His Patience

Tonight, I wonder if you find favor in the eyes of God. When God looks down from heaven, does he clap his hands? Is he well pleased at your behavior because you patiently endure those people who treat you unjustly? Whatever you do, you manifest a very special attribute of our Lord God. That is his patience. And that's the one we're going to talk about this evening. It's God's power that causes him to be patient because he has the power to destroy. And when God is patient, He is demonstrating his p to control him.

Which leads us to point number one, and that is this. To understand patience, we must understand that the patience of God controls His sovereign plan and perfect timing. God's patience controls his sovereign plan and perfect tim. Over in Romans chapter 9, verse number 22 reads as follows: What if God, although willing to demonstrate his wrath, And to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. And he did so in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy which he prepared beforehand for glory, even us.

Whom he also called not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. There are some people who are categorized Only as vessels of wrath. God has been good to them, yet they have resisted his grace. They've chosen to defy him and immerse their lives in a variety of wickedness. They are worthy of nothing but his wrath, equipped only for eternal ruin. Yet God patiently puts up with them. Because he is long-suffering. We see God's very patient with people. He waits. Why? He wants people to repent.

You see, if God wasn't patient, he'd just wipe us all out. But he's very patient, long-suffering, slow to boil. He wants man to come to him. Turn me over to James chapter 5, if you would. James chapter 5, verse number 7. Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil. Being patient about it until it gets to early and late rains. You too be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged.

Behold, the judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we count those blessed. Who end? 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. God had a purpose for Job. God had a supreme purpose for Job. He wanted to test his faith. He wanted to strengthen his faith. He wanted Satan to observe a man who would never compromise his faith.

And he wanted to increase Job's bl. And it was the patience of God. That allowed things to go on as long as they did in the life of Job. And Job would bear up under that pressure, and he would endure under that pressure. And the Bible says that the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before.

And the Bible also says in Job 42, verse number 5: I have heard of you with my ears, but now my eyes have seen you. Job finally understood the patience of God.

We've heard of the patience of Job, but we very rarely talk about the patience of God. God had a purpose in allowing the things to happen to Job as he did. And when things come along in your life And when people begin to ridicule you, and when people begin to talk down to you, and when people begin to treat you unjustly and don't treat you fairly, what God is doing is helping you understand one of his great attributes. Because all along, God has a purpose, and that purpose is to bless your life. Like he did Job's.

The problem is, most of us don't bear up under the pressure, most of us don't. Take a long time to boil with the people who have treated us wrongly, and therefore we miss the blessing that God wants to give us. Job didn't miss the blessing. And that's why most of us only hear of God and never see God as Job saw him. You don't see him physically, you see him with a spiritual eye. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Job was one who saw God. And most of us have a wrong view of God, a misperception of God, because we're not willing to bear up under the pressure, be slow and boil toward those who have abused us and misused us.

And therefore, we missed out on the blessing of God. Job didn't. Point number two: God's patience calms his righteous anger and makes his forgiveness possible.

God's patience calms his righteous anger and makes his forgiveness possible. Psalm 103. Verse 8 says, The Lord is compassionate and gracious, sl, slow, slow to anger. And abound in loving kind. He will not always strive with us, nor will he keep his anger forever. The psal says, He's slow to anger, but he won't always strive with us, and yet he won't keep his anger forever. And then he says, he has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. That's always a good thing.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions. From us, God holds no grudges. Some of you think God holds a grudge against you. Some of you think that God's out to get you. And God's waiting to level the hammer on top of your head. God holds no grudges. God harbors no resentments. There is no sin He will not forgive. There is no sin. He doesn't want to forgive.

He wants to forgive them all. He wants to separate them as far as the East is from the West. It's his patience that calms his righteous anger. It calms it and makes his forgiveness possible. Just think, if God did not control his anger, there'd be no forgiveness. There'd be no opportunity to repent. We learn how much God loves people. When we see his patience and his willingness to forgive, God's patience calms his righteous anger and makes his forgiveness possible. Praise be to God for his wonderful, wonderful power.

Point number three is this. God's patience characterizes his wonderful love. Turn back with me, if you would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. In this great paragraph on love, the word is used two times, although your English translation records it four times. In the Greek text, it's only used twice, and each time with the definite article the before it. So it's the love. What love is that? It's the love of God. It's God's love. Okay? And he defines for us the love of God. He says this in verse number four.

