James 5:7-11 | Steadfast in Waiting

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door! Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about—the Lord is compassionate and merciful. — James 5:7-11 (CSB)

That is the reading of God’s Word. As you and I know, waiting for anything is not easy. I don’t think any of us like waiting in traffic. We don’t like waiting for our food to come out. In fact, a few months ago, I was at the dentist and I thought I would be there just in and out, but I found myself there for four hours. And I was thinking in my head, I couldn’t wait to go home and just be with my family.

Or perhaps some of us here are waiting for things that are more legitimate, or more serious. Some of us are waiting for a career change, for our businesses to get better, for our health to improve. Some of us here are waiting for a godly spouse, or maybe even for a child. For some of us, we are just waiting for our circumstances to get better. And as you and I know, in these times, we can easily get frustrated. Waiting is not easy. Our patience can run out. We can lose heart, we get angry, we feel hopeless. Again, this is what happens in times of waiting, and especially when the future looks so uncertain.

Well, speaking of waiting, the reality is, friends, the church also is in a time of waiting. And that is, we are waiting for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have to remember that, friends, that we are in a period as a church of waiting. And despite the certainty of that coming day, the truth is, the period of waiting for the church is going to be difficult. In fact, it’s going to be filled with hardships, different trials.

You see, we need to recognize that ever since Christ’s first coming, in his life, death, and resurrection, and ascension, we live in this period of the last days. So, we’re in between the first coming and the second coming, and that is what we call the last days. And we understand that as a church that in this church age that we live in, this period of the last days, as we wait for the coming of Jesus Christ, we recognize that Christ is not going to come the way he did in his first coming, where he came with humility, coming to save. But rather, he is coming back in glory and power to rule and to reign, to establish his kingdom and to make all the wrong that is in this world right. That is the Christian’s hope. That is what we should long for. That is what we look forward to as a church, even as life gets difficult and dark at times.

Challenges of the Last Days

And as I mentioned, as we wait upon that return, these last days will not be easy. Yes, the church will always have joy in Christ. We will have fellowship with one another. But these days will be difficult. In fact, consider the world we are in right now, in a spiritual sense. Though God is ultimately sovereign and ruling over all, right now, this world is dominated by the power of who? By Satan. He’s called the ruler of this age, the prince of the power of the air. This is why as the church, we recognize the spiritual warfare that we are in. There are so many lies and deceptions out there. Satan and his demons causing people to turn away from God even more.

Consider also the world we live in. We live in a world that is broken and sinful. Not only are people hostile against God, but people just love their sin so much. We live in a time where sin is put on a pedestal. But not only consider the spiritual warfare and the sinful world system, but consider even the sinful flesh. I mean, let’s be more personal here. Our flesh is so weak, is it not? Romans 7 says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). That is what Paul said.

You see, despite God saving us, we still live in a sinful flesh that is not yet glorified. And so we will struggle with sin, and in fact, speaking of the body, our bodies are weak as well, isn’t it? As we face older age, as we start getting sicknesses and different kinds of diseases and even cancer and even death. I mean, church, we can go on and on. These are just some of the things that we face in this period of the last days. But you get the point. The period of waiting for Christ to come back is going to be difficult.

James' Exhortation to Endure

And James, in our passage, understands just that. You see, the letter of James was written by the half-brother of Jesus, who Jesus not only appeared to in his resurrection, but he also used mightily in his church, namely, the church of Jerusalem. And James writes this letter to Jewish Christians who had scattered to different nations due to intense persecution that happened in Jerusalem. Surely, for these beloved brethren, they were in a time of suffering, they were afraid, their faith was being tested, especially during this time of persecution.

And so James writes this letter to not only give comfort and encouragement to these believers, but to also provide instruction. That yes, it’s hard. But your faith must not be passive. In fact, you need to continue to live in light of the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so throughout this epistle, we see James like a shepherd caring for these people, instructing them how to live out their Christian faith, despite suffering.

And upon all the instruction here towards the end of the letter, in chapter 5, James gives a word of encouragement. A word of hope. That it’s worth the wait. To wait for Jesus Christ to return. And so the question then is this in this passage, as we wait upon the Lord in his return, how can we, the church, be faithful? How can we, the church, stay steadfast and faithful in these difficult days? Because we know it’s difficult, and also we know he is coming. So, how do we wait well for his return? And this is where we get into our outline for today. Today, we’re going to consider three ways by which we can be faithful as a church, as we wait for the return of Christ.

