How Jesus’ Return Changes Your Life

Today is the long-awaited grand finale of our series, The Word. It's part five of James, everybody. You ready for it? If you're just joining us, we've been studying through one little book of the Bible. It's called James and it has been challenging. It has been in our face. It has been a little controversial along the way. And we've been reading through it. As we've studied on Sundays, you've been reading through the book of James, a chapter a week. And we get today to James chapter five. And just like all the other weeks, James five has so much content, it would take me hours, hours to preach it all. So I'm going to make a deal with you, okay? If you'll commit, if you'll commit to read it this week on your own, okay, read James five, you can read a few verses every day and get through the entire chapter or you can read the entire chapter every day and get through it multiple times. If you'll commit to read through James chapter five this week, I'll just preach a little of it this morning. This is a deal I'm making with you. If you don't make the deal, I'm going to preach for three hours. All right. So do we have a deal, everybody? You're going to read it this week. That's good. That's really, really good. James five is full of so many incredible, incredible topics.

And today I want to just, I want to just focus on one little phrase from James chapter five. I believe it's a phrase that really the whole chapter kind of swings on this hinge phrase. I think it's that important of a phrase. And you're going to see when you're reading in James chapter five, that James covers a lot, a lot of different topics in James chapter five. In fact, let me just show you that there's a long list, a laundry list. James in chapter five, he talks about things like money and he talks about, he talks about patience. James talks about grumbling in James chapter five. James, he talks, he talks about perseverance and about keeping your word, letting your word, your yes be your yes. He talks about what we're doing on this weekend. He talks about prayer and he talks about healing and he talks about confession and he talks about anointing with oil by the elders and he talks about wandering Christians. I mean, all of these different topics, look at them all, so many of them. In fact, I was thinking, I was thinking it'd kind of be fun if we just took like an audience vote and let you pick the topic you think I should focus in on the most today's in the sermon. And, and I was thinking about that and then Adon told me nobody, nobody would pick money or patience. Nobody would pick. He's like, you wouldn't want to hear a sermon on those, on those topics. And the only reason you want to hear a sermon on grumbling is if

you have a, if you have a teenager somewhere in the room and you're like, yes, please preach that sermon to them. And, but, but other than that, you're like, no, take those three off the list, please. We don't want to hear a sermon about any of those. The good news is, look at that list. I don't have to, I don't have to pick and choose just one or two of those. I think I can actually preach about all of those just by giving you today, this one little phrase from James chapter five, I think this one little phrase covers, covers it all. And so James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that's, that's how the scriptures were written. So the Holy Spirit is speaking to James and he, and he says, James, write this down. Tell them, tell them James. And, and at the end of verse nine, there's a phrase that I want you to pick up on James chapter five, verse nine, the very end of it, James says this, he says, um, the judge, he says, the judge is standing at the door. The judge is standing at the door. Look at that phrase. I think that's an awesome, awesome phrase. This little pencil is not working and I'm working it as hard as I can work it right now. And sometimes I feel like if I, do you ever, do you ever get frustrated with technology? And you're like, well, if I just, if I just, um, you know, tap it a little harder, it'll, it'll, there it goes. Look at that.

It worked. It worked. Praise the Lord. It worked. Okay. All right. There we go. The judge is standing at the door. Would you read that phrase out loud with me, everybody? The judge is standing at the door. If you, if you are, um, somebody who writes in your Bible, I'm, this is part, part of why I'm, I'm, I've been teaching this way is because I want to give you permission to, to, to mark up your Bible a little bit. And, uh, I would encourage you when you get home, open James chapter five and, uh, get your little highlighter out and highlight that little phrase. The judge is standing at the door. Just, just like I, I, I highlighted it because, uh, it's such a powerful phrase. In fact, one commentator I read said this, this, he said, though, the word picture. that James is trying to give us is as if the judge has his hand on the latch ready to enter at any time the judge is standing at the door. Now let's be clear, let's be clear about the judge that James is talking about. This reference to the judge, this is not some random judge, just so we're all clear.

This is not some Supreme Court justice judge. This is not a TV personality judge. This is not a reference to Judge Judy. All right, can we just get that clear? I love Judge Judy, shout out to the OG judge, Judge Judy. Did you know that Roku has an entire Judge Judy channel? You can watch Judge Judy 24 seven. Did you know that? I just stumbled on it on vacation and I watched way too much Judge Judy. But this is not a Judge Judy reference. No, there's a very specific judge that James is talking about in James chapter five. In fact, I'll just show you just a verse or two earlier. James says this. James says, be patient, verse seven. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm because the Lord's coming is near. So don't grumble against each other, brothers and sisters, or you'll be judged. The judge is standing at the door. So who's the judge? Well, James makes it quite clear that the judge is the Lord. And James says, the judge is coming soon,

that he's just on the other side of the door, that he could come through the door at any moment because his coming is near. That's James's message. Now, for some of you, that should scare the socks off of you right now. Hello? Hey, hey, hey, I know you didn't have to polish your halo when you came to church today because you ain't even got one. So that might've just scared the socks off of you. For others of you, it probably excites you a little bit. Oh, the judge is here. He's coming through the door. That'd be awesome. It's a little bit like this. When Tabitha and I, we raised three amazing, incredible kids. They're all big, grown, and awesome now, and we're empty nesting. You know what empty nesting means? It means you can kiss your wife anytime you want. It's awesome. It's awesome. And you only have to wear pants around the house if you don't want to. That's what it means. Come on, empty nesters, that's awesome. That's awesome, I'm telling you. Yeah.

But when our kids were little, if Tabitha was home and I was not, she would sometimes, from time to time, she would use this little phrase, and I bet you used it or I bet you grew up hearing it sometimes. Tabitha would use this little phrase. She would say, you just wait till your father gets home. How many of you grew up and you heard that phrase at some point in your life? You just wait till your father, yeah. Yeah. Now, there's two different ways that that phrase can get used. And there's two different contexts and situations that that phrase gets used. Context number one is probably the one you're thinking about the most. It's when you're in trouble and now you know you're in trouble. Because when your dad gets home, you're going to be in trouble. So the phrase gets used, like you better straighten up. You better act right. You better act like you got some sense. Because your dad's going to come through that door at any minute. And you just wait till your father gets home.

And that ain't no threat. That's a promise. Come on, somebody. And so when that phrase gets used, it strikes a little bit of fear into the hearts of children who hear it in an attempt to try to give them a warning to straighten up, to act right, to behave like they know they should. So that's one way to use the phrase. It's a reminder that dad's coming home. So you better straighten up at home. That's one way to use the phrase. There's another way, though. When the kids wanted to do something that Tabitha really didn't want to do, she would say to the kids, she would say, you just wait till your father gets home. And so if it was going to the park or going to the pool, or there came this time in Brayden's life where Brayden started throwing the baseball so hard that Tabitha said, I'm not playing catch with you anymore. And so she would say, just wait till your father gets home. And literally, the kids would wait. They would wait. They'd stand in the front. door, that sometimes they'd stand in the driveway and they just, they would just wait. They'd wait till, because they were excited.

They were ready for dad to come home because it meant they got to go do what they wanted to do. And sometimes that little phrase was used as a phrase of anticipation. It brought excitement, it brought joy. Sometimes it brought peace, sometimes it brought comfort because they knew, hey, real soon, real soon dad is gonna come through that door and we can't wait. There's two ways, two ways to use the same phrase to bring two different outcomes. When I read James chapter five and I get to this little phrase, I think that's what James does when he uses it. Look at it again. James says, the judge is standing at the door. I think he's using that little phrase for two different purposes to bring about two different outcomes. I think he's using it to warn some people. Hey, you better straighten up. You better act right. You say you're a follower of Jesus. That's what James is all about. In this book, James is all about saying, hey, you gotta have a Monday morning faith that matches your Sunday morning faith. That you gotta have a faith that walks the way it talks. That's what James is talking. He says, if you're a follower of Jesus, you gotta act in a certain way.

That Jesus should change everything. They should change everything. So because Jesus changes everything, you need to live in a certain way. And if you're not living in a certain way, you better wake up, because the judge is at the door. That's one way that he's using this little phrase. But I think there's another way, because James is writing, and I told you this when we started studying the book of James, that he's writing this to a group of Christians who are being persecuted for their faith. These are Christians who are facing severe trials, very challenging and difficult circumstances. And he's writing to them to say, hey, the judge, he's at the door. He's writing to say just, hey, just wait when your dad comes home. Because I'm telling you, just on the other side of the door, the judge is there. And when he comes to the door, he's gonna bring comfort, and he's gonna bring peace, and all this pain, all this sorrow, all these tears that you've been feeling, they're not gonna exist anymore. So hang in there, Christian,

because on the other side of the door, the judge is there. So just wait. Just wait for your dad to come home, because he's gonna make everything better in your life. The judge is standing at the door. This is why James says this. He says, verse eight, he says, you too, be patient and stand firm. Be patient and stand firm, why? Because the Lord's coming is near. Now, you know about patience. You know what it means to be patient. It doesn't mean you're good at it, all right, but you know about it. But when James says be patient and stand firm, that little word stand firm means it means to establish your heart. It means to strengthen your inner being, to be strong in the inner man so that you are not moved when trouble comes. It's the word picture of taking some stakes and driving them in the ground to hold down your tent so that the wind blows and the rain falls, your tent is left standing strong. That's the word picture. And he's saying do that for your heart. Make your heart stable. Make your heart firm. Make your heart fixed.

Make your heart securely established. How do you do that? You do that with the knowledge that just on the other side of that door is the judge. So strengthen your heart. Be encouraged with your heart, why? Because you know the Lord's coming is near. James is encouraging us. He's encouraging us. But then the very next verse, verse nine, James is correcting us. James says this. He says, don't grumble against one another or you'll be judged. So he's encouraging us and correcting us. That little word grumble, it carries this idea. It means literally not even a groan or a sigh. You know how sometimes you don't say it out loud, but you have that little under your breath groan. That little, you know that one? James is like, knock it off. He's like, don't even do that. Don't even let that, don't let that come out of you. Act right, why? Because the judge is standing at the door. That's why, that's why. Do you see how the phrase is used to both comfort us and correct us? You see it, everybody? Do you see how James uses this phrase

to cause us to anticipate and to act? The judge is standing at the door. Jesus is coming back. That's what James wants you to know. Jesus is coming back. The second coming of Christ is one of the most foundational and important truths of our whole faith. And when James writes about it, and it's referenced in many other places in scripture, this is not like some hyperbole. This is not some imaginative state. This isn't some word manipulation to try to get you to feel something in the moment and act a certain way, but it's never really gonna happen. Don't let that get to you. Don't let that get to you. Don't let that get to you. Don't get that in your mind. That's not at all the case. Jesus is coming back. James is right. The Lord's coming is near. The judge is standing at the door. Jesus is literally right now in this moment standing at the door of heaven, waiting for God the Father to say, it's time. He's waiting. And in a blink of an eye, he'll return. In fact, this might be news to some of you.

So I just wanna show you some other scriptures to help you see it and understand it. One time the disciples asked Jesus, they asked him, hey, when's the return of Christ? What's gonna happen at the end of the age, the end of time, the end of the world? And Jesus actually answered them. This is what Jesus says. He says, look at it. He says, watch out, watch out. And he says, verse 36 of Matthew chapter 24, but about that day or hour, what day or hour? The day or hour of my return. Jesus says, no one knows, no one knows. By the way, if somebody tries to sell you a book telling you they do know, don't waste your money because they don't know. No one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father knows. And Jesus says, as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, Jesus' return. For in the days before the flood, now see if this sounds familiar to our days today, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That's how it's gonna be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Jesus said two men will be in the field. One will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill. One will be taken, the other left. Jesus says, therefore, keep watch. Keep watch, everybody. Keep your eyes fixed toward heaven and watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this. If the owner of the house had known what time of night the thief was coming, he'd have kept watch and he would not let his house be broken into. You know that's true. Now, hey, you tell me you're coming to break in my house at 2 a.m. tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting. Oh yeah. Along with my second amendment right. I will be waiting for you. 2 a.m. I'm not sleeping through that, joker. No, I will be awake and waiting. Just so you know. Preacher got a gun. And in the same way. Jesus said, in the same way, you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come in an hour when you do not expect him. He's not telling you what time he's showing up,

but he's coming back and you better be ready. You better be ready. The judge is at the door. Stay ready. Paul echoes this same sentiment. When Paul writes this in 1 Thessalonians, he says, I'm not going to wait for you. When Paul writes this in 1 Thessalonians 5, he says now concerning how or when all of this will happen. All of this is the return of Christ, the second coming, the end of the age. Now concerning how and when all of this will happen. Dear brothers and sisters, we don't really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come what? Unexpectedly. Like a thief in the night. No thief is going to tell you what time they're showing up. And neither is Jesus. Like a thief in the night. When people are saying everything is peaceful and secure, then disaster will fall on them as suddenly. Look at that word. As suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. Because Jesus is coming back. The judge is at the door. And he's got his hand on the latch.

And he could open at any moment. That's James's point. Wait, now what's gonna happen? You're like, what's it gonna be like when Jesus returns? I'll show you. Paul says this in 1 Thessalonians chapter four. He says, for the Lord himself, Jesus himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. In other words, those loved ones of yours who have gone before you, who had a relationship with Jesus, they're gonna rise first, and after that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord, and we will be with the Lord forever. Forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever. And Paul says, encourage one another with these words. Encourage one another. And that's encouraging if you're living for Jesus today. And that's a wake-up call if you're not. Because the Lord is coming back. There's gonna be a moment, nobody knows when. Nobody knows when. But the heavens are gonna open, and there's gonna be a loud command, and the trumpet will sound, and dead bodies are gonna raise, and Jesus is gonna appear, and your loved ones,

those that you have stood by the graveside and said goodbye to, Aaron is gonna be in the clouds waiting for you, Doug Worden. He's gonna be there waiting, and you're gonna be reunited with him in the split second, in the twinkling of an eye. You're gonna fly, baby, fly. And it might happen in 10 seconds from now, come Lord Jesus. Or it might happen 10 minutes from now, or 10 years from now. Or it might be 10,000 years from now. I don't know when he's coming back. I just know James says the judge is at the door. You better be ready, because he's coming through the door. Now think about that. Think about it. If you really believed he was coming today, like if you really, really believed it, what would need to change in your life? If you really believed Jesus was coming today, how would you live your life? That's the point of James five. Like that's the point he's making. That he's at the door. So you need to change the way you're living. In fact, that whole list of topics we looked at earlier, can you put them back up on the screen? That whole list of topics,

money and patience and grumbling and perseverance and keeping your word and prayer and healing and confession and elders and wandering Christians. That whole list that he's gonna talk about in James five, all these different various topics. Isn't it true that if you really believed Jesus was coming back today, that those topics would look different in your life. The way you respond to those things would be different in your life, if you really believed Jesus was coming back today. If you really believe Jesus was coming back today, you'd handle your money differently, wouldn't you? You would, you would. There's not a single person in here at the end of the service when I invite you to give, if you really believed Jesus was coming back today, there's not a single person in here who'd roll their eyes, not a single person. Not if you really believed it. There's not a single person who would say, no, no, no, I'm gonna hold more money for myself. I'm gonna hoard it up for myself. Nobody would say that. Nobody would go out of here wasting money if they really believed Jesus was coming back today. No, you'd take your money and you'd invest it so that more people can know the love of Jesus. If you really believed Jesus was coming back today, it would change the way you live.

You see it? If you really believed it, you'd be more patient. That's what James would say. Yeah, you'd be more patient with people. Hello? If you really believed Jesus was coming back today and you'd be more patient with circumstances. Because here's what you would realize. If Jesus is coming back today, this is all temporary. This is all fleeting. This little blip on the radar of my life, this little pain I'm experiencing, this little setback I'm going through, this little tension that I'm living in, that's just temporaries. I could be patient through it if you really believed Jesus was coming back today. If you believed he's coming back today, you wouldn't grumble. No, because the last thing you would want is to be sitting at the computer, typing out a nasty comment to somebody else's Facebook political post and hear the trumpet sound. You'd start hitting delete as fast as you could. Think about it. If you really believed he's coming back today. I mean, what if that was your filter for every word you said? Would I wanna say this word and the next thing is see Jesus?

Probably not. I'm not gonna grumble. I'm not gonna talk about people. Certainly not, James's point was don't talk about people in church. So I'm not gonna whisper about sister so-and-so. And I'm not gonna go around talking bad about the church. No, no, no, I'm not gonna grumble. James would say, if you really believe that Jesus is coming back, you would persevere. He says you would persevere. In James 5, you're gonna see it. Like the character of the Bible named Job. And Job had everything stripped from him. Job stood strong in his faith. And if you really believe Jesus was coming back, you would too. You would know today, whatever trial I'm facing, I can make it through. I can hold on. I can get through it, because Jesus, the judge is at the door. And if you really believe Jesus was coming, I think you're getting the point, but I'm just gonna keep preaching all of them. Because you'd be a person of your word. You'd be a person of integrity if you really believe Jesus was coming back. The last thing you would want is to be wishy-washy with your language.

To say yes, and then not to live up to it. To say no, and then to go out and do it. That'd be the worst thing ever. Because I don't wanna give somebody my word and then go back on my word and Jesus come back. No, no, no, that's not what I want. I'm gonna keep my word. And if you really believe Jesus was coming back today, wouldn't you pray different? You wouldn't pray these little pithy, you know, bless me, keep me kind of prayers. No, you'd pray with boldness. You'd pray with confidence. If I knew the judge was at the door, you getting it? If I knew he was at the door, if I knew he was at the door, I would pray different kinds of prayers. Because I know he's listening, he's right there on the other side of the door. So I'm gonna pray bold prayers, confident prayers. I'm gonna pray prayers for healing. If I believed the judge is at the door, because here's what I know, here's what I know. Cancer and the judge cannot coexist in the same room. So I'm gonna pray, God heal them. Anxiety and depression and the judge, they can't live in the same place. So I'm gonna pray different kinds of prayers. Prayers of healing, prayers of confession. I'm not gonna keep sin secret if the judge is at the door.

I'm gonna lean in and believe that God works through the church and through the elders. And listen, if the judge is at the door, meaning he could come back at any time. If I know somebody who's wandering from the faith, somebody who's getting a little too close to the fire, somebody who's living a little too much in the world, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna go after them. I'm gonna bring them back. Because the last thing I would want is for one of you to be out there in the world, live in some way that you ought not be living when the judge shows up. I want you in here together, living for the Lord the moment he returns. You get it, everybody? It changes everything when the judge, when the judge is at the door. So it would change everything about your life. Just wait till your father comes home. Because he's coming. He's coming soon. I'm gonna live different because he's coming back. Now here's the, here's the tension. Maybe you feel it today. The tension is, Pastor Stu, you told us that James was written around 47-ish AD. And it's been 2,000 years, almost. And he still hasn't come back.

So explain it. Explain it, because James says, look at James 5, look at James 5, verse 8. James says, you too be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. It's near. Now what does that mean? This idea of near means it's happening soon. But it's been almost 2,000 years, and it still hasn't happened. It still hasn't happened. Well, the best way I know to explain it is this. You're near, and the Lord's near are different. Hey, your timing and the Lord's timing are different. You see, you're finite, and he is infinite. You are bound by time, and God exists outside of time. You know the Bible says this? The Bible says that a day is like 1,000 years to the Lord, and 1,000 years like a day. So here you and I are counting up the days, counting up the years. We're like, it's almost been 2,000 years since. James says the Lord's coming, it's near, and he still hasn't shown up. It's almost been 2,000 years. You know what the Lord's saying? It's been like two days to me. That's it. But don't you think for a minute that the Lord is slow, that the Lord is somehow forgotten?