The love is patient, and the love Is kind. Paul defines for us the love of God. He defines for it in two ways. One, it's patient. Two, It's kind. And then he would go down and begin to list eight characteristics which love is not. They're all negative things. But the two positive characteristics of God's love is that number one, it's patient, and number two, it's kind.

This shows you how different God's love is compared to our love. If two things are not true, Upon man's love for another individual, it's that it's not very patient and it's not very kind. But the love The certain kind of love that comes down from above, God's love is that love which is patient, and it's that love which is kind. That's the particular kind of love that comes down from God. I wonder if you have experienced the love of God. In such a way that you understand his patience and his kindness.

It was Robert Ingersoll, atheist of the last century, who stopped in the middle of one of his lectures in his classroom. As he spoke against God, he took out his watch, held it to the audience. And made this challenge. I'll give God five minutes to strike me dead for everything that I have said against Him. He waited five minutes. He was still alive. So he continued to mock God. And one of his students would relate the story to the great Christian Theodore Parker, who smiled and said, Did this gentleman think that he could exhaust the patience of the eternal God in five minutes?

Think about it. Could he actually exhaust the patience, the eternal divine patience? Of the eternal God in five minutes. Our God is so patient. He waits and he waits and he waits. When people say about all the evil that happens in the world, it should automatically draw you to the patience of God. God is so patient that he's waiting for those vile, evil people to repent. See, we don want them to repent, do we? What do we want to do with them? We want to wipe them off the face of the earth. We want to rid them of any life here on earth.

We want to get rid of them as quick as possible. But God Himself is patiently waiting for them to repent. So when people talk about all the evil in the world, you should always throw back on them and say, Yes, it explains to us the wonderful patience of our God. Because our God is a God of love. His love is patient. His love is kind. He continually waits for people to repent of their sin and get right with him. Although the nation of Israel was a rebellious, disobedient, disloyal, sinful people, horrible people, yet God would patiently wait for them.

In the days of Noah, when wickedness was upon the face of the earth, and God was able to see the evil intention of every man's heart, he would still wait 1 years for man to repent. And the Bible says, in the end times, as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be.

And God will patiently still be waiting for people to repent of their sins. Because our God is a wonderful God who loves mankind. And patience characterizes his wonderful love. Point number four. His patience cares about people who need the Lord. His patience cares about people who need the Lord. It says in Psalm 86, verse number 15. These words, but thou, O Lord, art a God, merciful and gracious, sl, slow, slow to anger. ab in loving and truth. Turn to me and be gracious to me. O grant thy strength to thy servant and save the son of thy handmaid.

Show me a sign for good. that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because Thou, O Lord, hast helped me and comforted me. God's patience cares for people who need the Lord. 2 Peter 3, verse number 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness. But is long-suffering, slow to anger toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come. To rep. Over in 1 Timothy chapter 1, it speaks of the Apostle Paul in these words. as he gives his testimony about the saving grace of Christ, on how God Himself cared for a man who was so vile.

He said this, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me into service. Verse number 13. Chapter 1 of 1 Timothy. Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor, here was a man who blasphemed the name of God. Here was a man who was so violent against God that he enjoyed hurting people who loved him God. That's how bad he hated God. He took pleasure. That's what it means to be a violent aggressor, an insolent man.

He was a man who took pleasure in hurting people who followed God. He just lived to do that kind of thing. And then it says, and yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant. With the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus, it is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet, for this reason, I found mercy in order that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate what?

His perfect patience. His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. Paul says, My life is the classic illustration of the patience of God. And lastly, God's patience comes to people like you and me. Through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. All this to say that God's patience comes to the believers through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit of God. It says in Galatians 5, verse number 2, about the fruit of the Spirit. Is love, joy, peace, and patience.

I want to let you notice open. All of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior can be slow to boil. All of us who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can have a long, long fuse with other people. We can. Why? Because the Spirit of God indwells us, and it's a spirit of patience. And the fruit of the Spirit is patience. We need that controlling our lives in three areas. Number one, to help our relationships with other Christians.

Is that not true? One man said it well, to live above what the saints we love, that will be glory. But to live below. With the saints we know, well, that's just another story. That's true. We have a hard time being long fused with other Christians. It says over in the book of Colossians, the second or the third chapter, these words.