Waiting Patiently

Let’s consider the first way we see in this passage. If we want to stay faithful as a church, as we wait, the first is, we need to wait patiently. That is the first point. Let’s look at verse 7 together. He says, “Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.”

I’m sure we have all been there before, where anticipating on going to that theme park, or maybe to that restaurant that you bookmarked in your Yelp page for a long time, only to get to that spot and find this long line out the door, wrapped around. In these moments, what do a lot of us do? We get discouraged. Or some of us, we give up. In fact, I’m always impressed by those who are wrapped around, like a Best Buy or something, waiting for this drop, and they’re waiting from like the night before. I’m like, how do you guys do that? It’s kind of crazy. Again, unless we are already reserved for a spot there, or again, unless we are really anticipating for something, a lot of times, we will give up. We don’t have the patience to wait. But again, listen, for some of us, despite those great lines, we will still wait. And we will say, it was worth the wait. So, let’s say you’re waiting for a steak dinner. You finally bite into that steak and you say, “Ah, this was worth it.”

Now, looking here in our passage, again, James knows that this time for his readers was a time of difficulty. Again, persecution has hit the church very hard. People are suffering. But it’s in the midst of this suffering. He says to be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Now, we need to be very clear here. We need to understand this verse in context of what James said just before this. Because when it comes to the second coming of Christ, while this is our greatest hope as believers, we also need to remember, this is the greatest day of dread for non-believers. The return of Christ means Jesus is coming back to rule and to reign, and that means, not only will we, the church, reign with him, but it also means for those who do not know him as Lord and Savior, he will destroy and kill. He will destroy those who hated him, and even persecuted the church. He will destroy those who did not put their hope and trust in him.

In fact, James talks about that right before this, in verses 1 to 6. Look at verses 1 to 6. Notice how he talks about the return of Christ, especially what it comes to the unbeliever.

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you. — James 5:1-6 (CSB)

Again, such strong words we see from James right before this. And it just shows that the unbeliever lived as he or she pleased. They did not care about God, nor did they care about man, and the day is coming where unbelievers will stand before this God that they have sinned against. And scripture makes clear, upon that day, there will be no more grace, no more mercy. Revelation 19 talks about this, that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming to destroy and to damn.

But listen, while that is the truth for the unbeliever, on the other hand, for the believer, friends, this is the great day of hope for us. This is the day that we long for. Why? Because not only is Christ coming back to rule and to reign, but for those who did put their hope and trust in him, for those who have true salvation and reconciliation with him, listen, we will not only behold the one who so loved us and gave himself up for us. But scripture says that we will reign with him, that we will serve him, we will worship him, and we will be with the saints of old, and all the wrong in this world will be made right, and Christ will be upon the throne. James, in this passage, wants his audience to fix their gaze not upon their present circumstances, but upon that day. To think much of that day when Christ will come back. And as you do look there, it will cause you to wait more patiently. And when that day comes, you will say, it was worth it.

Notice he gives an illustration in verse 7, he says, “The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.” Now, patience is so important when it comes to farming, is it not? I don’t know if any of you have farmed before. My dad used to own a jujube farm for about eight years. And it’s hard out there. It was out in Lucerne Valley, and you know, there’s so much technology that’s advancing these days, right? Like ChatGPT, like Waymo cars, right? Cars are just driving by themselves these days, right? It’s crazy. But farming is still old school, right? I remember going back to my dad’s farm and feeling like I was in like the 1800s or something. It was just dirt everywhere, and we had to use our shovels and get plowing, and it was not easy. And in many ways, and even in 2026 for farmers, the reality is, they have to be patient. Again, everything is so advanced. Everything wants to be instantaneous. But farming, you can’t be instantaneous. You have to wait. And the reason why is because farmers can’t grow the plants themselves. Right? I would love to just stretch out a plant and say, “I’ve grown it,” right? Or to try to get a fruit to come out, or a jujube to come out. But rather, the way God designed farming is that we have to put in necessary work, and then we wait. God is the one who grows the fruit, grows the plant. We do the work. And this is why we say, in many ways, farming is very dependent upon God. Because God is the one who gives the air that we breathe, he’s the one who provides the rains and the wind, he’s the one who’s sovereign over every season of the year. And God is the one, in his great design, who causes the growth. And the point being, that patience is such a fundamental aspect to have when it comes to farming. And James is also saying here that this is also fundamental to have when it comes to Christian living. Especially during times of suffering and persecution, or in any instance where we might find ourselves losing heart or wanting to give up.

