 Today we're in James chapter five. We're gonna look at verses seven through 11. And I took the title of our message from the scripture. The judge is standing at the door. So beginning at verse seven, I'm gonna read verse seven through verse 11. And we'll look at this passage today. The judge is standing at the door. James writes in chapter five, beginning at verse seven, therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. So as we begin, the judge is standing at the door is the title. And it's because the Lord's return is spoken of here. Throughout the Bible, the coming of the Lord is a centerpiece of theology. When I was first saved, it was a teaching that I had never really heard anything about. I'd been raised in a particular faith. I'd taken the various classes and all that helped me to participate in the faith. But I never heard about the coming of the Lord. I never was taught anything about the Lord Jesus Christ returning. And so when I got saved, it was at Calvary Chapel in the Bible studies that I was first introduced to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I was taught not only facts about the Lord returning but I was also taught to live as if I expected that he would return any day. I was taught to live in anticipation of his return. And because his return was soon, I was also taught to live in a way that was worthy of the gospel. To live as if I really believed, in other words, that Jesus is returning. When you read the Bible, the next prophecy on the prophetic calendar to be fulfilled is the rapture of the church. There's nothing left that needs to take place for that particular prophecy to be fulfilled. And so from the beginning, I was taught to live in anticipation and to live as if I expected that he would return any day. Now that goes along with scripture in 1 John chapter three, verses two and three. John said, dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. In other words, if we really believe the Lord is returning, then we wanna walk worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you really believe that he's returning in your lifetime at any moment, John was saying to live in a pure way because he himself is pure. So from the beginning, I was taught that Jesus was coming soon and I was to live in expectation. And the emphasis of our service to the Lord is all based on his imminent return. We believed that he was returning at any moment. Now again, back at that time, there was this anticipation that became almost feverish in some ways. There were books that were written concerning the return of Christ. Anybody here who's of a certain age may remember Hal Lindsey and Hal Lindsey wrote a book called The Late Great Planet Earth. And that was referring to the raptures returning to the end days and all. And it was a best seller. And so we had books that were written concerning the return of Christ that helped to fuel our anticipation. There were movies that were made concerning the return of Christ. A Thief in the Night was one of those movies. It was actually a series, but that movie, A Thief in the Night and the other movies that came after that drew thousands of people to faith in Jesus Christ. And there were songs that we sang that emphasized the return of Christ. There was a song that that was sung by a man by the name of Larry Norman. It was a song I wish we'd all been ready. And that song impacted us as Jesus freaks. And part of the lyrics of that song, some of you might remember, life was filled with guns and war. Everyone got trampled on the floor. I wish we'd all been ready. Children died, the days grew cold. A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold. I wish we'd all been ready. There's no time to change your mind. The sun has come and you've been left behind. A man and wife are sleeping in bed. She hears the sound and turns her head. He's gone. I wish we'd all been ready. And so we were raised with that with books and movies and Bible studies. And we had an anticipation, an expectation that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to return. And so this anticipation and expectation actually began to provoke certain kinds of responses. Some decided that if Jesus was returning soon, they needed to get married as quickly as possible. And they would meet somebody in a Bible study and they'd look at one another. And I had a friend who did this. His name was Ed and his wife Linda because Ed was a single man and Linda was there in the Bible study. And I still remember Ed looking at Linda and they went outside to pray and decided they were going to get married. And after all, they'd known each other for a couple of weeks. And they got married. And a lot of people were doing that. They said, we want to get married. I guess they wanted to go through the tribulation. I don't know, but they got married. There were guys who were actually charging up their credit cards to the full because they were expecting Christ to return at any moment and they were going to leave anti-Christ with the bill. That's a fact. There were some who became so afraid of the thought of the return of Christ that they became extremely legalistic and rigid and they lost all of their joy. And there were others who got involved with what we call today last day's cults. You know, the children of God and other cults like that. And they ended up just going in the wrong direction. There were others who became impatient. If Jesus said he's going to return and he hasn't returned and they became impatient because they saw so much pain and because of the imbalance, they became disillusioned and they returned