My father-in-law used this text. For Laurie and I's wedding. So it's a very special text to me. I've used it on occasions when I have done weddings at times. But I remember the words that he gave that day, twelve years ago. It says in Colossians 3, verse number 12. And so those who have been chosen by God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Wow. Put it on. Don't put it off, but put it on. And wearing this att accomplishes three things. Look what it says.

Bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also. Should you, and beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity, or as the Phillips translation says, the golden chain of all the virtues. My wife gave me a golden chain. My girls look at me and say, You know, Dad, why do you wear a necklace?

I said, It's not a necklace. Girls wear necklaces, guys wear chains. But my wife gave me a golden chain. On our wedding night, based off of the text of Colossians chapter 3. Never taking it off. It reminds me that love is that golden chain of all the virtues. But if we put these clothes on, we will be forbearing with one another, forgiving one another, and forever loving one another. And we need the patience of God to help us in our relationships with one other people. That's so important. 1 Thessalonians 5:1 says that we are to be patient with all men.

All men. That can only happen because the Spirit of God lives within us. Number two, not only to help our relationships, but to handle our responsibility.

We need the patience of God to help us handle our responsibility. What's our responsibility? Our responsibility is to preach the word. Turn with me over to 2 Timothy chapter 4.

2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul would tell Timothy, man, you to preach the word. You've got to be ready in season and out of season. You've got to be ready to give the word. And then he says this, your responsibility, Timothy, is to make sure you give God's word to people. And is that not our responsibility? To give the word of God to people? Sure, it is. He says, You be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort. Here is. Your responsibility, Timothy. You make sure you pre the word. And how do you do that?

Three ways. You convince, you rebuke, and you exhort. There are going to be some people who need to be convinced that God's word is true, that Jesus Christ is who he says he was and is. There are others who are going have to be rebuked because they live in sin. There are others who are going to have to be corrected. So, when you preach, you make sure that you convince, reprove, rebuke, exhort. And then he says this. With great patience and instruction. With great patience and instruction. Do it for a long time.

Be slow to anger with the people. I mean, none of us are where we ought to be, are we? Spiritually. But I'm not going to give up on you. I don't care how obstinate and intolerant you are of me. I'm not going give up on you. I'll keep praying for you and keep preaching to you three times a week, as long as you show up. If you don't show up, that's your problem, not mine. I'm going to be here. Because I want God to do a work in your heart. But we need the patience of God to help us handle our responsibility.

To be slow to anger, you got to do it with great patience because people don't respond instantaneously to the gospel. You've got to do it with patience. And lastly, to harness our reactions. To harness our reactions. Same book, second chapter, verse number 24.

And the Lord's bonds must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient. Wh wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition. Mild. Patience bearing up with evil resentments. How about you? Are you able, as a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ, able to teach the Word of God and be able to bear up under the evil resentment that people give you because of it? I hope you are. It's one thing for you to become angry at people and things because they bl the name of God.

It's another thing for you to be able to control that when people are angry with you. Are you one who takes a long time to boil? As husbands, as wives, we need this character trade, don't we? We need God to make it evident in our lives. Abraham Lincoln was a man who lived his life, returning good for the evil bestowed upon him. During his presidency, there was a man who was outspoken against him. His name was Stanton. He despised Lincoln. He called him a low, cunning fool. He nicknamed Lincoln the original guerrilla.

He said that it was ridiculous for people to go to Africa to find a gorill when all they could do was easily find one in Springfield, Illinois. He was very bitter toward Lincoln, and yet Lincoln never replied to any of his attacks. Instead, when it came time to choose a war minister for the United States government, Lincoln chose the man who called him a low, cunning fool and a gorill. When asked why he did so, Lincoln replied, He's just the best man for the job. The years wore on until the fateful day in which Lincoln was assassinated.

His biographer writes these words. The night when the assassin's bullet tore out Lincoln's life, in the little room to which the president's body was taken, there stood that same man, Stanton. Looking down into the silent face of Lincoln in all its ruggedness, he spoke the following words through his tears There lies the greatest ruler of men, the world. Has ever seen. He never accepted Lincoln's politics, but he couldn't resist the non-retaliating spirit of the man. How about you? Do you demonstrate the patience of God in your relationships with other people?