Patience

Well, thank you, Mr. Blakey. That was very beautiful. One thing about art is that he doesn't just get up and sing like a cardboard cut-up figure. He's very passionate. He has gestures. You look at his face and his eyes, and you can tell it is heart and soul is in the songs that he sings. And by the way, there were a lot of words to that song. That was a very complicated song to sing. So thank you so much for your contribution to services today.

Well, we live in a world of anxiety and frustration. As we look at our modern culture, we see that most people in the world today are seeking instant gratification. People want instant coffee. They want fast cash. They want instant messaging. They want movies on demand.

They want instant mobility, instant photos, instant credit approval. And my all-time favorite that I found on the Internet, they want instant underpants. There actually is something called instant underpants, I discovered. It comes in a little tin about the size of a hockey puck. And it's a pellet, and you add water to the pellet, and it actually swells up and becomes unisex disposable underwear.

And it's called instant underpants. And here's their motto I found on the Internet. You can Google this and see for yourself. Their motto is, better to have damp undies than no undies at all. That's their motto. That's no joke. It is symbolic of our quick gratification culture that we live in today.

And since we live in a world where everyone wants everything now, unfortunately there has been a casualty. There has been a character trait that's been all but forgotten in our culture today, and I'd like to talk about that character trait because it's becoming harder and harder to find among people. Yet it's a character trait that is so important that our very salvation, our eternal life, may depend on us possessing this character trait.

Let's find out what it is because Jesus spoke about it in Luke chapter 21 beginning in verse 10. So let's go to Luke chapter 21 beginning in verse 10 and see what Jesus Christ said here. Now in context, he's talking about the need for endurance. The need to be willing to go through the difficult things because you have accepted him as your Lord and Savior, because you have become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And this was partially fulfilled after he died and what the believers experienced in Jerusalem, but that was just a small foretaste of the kind of persecution that will occur in the world in the future, especially since the United States has become a post-Christian nation and continues to drift toward secular humanism. Religion is being mocked and laughed at. The concept of the belief in a God or a moral value system that is supported by a Creator God is no longer considered part of our culture in the United States today.

And we're going to see that swing continue as time goes on. And here's what Jesus said about endurance. Beginning in verse 10, he said that a nation will rise up against nations, something that's going to occur just before the Great Tribulation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places and famines and pestilences, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

And of course, some of these things are already occurring. We see war in our world. We see earthquakes. We see famines and pestilences. But it's talking about the intensity, that the intensity of these things will get deeper and more quick. And then it says there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues of the churches and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for my namesake because you're a believer in Jesus Christ.

That's how bad it's going to get. Verse 13, but it will turn out to you as an occasion for testimony. You will, through that experience, be able to give a testimony of how God called you and why you accepted the gospel as part of your life. He says, therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand in what you will answer when that time comes. Verse 15, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.

And there were early martyrs, I might add, soon after the death of Jesus Christ. Some of the believers were betrayed by their own Jewish brothers and relatives and friends, and some of them were put to death. Paul himself was responsible for arresting Christians and having them persecuted. He understood that, and God called him out of that. Verse 17, you will be hated by all for my name's sake. You'll be hated because you are a Christian. And as the world, as particularly American culture, swings towards the secular humanist point of view where the thought of God is ridiculed, the thought of belief in a value system like one man and one woman being marriage, and another important values that we've held for well over 200 years in this culture, as that is mocked and eroded and degraded, you will be persecuted because of your belief in Jesus Christ.

Verse 18, but not a hair of your head shall be lost. And that's figuratively speaking, and that you will be able to attain eternal life because of your faith, because you accept the persecution. And here's what Jesus says in verse 19 that ties into this character trait that I talked about that unfortunately in our world today has all but been forgotten. He says, verse 19, by your patience possess your souls. What he's saying is, depending on how patient you are, you will determine your destiny for all eternity.

Depending on the endurance, your ability to wait, your ability to take a deep breath and be patient through irritating events or irritating people or disappointments in your life, by your ability to be patient with yourself, patient with your brothers and sisters, patient with the promises of God, you hold your destiny in your hands.

Verse 19 is translated by the New Century version by continuing to have faith you will save your lives. The Holman's Bible dictionary defines patience this way. It says patience, quote, an active endurance of opposition, not a passive resignation. Patience and patient are used to translate several Hebrew and Greek words. Patience is endurance, it's steadfastness, long suffering and forbearance. Here's what it continues to say in Holman's Bible dictionary.