to the world. They saw continuing injustice and they thought the rapture wasn't going to happen. Well, while James is writing of this at this time and he exhorts them to something, you'll see it in a moment. He exhorts them to be patient. This is because injustice is part of the corrupt world system and he makes it clear as he's been speaking in the previous verses, he makes it clear that the unrighteous rich will receive their judgment for their sins. He made it clear that they would be judged because of their pride and we saw this, their fraudulent dealings, their materialism, their riotous living, their greed, their cruelty to the poor and the oppressed believers were going through hard times. They were suffering through these injustices and because of this, they were impatient. They were waiting for God to intervene on their behalf and he hadn't yet. So James instructs them to wait, wait for God because God will decide when to move. God will decide when to bring justice. You see, when we go through times of struggle and difficulty, it's easy for us to lose heart and that's something that's part of being a human being. It's easy for us to become filled with a sense that perhaps God has abandoned me. He's not gonna move on my behalf. You see this actually penned in the word of scripture. You see this sentiment in the Bible in Job 13 verse 24. Why do you hide your face and regard me as your enemy? Or Psalm 13 verse one, how long, oh Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 94, three and four. How long will the wicked, oh Lord, how long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers are full of boasting and you see this over and over again in scripture where they cry out. They're human beings, they're going through hard times. They begin to wonder if God's even listening, if God's even there. James is encouraging these people to hold fast. Remember it's always darkest just before the dawn. God hasn't forgotten them and that's why he says in verse seven, therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. There to be patient, the word patient speaks of burying the offenses and injuries of others to be mild and slow in avenging. They're being oppressed by the wicked rich. They're impatient that justice hasn't been served. So he says instead of growing impatient entrust yourselves to God. God judges fairly and God always moves at exactly the right moment. God is a righteous judge but God is also patient and God is also merciful because he gives the godly time to repent. In second Peter three, verse nine, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness but his longsuffering toward us. Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. In first Timothy one 16, Paul said, I was shown mercy so that in me the worst of sinners Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. See God doesn't move necessarily upon our own timetable. He moves on his own. And in second Peter three, 15, the apostle said, bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. So instead of desiring vengeance, I'd entrust the Lord because God will do what is right. You see if an all holy God is patient, they too must be patient and they must trust him. They need to give God room to move instead of constantly desiring to be avenged. In Romans 12 19, Paul said it like this. He said, beloved, do not avenge yourselves. Rather give place to wrath for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And so he begins in verse seven by simply saying therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. And so he begins to use the illustration of a farmer. And he says you need to be patient. Be patient, Jesus will return at any moment. And whether he returns soon or sometime in the future, he says be prepared. And he continues this thought as he teaches through this passage. He says the coming of the Lord, he speaks of his coming being at hand. He says the judge is standing at the door. So instead of directing their attention to the trouble, he directs them to their future. And he encourages them by reminding them of Jesus's return for the church. Now the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to throughout the New Testament. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, the return of Christ is mentioned 318 times. That's one verse and every 25 verses specifically mentions the Lord's return. And the only New Testament books that don't mention his return are the books of Galatians and second and third John. As Christians, the anticipation of being with Jesus is what is to motivate us to live for him because his return is to cause us to have an anticipation and a preparation because his return can happen at any moment. And it's what provokes us to live openly for him before the eyes of the world. And we're taught that he could return at any moment as mentioned a moment ago. I was taught that from the beginning. And I can still remember, it was February 9th, 1971. I still remember the date. I had gone to a Bible study the night before. I was at Calvary Chapel and the subject had been the return of Christ. And I had gone home, I slept at, I was living at my parents' home at that time and my dad had put a roll out bed in the den. And I still remember I was there on this small bed in the den. And I was laying and the house began to shake and began to move. It was one of the most serious earthquakes that we'd had in California at that time. It was a huge earthquake. And I lived in Norwalk at that time. And I still remember the bed, everything was moving. And naturally, I've been through a lot of earthquakes before that and