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Mark Wheeler
James 5:7-12
07/09/2023
“Preach Practicing: Enduring with Integrity”
Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church
Welcome to worship, friends! Spokane Summer is here!! No sweaters in the sanctuary this Sunday! And we don’t have our new A/C yet – but we’re getting closer. So, if you need a fan, let us know and we’ll get one for you. Once there was a little boy who lived in the country. For bathroom facilities, this family had to use an outhouse. The little boy hated it because it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter (not unlike this sanctuary this last year), but this outhouse, like outhouses do, stank all the time.The outhouse was sitting on the bank of a creek, and the boy determined that one day he would push that outhouse into the water.One day after a spring rain, the creek was swollen so the little boy decided that today was the day to push the outhouse into the creek. So he got a large stick and pushed. Finally, the outhouse toppled into the creek and floated away.That evening his dad sternly told him to sit down. Knowing he was in trouble, the little boy asked why. The dad replied, “Someone pushed the outhouse into the creek today. It was you, wasn’t it, son?”The boy nodded meekly. Then he thought a moment and said, “Dad, I read in school today that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree and didn’t get into trouble because he told the truth.”The dad replied, “Well, son, George Washington’s father wasn’t in that cherry tree!”
That little boy knew he was in deep … trouble. The story about George Washington and the cherry tree is usually told to affirm the idea of “integrity”.
This is one of the themes of today’s passage in James – Let’s listen to James, to God’s Word, together:
2 Join in as Pastor Kathy leads us in our Call to Worship – from Psalm 139
3 And our Prelude of Praise and Worship –– #536 … Open Our Eyes, Lord –
4 Good morning Friends! Welcome to worship at Lidgerwood!! Shalom Aleichem!
Welcome, friends, from around the world, to this worshipping community!
Let’s take a second to welcome each other, those in the room and across the globe, to a moment of Sabbath in God’s presence and peace, and with others whom we love and with whom we grow together. Friends, may “The Peace of Christ be with you – and also in you!!”
Welcome to this “gathering” in God’s name. We are assembled in NorthEast Spokane, WA, along with people from all over the world. We are very glad you are “here” with us.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God’s Word.
5 Our Summer Special Music today comes from Diana and Linda and Andrea – “Ten Thousand Angels” – Listen to this beautiful song of praise
6 Thank You, Lord, for these ladies’ voices and the courage and the wonder of the lyrics in this song. Bless them, and hold them close and safe. Amen.
7 Pastor Kathy opens our Prayer time in Confession and Thanksgiving
8 Gloria Patri
9-12 Mark receives the praises, thanksgivings, adorations, concerns and Kathy prays
[The Lord’s Prayer]
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14-17 Please stand as you are able as we sing ourSong of Devotion and Preparation to receive God’s Word – #62 – Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise – in this song we declare the unique One-ness of our Triune God!
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The Promise and the Power of Your vision for us, O God, is brought to Life as we recognize Your resurrection! Challenge us to make the changes Your vision requires. Call us to Your passion for living lives that are full and abundant! Christ the Lord is risen today! Praise God. Amen.
The story of George Washington and the Cherry Tree is about Integrity, the story about that little boy and his outhouse is about Enduring, even in the worst of times, enduring with integrity.
In just this past week I have talked with and prayed with one middle-age man who was laid off from his job; a woman who was told she might have a year left to live; a family dealing with “divorce” and unemployment and issues of homelessness; a woman looking forward to surgery; parents whose kids are lost and wandering into the unknown; a father whose children didn’t call him on Father’s Day. And did you see our Prayer list today? This list just seems to go on and on!
How do you cope with the pressure of these hurtful situations?
The natural tendency is to become bitter, but God has a better idea. James tells us how to respond correctly when we are treated unjustly. He suggests four specific attitudes – TWO we should adopt and TWO we should avoid.
James has been getting us to think about our attitude toward the things of the world. We have looked at wisdom, at accumulating things, at planning our future, at the hardship we face when our sole purpose is the pursuit of things that show we are wealthy. Today we find ourselves hearing God’s Word about how to endure with integrity, especially when endurance is hard. Let’s look together at James 5:7-12…. —
19 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. 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. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
20 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
21 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
22 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
Two Attitudes We Should Adopt when we find ourselves in hard times –
A. Endurance. We should adopt an attitude of endurance. The NIV calls this attitude “patience”. “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.”