God is patient, refers to Romans chapter 15. He was slow to anger in his relation with the Hebrews. It refers to Exodus 34.6, Numbers 14.18. Continuing, it says the Hebrews were frequently rebellious, but God patiently dealt with them. God's patience with sinners allows them time to repent. It refers to Romans 2.4, especially in the apparent delay of the return of Christ.

It refers to 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 9 and 10. So Jesus said, by your patience, and my patience, possess your soul. Let's go back a few chapters down to Luke chapter 8 and see once again that he mentions the importance of this character trait that has all but been forgotten in our instant movies on demand culture that we live in today.

Luke chapter 8 beginning in verse 11. Now, in context, he had just told the parable of the sower. For the sake of time, we can't go through the first part of the parable, but we will go through his explanation. So we'll do that beginning in verse 11. Jesus is explaining the parable to his disciples, and what he's talking about are different ways that people respond to the gospel message when they have heard it.

He says, now the parable is this. The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear, then the devil comes and takes the way the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. So that's the first one, those by the wayside. You know, some people for years have gotten our literature. Some people see our TV program religiously every week and never respond and don't do anything about it.

When I was in my teens, a barber shop opened up. This would be like 1968, 69. A barber shop opened up near my neighborhood in the corner of St. Clair Avenue and Larchmont.

And I went to this barber shop, and this individual, the barber, had magazines, Plain Truth magazines, which was the name of our publication back then, going back 20 years. He was my barber, and by then I was already listening to the radio program. Oh, yeah, he said, I've been getting these magazines for 20 years. You can take as many of them as you want. And I'm looking there, going back to the late 50s, had a huge stack. He just loved to talk about God, loved to talk about religion, never did anything about it, but he just loved to collect those magazines.

That was the seed, an example of the seed that fell by the wayside. Let's continue here in verse 13.

But the ones on the rock are those when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root. You know, it's hard for a plant to set root when it's growing in rocky soil when it's on a rock because the roots are exposed and it soon shrivels up and dies because of the heat or the wind. And these have no root who believe for a while and then, in time of temptation, fall away. So those in the rock, I've known people who get excited for a few days and a few weeks, and I'll even get a phone call from them. Oh, they're all excited! They've discovered a truth, a doctrine, and they're all excited, and that lasts for a few days. It lasts for a few weeks, but because they don't have a spiritual foundation, something else gets their attention, and they lose that excitement, and they move on in life to something else, to another fad or something else that gets their attention. Verse 14. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life and bring no fruit to maturity. The people here who have thorns, the example that Jesus mentions, are some who come to church for a while, but they never leave the world, and eventually the poles, the pleasures of life, choke them, and they die a spiritual death. I want you to notice what he said here. It says, and they bring no fruit to maturity. I've known people who come to the church six months a year, and they begin to develop fruits.

Their marriages get a little better. Their personalities become pleasant. They start becoming kind and gentle, and you can begin to see change in their lives. But something happens, you know, they don't want to tithe, or they're getting persecution from relatives, or there's some pleasure, or riches, or some care, something they're struggling with, and they leave, and they chuck it all away. They began to bear fruit, but you know what? The fruit died on the vine. And that's what Jesus says here. He says, they bring no fruit to maturity. And then in verse 15, he says, but the ones that fell on good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and a good heart. They're sincere. They've got problems, like we all have problems, but they're very sincere people who want to know more about God. And here's their key. Jesus Christ is going to tell us, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Pretty profound statement that Jesus Christ makes here. Those that fell in the good ground.

The few seed who fall on the good ground bear fruit because they have this special quality that helps them to endure the slings and arrows of life, the disappointments that they find in other people, the disappointments they have in themselves, in that it's patience. It's interesting that Jesus Christ himself connects the analogy of fruit and patience together, because someone else does that we're very familiar with. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 22. I'm sure most of you have this memorized by now, but it is always good to review the fruits of this spirit. Here's what Paul wrote to the congregation in Galatia. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 22. He said, but the fruit of the spirit, the byproduct, the results of having God's Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering. Now, in the New King James Version, it's long suffering and many other translations. It's patience. It's the word used. It may even be, if I recall correctly, in the original King James Version, I think the word was patience. It comes from a Greek word, magrathemia, which means fortitude. Having fortitude, having patience. As a matter of fact, the translation, God's word for today, here's what it says about verses 22 and 23. But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. So Paul, also much like Jesus Christ, it connects fruits, the ability to grow as an individual with that character trait of patience. Let's see some other things that Paul had to say about patience. Romans chapter 5 beginning in verse 1. If you will turn there with me, Romans chapter 5 beginning in verse 1.

We'll see another instance here where the new King James Version uses a different word instead of patience, but it could just as easily be translated patience. Romans chapter 5 beginning in verse 1. Paul says to the congregation in Rome, therefore having been justified by faith, faith is our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and our willingness to do something about it.

Our active faith is the willingness to live the life of a disciple and be obedient to God. You've been justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we also have access by faith into His grace in which we stand. So because we are faithful and have faith, God favors us. He blesses us. He gives us the good things, the kinds of things that Mr. Housen was talking about in his fine sermonette today. Continuing and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations. Anyone here glory, happy about a tribulation, a problem, or a trial you're going through? Someone is. I'm still working on that. Usually I'm whining and crying and complaining about my tribulations. But Paul says we should glory in our tribulation. We should even be thankful for our tribulations because they give us an opportunity to grow and learn something by experiencing them. Continuing, he says, but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance. Perseverance, a character, and character, hope. Now the Greek word for perseverance is houomnié, which means a continual waiting or cheerful endurance. And other translations put the word patient in here instead of perseverance. And I'll read from the New Century version what it says about these verses.

We also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience. Verse 4, and patience produces character. That's what this translation says. Patience produces character, and character produces hope. Why does patience produce character? Because like anything regarding self-discipline, we learn to control ourselves. That's how character is developed. We learn to stop ourselves. We learn to say to ourselves, calm down. Don't overreact. Put this in proper perspective and balance. Look at this the way God would look at it, not just the way our carnal selves would look at that event or situation or person. So again, it says patience produces character in this translation. So learning to be patient, waiting, enduring, having fortitude develops godly character. That's what Paul is saying here. You know, any fool can quickly get angry. Any fool can lose his cool. People do it all the time. Anyone with a short temper or a self-righteous attitude can offend others with their words. Can I just gotta say, boom, someone's offended. But patience is a character trait. Patience means we stop ourselves and we say, no, that wouldn't help this person at that time. I may feel this way. I may want to say this offensive thing, but I need to have the same qualities that Jesus Christ has and that God the Father has. I need to demonstrate patience. Why? Because patience takes character. Let's take a look at another scripture, Romans chapter 15, same book that Paul wrote, Romans chapter 15, beginning in verse 1. This is particularly important when we're dealing with each other. Because I don't know if you've noticed yet, but all of us have weaknesses. All of us have our own idiosyncrasies, our own personal struggles. You know, when Jesus said you have to bear your own cross, all of us, in one way or another, because of a weakness that we have, are bearing our own cross. Here's what Paul says in Romans chapter 15 verse 1. We then, who are strong, meaning if you're spiritually strong, if you've got your acts together spiritually, ought to bear. That means put up with endure with the scruples, the word we don't use that often, the weaknesses or the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Oh, it feels good to let somebody have it, doesn't it, when you're angry? It just feels so therapeutic when you just quickly get angry to nail someone with a one-liner. Oh, that feels so good. But that's pleasing ourselves. It's not helping them. Verse 2, let each of us please his neighbor for his good. Not for our good, not so that we feel good about it, but to say that the words that come out of our mouths, reflected by patience, be something for their good. And what will that do?

Leading to edification. That's a word that means to build something. And edifice is something that's built tall and strong. And the words that come out of our mouths, the patience that we demonstrate, builds the Church of God. What does anger do? It tears down the Church of God. It fragments the Church of God. It alienates people. It causes problems. Continuing verse 3, for even Christ did not please himself. As it is written, the reproaches of those who approached you fell on me. And indeed, you and I experienced the same types of persecutions and trials that Jesus Christ did. Verse 4, for whatever things were written before were written for our learning. That's all the things in the Old Testament, which was the only part of the Bible that existed at this time, was what we today call the Old Testament. The things that were written before were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.

Hi there, again, the importance of patience. The Scriptures can teach us how to be patient.