quite a number since. But this was a very severe one and I still remember the house as it was moving. And I mean, it was really shaking and the bed was moving. And then I thought, oh man, you know, I thought the house is gonna fall on me. And then I remembered the Bible study that I had just gone to where they said, you know, earthquakes are a sign of the last days and that Jesus is returning. I still remember, I was 20 years old. I'm laying there, I said, lifting my hands up, like, okay, take me, Jesus, take me. You know, and obviously he didn't, you know, cause here I am today telling you about it. But I was taught that. I was taught that Jesus is gonna come at any time and be prepared. And the things you're going through, I'd have served to prepare you in terms of anticipation and a desire to serve God. I was taught that from the very beginning, be prepared, his return can happen any moment. In scripture, his return is often presented as being something that occurs soon. And you'll see that in the writings of Paul. Philippians four, verse five, he says to that church, let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near. In 1 Peter chapter four, seven and eight, the apostle Peter said, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. So the soon return of Jesus has been the hope of the church from the beginning. The looking forward to seeing Jesus provokes hopeful anticipation and also a holy living. In Titus two, 11 through 13, Paul said, the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly loss, we should live soberly, righteousness and godly in the present age. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ. So the return of Christ is to provoke us to deny ungodliness and worldly loss and to live a sober, righteous and godly life today. That's what it's supposed to do. Now James, the book that we're studying is the oldest New Testament letter, yet his return is used as an incentive to remain patient. He's saying Jesus is returning. We need to look to him and not our circumstances as we await him. His soon appearing is intended to motivate us to patient godly living. It's like what it says in Mark 13, 33 through 37. Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. It's like a man going to a far country who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening at midnight at the groin of the rooster or in the morning, less coming, suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all, watch. Various writers instructed and exhorted believers by appealing to the return of Christ. In Romans 13, 12 and 13, the night is far spent, the day is at hand, and therefore let us cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. In 1 Corinthians 1.7, Paul said, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. In chapter seven of 1 Corinthians, verse 29, Paul said, this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on, even those who have wives should be as though as they had none. 1 Corinthians 10, 11, now all these things happen to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. So from the very beginning, Paul was using and Peter was using as an exhortation, the return of Christ for believers to live godly lives. You see, since Jesus was returning soon, such a hope should motivate us to be ready for his return. Our lives are actually to be driven by the hope and this hope that's within us transforms us from within. We don't fill up notebooks with notes on his coming. We live as if he really is. In Revelation chapter three, verse 20, Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. Very often that scripture, Revelation 3.20 is used to illustrate Jesus standing at the door of your heart knocking and all and you need to open up the door so he can come in. But the context of Revelation 3.20 is speaking about his return in judgment. And he's saying, I'm even at the door. You need to get right with me. You need to be prepared for me as I enter in. And so the soon return of Christ, you see throughout the New Testament and it's something that's to provoke us. We're to live lives with eager anticipation. In Hebrews chapter 10, verses 24 and 25, let us consider one another in order to stir up loving good works, not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10.37, yet a little while and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Over and over, I'm just taking a select view to scriptures for you. I want you to see how consistent this cry is that Jesus is returning soon. We need to live as if we really think he's going to. I've known a number of people over the years who've known scripture that pertains to the return of Christ, but it's grieved my heart to honestly have to say that some of those whom I've known may have notebooks filled with notes, but the heart hasn't been marked by the appearance of Christ. They don't live any differently. They're just able to talk about the events. They're the people who read the newspaper and try and find a Bible verse in there to prove that we're in the last days. But if you're really in the last days, then you're really gonna live as if you expect to see Jesus anytime and it's gonna change the way that you live. And that's what James is exhorting his readers to. He's saying you need to be patient until the coming of the Lord. And this patience believers have is to be directed to a specific goal and that is to be with Jesus Christ. You see, when I got saved, there was this new industry that some of you grew up in and you might think that we've always had this industry, but it really began to show itself in the Jesus movement. It was the bumper