Osama bin Laden. That may be the most reviled name in America today. That name arouses anger and incites rage in many American hearts. For many Americans that name represents the physical manifestation of evil. I’m guessing that the thoughts of many Americans concerning Osama and his terrorist cohorts were reflected in a statement made by Senator John McCain shortly after the attack of September 11, when he said, “God may forgive you, but we will not.” That sentiment is echoed in a song I heard on the radio recently entitled, “Osama Must Die.” I’ve also heard reports of that same attitude expressed on makeshift banners unfurled from highway overpasses with the words, “Kill Osama!” scrolled across them. Why? Because many Americans want revenge! Many people want America to reign down the same kind of terror on him that he allegedly has reigned down us. With vindictive anger others take matters to the ultimate extreme wishing that Osama would forever burn in hell because of what he is suspected to have done.
I don’t know how each of you has reacted to the events of September 11 and the weeks that have followed, but I am certain that these things have challenged us all. They’ve challenged our national confidence that’s built on the strength of our intelligence efforts and economic prosperity. They’ve challenged us in matters of faith as we hear how the assassins carried out their dastardly deeds with the conviction that they were doing God’s will. They’ve challenged us to better understand the mind of God. They’ve challenged us in our walk of faith as we struggle to respond to these unprovoked attacks in a truly God-pleasing way.
Through the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul God reveals his will to us to help us overcome these challenges. As we meditate on the words of the text God gives us a glimpse into his mind and his actions. As we catch that glimpse into the mind and activity of the true God we, together with the Apostle Paul are led to give: Honor and glory to our patient King! 1) Because of his patience with Paul, and 2) because of his pattern of patience through Paul.
The Apostle Paul. I’m confident that Christians the world over have a soft spot in their hearts for that name. In the text the Apostle Paul confesses that it wasn’t always that way. Before he became a Christian his name actually raised terror in the hearts of Christians. Paul confesses in his letter to the Galatians, “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:13,14). In the text before us Paul admits that he was passionate for what he thought was God’s will. As he looks back on that life he realizes that in his zeal he was actually a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. He confesses that despite his religious fervor it was all a product of his ignorance and unbelief.
Why did God let Paul get away with all of this for so long? Why didn’t God send the fire of heaven down on Paul to give him what he deserved for his sins? Jesus Christ, the exalted King of heaven and earth, didn’t bring his wrath on Paul because Jesus had another purpose, a higher purpose in mind. Jesus Christ our glorious King wanted to deal patiently with Paul. Instead of punishing him, Jesus filled Paul’s heart with his undeserved love that overcame Paul’s hatred. Jesus dealt patiently with Paul by overcoming his heart of unbelief and replacing it with a heart of faith. In patience Jesus changed Paul from a persecutor of his church. Patiently Jesus filled Paul with strength and faithfulness to zealously carry out the public work of the ministry of the gospel to which Jesus called him.
Perhaps many Christians of the first century also questioned why God would allow Paul to terrorize people, especially Christians, just as we wonder why God allows people like Osama bin Laden to terrorize the people of the world today, including Christians. Why was God “slow” to take action with Paul? Because the true God is not a God who wanted to give Paul exactly what he deserved. The true God is the one who wanted to save Paul from hell by bringing him to know his Savior! Our God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever wants that for all people, namely that they would find salvation in knowing Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. That’s God’s desire even for those who are responsible for masterminding the murderous attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in rural Pennsylvania!
That truth moved the Apostle Paul to give honor and glory to our patient King! Does it do the same for you? Or do you find that truth to be repulsing? After all, that just doesn’t seem fair! You’re absolutely right. It isn’t fair. That’s what gives us every reason to give honor and glory to our King – because he doesn’t treat us fairly, that is, as our sins deserve – he treats us patiently. That’s his pattern, one that was demonstrated through the life of the Apostle Paul.
What is that pattern? The pattern begins with the patient way that our King confronts sinners with the verdict of his law. That verdict is heard through a guilty conscience. Its truthfulness is supported as witnessed by the effects of sin throughout the world. Its verdict is felt when fear strikes our hearts because the earthly props of national security and economic prosperity come tumbling down. Its verdict is real as human lives come to an end in death. That verdict is pronounced most clearly and accurately from the mouth of our King. Those words were spoken directly to Paul when he was still known as Saul as he was making his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians. While on that road Jesus spoke to him saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Through his law our King knocked Paul from his self-righteous religion that saw the bad in everyone else and failed to see the evil inside himself. Through his law our King brought Paul to see that he too was a sinner – in fact, not just any sinner – but the chief of sinners who himself rightfully deserved everlasting punishment in the ravages of hell.
Our King uses that same pattern of patience as he deals with us. Perhaps we’ve been tempted to think that those responsible for the recent acts of terrorism aren’t worthy of God’s forgiveness? Have we been tempted to wish the torment of hell upon them? As our self-righteous pride carries us away to our own damnation our King patiently opens our eyes to reality. He reminds us that in God’s eyes we aren’t any better than those terrorists. We aren’t any less sinful than they are. After all can we say that we’ve never acted out of ignorance and unbelief? Have we never used God’s name to support misguided zeal, or just used it in vain? Have we never hated someone so much we wished they were dead? Have we never been plagued by the same problem of seeing everybody else’s sinfulness and apparent hypocrisy but missing the reality of our own? Truth be told – we too must admit that we deserve to be listed among the world’s worst sinners. We rightfully deserve God’s eternal wrath just as much as anybody else. It’s good that our King leads us to recognize this fact because if we don’t we’ll remain in the damnable spiritual ignorance that thinks we deserve heaven because of something good we’ve done or the bad that we haven’t done.
Yes, Jesus used that patient pattern to humble Paul so that he might see his own sinfulness. Jesus purpose in doing this was to prepare Paul to hear and accept the most trustworthy saying ever: that the reason Jesus Christ came into the world was to save sinners. Now that Paul realized that he was counted among the sinners of this world he would be comforted by the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save him too! That’s exactly what happened! That’s why Paul’s lips are filled with honor and glory for his King!
That’s the same way in which our King touches our hearts still today. He crushes the ignorance of unbelief that controls us by nature and illuminates our hearts with faith in him. He conquers our natural hostility toward him as he patiently works on our hearts with his selfless, self-sacrificing love. He makes us aware of our spiritually starved condition by nature so that he might fill us with the rich food of the gospel found in his body and blood sacrificed for us. We are comforted to know that we are counted among the sinners of this world because that means that we are also considered as saints since Jesus came into this world to save us too.
It’s that merciful patience that our King has shown us that moves us to give him honor and glory. He has made us the “worst” of sinners into people who are not only capable of truly loving and serving him – but also capable of truly loving and serving one another. So in the aftermath of the horrendous acts carried out in the ignorance of unbelief – may our prayer be that our King would lead those responsible to repentance and faith just as he has so mercifully done for us. May our King use these events to give us an opportunity to share this life-saving message with those around us who are still buried under the rubble of their sin. May he grant it for the glory and honor of his name. Amen.