The Scriptures can instruct us by examples of people who lived before us of the importance of patience. He says in verse 5, Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded towards one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So let me ask a question. How is God, the God of patience? He refers to God as the God of patience. I want you to think about how patient God is. Since the first sin of Adam and Eve, he has observed billions upon billions upon billions upon billions of sins every day for thousands and thousands of years. And he's patient, isn't he?

Does he give us what we deserve? Does he give mankind what we really deserve because of all of those sins? No. There was a time when, you know, even God's patience will wear thin, as we'll find out in the future in the Great Tribulation in the Day of the Lord. But God is a very patient God. There was a time in Noah's day when mankind became very close, and God basically saved the family of Noah but wiped out the rest of mankind. We're heading in that direction again in our society because in our culture, people are beginning to accept and do the same kinds of things and the same lifestyles that occurred in Noah's day and was the reason that God brought that blood to the earth. But in spite of the fact that billions and billions and billions of sins are committed throughout this earth every day, God is very patient, isn't he? He is a God of patience. There will come a time when there is a price to pay for those sins except for those who have honored and accepted Jesus Christ and his shed blood is the payment for their sins. Those who have not accepted Jesus Christ will have to suffer the consequences of these sins that occur over and over again, but he is a God of patience. Let me put it in another way. Many of us in this room were baptized and we received God's Holy Spirit, but we still fall short.

We still sin. We still need to go to God and repent and when we do, in spite of the fact that we're not perfect, he loves us, he forgives us, and has patience in spite of our flaws and our personal weaknesses. So in many ways, God is the God of patience. Let's look at some examples of patience from individuals who were mentioned in the scriptures. Perhaps by looking at these individuals, we can learn some good principles about what it really means to be patient and to have a different perception on what the word patience means. First, we're going to take a look at the example of David when he was anointed king in 1 Samuel 16. To give some background, Saul had disobeyed God's instructions and God had decided to replace the first king that nation had, King Saul, with another person. And one of the reasons, by the way, is Saul lacked patience. In 1 Samuel 13, the prophet said to him, in seven days, hold off in seven days before there's a great battle, I will come and make a sacrifice to God and you will win the battle. That's what Samuel told him. And what did Saul do in 1 Samuel 13? Well, like he had a small bladder, the seven days went by and there's no prophet yet. I've got to do it, got to do it, got to do it now. So what did he do? He took upon himself the role of a Levite and he did the sacrifice himself.

And it was actually that very time, and immediately, of course, as soon as he's done, Samuel shows up just a little bit late. Samuel says to him, God has revealed to me something, to put it in 21st century vernacular, your toast. God is taking the kingship away from your family and he's going to replace you, Saul. So one of the problems that Saul had is that he lacked patience, he also lacked obedience. At another time, God told him to wipe out a city and the king and everything in the city, and he did not do the simple command that God had asked him to do.

So God decides to replace Saul. And in the context here, God leads Samuel to go visit a man named Jesse, and this is where we're going to pick up the story here in 1 Samuel 16, beginning in verse 4. It says, and so Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem, and the elders of the satown trembled at his coming and said, Do you come peaceably? Why are they trembling? Another reason, number of reasons, of course. They know that Saul and Samuel are not on real good terms lately. Here comes God's prophet, and they're wondering if Saul and his army are like maybe 30 minutes behind, ready to wipe out this city. They also don't want the prophet to curse them, to put a curse on the people. They don't want to hear the word of the Lord, so they are trembling.

And they said, Do you come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord, sanctify yourselves, and come with me. So let's all sacrifice together. Let's have a ceremony and a sacrifice together. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, because God had led him to Jesse, and everyone was invited to the sacrifice. So, Samuel, what we're going to see here beginning in verse 6, begins to examine the physical sons of Jesse. But what he's looking for are all the wrong qualities. You see, the prophet is looking for what humans look for. He's looking for the man who's tall. He's looking for the good-looking one. He's looking for the one who looks presidential.