Surely for the believers during this time, this could have been a great temptation to give up, or maybe even to take matters into their own hands, by fighting back against those who are persecuting them. But James is saying here, you don’t have any need to do that. He’s saying, Christ is coming back. He’s returning. And he’s saying, just be patient. In fact, notice how James highlights the nearness of his coming. Look at verse 8. James says here, he says, “You too be patient, and then what? Strengthen your heart, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

You see, the reality of Christ’s return is not some empty promise, it’s not some distant truth. But rather, his return is not only certain, but he’s saying, it is near. And beloved, there is a strengthening aspect to that truth. In fact, the word there for strength means that this causes a person to stand firm, to be immovable, to have this inner strength. This strength that comes from knowing this promise.

Now, maybe some of us are wondering, well, is this true? Is his return really near? I mean, since the writing of this epistle, it’s been about 2000 years, has it not? How can we say his return is near? In fact, the word near really pictures someone who’s standing right at the door, waiting to open those doors. So how can we say that when it’s been 2000 years? In fact, the world seems like it’s only getting worse and worse. Well, turn your Bibles real quick to 2 Peter. Keep your fingers in James. 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 8. This passage was also written during a time where people were doubting the return of Christ. But look at verse 8 with me. 2 Peter 3, verse 8. Peter says:

Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. — 2 Peter 3:8 (CSB)

What is he saying here? That God is not restricted to any time like we are, right? God is outside of time. God is the creator of time itself. And so God is eternal. And so, of course, a thousand years is like one day, and one day like a thousand years. In fact, if you consider, this is how it will be when we will be in eternity. I mean, we can’t fathom it, right, guys? What really is a thousand years in comparison to eternity? It is like a speck. And so when God promises that he will come quickly, we can be sure, friends, God is faithful to that promise. He will come quickly. In fact, as I mentioned, as we’re in this period of the last days, the next thing on the calendar really is the return of Christ. He is standing right at the door. And for us believers, friends, as we’re in this waiting period, that certainty should be so encouraging for us. It should strengthen us. It should give us more endurance to be faithful.

Now, before we move on to our next point, I do want us to stay here in 2 Peter 3, verse 9, because this passage also answers for us why Jesus has not yet come back. Peter continues, he says in verse 9:

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. — 2 Peter 3:9 (CSB)

Friends, why has our Lord not yet returned? He is being patient. He is being slow to anger. He is calling sinners now to repentance. And who does he use in this church age? The church to call people to turn from their sin and turn to Jesus Christ. And this is why for the non-Christian here today, if there’s any unbeliever, as we mentioned, the return of Christ is the great day of dread for you. But this passage also teaches us that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can be reconciled to God today. You can be forgiven of your sins. You can be right with God, and that is through repentance and faith through Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus came in his first coming, not to make all the wrong in this world right, but to make sinners right with God. That sinners would be forgiven of their sins. And Christ did so by living a perfect and sinless life, but also going to a cross to pay a sinner’s death, to take the wrath of God upon himself.

And three days later, he would rise again from the dead, so that if any sinner today would turn from sin and turn to Jesus Christ, they can be made right with a holy God. What a grace God offers to unbelievers in this period. What a grace that we have received as those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. What a hope for the church. And what a mission for the church in our waiting. That as we wait patiently, we recognize we wait knowing that Christ is coming back, and that this period is an opportunity for us to preach Christ.

Waiting Readily

But not only are we to wait patiently, another way by which we are to be faithful in waiting for the return of Christ, is also we need to wait readily. That is our second point, we wait readily. In other words, we just have to be ready in our waiting. What do I mean by this? Look now at verse 9 with me. James continues, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing right at the door.”

