Do Not Grumble Against One Another

12-14-25

Hoonah-Hadley

James 5:7-10

Call to Worship Psalm 146:4-9

Daily Verse James 5:9

Do Not Grumble Against One Another

“Do not grumble against one another…lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” This is the third Sunday in Advent. Advent is the period of four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time believers celebrate the coming or birth of Christ. The word itself is not found in the bible. Different denominations have different rituals for this season. We decorate Christmas trees and Cindy Lou Who’s prayer comes true. Alex gave a wonderful sermon on this Epistle of James, definitely worth revisiting on S.O.S website YouTube channel, indeed a very good teaching. But for us, today, James is not teaching on the birth of Christ, he’s preaching on His second coming. We recognize, remember, celebrate His birth this time of year, actually this gift from God is worthy our praise and gratitude every day with every breath. This not just for the impatient children waking the parents’ way to early Christmas morning, but for the child of God eagerly anticipating Christ’s second coming. It’s good to celebrate His birth, His word teaches us to be watchful for His second coming, but for us, here and now, it’s a matter of the heart. Joyful, joyful we adore Thee should be forever our song, and come let us adore Him should be the desire of each heartbeat. Christ was born, and, He will come again, this is not in question, the question is, will He be born to you this day? Will Jesus come into your heart? Will you put on the Lord Jesus Christ today? God knows our heart, that’s why He sent Him the first time, that’s why He’ll come again. There’s never a wrong time to let the dear Christ enter in, now’s good.

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Vs. 7 “Therefore be patient…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.” Verses 7 and 8 use the word “patient” 3 times. We preached on patience recently from Luke 21:19 “By your patience possess your souls.” Apparently God feels the need to teach us on patience on a regular basis. When He repeats a thing 3 times in 2 verses it is like the proverbial road signs to warn you that the bridge is out up ahead. There’s not just one sign, but usually 3 or more. The “Bridge Out” in our lesson comes twice, once in verse 9 with “less you be condemned”, and then again in verse 12 “lest you fall into judgment.” Patience is the flashing sign to let us know the necessity of it for the road ahead. The penman uses the farmer as an example, and, yes, the farmer plays an important role in this biblical truth of seed time and harvest, but patience is a critical part of the equation. Patience is trust, it is faith, it is believing, and in this case, that God will bring the early and latter rains that are critical to bearing fruit. Fruit is good, necessary physically for life but also spiritually. Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…” There are “gifts” of the Spirit and “fruit” of the Spirit. Gifts are a one time offering, given and received in a heartbeat. Fruit takes time, in the farmers case, as well as ours, it takes patience and rain. Hosea 6:3 “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” Joel 2:23 “Be glad then…rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain…” As rain is a necessary ingredient in a farmer’s life, so it is with patience in our spiritual life, wait I say.

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Vs. 8 “You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” There is the third “patient”. Yes patience is a virtue, moral excellence, righteousness, goodness, but it is also a discipline. Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as the elect of God…put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, patience.”

Why does God’s word tell us to put these things on? Because we need told. His word is profitable for teaching, rebuking, training in righteousness, it is forever guiding us to eternal glory. Patience is a fruit, fruit grows slow. “You also…” These verses tell us, “be like the farmer”, plant the seed and wait for the rains, not just the early rains, but wait, wait, wait, for the latter rains. The parable of the sower is found in 3 of the 4 gospels, we’ll use Luke’s account in 8:4-15. It’s a wonderful teaching, universal in scope, for all people, all time, everywhere. In summary, there are 4 types of seed sown, only one falls on “good ground”. The explanation and conclusion of that teaching in verse 15 “But the ones that fell on good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” I’ve know for a long time that we are called to sow seeds for God’s kingdom, it just took me some time to understand a seed needs rain and time to bear fruit. I’d sow the seed and then stand over it and scream at it, “Grow, what’s wrong with you? For crying out loud, grow darn it!” And then I read 1 Cor. 3:6-9 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase…for we are God’s fellow workers…you are Gods’ field…” Maybe you can learn from my folly, I’m not screaming at the seed anymore, but I’m still sowing seeds, and God is still giving His increase. Impatience is a sign we don’t have faith in God’s timing, in His sovereignty, in His mercy, grace, love and forgiveness. Patience is a discipline.

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“Establish your hearts…” Establish is to make secure or firm…To prove the truth of. There are folks that give their life to studying the heart physically, working on it, fixing it, replacing it. Technology and medicine are amazing concerning the heart. We could spent a lifetime researching it spiritually as well. Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart oh God, put a new and right spirit within me.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful…desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.” The conclusion of vs. 8 in our lesson from James, “Establish your heart, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” That is to say, set your heart on things above, secure it, make it firm for Christ may come at any moment. We prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. We prepare the garden for planting. We prepare the house for winter. We prepare for our camping trip. Should we not prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord? Vs. 9 “Do not grumble against one another…” Earlier in chapter 3 James teaches on the tongue, compares it to a ship’s rudder, the bit in a horse’s mouth, a little fire that sets an entire forest ablaze. Vs. 6-10 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity…it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell…But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing…these things ought not to be so.” Spurgeon says talking to much makes us vulnerable to Satan. Indeed, the tongue has the power of life and death. Phil. 2:14-15 “Do all things without grumbling and disputing, that you may become…children of God…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Grumbling puts our lights out. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth…” Amen!