The word “then” points back to the previous six verses. James has just finished speaking to the ways wealth can abuse poverty. Now he says to the abused, if that’s true, “then, be patient.” A just God will deal with injustice. His coming is certain, guaranteed – “be patient!”
The term “patient” means the opposite of “short-tempered.” Patience is the 1st mark of true love. Paul says, “Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs” (I Cor. 13:4-5). This patience puts the brakes on any feelings of revenge. [“‘Vengeance is mine’ saith the Lord,” … I’m just doing the Lord’s work.]
“Be patient … until the Lord’s coming,” James says. The Lord will return, though we don’t know when. The promise of His coming was a familiar theme in the early church. There are about 300 references to the 2nd Coming in the New Testament. This truth offers comfort and hope to those facing stress and strain. Christ’s return will end oppression and make our suffering a thing of the past. This is where our dear brother Boris Zdorovetz says, “The finish will be good.”
James uses the farmer as an illustration of one who needs to be patient. We don’t have control over when the rain will fall, or how much. We might need to change some plans, alter crops, pay for irrigation, but the farmer’s life illustrates for us what it means to endure a difficult season.
A resentful spirit can drive us to do strange things. I read about a divorced man who was ordered to pay alimony and child-support every month. Every time the payment came due, he grudgingly left 160 pounds of nickels at his wife’s door. Another divorced man was ordered to equally divide his property with his ex-wife. His neighbors looked on in amazement as he carefully measured a $400,000 suburban home, revved up his chain-saw and literally divided floor, walls, ceiling, and roof—precisely in half.
The Lord is coming and He will vindicate His people. In fact, Peter hints that the only reason Christ has not already returned is that He is as patient as He wants us to be. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (II Pet. 3:9).
B. Integrity. The 2nd attitude we should adopt in times of difficulty is an attitude of integrity. The NIV calls this attitude “standing firm.”
We develop this attitude of integrity by experiencing the hardships of life and learning to trust our Savior in the trials. No one learns integrity without a test. Remember how James started this letter by saying, “Count it pure joy when you face trials”? That thought continues here. When we learn to trust God before our prayers have been answered, we learn integrity and we “stand firm”.
John White, the Christian psychiatrist and author says that he gets letters from Christians around the world. Those from the Western world, where we enjoy liberty and prosperity, request seminars on stress management. The letters from the 3rd World countries, where persecuted Christians are under the greatest stress, request instruction on faithfulness and on the cost of discipleship. Where we start makes a big difference in what we think we need.
White explains this difference with these words: “By and large, 3rd World Christians take stress for granted. When they are not struggling merely to survive, their joy in the kingdom seems to make them indifferent to the cost of Christian service. It may be that while we in the West live in an artificially secure environment our brothers and sisters have a better chance of seeing life as it really is. Eternity is a little closer to them. When the skulls of starvation grin at you, when danger makes life a day-by-day affair, or when technology no longer buffers the reality of the crudities of life, one has different values, values less inimical to Christ’s rule in our hearts.”
One group prays for relief from pain; the other prays for strength to endure, patience, integrity.
I wonder if James knew this poem about oysters:
There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that sand had got under his shell;
Just one little grain, but it gave him much pain,
For oysters have feelings although they’re so plain.
Now, did he berate the working of Fate
Which had led him to such a deplorable state?
Did he curse out the Government, call for an election?
No; as he lay on the shelf, he said to himself,
“If I cannot remove it, I’ll try to improve it.”
So the years rolled by as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny—stew.
And this small grain of sand which had bothered him so,
Was a beautiful pearl, all richly aglow.
Now this tale has a moral—for isn’t it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand;
What couldn’t we do if we’d only begin
With all of the things that get under our skin?
Now James gives us two attitudes to avoid when we find ourselves in hard times.
C. Criticism. We should avoid an attitude criticism. James says in verse 9, “Don’t grumble against each other…”or as the NEB translates, “Do not blame your troubles on one another.”
James warns us that criticism puts us in danger of judgment, and the judgment is imminent: “The judge is standing at the doors.” Christians must stand before God and give an answer to Him one day. We need to be sure that our conduct is above reproach. Be a person of enduring integrity.