Now, James understands that in this period of waiting for Christ’s return, there will not only be this temptation to get hopeless, but also there will be a temptation to start putting our frustrations out against one another. That we will complain against one another. In fact, during this time of persecution and suffering, the reality was, people were in such a time of distress that they started to put their frustrations towards one another. And before you think, how could they do that? I think we can all relate to this. In fact, I know some of us all do this. Let me prove it to you. You guys know what it means to be hangry? Hangry? Okay. Hangry just means what? You’re hungry and what? Angry, right? And when you’re hangry, what ends up happening? You not only get frustrated at the waitress and the restaurant itself, but you start putting your frustrations out against who? Those you love, right? To my wife, to my children. I start blowing up on them. Because waiting is so hard.

But on a more serious note for the church, when we’re in time of difficulty and trial, and even persecution, there is always the threat of division. When we’re going through hardships, we like to put our frustrations out against those whom we love. And this is why in the age of the church, the church has always struggled with unity. When the people of God are at odds with one another, when they’re not loving one another and serving one another, and instead complaining and grumbling against each other. James is telling us here, pleading in a sense, because he even calls them brethren, and he knows how difficult this is, but he’s saying, if you’re going to be steadfast and faithful in this area of waiting, we need to be on the lookout for our unity. And it’s once again a reminder how important church unity is, especially as we live in a broken and sinful world. The church, we the brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re not enemies. We are the family of God. And church unity is something that we can’t be passive about. In fact, I’ve noticed in pastoral ministry that when we’re passive about church unity, church unity is not built, right? It doesn’t end up happening. Church unity is built actively, obediently. We are maintaining unity.

And listen, part of committing to a local church means we are committed to one another, committed to each other, not just in the goods, but also in the bads. Not only when things are going well for everyone, but even in times of sorrow, heartache, difficulty. And listen, as we continue to life as a church together, there will be times of misunderstanding, times of conflict, where we might even feel wronged, or we ourselves might wrong someone else. And there are times where we would rather focus on self rather than God and others. But God doesn’t simply call us to grow individually, but God calls us to grow in the context of where? The church. And God uses these moments, I believe, when things get difficult to sanctify us, to grow us, to make us more like Christ. It’s in these moments where we the church start realizing how sinful we are, and we begin to learn humility. And it’s in these moments God teaches us to forgive, to reconcile, to love and rebuke. Listen, the beauty of the church is that when we are united together, when we continue to love one another with Christ-like love, that serves not only as a testimony to this world that we are his disciples, but it also helps us to endure our trials. I mean, what a blessing it is to have the church when we’re in a moment of difficulty, correct? It gives us encouragement to stay faithful. But also on the flip side, how difficult it is when we are not in unity in those moments.

Church, if I can ask you today, is this an area you struggle with today? Do you struggle in your love and care for the church? Do you find yourself building up the body in love, or do you find yourself more complaining about the church and grumbling? Do you put your frustrations in your difficult hour towards those God has called you to love, and called you to serve, regardless of your circumstance? Listen, scripture is so clear when it comes to this. If we do not love the brethren, that is not a circumstance issue, it is a love issue. A love of God issue. In our passage, James points to the same truth. Again, look at verse 9. He says, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that what? You yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing right at the door.”

Now, what does this mean? We want to be clear here. If we’re in Christ, there is now no condemnation, correct? If we’re saved, we will be in glory with Christ forever. We can say amen to that. There is no more hell for those who are in Christ. And so when it comes to standing before God, for true believers, we don’t have to fear that day. Because we are right with God. Our faith was in Christ and his saving work. However, that day of standing before God face-to-face should still cause us to evaluate our hearts. It should instill in us a healthy fear to evaluate if there is any unrepentant sin in us that is inconsistent with our faith.

And listen, this passage is warning us that if you do not love the brethren, if you’re constantly complaining against the church, and you are hating the church. What James is trying to tell us here is, be reminded, the Lord is coming. He is coming for his church. And the people you have complained against is his people. And when you stand before this King who returns, everything will be revealed. That’s what James is trying to tell us here. What he’s saying to us is such a heart that lacks love for the body of Christ reveals, you did not have love for the head of that body, the Lord Jesus Christ. And again, it’s not love for the church that saves us, right? Christ alone saves us. But love for the church is a reflection of our love for who? Christ.