stickers. So we used to have bumper stickers that we would put on our cars and that the Bible's so good, you hate to put it down and things like that. And on my car, I had six bumper stickers that I put on my car that when I would drive, you'd see all these scripture verses and things like that. We were Jesus freaks and that's the way we lived. And we were taught that Jesus is returning, but there was one bumper sticker I didn't like because it said the rapture, the great escape. And that didn't sit right with me then and it doesn't sit right with me now because I don't see the rapture as an escape. I wasn't looking to escape. What I was looking to is to win as many as I could to Christ before that takes place. I was taught that the most selfish person in heaven is the one who goes to heaven alone. And so we were taught to evangelize. We were taught to share. We were taught to go out and tell people about it. That's where the four pillars in this church that people might not even realize we have. We call them the four pillars and a lot of you who are new don't even know these four pillars. And when you walk in through the foyer, you look at those doors but if you look up you'll see four pillars, the word worship, witness and witness and the witness is the fourth pillar. I was taught that you need the word of God because it builds you up. You need to worship God because God wants us to worship in spirit and truth. I was taught that we need to love one another therefore we need to have fellowship and I was taught to take these words out and to share them with others were to be a witness. And that's where the four pillars came from the word worship, witness and witness. And I was taught that from when I got saved that you're now saved, bring somebody with you to heaven and that's what motivated me to tell my mom and my dad, my brother, my sisters. That's what motivated me to tell my friends and others that Jesus Christ is Lord and savior because he's gonna return and he's gonna take us. And I didn't want people to be left behind. And that was how it was. And yeah, amen. And it's not quite like that anymore. You know, when I hear people say, well, you know, I want Jesus to return but I'd like to get married. I say, why? Oh, I want him to return but I want to have children. Oh, father, forgive them. They know not what they say. I want more trouble because the one who's married has many troubles. You have children, they multiply. You know, I was taught and I feel this to this day what could be better than being with Jesus Christ, right? I mean, what could be better than to see him? And the rapture, I didn't see it as an event. I saw it as my introduction to my savior that I would be taken in the twinkling of an eye, be transformed immediately, that I wouldn't taste of death and I would be with him. And so I saw that as my opportunity to be with the one that I'd grown to love. Though I had not seen him, like Peter says, yet I still loved him. And so to be with the Lord and to be taken in, the judge is even at the door and the Lord is returning, really ought to fill us with daily anticipation. It ought to fuel our hearts to want to be prepared even as a bride prepares herself for her husband. When, you know, the bride will have a nice beautiful gown very often. She'll dress herself in the most beautiful way that she can. She buys the dress. Most of the time, the bride keeps that dress. It becomes something for her. Whereas men, we're not quite like that. We rent a suit that some other victim used last week, you know, but women are different. Women want to have proof, I guess, I don't know. They want to have, they want to have that. And they prepare themselves. And over the years, I've done quite a number of weddings and I have just never seen a bride who didn't prepare herself for her groom. I just have never seen one. All the brides have their hair done. They have special makeup done. They dress themselves as beautifully and as attractively as they can because they're about to be joined in marriage to that man they love. And in seeing that Christ is portrayed in scripture as the groom and the church is portrayed as his bride, the bride is to prepare herself to be with the groom. And so it isn't the wedding that you're looking forward to. It's the groom that you're looking forward to. It's being with him. And it's not that, well, one of these days we'll be out of here. We're gonna escape. It's gonna be one of these days. I will see the one who wept for me in the garden. One of these days, I will see the one who took the stripes on his back for me. The one who had the crown of thorns. I will be with him forever. I'll have the opportunity to say thank you face to face. The one whom I've loved yet never seen. Now I get to see face to face. And that's the anticipation. That's what prepares us. Not being able to mark up our Bibles but our lives being marked up by the Bible that we're being transformed and conformed into his image because of an anticipation that he's even at the door. And we ought to be patient as we await. He may not be here today. He may not be here tomorrow. But each day that passes by is one day closer to that moment we'll be with him. And so James is saying be patient and wait. His return is ought to, it ought to cause you to be patient. In Hebrews 9, 27 and 28 it says man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment. So Christ was sacrificed once to take away our sins, the sins of many people and he will appear a second time not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting him. So James says that we're to wait patiently