And we're going to see the lesson that he learns. Verse 6, so it was when they came, and by the way, the reason I say presidential, they say today that Abraham Lincoln could never, ever be elected president today, because he was a homely-looking man. And our culture has gotten to the point where we expect everyone who runs for president to be tall and handsome and charismatic. And whoever you are, whatever party you belong to, if you're not good-looking and charismatic and dynamic, forget it! So that's the kind of things that men look for. By the way, another statistic I read recently is that in a typical company, taller people usually get the first promotions. Taller people get the first opportunities in typical companies. Why? Because that's the way men look on things. They're looking at the physical. Verse 6, so it was when they came that he looked at Eliab, this was probably the oldest son, of Jesse, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him, but the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance, or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. The Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. So God says, This time we're doing it my way. Just so to give you a little, we're going to backtrack a second. The people wanted to be like other nations. They wanted to be, they wanted a king. Do you remember that? God said, Okay, I'll give you a king. I'll give you exactly what you're looking for. I'll give you someone who's tall, and Saul was very tall. I'll give you someone who looks kingly, and he'll be your king, and it's Saul. He said, Now how's that working for you? He gave them the kind of king that they wanted.

This time God says, I'm going to give you the kind of king that I, God, want to give you, not the kind of person that you want. Verse 8, So Jesse called a benedab and made him pass before Samuel. It kind of sounds like a beauty contest, doesn't it? And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one, and Jesse made Shema pass by, and he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all the young men here? Then he said, There remains yet the youngest. And there he is, keeping the sheep, doing the dirty job. You know, the youngest usually gets to stuff that the older kids don't want to do. He hadn't... It's almost like David is a second thought to Jesse. It's like he's saying to prophet, Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you wanted a man.

David would have been about 15 years old at this time. He was just a teenager. He was a kid.

So Jesse didn't even consider him. He says he's the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep and Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes. So he sent and he brought him to Jesse, Send and bring him to me. He says again, We'll not sit down until he comes and he sent him. And now he was ruddy. He was reddish. And he had bright eyes and he was good looking, 15 year old young lad. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is the one. And Samuel took the horn of the oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the spirit of the Lord came down upon David from that day forward. He received God the Spirit. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Now David is about 15 years old, as I mentioned, when this happened. So how do you think David might have learned about the fruit of patience? How do you think that might have occurred?

Well, you know, he spent a great deal of his time waiting. For the sake of time, I can't go through the scriptures bit by bit and show you these, but you certainly can do it on your own in your own Bible study. The bottom line is that after this event, he's already anointed king by the prophet through the Word of God. David had to wait approximately 15 years from the time he was anointed here until he became king over Judah. But that's not all. He's not king over Israel yet, because some of Saul's descendants, Ishbo-Seth, are still on the throne in the other tribes for yet another seven years. So it means that David waited over 20 years of his life to actually be made king after he was anointed by Samuel. Do you think that takes patience to know, to have it proclaimed that this is why you've been anointed? You're ready to go? Oh, stop! Maybe 20 years from now.

That's how he learned about the importance of patience, because it wasn't about control. It wasn't about what David wanted. It was about what God wanted. That's how David learned the importance of patience. He had to wait a long, long time for his destiny to be filled. You and I have a destiny. Are we patient for that destiny to be fulfilled? Are we waiting patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled in our lives, for his prophecies to be fulfilled? Let's take a look at another example from the Scriptures, Acts 7 and verse 20. We'll see the example of Moses. Okay, Acts 7 and verse 20. If I recall correctly, this is Stephen giving a recap of Hebrew history.

In his sermon to the Jews, beginning in verse 20, he says, Here's a key verse in verse 25.

Here he is. He's 40 years old. I would call that the prime of life. Since I'm way beyond 40 years old, it was the prime of life. Let me assure you. He's 40 years old. Life is good. He's a highly educated man. He has influence in Pharaoh's household. He believes that God wants him to free his people. This event occurs. So let me ask you this question. How long do you think he waited? How patient did he have to be before he was able to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of Egypt? Say, six months? Well, maybe a year. My how time flies. A decade, maybe? A quarter of a century, maybe? Verse 6, and what 40 years had passed. So he goes from being a 40-year-old in the prime of his life to an AARP member. An 80-year-old man. Do you think that takes some patience? Do you think he had to wait a long time? How long have you been waiting for something good to happen in your life? How long have you been waiting for your destiny to be filled? For God's promises to be filled concerning your life and what he has planned for your future. And when he was 40 years and when 40 years had passed, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame, a fire and a bush in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. So what do you think he learned during those 40 years? Now, but that's not all. There's another lesson to learn from the life of Moses. And here's the lesson. Do you think you ever master patience? Do you think patience is something that when we achieve it we can say, got that one licked, I'm putting a check mark in Galatians 5? I'm putting a big green check mark over patience. Is patience like riding a bicycle, a two-wheel bicycle? You learn how to do it. And maybe you don't ride a bike for 20 years and you get on a two-wheel again and for the first five, 10 seconds, you're a little wobbly, but it comes back to you. Hey, is that how patience is?