And so is loving God’s church urgent? It is. It absolutely is. And so James, in this verse, is very clear here in instilling in us a healthy fear. He’s saying, “Behold the judge.” And again, the imagery of standing right at the door. He is only going to push those doors open in a matter of time. And so many times, we don’t believe in that reality. We don’t believe he’s right at the door. We think we have all the time in the world to just repent of our sins. We think we have all the time in the world to reconcile with others, but we don’t. He is right at the door. And it’s only a matter of time where you will see him face-to-face. And the question is, what will that day reveal for you?

Listen, as much as the return of Christ is the great hope for the Christian, it is also a warning. If you don’t want to fear that day, love Jesus. Commit yourself to Jesus. But in your love for Jesus, love the church. That is how you wait readily. You are ready to see him face-to-face. And what a reminder this is for us, friends, also that we don’t wait passively. I think when we think of waiting, we often think of just looking at our watches and just waiting, and saying, “Okay, I’m just going to wait.” But rather, part of waiting as his people means we’re busy in waiting. Busy preaching Christ, and busy serving his church, preserving the unity of the church. And that’s how you wait well. That’s how you are ready for the return of Christ. You are ready for the one you have loved and the one you have committed yourself to. And that is Jesus.

Waiting Blessedly

But there is one more way where James calls us to wait. We have seen the exhortation to wait patiently and wait readily. But third, the third point for today is, if we’re going to be steadfast in our waiting, we also need to wait blessedly. Blessedly. That is our third and final point. Look at verse 10. He says, “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”

What James wants his readers to understand is that waiting well upon the Lord, despite difficulties, is what has been characteristic of God’s people from the very beginning. And he points them to faithful examples in history. In fact, he first points them to the prophets. You see, in the Old Testament, the prophets were those who spoke on behalf of God. They were not those who spoke their own feelings or their intuitions, but they were God’s spokesmen. And they were to deliver God’s word to God’s people faithfully and accurately. Otherwise, they would be false prophets.

And we know that life for the prophets then were not easy. In fact, in many ways, they were persecuted, and even killed, not by enemies, but by their own countrymen. Their own people, the people of Israel, that is. This is why when Stephen, the first martyr of the church, stood in trial, he said to the religious leaders in Acts 7, “Which one of the prophets did you not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the righteous one, who’s betrayers and murderers you have now become.” Or in other words, Israel, you have always been in that place of rejecting God’s word and killing prophets. In fact, the history of Israel and the prophets is a tragic history of rejection. Israel came to a point so lost in their way of sin. They wanted nothing to do with God’s word. And so for those who brought God’s word, they would kill, silence them. The prophets were persecuted. But despite all of that, the prophets stayed faithful.

And how did they do that, right? When they’re getting killed by their own family. Well, James tells us they waited upon the Lord. Meaning their hope was in God. It was in his goodness, in his sovereignty, in his divine justice. The prophets understood God was just, and he will deal with everyone justly. And they were able to patiently endure through it all because they recognized, they served a God who was faithful.

And because of this, friends, I love what James says here, notice. He says, those who suffered were not seen as cursed. Right from the outside, he would say the prophets are cursed. But look at verse 11, he says, “We count those blessed who endured.” Well, church, what does it mean to be blessed? Does it mean that we have all the things that we need? We have perfect health, perfect wealth. Is that what blessing is? I mean, with such a definition, there’s no way we could say, the prophets are blessed. We would say, they are what? Cursed. We need to be very clear here. To be blessed is not about having joy in our circumstances, joy in the things of this world. But rather, to be blessed means our joy is in God. Our joy is in the Lord. There is a joy and a blessed state of reality in the Lord, in that the God that we serve and we love is the one we find our joy in, despite the difficulty. And that is consistent with what Jesus taught in the Beatitudes, friends. He said, in verse 10, blessed in Matthew 5, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, and say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” And then he says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Jesus is saying, true blessedness is there. Why? Because your joy is in the Lord. Isn’t that amazing, friends? I think we can think of various examples like this. Maybe some of you knew some precious believers, precious saints in the past, who have left now and gone to be with the Lord. Maybe they were going through some kind of hardship, like cancer. And I know some people like that, and there was such joy in them, even at the final moments of their life. How? Because their joy was in who? The Lord. It doesn’t mean that their suffering was not painful. It doesn’t mean that they were not struggling, but they are blessed because God was sustaining them.