in verse seven. Then he goes on and says see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth. Waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. So to understand this illustration, this patient hope of a farmer, we need to remember something of the promise that God had made to the nation of Israel. The promise is illustrated through what is referred to as the early and the latter rain. The faithful Jew knew that God had given a promise concerning a provision of rain to the Jews in Israel. That particular promise is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. We need to remember something of the geography of Egypt and of Israel. Egypt has the mighty, it's called the mighty Nile River. It's a huge river and it's a source of water irrigation, drinking and a variety of things. It's a huge river and it waters Egypt. But Israel has a small river called the Jordan. Some of you have been to Israel and you'll know this, if you go during the summer, you'll especially see this to be true, that the Jordan River is not large at all and some places it's very, it's width is very restricted. You can go across it very easily. It's not like the mighty Nile at all. It's a very small river. And so when God was speaking to the children of Israel, he began to speak to them of the land that he was gonna give to them as they were to inherit it. And he says in Deuteronomy chapter 11 verses 10 through 15, God says, the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot as a vegetable garden. But the land which you cross over to possess is the land of hills and valleys which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares. The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. And it shall be that if you earnestly obey my commandments which I command you today to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, your oil, I'll send grass in your fields for your livestock that you may eat and be filled. He is saying I am by grace gonna provide water for you. So when you get your early rains and your latter rains, it will be a constant, a perpetual reminder of my gracious provision. You will know that I am giving you rain. And you know to this day in Israel, the Jews do not get angry as a nation, do not get angry when it's a rainy season because they see it as a provision of water because the Jordan cannot provide for them to see a Galilee cannot provide for them enough water for the entire nation unless it's replenished by the rain. And Jesus used it as a symbol of His grace. He said the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. That was a picture of God's grace, how a person may be a believer and it rains, it's an act of grace. A person may not be a believer, it still rains, it doesn't stop at the property line, it still rains, which is a symbol of the grace of God. And that's why Jesus said that God causes His rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike because the children of Israel were to be taught to rely on the Lord who provides the water for them because it's God who provides rain for the growth of crops. And so what are they to do? Well, they're to rely on Him. And as they rely on Him obediently, He provides for their needs. The early rain is necessary for the seed to germinate but the latter rain for the grain to mature. And that reveals to us what James is saying. The Jewish farmer knew that God would keep His promise but His people needed to keep His word. That meant that the farmer's patience was confidence. They were expecting God to keep His promise. The farmer rested in God, in between the planting and the harvesting. So James is saying that God has been faithful to Israel by bringing rain and providing His food. And He does it at the right time. And so Jesus will come at the right time for His people. The farmer has to wait. Even when it doesn't seem it will ever rain. Even so we wait, though it seems He may never come. In Romans 13, 11, it says, do this, know in the time, now it is high time to awake out of sleep. Our salvation, for now our salvation is near than when we first believed. It's the skeptic, the unbeliever that mocks our hope in the return of Christ. According to Matthew 2448, it's the evil servant who says my master's delaying his coming. The mocking of our hope of Jesus' return began early in the history of the church. Peter spoke of it in 2 Peter 3, 3 and 4 where he wrote, knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lust, saying, where's the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. It's the mockers, it's the evil servant. Say he's never gonna come, everything's remained the same. It's all uniform, nothing has changed at all. While their false teaching serves to undermine the believer's hope for the return of Christ. And so he says in verse eight, you also be patient. Establish your heart for the coming of the Lord is at hand. When he says establish, establish your heart. Establish means to be firm, unwavering. It speaks of holding fast. Do not be moved away. The farmer is patient, so should you also be. He expects the grace of God to provide rain and you will be delivered from your trials. You're going to be cared for, he's saying. Jesus is returning, hold fast. Well, in the meantime, verse nine, do not grumble against one another, brethren. They should be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. While we wait, be careful to pursue unity with your brothers, love one another. Don't grumble, stop groaning, stop murmuring against one another. You see, when undergoing difficulties it's easy to blame each other and to turn on one another in view