and all will
be well once again.’ Job is overwhelmed by this. And he asks, ‘Why is this
happening to me? What is God doing? If only I had an audience with Him I’m
sure that I could show Him that this is all wrong.’ But God is nowhere to be
found. So, here is Job. His suffering is great. And yet, as James tells us,
he endured. It is in this context that James writes, ‘the Lord is very
compassionate and merciful’. Did you notice that? Stop and think about it.
Think about Job’s situation. It doesn’t look as if God is especially
compassionate. There doesn’t seem to be much mercy in sight. What is James
saying here? It all turns on understanding something from verse 11. ‘You
have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the
Lord…’ This word translated ‘purpose’ is rather interesting. Along with
being translated ‘purpose’, it can be translated ‘end’ or ‘goal’. It has the
sense of the final destination of the plan. ‘You have seen the purpose of
the Lord.’ What was God’s goal in Job’s situation? What was the goal of all
that happened? At the end of the book, Job gets what he was asking for. He
gets an audience with God. And at that point, Job gets the point. ‘I had
heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I
despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.’ [Job 42:5-6] ‘I thought I
knew you. But now I see that I really didn’t.’ Do you see God’s purpose in
Job’s life? ‘Job, I want you to get to know Me. I mean really know Me.’ God
intended great blessing for Job. That’s the plan. But remember that this
blessing is his only if he endures to the end. In the middle of it all, Job
can’t see the end of the story. He can’t see the purpose of God. But when he
gets to the end of the book, it’s all clear. Then he sees that ‘the Lord is
very compassionate and merciful’ just as James says.
Do you see why James includes this here? It’s because the saints to whom he
was writing were in the middle of it all. They can’t see the end of the
story. Being in the middle of the story, all they can see is the conflict.
All that they experience is the pain. And they hear the call to patiently
endure to the end. So, James points them to Job. He reminds them that when
they finally get to see the whole picture they will see that ‘the Lord is
very compassionate and merciful’. But they must endure to the end.
The point for you here is clear. You are in the middle of the story. You are
being confronted by the conflict. It takes many different forms. Maybe you
are being troubled by unbelievers. Maybe you’re frustrated by Christians who
won’t listen to you and repent of their sins. Maybe Satan is throwing
everything that he can at you. Maybe it’s the accumulation of those smaller
difficulties of trying to lead a faithful life. Whatever it is, you are in
the middle of the story. You are confronted by the conflict. And there will
be those times when the intensity of the conflict may become rather great.
But as you find yourself facing the conflict, you need to stop and remember
the bigger picture. Remember the prophets and Job. Life was hard because
they were being faithful. You are faced with this conflict because you are
striving to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. You are feeling the struggle
because faithfulness is important to you. You believe what the Church has
believed from day one: Jesus is Lord. No, it isn’t Caesar. It isn’t your
boss. It isn’t the government. And it isn’t even you. Jesus is Lord over
your life and everything else. You know that and that’s why the conflict
exists for you. But remember the flip side of that truth. Jesus is also the
Savior, your Savior. He is very compassionate and merciful to you. When it
gets really hard, and you begin to wonder, ‘Where is God in all this?’
remember that Job wasn’t forgotten even for one minute. Neither are you. The
Savior has you firmly in His grasp. And as your Savior He has a purpose for
what you are going through. Remember James’ encouragement. ‘Behold, we
consider those blessed who endured.’ That is His purpose for you. And at the
heart of that blessing is that you might know Him better. That is at the
heart of what real life is all about. And when the evil one whispers in your
ear, ‘But look at your so-called endurance. What a shoddy job you’re making
of it!’, laugh at him. Mock him to his face. Tell him that he doesn’t know
the Bible very well. Job was far from perfect in his endurance. Far from
perfect. That’s why he repented in the end. And remind him of how Jeremiah
wanted to quit being a prophet and how Habakkuk had a crisis of faith as he
thought about what God was doing. Tell him that Jesus already knows that you
are doing a shoddy job of enduring and that He loves you anyway.
Last week I told you that the intensity of the conflict is sometimes greater
and sometimes less. That’s true as we look through the history of the
Church, and it’s true as we look at the history of a Christian’s life. You
might be facing great hardships now as you strive to be a faithful disciple
of Jesus. The pressure may be on. Remember James’ encouragement to these
saints. The Spirit intends it to be encouragement for you. Ponder the things
that I told you last week and today. Believe the Gospel as it is revealed in
our text. Maybe you’ve entered a bit of a lull in your experience of the
conflict. In His mercy Jesus provides for that. If this is your situation,
be grateful. But also bear in mind that the conflict will continue and it
will get more intense. Use this time to prepare for that by meditating on
James’ words so that when they are especially needed you will have them at
hand. This life is a life of conflict for all who strive to be faithful to
Jesus. But remember the end of the story. Jesus is coming back. That will
make it all worthwhile.
