Sunday Sermons
Patience
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:25-26).
Like Moses we all face a similar choice, either we grasp at the temporary sinful pleasures around us, or we remain patient and wait for an eternal reward. You could describe the Christian life as life of delayed gratification, not meaning that there are no rewards or pleasures now, but that the really lasting and eternal pleasures are yet to come. The New Testament writers often stress the need to have patience (Luke 8:15; 21:19 “By your endurance you will gain your souls”; Romans 8:25; Hebrews 6:12 “but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises”; 10:36; 12:1 “and let us run with endurance that race that is set before us”; James 1:4), indicating that people were just as impatient in the first century as people are in the 21stcentury.
The habit of impatience
When one lives in the world one often, and unfortunately, develops a habit of refusing to delay gratification, and wait until the time is right, thus the behavior would be right. As children we might have consumed all the goodies at once instead of pacing ourselves over days and weeks. As we grew, we might have been very impatient in listening in school, doing a thorough job on our homework or sticking with a sport or project. During our teen years we may have become very impatient about dating, and keeping ourselves pure and waiting for marriage. After we were married maybe we were impatient about buying something we wanted until we had the money saved, so we charged many things and placed ourselves in debt. As you look at your past or present, do you see a pattern of patience, endurance, and trusting God for the right time, or a pattern of impatience, a lack of trust, and opting for short-term pleasure over long-term gain?
Why should I wait?
· God has something better: I should endure, just like Moses, because God has something reserved for Moses that was far better than all the pleasures that Egypt could offer. Remember what James told Christians, “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” (James 5:11). By being impatient, we often spoil the outcome! We tend to forget that through impatience now, we can completely mess up what could have been a wonderful future, not only here on the earth but in eternity as well. God promised Israel many blessings if they were obedient (Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Malachi 3:10-12), but often these promises were never realized because the people did not trust God but opted for sinful pleasures. It is sad that so many unbelievers and unfaithful Christians actually have convinced themselves that the present life that they have is actually the life that God wanted them to have.
I recently heard a young man recount that he apologized to the woman he was to marry because he had not remained a virgin, and had not waited for her. Live daily in a way that you will have few regrets later. Realize that when God wants us to wait He only wants us to wait for something better. Waiting does not mean missing out, rather he means that you do not want to miss out on a future blessing.
· The wrong time that for: Sex before marriage is the wrong time for that wonderful blessing (1 Corinthians 7:2). We can actually take something that God intended as a blessing and make it into a Pandora’s box of problems when we remove it from its divinely appointed time and place. In like manner, do not become a slave to debt because you want a certain lifestyle right now (1 Timothy 6:9). “And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave” (Proverbs 22:7). This is an economic fact of life and not the only one (10:15). Debt is a form of slavery. The borrower is limited by the amount he can borrow and by the wishes of the lender; he must pay the interest-rate asked by the lender; he must also pay it back in the time limit set by the lender. “Verse 7 neither condemns nor condones money lending. Instead, it simply says that if you borrow you become a slave to the lender. That, in itself should be enough to make someone hesitate before asking for a loan” (Alden p. 161).
· You are here for a reason: Starting out with little and having to pinch-pennies can teach valuable lessons. The same is true with being single. May I suggest to you, if you are not content in being single (Philippians 4:13), you will not be content after you are married. If you are not content with little, neither will you be content with much (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Notice something Paul said, “For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity” (Philippians 4:11-12). Did you catch that last line? “Contentment” and “patience” are not merely for the lean times, but such attitudes are also needed for prosperity.
