A man was walking through a supermarket with a screaming baby in the shopping cart.
A woman nearby noticed that time and again the man would calmly say: “Keep calm, Albert. Keep calm, Albert.”
Finally, in admiration for the man’s patience as the child continued to wail, the woman walked up to him and said: “Sir, I must commend you for your patience with baby Albert.”
To which the man replied, drawing himself up: “Madam, I am Albert!”
Patience is a rare commodity today. We are increasingly accustomed to instant responses to almost every situation. Doctor’s office/restaurant/traffic/computer/commercials/movie/church
"The annual cost of running red lights (in medical bills and car repairs) is 7 billion dollars? And, for all of our hurry, the average amount of time saved by running a red light is only 50 seconds
Most of the people alive today cannot remember the day when we had no television, automatic washers, dryers, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and even microwave ovens.
With all the instant conveniences we possess, we learn little about patience
I read about a little boy named Jack. His mother heard him screaming and ran into the bedroom to find his two-year sister pulling his hair. She got the little girl to let go of his hair and then said to Jack, “I’m sorry. She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that hurts.”
The mother was barely out of the room when she heard the little girl scream. She ran back into the bedroom, “What happened?” Jack said, “She knows now!”
WAITING IS SOMETIMES A PART OF LIFE
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
1. Until Jesus comes patience is a need of every life.
2. We know this passage is addressed to believers because James uses ‘brethren’ four times
The kind of patience to which James is referring can only be achieved by a person whose life is
connected to God.
“Be patient” in Greek means to be “long tempered” and comes to us from the combination of two Greek words which means “far away” and which means “anger, heat or rage.”
This is not a passive resignation but an attitude of self-restraint that enables one to refrain from hasty retaliation in the face of provocation.
Patience is not passive; on the contrary it is active; it is concentrated strength.
Edward Bulwer
The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.
1. A farmers life is a great indicator of how waiting is part of the process
a. Right season b. Seed to mature and grow c. Rain and Sun
In Israel, they farm in a different way than we do. They plant in our fall and reap in our spring.
After they sow, comes the early rains. They are essential because they help the seed to germinate. The seed matures and grows, and in the latter part of the season, the late rains come. They make the growth into a productive crop.
The farmer has no control over these things. He must resort to patience and trust in God.
Their whole livelihood depended on their trust in God.
8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
1. James is saying, "Look at the farmer. You need to be patient, too.
Sometimes we have no choice but to wait.
2. The farmer knew that underneath that soil was growing up something precious.
He also knew that he could not pull up the crop before the proper time or it would be ruined.
3. We, much like the ground, are being plowed and cultivated by God. He does this so that we
would also bear much fruit. And it takes time and it is difficult to wait on God’s timing.
It would be so nice if, when we came to know Jesus, we could become a spiritual giant overnight.
It comes through allowing God to work on his timetable until the results come forth.
Many people become frustrated in their Christian walk because they want it all — now!
If the soil could speak, it would resent the plow and say so. So, when God begins to work on our lives, sometimes it is tough.
But that is where patience comes in. We have to trust that God is doing His work in us. If we will just patiently seek Him, we will come forth on the other side bearing much fruit.
9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
A little old lady entered a department store and was startled when a band began to play and a dignified executive pinned an orchid on her dress and handed her a crisp hundred-dollar bill. She was the store’s millionth customer. Television cameras were focused on her and reporters began interviewing. “Tell me,” one asked, “just what did you come here for today?” The lady hesitated for a minute, and then answered, “I’m was on my way to the Complaint Department.”
Some hit the door of the church headed to make a complaint about something and God blessed you somehow and you realized it wasn’t something you should do.
1. Sometimes impatience people lose patience with others.(road rage) Troublemakers about
God’s people are usually not being used much by God but greatly used by Satan.
2. The word speaks of complaining and grumbling. The word literally speaks of “sighing” or
“groaning” because of undesirable circumstances that the individual suffers.
An inner feeling of dissatisfaction that involves a feeling of criticism and faultfinding.
James Blanchard “Here were Christians under sever pressure and beginning to fray at the edges. Soon they would begin to grumble at their circumstances and then, tragically, start directing their grumbling at each other.”
To walk in love with saints above Will be a wondrous glory;
To walk below with saints we know—Well, that’s another story!
A train was filled with tired people. Most of them had spent the day traveling through the hot dusty plains and at last evening had come and they all tried to settle down for a good night’s sleep. However, at one end of the car a man was holding a tiny baby and as night came on the baby became restless and started screaming at the top of its lungs. Unable to take it any longer, a big brawny man spoke for the rest of the group. “Why don’t you take that baby to its mother?”