of his return, lift up your heads with anticipation, be united in him. The Lord is standing at the door. He's ready to come and he's bringing judgment. And so my brother in verse 10, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed to endure. You've heard of the perseverance of Job, seen the end, intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example. Think about those in scripture that you've read about or you've been taught about. Think of Moses who suffered there in the wilderness, went through so many things. The nation of Israel itself, the people he was delivering even turned on him. Think of those things. Think of the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah was opposed. When you read the book of Jeremiah, you see that he was opposed by kings and princes, by priests and the people of Judah. They spoke against him, they mocked him, they refused to listen to his message. He was put in stocks, put in chains. He is placed in a pit and left to die though he was rescued. He went through severe hardship. Then you see Ezekiel. Ezekiel was taken to Babylon as a captive. Ezekiel went through hardship. But the hardest thing that he dealt with was the death of his own wife, whom the Lord referred to as the desire of his eyes. He went through pain. Look at Isaiah. Isaiah preached repentance to Israel. Nobody listened to him. He was mocked, his message rejected. And tradition holds that he was sawn in two. In Hebrews 11, 36 through 38, the writer said, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tempted, slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. So he says, take the prophets as an example. And Jesus spoke of them. In Luke 11, 47 and 48, speaking to lawyers, he said, woe to you lawyers, for you build the tombs of the prophets and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers, for they indeed killed them and you build their tombs. Stephen, the first martyr, was preaching to those who killed him. And he boldly addressed this. And in Acts 7, 52, Stephen said, which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers. And so he's using them as examples in verse 10. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Each one of these mentioned and so many others went through so many hardships. And he said, you need to take them as an example. So take these faithful believers as your examples of suffering and endurance. In verse 11, he says, indeed, we count them blessed to endure. Then he goes on to say, you've heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. You've heard of Job. Now, we count them blessed who endure. We see their example and we speak well of them for their faith to the end. In Matthew 5, 10 through 12, Jesus said, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven. From the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Don't be surprised if not everybody likes you. Don't be surprised if you're mocked. Not everybody mocks. Of course, there's some very kind people. I'm not saying everybody is as evil as it potentially could be. But on occasion you will encounter, if you walk with the Lord long enough, you will walk in such a way that you'll encounter some who are more aggressive, who are aggressively disobedient and hate filled towards your faith. You will encounter that. You may not personally do that, but I see that daily here in the United States just in the onslaught of evil against righteousness. And that's just a common thing that we have to the point that some of us have actually gotten used to that because that's the way it is here in the United States. We like to say we believe in God, but at the same time we reject Him. And that's what happens. And you'll encounter that. But he speaks of somebody I wanna speak about for a moment here when he says in verse 11, you have heard of the perseverance of Job. Now that is the epitome of a person who went through difficult times, Job. Job's story is well known. It's recognized as the greatest model of patient suffering. And when you read the book of Job, and I'm looking to more than likely gonna teach the book of Job after I finished the Gospel of John, I've been wanting to teach it again. So when you look at the book of Job, it reveals that genuine faith endures any trial that it's subjected to. The book of Job reveals that the design the Lord had in the trials was to reveal Himself more clearly. When you look at the book of Job, remember how it begins. It begins where the Lord is actually speaking to Satan who appeared before him amongst other angels. And God speaks to him and asks him, where have you been? And he says, I've been to and fro throughout the earth. That's another way of saying I've been up to no good. And the way that God is speaking to him, he's actually interrogating him. And the ancient language gives to us the sense that he's not having a conversation, he's interrogating him. He's saying to him, I want you to give an account of what you've been up to. And he says, I've been going to and fro while you think of what Peter says concerning the evil one who goes to and fro throughout the earth seeking whom he may devour. And so what he's doing, he's saying is I was up to no good. I've been going through the earth and I've been looking for people that I can victimize. And that's when God says to him, have you considered my servant Job? And the word considered speaks about scrutinizing. Look at him closely and determining what his weaknesses are. And he says, yes, I have. I'm aware of him because God says Job is the most righteous man. He says he eschews evil. He's a righteous man. Job, we're told