A Patient Faith
Griffith Baptist Church – 1/25/09
A.M. Service
Text: Hebrews 11:30 (Joshua 6:1-20)
Key verse: Hebrews 11:30 - By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
Premise: God often asks us to wait and trust Him that He will come through and that patience will strengthen our faith for the tasks ahead.
The Introduction
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!”
Our God is a patient God:
o He is described as longsuffering
o Look at this world and you can see the patience of God
o He includes patience for us as one of the Fruits of the Spirit
Here in Joshua 6:1-20, we have the famous story of the march around Jericho (read text)
What would you think if you were told you were going to go into the promised land and then had to perform this little drama to conquer the first city encountered in that promised land?
Here we are considering the importance of patience in our faith and three lessons we can glean to help us on our faith journey.
Body
1. Patient Faith Follows God’s Direction
In a small town, the volunteer fire department’s telephone was answered by the policeman on duty, who would in turn sound the fire whistle to rally the volunteers to duty. One Saturday morning, the town chief of police, had just come on duty when the fire department phone rang. He picked up the phone and said, "Fire Department." A voice on the other end of the line frantically said, "Send the fire truck!" Then the caller immediately slammed the phone down. The police chief stood stunned, not knowing what to do. In a few minutes the phone rang again. Quickly he picked it up and said again, "Fire Department!" Again the voice cried, "Send the fire truck!" Again the caller immediately hung up. Realizing that someone’s house was possibly at stake, he rushed outside and scanned the sky to see if he could see smoke and therefore send the fire trucks in that direction. While outside he also devised a plan as to how to keep the caller from hanging up so quickly if she called back. Sure enough the phone rang again and he went running inside. Picking up the phone he quickly asked, "Where’s the fire?" The lady on the other end screamed, "In the kitchen," and slammed the phone down again. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 110.) Directions are a must for our lives
A. The people of Israel were given simple instructions for victory
i. March around the city one time for six days straight
ii. On the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times
iii. On the seventh circle, the people were to shout and the Lord would give them the city
B. Four important aspects for a clearer understanding of God’s direction:
i. God has a clearer view of the circumstances than we do – Isaiah 46:9-10 - 9Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
ii. God’s knowledge is complete and His understanding infinite
a. Knowledge - 1 John 3:20 – For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
b. Understanding infinite - Psalms 147:4-5 - 4He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. 5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
iii. God knows what approach will give Him the greatest honor
a. This is worship – ascribing worth to our God for He is worthy
b. After all, He is the creator and sustainer of all things
c. Psalms 29:2 - Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
iv. God knows the best way to mature our faith
a. How well do you know yourself?
b. God knows every detail about you:
• Psalms 139:3 - Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
• He knows every aspect of every moment of your day
• He knows your deep dark secrets
• He knows your sinful thoughts and your godly ways as well
• He knows every cell in your body and sees parts you haven’t even seen.
• If you doubt that, read the rest of Psalm 139 to get the big picture
c. Isn’t it safe to assume that we can trust His direction when He knows so much about us and the world we live in?
2. Patient Faith Matures Through Testing
A boy entered a grocery store and asked the grocer for a box of Duz detergent. The grocer was puzzled and asked why he wanted a box of Duz. The boy said that he was going to wash his cat. The grocer said, “Youlg man, you shouldn’t wash your cat with this kind of soap.” However, the boy insisted that it would be okay. A few days later, the boy returned, and grocer asked the cat. “Oh, he died,” said the boy. The grocer said, “Well, son. I warned you not to wash your cat with Duz detergent.” The boy replied, “The soap did not hurt him a bit. It was the spin cycle that got him.” It is the spin cycle of trials that often get us.
A. The Israelites could have been told to march right in to take the city
i. God wanted to test them and their obedience
ii. God wanted to show His power to the enemy by giving a very confusing battle plan
B. There are several methods of testing God uses:
i. Failure
ii. Physical health
iii. Emotional stress
iv. Spiritual battles
v. Stressed relationships
vi. Material or financial hardship or loss
C. The end results are priceless blessings for the believer - James 1:4 - 2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
i. We realize, with joy, that trials produce the godly virtue of patience in us
a. It is one of the seven fruits of the Holy Spirit
b. Anything that makes us more like our heavenly Father is fantastic – Psalms 86:15 - But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
ii. That we mature with every passing trial we learn from
a. Growth is what the Christian life is designed for, not stagnation
b. 1 Peter 5:10 - But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
iii. That we find ourselves more contented and stable in our lives
a. Discontent is a killer (churches, relationships, Christian growth)
b. Philippians 4:11-13 - 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
3. Patient Faith Waits For the Answer
A. The Israelites did as God had commanded
i. They marched around the city for seven days
ii. They blew the horns and shouted
iii. God followed through on His guarantee that the walls would fall
iv. They went in and conquered the city
B. The timing of God’s answer is always perfect and is worth waiting for
i. It helps us to cope with the prosperity of the wicked, for we will be far better rewarded in the long run - Psalms 37:7 – Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
ii. We prize the value of our efforts more - Ecclesiastes 7:8 – Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit
iii. It places us in high-class company with those in Hebrews 11, preparing us for all that lies ahead - Hebrews 12:1 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Conclusion:
Do you grow impatient with God sometimes in your faith?
Do you ever feel like He is not working fast enough or hard enough?
God wants you to have the patience necessary for your faith to be strong.