There was a moment’s pause and then came the reply. “I’m sorry. I’m doin’ my best. The baby’s mother is in the casket in the baggage car in front of us.”
There was an awkward silence for a couple minutes. Then the big man who asked the cruel question got out of his seat and moved toward the man with the motherless child.
He apologized for his impatience and insensitivity. He took the tiny baby in his own arms and told the tired father to get some sleep.
Then in loving patience he cared for the little baby all through the night.
Can’t even begin to realize other people issues and concerns that we are so selfishly insensitive to in our impatience
We Need Patience when we are MISTREATED 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured.
1. Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about the prophets who were ridiculed, spoken against and
persecuted for the sake of God’s Kingdom and work.
Prophets are an example of suffering and patience together.
The word patience, means to endure under.
2. You don’t need patience when everything around you is going right. You need it when life is hard
on you. Suffering and patience seem to go hand in hand.
The Bible talks about tribulation working patience in us.
I’ve always tried to figure out if there wasn’t another way to get patience than through tribulation!
3. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted. The devil will tell you that if you are undergoing mistreatment, it is because of your
unfaithfulness to God, when in reality it may be because of your faithfulness.
Why do we need patience? Because, like the prophets, if we live for Jesus, we are going to suffer. God is at work in the midst of our suffering.
This is something we need to hear in the church today. There are to many "health and wealth" theologians teaching their falsehoods. Your suffering may very well be a blessing from the Lord. Matthew 5:11-12 "People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be happy. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you."
WE NEED PATIENCE WHEN IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE 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.
1. Job was God’s man. He was a righteous man. All he went through what must have appeared to
be literal hell on earth before God showed His compassion.
2. Job didn’t know about the first three chapters of the book, when Satan approached the throne of
God and God have him permission to afflict Job because of his faithfulness.
The prevailing belief of the day said that the righteous would be blessed by God. Because of that it was viewed that Job had done something wrong and was being punished by God.
Job was blessed above every other man of his day. He was prosperous and had a wonderful family. He lost all of his property, his possessions and his family, and his health.
The only things he had left were his wife and his own life.
The devil didn’t kill his wife because he knew he could use her later.
Put yourself in his position: Then your "friends" tell you that you are not right with God.
Instead of cursing God, he said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21b)
Job knew his life was in God’s hands but didn’t understand what was happening or why.
He cries out in confusion to the Lord.
Job endured, trusting in God, never once charging God falsely.
At the end of the book when God rebukes Job’s friends because they said things that were wrong. He vindicates Job for trusting. God freed him and restored him twice what he had before.
The same question we struggle with: "What is happening?" Not understanding is not sin.
God has the right over our lives to do what He chooses. He is working out His plan.
We can trust that it is a wise plan.
We can trust that He will not put us through any unnecessary tribulation or suffering.
God is perfecting us and maturing our faith through our suffering.
He will bring forth a more perfect person from it. He will give us the grace to endure it.
Romans 8:28 : And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Throughout the Bible every servant who was used mightily, had to endure a great deal first.
Joseph/Daniel
Hard times are actually some of the most positive things that will happen to us.
Maturity-Usability-Rewards-Deeper Walk with God-Testimony
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
1. We don’t need to bargain with God or make vows to God that say if He does something for us
we will do something for Him.
If you prove to be faithful to God and do what you say you will God will faithfully do what is best
for you.
There is ancient story that comes from China about a family famous for its happiness and its freedom from quarreling. For nine generations, no one had left the home. So the household of sons and sons’ sons and their families was very large. Yet they had no disagreements, no discourtesies, no jealousy or self-seeking.
The emperor himself heard the fame of this enviable household, and he marveled. For the sake of other families in the land, he sent an imperial messenger to the home, bade him ask for the elder of the household, and say to him:
“His majesty the emperor wishes to know the secret of your family’s happiness. He bids you take this scroll, and on it write down the reasons for your household’s harmony.”
When the old man who was the head of the family saw the messenger, he knelt to receive his emperor’s orders, took the scroll, and sat down to write.
For a long while he wrote, carefully and slowly. Then he rolled up the scroll and courteously handed it back to the royal messenger.
Far away in the palace the emperor eagerly took the scroll, unrolled it, and gazed at its line after line of painstakingly written words. Each word was the same: “Patience.”