in Scripture, is a man who would give offerings on behalf of his children in the event that they might have in their heart cursed God. And so he would actually give sacrifices on their behalf. That's how righteous this man was. So he says, have you considered my servant Job? And immediately, he didn't have to say Job Smith or Job Jones, he knew who he was. So he says, well, of course I have. But you have put something around him, put a hedge about him that I can't even touch him. I can't get to him. But he said, if you allowed me to, I can provoke him to curse you to your faith. And God says, you can touch his things but you can't touch him. And that's when the enemy takes everything he has. Livestock destroys his homes, even takes the lives of his children. And he comes back again, chapter two. Same conversation, have you considered my servant Job? Yeah, well, you put your hand on him but you allow me to touch him, skin for skin, all that a man has he'll give for his skin. You allow me to touch him, he'll curse you to your face. He says, you're free to act but you cannot take his life. And that's when Job is struck with this horrible disease to the point where he's sitting on a dung hill and he's got a broken piece of a shard of pottery and he's scraping his skin. He has some kind of infection that is so severe that he's pressing the skin to remove the scabs and to cause the pus and all to come out of his skin, his oozing sores. And he became the song of children, that children would mock him. And Job at one point says, I was the man when I would walk in the room that the men, all the elders would stand up and show me respect and now I've become the song of children. And they would make fun of him and his wife joined in and she finally said, how long will you keep your integrity, curse God and die. She couldn't take it anymore to see her beautiful soulmate, her husband under such severe pain, just die. A woman, you speak as a foolish woman. Shall I not receive good from the hand of the Lord and not evil also? No, the Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And you see the story of Job. I've had people say, oh, I feel like Job. No, no, you're nothing like Job. There's never been anybody outside of Jesus who suffered more than Job to have everything taken from his material to his physical, everything he has taken. Somebody comes to faith in Christ and they say to God, Lord, I'm leaving it all, all that I have, I'm handing to you. I wanna follow you as your believer, as your follower. And when you do that, you may have this moment of a sense of God's with me and then you start seeing things happen in your life. You begin to lose things, lose relationships, go through struggles, have difficulty and before you know it, you're crying out like the psalmist that we were quoting a moment ago and you're, God, how long, how long, how long? And you may have a broken heart and broken relationships and broken everything and what at one time was your source of joy has become your greatest pain and you don't know why and you begin to cry out. Not everybody has gone through that. I'll be honest with you, many Christians I know haven't ever said, God, I'll follow you completely. See, they wanna go to heaven but they want the pleasures of earth too. But when you get serious with the Lord and you say, you know what, it's all or nothing. I'm gonna pick up my cross and follow you daily. I'm gonna be a follower of Christ. I'm not gonna be one of these people who on a survey say, oh, I'm a Christian but on Friday and Saturday I go party and on Sunday I go to church. I'm not gonna be that guy. I'm gonna be serious about you. I'm gonna follow you. I'm gonna do whatever it is that I need to do in order to glorify you. Not many people do that. I promise you that's a fact. Yeah, I want heaven but I want the world too. I want heaven but I want pleasures now. I want heaven but I wanna relax. I don't want the pain. But when you get to the point in your life and you say, God, it's all you or nothing, you will discover the depth of God. That's how it works. And the afflictions that you go through are the things that strengthen you and the pains that you experience are the ones that deepen you. And then you say, God, help me to love people and God says, are you sure? Yes, Lord, I wanna love but you forget what love did. Love went on across. Love was beaten. Love was crucified. Love was rejected. And you're saying I wanna love? You haven't counted the cost. You don't understand. Cause once you let go of this world and say I want all of you, that's when all hell breaks out. Some of you know what I'm talking about. Some of you have gone through that. Some of you are there right now and you're wondering what happened? I wanted to follow you. And Lord, I dedicated my kids. They're not following you. Lord, I thanked you for the job, but they're laying off. Lord, I wanted this house, but it's given me. You start looking at what you called it one time your blessings one by one and you're realizing that many of the things you thought were blessings have turned out to be pains. Why, God? Why? Why? Why? And God says, because you said you wanted to be like me, didn't you? Didn't you? Well, yeah, but I was thinking of your glory. Well, Isaiah 53 says, I am the wounded healer. I was broken and so will you be. And when everything is taken from you, will you still love me? Will you? When you have nothing else, except me, am I enough? That's what Job learned. That's what Job learned. Oh, you go through the book. It's a powerful book. You ought to read it. It's a powerful book. And you