And if looking at the prophets were not enough, James closes his section with pointing us to perhaps the most famous account in scripture of someone who was blessed despite trials. An account that every Jewish Christian knew and even unbelievers heard of, and that is the account of who? Job. Look at verse 11. He says, “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, and that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” I mean, church, consider Job and the sufferings that he endured, who literally lost everything, right? He lost his wealth, his possessions, he even lost his children, he lost his health. In the world’s eyes, Job was cursed. In fact, his wife’s eyes, he was cursed. She would tell him, “Curse God and die.” But despite all those sufferings, Job, what did he say? “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). And if you have read the book of Job, you know that Job was not perfect. He doubted in many ways at times. He had moments of weakness, moments of complaining even to God. But despite all of that, he waited and he did not waver in his commitment to God. Even in the face of suffering, even in the face of doubts that would seep into his heart, Job was faithful.

And beloved, you know what’s amazing through the book of Job that we learn? The book of Job is not about Job’s faithfulness, necessarily. But rather, it’s about the faithfulness of who? Of God. God who was sovereign over him, God who was merciful to him, God who was compassionate to him each step of the way. And James understands the right meaning of Job. Look at the end of verse 11. It says, “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” You see, James understood that for the people of God, even despite whatever sufferings or difficulties may come, those are moments that teach us about God. There are lessons about God who is sovereign, who is faithful. That God does not find pleasure in our suffering, nor is he harsh with us in our dealings, but rather God is full of compassion and he continues to lead us to himself. And why does he do that, friends? Why does he draw us to himself? So that our joy would be in who, friends? In him. Not in the things of this world, not in our possessions, but in him.

And that’s the story of our life as well, this church age. It’s not the faithfulness of the church. But it’s the faithfulness of God who allows us to endure and stay faithful. God is the one who holds us fast. And he is the one our joy is in. So that even when he returns, it will be a joy to see him. Our faith will be turned to sight. And so we can wait blessedly, knowing that our joy is in the Lord. Church, your joy must be in the Lord. Because that’s the one thing the world cannot take. That’s the one thing circumstances should not take. Joy in him. And that’s what it means to be blessed.

Our Lord is returning, he is coming back. He will make everything wrong in this world right. And just want to encourage if anyone’s suffering physically today, you will have a renewed body one day. Revelation 21:4 says, when it comes to the new heaven and the new earth:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. — Revelation 21:4 (CSB)

That’s coming. But until that day, God is exhorting us to be faithful. If I can ask you, church, where are you placing your joy today? Even ask yourself, are you waiting upon the Lord? Do you even care about this topic of his return? Maybe for some of us, we would be discouraged at his coming. We would think, “Did you have to come right now? I’m busy with my career. I’m busy with my circumstances right now. Did you have to come right now?” Is your joy in the Lord? Church, if our joy isn’t in him, we do well to evaluate our hearts. As we learned so clearly, the world is passing away. Christ is coming back.

And so as we come to a close, the calling for the church is to be steadfast and faithful in the last days. And as we learned, we do so by waiting patiently. It will be worth it, friends, when we see him face to face. And we do so also by waiting readily. We get ready by being busy. Not being busy bodies for the sake of legalism. No way, right? It’s because we love him and we love his church. That is why we serve and preserve the unity of the church. And as we also learn, we wait blessedly. Always remembering that our joy must be in the Lord. Let me close with this, and it’s the final verses of the Bible. Revelation 22:20-21. It says:

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone. Amen. — Revelation 22:20-21 (CSB)

Let’s pray. God, thank you so much for this reminder of the hope that we have as your people. God, as the world looks so hopeless at times, as our circumstances seem hopeless at times, may we not fix our gaze upon these things, but upon you. To remember what you have done for us in your first coming, that you have saved us for yourself, that you have made us right with you, that you have caused us to be your church, your beloved bride. And as we await the second coming of Christ, help us to wait with such a hope, knowing, Lord, that he is the one who will make all things right. Help us to wait well, to wait in a way that pleases you and honors you, preserve the unity of this church. May our joy be in you. O God, we pray for those who do not know you here today. That they would see the urgency to repent now. But also to see your mercy, how it calls sinners today to turn to you. May they see your kindness and all of this, and may your kindness lead them to repentance and trust in Jesus Christ. We pray these things in his name. Amen.