I'm sorry. It doesn't work that way. Patience is something that we have to work on day by day.

Let's take a look at an example now and see that. Let's go to Numbers, chapter 20 and verse 1. Remember when Jesus said, by your patience, possess your soul? Well, he was talking about eternal life, but we have an example of someone who lost an opportunity because he lacked patience. He didn't lose eternal life, but he lost the opportunity to go into his physical promised land because, in spite of who he was, he lacked patience. He let his temper get to him.

He got angry. He got frustrated, and he reacted. And that reaction cost him the opportunity to go into the promised land. Numbers, chapter 20, beginning in verse 1, then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zinn in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh, and Meriam died there and was buried there.

Now, there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. The people started griping, started complaining, and the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying, if only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord, why have you brought us up the assembly of the Lord into the wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? Why have you made us come out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain, or figs, or vines, or palm granites, nor is there any water to drink. So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces in the glory the Lord appeared to them. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take the rod, you and your brother Aaron, gather the congregation together, speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water. Thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals. Interesting? I don't know if you realize this is a highly symbolic and spiritual lesson. The rock represents none other than Jesus Christ himself. We sang a hymn that talked about the rock, referring to Jesus Christ earlier today. The rock represents Jesus Christ and Moses, was simply to speak to it. You see, brethren, in a similar way we speak to God. It's called prayer. Our influence with God is through prayer, and from it God provides the power of His Holy Spirit to do incredible things in our lives and to allow the church to do incredible things in the world. Again, the rock represents Christ. Speaking to it represents prayer, and the water coming out of the rock represents the power of the Holy Spirit. That's the symbolism here.

But Moses is under stress. His sister had just died. I'm sure he was grieving over the loss of his sister. And he's taking the criticism of people personally, which is always a mistake.

He's not dealing well with the personal frustrations that he has, and he's lacking in patience.

So what does he do? Verse 9. So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, Here now you rebels, must we bring water for you from this rock? Then Moses lifted his hand, and he struck the rock twice with his rod. And water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. So instead of speaking to the rock, representing prayer, going to God humbly, going to God on our knees, in kindness, its supplication. Instead of speaking to the rock, he strikes it twice. Instead of giving Jesus Christ full credit for this miracle, he implies that as he and Aaron, we who were doing this. Now God in his great love and mercy still performed the miracle. But striking the rock was not only disobedient, it was disrespectful of Jesus Christ. This moment of anger, this lack of patience, cost him the joy of entering the promised land. Jesus said, by patience, you possess your souls. Verse 12, then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not believe me, to hollow me with me, that's not about you, Moses and Aaron, to hollow me in the eyes of the children of Israel. Therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord and he was hollowed among them. And you know, the people were complaining here because all they saw was desert. They didn't see things growing in the ground. They didn't see palm granites. They didn't see water. All they saw was wilderness. But God, in his mercy, did allow Moses to see one thing. He took Moses up to Mount Nebo, and from Mount Nebo, he could look west and see from a distance the Promised Land. And you know, it was like the beginning of the movie The Wizard of Oz. How many have ever seen the movie The Wizard of Oz?

In the first scenes of The Wizard of Oz, it's all in black and white. Kansas is a terrible place.

There's a great depression going on. Everybody's lives are boring and petty. But when that house lands in Oz, and she walks out of that house, suddenly the world is in bright, brilliant, vivid color. And Moses had just gone through this wilderness, and he saw desert and desolation. He saw sand and craggy rocks. But as he stood in Mount Nebo and looked across, he was able to have a glimpse of the very Promised Land that he was not allowed himself to go into.

Murray's Bible notes say this, quote, The sin of Moses and Aaron was taking glory to themselves and not obeying the details of God's commands to speak to the rock. So, in closing today, I hope we can see here that patience is an important quality that we all need.