· Do not rush ahead: One temptation that we encounter is the desire to escape from the mundane, typical, boring, or difficult times in life and rush on to the next stage. But in doing so we miss out on times of tremendous personal growth(Romans 5:3-6; James 1:2-4 “Let endurance have its perfect result”; Psalm 119:71). Redeeming the time (Ephesians 5:16) includes making the most of the routine, uneventful, and mundane tasks in life. For example, being sick may seem like a waste of time, but such a time forces us to slow down, examine ourselves, contemplate our morality, and catch up on people that we have neglected to mention in our prayers. The example of Joseph is a prime example of a young man who made the most of a difficult situation. Looking back he realized that his time in Egypt and prison had not been wasted time (Genesis 50:20). Even in the mundane things of life, things that you simply want to get beyond, like cramming for exams in college, God is trying to give you a blessing (Matthew 6:32-34). So be patient and obedient where you are right now or as someone noted, “Wherever you are-- be all there”. Are we “all there” or are we too often dwelling in the past or the future? Daydreaming can often stand between us and realizing the dreams that God wants to give us. Are you “all there” in the job you have, or “all there” in your marriage, or “all there” in serving God?
Solomon noted, “But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24). The wise man sees wisdom right where he is (in the present). The foolish man’s sight is directionless. “The phrase might also mean the fool dreams a lot instead of making realistic plans. He might also make plans that are too idealistic or impractical, but in any case it takes a disciplined mind to make plans that work. The discerning man operates within boundaries while the fool does not” (Alden p. 137). “The fool misses the opportunities at hand and is always supposing that somewhere else, something else, is really better” (Hunt p. 225). One of the qualities of a fool is the inability to concentrate or fix your attention. Learning, tackling difficult subjects, thinking through a problem—is boring to the fool.
· Keep in mind your greatest need: Single men often fall into the “all I need is a girl mentality”, yet we can all fall into similar traps such as “all I need is larger home”, “all I need is to make six figures”, “all I need is a comfortable retirement”, or “all I need is brand new furniture”. Christians need to be reminded that our greatest need is not a wife, husband, possessions, fame, status, or any other earthly thing; rather our greatest need is to be delivered from the wrath of God!(Romans 5:9; John 3:16). A wife, or any other earthly thing, is a small concession if in the end you end up perishing!
· Contentment has nothing to do with future material blessings: People who reason, “I can be patient now because I know I will get what I want tomorrow, at the end of the week, or in six months” have not learned the most basic lesson about contentment or patience. Christians are not content because our minds are resting on the hope of future possessions down the road, rather we are content because we realize and appreciate what we already have. The patient man or woman understands that God has not and is not presently withholding from them any blessing that they truly need. Right now we have everything we really need in Christ (2 Peter 1:3; James 1:17; Philippians 4:13). Faithful Christians need to reflect upon the truth that where we are and what we have is no accident, and that we are currently blessed beyond what we deserve (Psalm 103:10).
· God is calling you: God told the Israelites that He allowed them to suffer in the wilderness for the purpose that they would draw closer to Him, “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). In like manner, Paul noted that God had allowed him to suffer so that he would learn the valuable lesson, “so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). The issue of patience, endurance, and contentment is all about trust. When you wait for God and His timing, what you are saying is that you trust Him, that you trust His governance of this world, and His providential care for your life. You trust His timing, and the goodness and wisdom of His requirements.
One author observed that when single people experience loneliness, God is calling you into a deeper relationship with Him. When we experience anger, frustration, lust, loneliness, or boredom the devil will offer a sinful temptation, but God offers us the invitation to draw nearer to Him. Instead of viewing marriage as the final answer to loneliness, one should realize that many people are very lonely in their current marriages. In the end, a close relationship to God is the final answer to all such things. God is our source of hope, not people or possessions, “so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21). Thus, the best preparation for marriage is not reading romance novels or dating constantly, but rather serving others, because marriage is a lifetime of serving another person (Philippians 2:3-6).
The only refuge
When people get lonely, angry, frustrated, bored, and frightened, they always run somewhere. Some find refuge in drink, pornography, buying something, starting a new project and so on, but the only real refuge that the Christian should have is a relationship with God. Often the Psalms speak of God has being a stronghold or refuge for His people (Psalm 9:9; 14:6; 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea”; 57:1 “In the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by”; 62:7-8 “trust in Him at all times”; 71:7 “I have become a marvel to many for You are my strong refuge”; 91:2. The Hebrew writer describes Christians as being those who have “taken refuge” (Hebrews 6:18). Have we learned the lesson that God is the only true place of safety? That a relationship with God is the only real refuge against temptation, stress, worry, loneliness and all other distracting cares?