D. Dishonesty. The 2nd attitude to avoid is an attitude of dishonesty. Or to state it more positively, be full of the attitude of genuine authenticity. Look at verse 12, “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no, or you will be condemned.”
James’ concern is not with swearing in courts of law, or even with profanity. Yes, he wants Christians to be ethical in our conversations and private talk. But, here he’s concerned with the dishonesty that creeps into Christian speech and with our casual disregard of truth. There can be no double-standard of honesty — we should mean what we say and say what we mean. Integrity is more important; our speech should guard our integrity.
James includes two examples of Biblical people who demonstrated these attitudes of enduring with integrity, no criticism and no dishonesty. They are listed here as examples for us to follow, but more importantly to give those of us who tend to whine just a little too quickly and to blame anyone else for our problems a little hope. If it isn’t too late for these guys, it’s not too late for us.
1st James talks about the OT Prophets: The true prophets “spoke in the name of the Lord.” Their work actually provoked opposition. No one wants to hear bad news, and sometimes these prophets told the people what they did not want to hear; and that can lead to trouble.
Nearly all the prophets suffered persecution and hardship. Elijah was hated (I Kings 18). Amos was falsely accused of conspiracy (Amos 7). Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and threatened with starvation (Jer. 38). He suffered so many abuses that the Jews call him the weeping prophet, and look back to him for inspiration and courage in their own trials and persecutions. Suffering and ministry went together in the lives of the prophets. If Daniel had not been deported we would never had heard of him or benefited from his ministry. Hosea’s painful marriage failure became his message!
But God is faithful. “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered” (v. 11). Don’t focus on their suffering. Look at how God deals with them. Then call them “blessed” or even “happy.” What a witness!
Respond graciously to inconsiderate, uncaring acts, and we will notch out an opportunity for witness every time. Those who endure with integrity until the end will be rewarded.
And then James mentions Job. Job’s sufferings were so tragic and so intense, and for no legitimate reason. At the very beginning of his story, we learn that Job “…was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil … He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” (Job 1:1-3).
Disaster fell upon Job like no other. All his worldly possessions were taken from him. His children were suddenly killed in a freak storm. Painful sores covered his body from head to foot. His wife urged him to abandon faith in God, and his friends aggravated him with their awful advice. He knew the pain of material, emotional, physical and mental distress! Yet Job’s loyalty was steadfast. He endured with integrity, saying, “Though [God] slay me, yet will I [trust] Him” (Job 13:15). Job’s faith was authentically genuine!
God is just as concerned about you and me as He was with Job. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” The Psalmist says, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Ps. 103:8). Warren Wiersbe has said, “When you find yourself in the fire, remember that God keeps His gracious hand on the thermostat!”
To endure under the pain of injustice is beyond ordinary human response. Be patient! Stand Firm! God favors you! Endure the pain of unjust suffering. Endure with integrity when you suffer for doing good. Hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant!”
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We may have an opportunity to put this into practice very soon. Many of us already know the terrible pain of unfair treatment. For some of us life has been a series of injustices. God will make it right. Put your trust in Him.
Enduring with integrity creates opportunities to SHARE our faith with others every time! Those who endure with integrity until the end will be rewarded.
Let’s submit ourselves to God, and give testimony to His greatness in everything we say and do!
… Now is the time of God’s favor! Today is the day of salvation! Amen!
24 Receive our tithes and offerings as symbols of our very lives and livelihood, given as response to Your life given for us! Bless it, and by it bless the world around us. In Christ’s name, Amen.
– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”)
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26-31 Expedition Song #60 – Great Is Thy Faithfulness!
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33 Benediction: May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.
“May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”
34 Announcements
- Furnace Fundraiser
- Garden o’ Feedin’ – Thursday afternoons – or whenever!
Resources:
Jackson, Dan; Be Patient! Stand Firm!; sermon preached.
Wheeler, Mark; “Enduring with Integrity”; Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church; 06/18/2006.
White, John; Excellence in Leadership; InterVarsity Press; Downer’s Grove, IL; 1986; P. 93.
Wiersbe, Warren W.; Be Mature; Victor Books; Wheaton, IL; 1978; P. 161.
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