Spiritual Stedfastness (Sermon On Christian Growth)

We will be dealing with the CHRISTIAN AND HIS STEADFASTNESS.

Look at verses 7-8. We read, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Today we live in an age of impatience.

Illus: Reminds me of the a lady who called American Airlines and asked the reservation clerk, “How long does it take to get from Dallas-Fort Worth to Frankfort, Germany?”

• The clerk had to wait a moment for the information to come up on her computer screen, so she said, “Just a minute.”

• The caller responded, “Thanks very much,” and hung up!

Most of the things that really matter in life do not happen in “just a minute.”

The Christian life requires a lot of patience. God’s Word says, “Be patient.”

Illus: Most of us recognize the need for patience, and we are like the man who prayed, “God give me patience….NOW!”

The patience that James is talking about is STEADFASTNESS.

We can never grow spiritually until we learn how to be STEADFAST in the Lord.

Why?

Because impatient people when things start getting rough they go AWOL in the heat of the battle.

There are two situations where we are most prone to be impatient.

1) One is when we’re experiencing a good thing and we really do not want it to END.

2) The second is when we are experiencing bad things that we want it to END.

Illus: A great preacher by the name of PHILLIP BROOKS who was KNOWN for his CALMNESS and his POISE.

But his very CLOSE FRIENDS knew there was a DIFFERENT SIDE to the PASTOR that some had never seen.

Often he SUFFERED MOMENTS of FRUSTRATION and IRRITABILITY.

One day a FRIEND saw him PACING the floor like a LION CONFINED to his CAGE.

He asked, “Pastor Brooks, “WHAT is WRONG?”

He replied; “The TROUBLE is I am in HURRY and GOD is NOT.”

We all have experienced this same situation God wants us all to learn to be PATIENT AND WAIT ON HIM IN ALL SITUATIONS IN OUR LIFE.

Why?

Because God uses Christians who are STEADFAST.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

In every great church in the world that has ever been established, God used Christians that were steadfast because they knew how to stand in the good times and the bad times.

Impatience is not only a problem with the church members it is also a big problem with pastors.

Illus: The downfall of many ministers has been their impatience.

They preach to their congregation that they are to be steadfast in the Lord but when problems arise in their church they are the first to bail out.

I was shocked recently when I did some research to find out that 1,500 ministers leave the ministry each month …

The church today needs men like the apostle Paul who faced all kinds of difficulties but he was steadfast in the Lord.

EVERYWHERE PAUL WENT HE FOUND OPPOSITION.

Illus: Someone said that when the apostle Paul was here on earth serving the Lord, he did not wire ahead to find out what kind of motels they had for him to spend the night in; he checked to see what kind of jails they had.

We today act like we are surprise when trouble come but Paul expected it.

But look at what Paul said about that.

Look at Acts 20:22-24, “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

In every church you will find basically two kinds of Christians. You will find:

• The ROLLER-COASTER CHRISTIANS, who are on fire for God one week, and cannot do enough for the Lord, and the next week they do not want to be bothered to do anything for Him.

They are up and down, and sad to say, they are often down more than they are up.

But there is another group thank God…

• The SPIRITUALLY MATURE Christians that God is using because of their steadfastness year after year.