Patience is a Virtue
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Did you know that General George Washington almost cancelled his crossing of the Delaware river? Dec 24-25 1776.
George Washington was to get his troops across the 300 yards of water to stop the British and Hessian troops from moving to Trenton, NJ and gaining ground in this war
They faced many challenges
Aggressive plan and troop movement, element of surprise
Heavy storm and snow, cold
Spies and deserters had given them up
Navy was a group of cargo boats and ferries
10 mile march after crossing in sleet, snow and hurricane like winds
Timetable was behind
He considered retreat until he realized in doing so, they would surely be spotted and harassed
Patience was a virtue that changed the Revolutionary War
Patience:
Hebrew - “long of face” or “slow to anger”
Greek - “longsuffering” or “forebearance”
WBTU
WBTU
Christians can become impatient
with our circumstances
ultimately with God
We tend to have expectations like the world does when it comes to patience
Questions we might ask:
Why me? Why am I going through this suffering and pain?
Why them? Why would God do that to them, they are good people?
FI
FI
God is patient in withholding his wrath on the world
Patience is an attribute of God - the Creator
Berkhoff ST chooses “properties” or “virtue” as it is not something added to God
Excellencies
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Patience is a part of his nature
20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
The world was filled with wickedness
The world deserved to be destroyed
Yet, God provided a temporary salvation from his wrath through Noah and the Ark
Flood came and some, along with animals were saved, covenant established
Yet, a few chapters later (11) We see this wickedness come back in the tower of babel
God is patient in enduring man’s disobedience and sin
Numbers 11 - Jews complain in the desert
1 And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
Moses brings the people out of slavery from Egypt
The people begin to mistrust God and his plan
They become impatient
They complain and grumble
God’s response isn’t to destroy them
He appoints elders, he established the church
He also gave some of the people what they wanted in their impatience
He gave them quail, then they died
Yet, Moses and the faithful continued to move toward the promised land
Why would God be so patient with sinful humans?
God is patient in the salvation of his people
What is God waiting for, why doesn’t he just fix it all and be done with it?
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
God’s patience is for repentance and salvation
Jesus is the greatest example of God’s patience
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
He was an example of God’s perfect patience
came to fulfill the requirements of the law - to die for our disobedience
He came in the form of man, walked the earth, died for the sinner
God’s patience has as its goal the redemption of His people
GOD is PATIENT and out of this he is saving his people!
So What?
So What?
Undesrtanding this attribute of God,
shows us how he is working in his world
God is working throughout the history of mankind, in spite of their rebellion and disobedience to save His people
helps us understand our expectations are faulty
We can move from the micro to the macro - big picture is God’s redemptive historical plan for his people
suffering is a part of our calling
Patience is required for our salvation
helps us to know how we are to live
trusting in God
If there is something we are going through, then the question is not, why is this happening to me? We know the answer. God is working salvation in his world.
putting on patience
It is an attribute that God gives us through his spirit that we may “put on” patience
We are to be a patient people
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
When we think about patience, we immediately think about our God being patient, saving his people and then we can see our call to be patient. We are to trust in God in all things. We know he is redeeming people as he has done with us. We know he has not rained down his wrath on us, because he is patiently drawing that last brother or sister into his Kingdom.
Message
Message
JONAH
Ran from his calling. God called him to go to Nineveh and prophesy. He refused, and fled. He was on a ship and thrown overboard because the sailors blamed his disobedience to God. Then he washes up on the shores of the place he was attempting to escape. And, in the end He prophecies and the people repent. This was God’s plan all along. This is what God was trying to accomplish. God was patient with Jonah and with the people of Nineveh. The result was Jonah becoming angry.
He was angry because he was focused on his own plight and world. He wanted what he wanted. He was more worried about himself and did not recognize that God is in control. He lacked the virtue of patience.
We too can be a people who desires selfish and individualistic results in a world that desperately needs Jesus and the patience of God. What does this world need more than anything right now? It needs a patient God and a patient people.
When we see God and his patience and when we seek that virtue for our own lives, then our will and God’s will are aligned. We have been recalibrated.
We pray along with Jesus: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” If we are going to practice the patience that God has given us by His spirit we must first look to him and trust in his goodness and patience.
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.