Don't you think for a minute that James is saying, hey, this is just like make-believe or imaginary or that it's not gonna come to be. No, no, no, no, no, right on time, always on time. When it's time, he's coming back. The judge is at the door. Until he comes, you and I live in the tension of the moment. The tension of the moment. There's tension while we wait. And we're called in that tension to live with our eyes fixed toward heaven, living every second believing that just on the other side of that door that I can't see and I can't really truly understand, just on the other side of that door, there's a judge. And he's my king, and he's my savior, and he's my Lord. And he's got his hand on the latch. And when the father says it's time, that latch will turn and the door will open and the judge will appear. And I'm called to live in the tension of the moment, of the down here focused on the up there, waiting for the Lord's return. And that just means two very practical things for us today as we wrap up the whole entire book of James. It means, number one, wake up. Wake up. If you're here today and you don't know Jesus, today's the day of your salvation because the judge is at the door.

Wake up. And James would say, if you're here today and you say you know Jesus, but you don't live like you know Jesus, well, wake up because the judge is at the door. Stop playing games. Stop putting it off. Stop thinking there's another day coming where you can get right with God and straighten up your life. No, no, no, no, today is the day because there's a judge at the door and your dad could come home at any moment. That's what James would say. Wake up. Number two, James would say, hang in there. That's a word for somebody today, hang in there. Somebody who woke up this morning and didn't even feel like getting out of bed, hang in there. Somebody who went to the doctor this week and got the worst possible report, hang in there. Somebody who's walking through the most relationally challenged time of your life, hang in there. Somebody who's weeping over a wayward child, son or daughter, hang in there. Somebody who's longing, longing for the privilege of raising a son or a daughter and can't yet, hang in there.

Somebody who feels lonely and left all out of all the things and you're like, I just want somebody, hang in there. James would say, because the judge is at the door. And you've got a heavenly father who knows you and sees you and will come through for you right at the nick of time. And you need to know on the other side of the door is a savior who loves you. So find peace and comfort and grace in your time of need. Because the judge is at the door. I don't know today. What you feel when I say to you, just wait because your father's coming home. But I know James would want you to feel correction and comfort because the judge is at the door. Would you bow your heads? Would you close your eyes and open your heart now. God's speaking. His presence is here. His Holy Spirit is moving. And today, some of us who know Jesus need to repent, because we have not let Jesus change everything. But the judge is at the door. And some of us who know Jesus need to sit with quiet anticipation, waiting for his return, because the judge is at the door. So Father, I pray you'd speak to both groups of people today.

Those who aren't living a life worthy of the call you've placed on their life, may they repent and turn to you today. And those who are struggling and needing your peace and comfort, may they receive it from you today. Thank you that just on the other side of the door is a loving Jesus. And finally, there are some of you here today and you've never given your heart and life to Jesus Christ. And before we end this service, I wanna make sure you have an opportunity to say yes to him, because it is by a relationship with Jesus that we're made right with God in heaven. So if you do not know Jesus today, this is your moment to be ready for his return by saying yes to him. And I'm gonna lead you in a simple prayer, and I'm just gonna ask you silently wherever you are to say this prayer right from your heart to God and mean it. But I wanna know if that's you today, if you're giving your life to Jesus, and if you'd say, pastor, include me in that prayer. I wanna be ready for the return of Christ. I'm gonna give my life to him today. Would you just shoot your hand high in the air and hold it up while we pray this prayer now? Online, let us know over in the chat, this is you. Anybody else, pastor, include me in that prayer.

I'm gonna give my life to Jesus right now. God bless you. Just pray this and really mean it. Say, Jesus, I wanna know you. I want my sin forgiven by you. I wanna live my life for you. So come into my life and be my Lord and savior. You can put your hand down, because God knows your heart. May you never forget this moment of giving your life to Jesus. Father, we love you. We thank you for every decision made in this house today. We thank you for the power of your word in James chapter five. May it change us, and may we never be the same because of it. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.