see his friends, Job's comforters. And you see them seated there for several days, saying nothing, which was the best advice they could give because once they opened their mouth, they were stupid. They said the dumbest things. Argued with this man in pain. Arguing with him. Oh, you know, as I've been, I've seen that bad things happen to bad people, Job. The reason you're going through all these things is you're bad. And Job finally says, I wish I had a defense attorney, a daysman. I wish I had a, I would stand before God himself and I would say I'm not guilty. And he goes through that. And he, one argument after another, miserable comforters you are, he calls his friends eventually, miserable. But as you go through the book of Job and he's been asking questions, oh, if I could only speak to God, then finally God begins to speak to him. He says, quit yourself like a man. I've got some questions to ask you, Job. And God begins to ask Job questions. Where were you when I, and he begins to speak about telling the sea to go to this point and no further. When he put the stars into the sky and all the little mysteries and things that Job had no answers for. And he just gives them question after question that Job cannot respond to. And after God begins to question Job, as Job has been questioning him, the most beautiful part of Job that I think is one of the most special is Job 42, verse five, when Job finally says, I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear. But now my eye sees you. I walk by faith and not by sight. All my offerings and sacrifices and my desires. I never had this personal knowledge of you to this directness and this way. He says, I put my hand over my mouth and I cover myself with ashes because I'm nothing in your everything. God, you're everything. And the book of Job in chapter 42 closes his story by telling us that the Lord restored Job's losses. God gave him twice as much as he had before. Bless the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And the book closes with the words, so Job died old and full of days. It clearly reveals that in the end, God is truly compassionate and merciful. And that's what he's saying here. We count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. Job learned that. Do you want to? Do you want to? From the time I was a young man to where I'm at now, over the years, over the years, next Friday, next Friday, my 49th spiritual birthday, 49 years of walking with Jesus Christ this upcoming Friday. 49 years, 49 years, I have learned one thing. People ask me, what is the most important thing you've ever learned? You've been walking with God for a long time. What is the number one lesson you've learned about God and things? I'll tell you what it is. It's very easy. It all turns out okay. It all turns out okay. When I've been going through things, I've been taught, I'm going through things. I'm not staying there. I'm just passing through. It's part of what God is doing in my life. Have you ever prayed that? I have, there God saved, God make me like you. Well, son, you're pretty dumb right now. I know you don't know what you're saying. You're singing songs that you hear the other people sing. Do you want me to make you like me? Over the years, 49 years, next week, I've heard that. One form or another, I've heard the Lord say, do you wanna leave? Is the way that I am disappointing to you? Have you misunderstood the way I actually perform my work? Have you not understood that there are times in the potter's hands can be not so gentle on the clay that it's forming? Have you not discovered that yet? Have you not discovered that there's a fire that hardens and refines you and strengthens you that I'm putting you through? Have you not discovered that yet? Here you are thinking that every day would be just laughter and joy and no tears and no sorrow. That's what makes heaven what heaven is, son. But you're gonna go through pain. And you know why? Because you asked me to teach you to love. Because you asked me to teach you to have compassion. Because you asked me to break your heart with the things that break mine. And I'm revealing a little bit at a time to you so that you'll see how merciful and compassionate your God really is. So some of you in here right now, you need to know that. If you're going through some pain right now, this too shall pass. And the refiner's fire is hot, but it burns away the things that you don't want. And it refines you and strengthens you and purifies you and makes you into that person you want to be. And the afflictions and the pain that you endure is something you can share with others and say, been there, done that, my God is good. And he will take you through because the Lord works that way. You'll learn that. You'll learn that. You don't go through anything that doesn't have a purpose. Everything works for good to those who are the call of God to those who are living in and serving him because these things work according to his purpose. Never forget that. And every life has the sweet and every life has the bitter. But when you mix it together, it produces you who you are. And the you that is produced is the one God created to be his messenger to share with a broken world that yes, you can be broken, but my God is a healing God and he will take you through this. And that's what you learn. That's what you learn. So hold on, don't let go and watch what God will do. And to God, be all the glory because he's making you into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. And you will learn, you will learn that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.