Not just for a little while, but more than ever as we draw closer to the Kingdom of God. We don't want to be like Moses. What are some of the things we need to have patience for? I'm quickly going to give you three things we need to have patience for. Number one, we need patience towards others.

Patience towards others. People are human, and I guarantee that they will someday, ultimately, let you down. People have flaws, they have weaknesses, and it's easy to get discouraged when you see other people's sins and their shortcomings. And it is mostly true, the old saying, that familiarity breeds contempt. That's why everyone needs a little bit of their own space.

This includes being patient regarding world events. When I say we need to be patient towards others, I want to remind us that it's going to get pretty pathetic out in the world. Our cultures and our values that we believe in as a people, we call those Judeo-Christian values marriage and the Ten Commandments and those kind of things that we were brought up with, those are eroding, those are decaying in our modern American culture and are being replaced by a materialism, by it's all about me philosophy, that anything goes, there are no values, there are no standards, we can create our own standards and values this week and we can replace them next week if we want to. And it's going to take patience for you and I as we see this beloved nation in our Western culture continue to go right down the drain. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 14, he said, now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainhearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. Again, that's 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 14, be patient with all. The second thing we need to have patience with is ourselves.

We need to have patience with ourselves. I've seen thousands of people in my years in the Church of God give up their calling because they got frustrated with themselves. They gave up on themselves and they gave up on the fact that God loves them. Something happened and maybe God didn't answer their prayer because they lacked patience. They expected God to do everything on their timetable and they gave up and they chucked it all and they went back to their way of life. So we need to be patient with ourselves. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse 8 says the end of a thing is better than its beginning. The end of a thing is better than its beginning. It says continuing the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. The patient is better than the proud. Why does it say the end of a thing is better than its beginning? It's because finishing things is better than starting things and quitting. That's why. A patient attitude quietly sees things to the end.

They see things to the conclusion. I know a lot of people who have wonderful motives and have started a hundred projects and their lives never completed one of them. And they start a project and they lose interest a week later and there it is, undone, hanging out there and they move on to something else. Again, Ecclesiastes says the end of a thing, the conclusion of it, finishing it is better than its beginning. When Thomas Edison was working on the light bulb, we're familiar with the archaic ancient light bulb that will soon not be available to buy. It has a little filament in it. Well, Thomas Edison was trying to find the right environment inside the bulb and the right kind of filament that would burn a long, long time because no one's going to go out and buy a new light bulb every day. You've got to have something that's going to last for a while. And when he was working on the light bulb, he was interviewed by a young reporter who boldly asked Mr. Edison if he felt like a failure. He said, maybe you should just give up. Edison said, young man, why would I feel like a failure? And why would I ever give up now? I now know 9,000 ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp. And shortly after that, a little over 10,000 times, 10,000 failures, Edison found the right environment, the right filament, so that a light bulb could be commercially made. And we've been using it for about 100 years. Why? Because he was patient with himself in that physical way, in that secular way. That's a good lesson for us spiritually.

Here's the third thing we need to be patient toward. We need to be patient towards God and his promises.

Patient toward God. It's not that God needs our patience. It's that we don't tend to have patience because we live on a different timetable than God does. God does things on his own schedule.

As David found out, congratulations, you're not the new king. See you in 20 years.

Well, Moses, you've been called to lead your people out of Egypt.

Have a nice 40 years and I'll talk to you again in a burning bush. Bye!

You see, God does things on his own schedule, not on our schedule. He doesn't do things by human demands or human timetables. God does things when he is ready and he can't be forced to do things just because we want them done. Moses may have struck the rock twice when he was told to speak but God cannot be forced, bullied, or whined into action until God is ready to do something. James said, James chapter 5 beginning in verse 7, James wrote, Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it, until it receives the early and latter rain. James continues, You also be patient. He says, Establish your heart. Get settled down. Be patient. Establish your hearts. For the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. Well, brethren, God is the farmer and you and I are his crop. He is patiently waiting for more individuals to repent and to respond to his calling because he is a God of patience.

He is patiently waiting while you and I develop the precious fruits yielded by God's Spirit working in all of us. Let us become more patient, more patient with each other, more patient with ourselves, more patient with God's promises because they are sure and absolute. And in contrast to a selfish world where everyone is frustrated, short-tempered, and quick to judge, and looking for instant gratification, let's develop this attribute, this one gift of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And that gift is patience. Have a wonderful Sabbath.