Iliff and Saltillo UM churches
Third Sunday of Lent
March 23, 2003
“Expect Delays: Developing Patience”
James 1:1-4 II Peter 1:4-8
INTRODUCTION: We would all like to be able to sing the song, “Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day, Oh what a beautiful morning, everything’s going my way.” Sometimes we have days like that. But a lot of our days don’t quite come up to those expectations. In “real life” we experience many delays and frustrations.
We ask, “well, why can’t things go my way once in awhile? Why am I always having delays and hassles all the time?”
Peter said, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you” (I Peter 4:12).
This morning, I would like you to think about times when you are the most impatient. What makes you lose your patience the quickest and in what circumstances?
1. abrasive people
2. family members especially
3. delays on the interstate
4. slow rush hour traffic
5. crowds
6. a slow checkout line at K Mart
7. trying to get out of a parking lot after a ballgame
8. when surrounded by a mountain of work
9. when you are sick and waiting in the emergency room
10. car trouble leaving you stuck on the freeway
There seems to be no end to things you could name. There are all kinds of delays as well as numerous other circumstances that cause us to lose our patience. Scripture calls the many things that “bug” us and cause us to lose patience trials--it could be delays such as we have mentioned, or it could be trouble of various kinds that come our way. Let’s see what we can get out of today’s scriptures.
1. What Good Are Delays?: Have you ever asked anyone to pray for you and ask God to give you patience? When you do that you are really asking for God to send you some kind of delays or hassles. Scripture tells us that patience emerges out of trials. What good are delays? The by-product of delays and trials is patience.--the very thing we need. It doesn’t matter where the difficulties come from--whether from the outside or from inner moral tests. Also note that James uses the word trials of many kinds not just one trial. Sometimes we use the saying, “when it rains it pours” to describe one thing that happens after another. We wonder why problems seem to be “clustered” together. Perhaps the need for patience has brought these patience-producing tests in the form of delays and other problems.
James says in James 1:2 “...you know that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (KJV).
In Romans 5:3, Paul also says, “we glory in tribulation also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.”
You might ask, “well if delays and problems are so good for us, should we pray that God will send us more?” I don’t think so. Life brings us these things just in the process of living our daily lives. There are enough traffic jams, abrasive people who rub us the wrong way, as well as a myriad of other things that come our way to do the job without asking for more.
Story: Not Much Of A Truck Driver Either
A truck driver stopped at an all-night restaurant in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The waitress had just served him when three swaggering, leather-jacketed motorcyclists -- of the Hell’s Angels type --entered and rushed up to him, apparently trying to pick a fight. One grabbed the hamburger off his plate; another took a handful of his French fries; and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it.
The trucker did not respond as one might expect. Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his check, walked to the front of the room, put the check and his money on the cash register, and went out the door. The waitress followed him to put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the big truck drove away into the night.
When she returned, one of the cyclists said to her, "Well, he’s not much of a man, is he?" She replied, "I can’t answer, but he’s not much of a truck driver. He just backed over three motorcycles out in the parking lot."
I’m not sure at what stage in the patience process this truck driver was in. I think the Lord may have had to do some more work.
The point that James wants to make is--”when all kinds of trials come your way, do not resent them as intruders but welcome them as friends.” Another translation says, “don’t try to squirm out of your problems.” The Message Bible says, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides” (v. 2). The New Living Translation says, “when trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy...”
What good are delays? James goes on to say that “you know that under pressure your faith is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.”
Perhaps this is the only way where we can see what we need to work on.
2. Let Problems Do their Work: In spite of the fact that James says that trials are a friend, or a gift, or an opportunity to produce patience in us, most of us would agree that we sure don’t want them to hang around very long. We say, “I want patience and I want it in a hurry!”
Story: A woman driver was having difficulties getting her automobile started after it had stalled in traffic. The gentleman (?) in the car behind her insisted in expressing his impatience with her by blowing his horn every few seconds.
Finally, the lady, worn out by his thoughtlessness, stepped out of her automobile, walked back to the honker’s car and said, "I’m having some difficulty in getting my car started. If you’ll go and see if you can start it, I’ll honk your horn for you!" PULPIT HELPS, Sept., 1990
James is saying, “Slow down awhile--vs. 4 says, “Let patience have her perfect work” (KJV). The NIV version says, “Perseverance must finish its work, not lacking anything.” “Let it do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way” (Message Bible).
Can you think of a time when you tried to hurry something up and you ended up completely messing it up? I think we all have seen the results of our impatience. James reminds us to let trials do their work. Do nothing to limit it or weaken it. Let it have its full scope.
Hebrews 10:36 says, “we have need of patience so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised.”
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Someone once said, “It may be difficult to wait on the Lord, but it is worse to wish you had.”
3. It’s Worth the Effort: James says that when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character full and complete. Patience or perseverance is the ability to continue in the faith and resist the pressures of the world system. Therefore it is worth our effort to increase in this quality. But how do we do it?
Peter gives us some insight on the “how to” in II Peter. He says, “build on what you have--your faith.” God has given to every person the measure of faith. Complement your faith by adding to it:
good character
spiritual understanding
alert discipline
passionate patience
reverent wonder
warm friendliness
generous love (Message Bible)
Each of these fit into and develop the others. You continually work on all of them at the same time.
Have you ever seen people who sit down to eat and they eat all of the mashed potatoes first, then all of the corn next, until everything is gone?
Well, I do this with jelly beans. I eat all of the black ones first, then all of the red ones, and then all of the white ones. Finally if I am desperate, I eat the yellow and orange ones.
This scripture says to work on adding a little of ALL of these characteristics together because they will help you to be able to deal with the delays and troubles that you are facing. Perseverance in facing trials develops maturity of character and balance of all the graces and strength. When patience is complete, entire and wanting nothing it furnishes us with all that is necessary for our Christian race and warfare. It will enable us to persevere to the end. We can’t give up and quit when we face delays and problems.
STORY: Perseverance: Whatever Happens We’re Going On
One stormy night a boat could make no headway, and while the captain was struggling to get into port, a nervous passenger said to him: "Do you think we will get in all right?" He replied: "This is a leaky old boat, and we may go down; and the boilers are not in very good condition, so we may go up. But, whatever happens, we are going on." --Sunday School Times
II Peter 1:8 says, “anyone who fails to go after these additions to faith is shortsighted and has forgotten that God has delivered him from the old life of sin so that he can live a strong good life for the Lord.”
We must work at adding these qualities to our faith. They will help us to begin to deal with the delays and troubles that come to us. Colossians 1:11 says, we also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need.”
We don’t have to struggle on our own. The power of the Holy Spirit helps us in our growing process. And the more we grow like this the more we will become productive and useful in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION: Today’s scripture reminds us
1. of the value of delays and problems in producing patience.
2. that we must let the delays and trials have time to work
3. that it worth the effort because it produces strength to be able to face anything.
Let us pray:
