This past Sunday, Jonathan Putnam preached an outstanding message on James 5:7-11. His main point was that, though we can easily be discouraged by the details of life, focusing on Christ's return fuels faith for the believer... or, as he said it, focusing on our future enables patience in the present.
One of the main application points came from James 5:9, "Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door." Jonathan pointed out that we often grumble because we have forgotten the good news of the gospel. At his first coming, Jesus' finished work powerfully defeated sin's hold on our lives... releasing us from the fear that Jesus will come to judge us for our sins. Only then can we anticipate his second coming. How this releases us from complaining and grumbling like those without hope! We're not trying to scramble after our rights... we're not acting like we're entitled to anything good. Instead, we remember that God has shown us grace, and so our future is good in light of Jesus' upcoming arrival. As Jonathan said, "focusing on our future enables patience in the present."
Perhaps you found during the sermon that God was bringing conviction for you. You might have seen that you've been "waiting for the wrong bus" as Jonathan said. Maybe you've found yourself grumbling about your situation, blaming others. Acting as the "armchair quarterback" as Eric mentioned a few weeks ago. It's easy to put our hopes in something other than Jesus' arrival... maybe something that seemed good. If so, why not use your care groups this week as a way of confessing this wrong focus and encouraging each other as we're told in Hebrews 10:23-25... "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
