Perfect in Patience

[00:00:00] I greet you in the name of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, this morning. What a joy it is to know Jesus as our Savior and as the Lord and the Master of our life. Before I start, I might just say this, that in your bulletins this morning, they weren't in all of them, but in a number of them there was an insert. [00:00:30] We didn't have enough for all the bulletins, but there's a little thing there about a young man by the name of Horst from Works Under Destinations. and he is a son of J. Mark Horse that planned to be here on Wednesday evening from Heralds of Hope. So I thought I might just let you get that connection there. It just kind of happens to come in right now when his parents are planning to be here. We want to continue today with the commands of Christ. [00:01:09] And we've been looking at the command to be perfect. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect, from Matthew 5, 48. And you know, being perfect, if we're going to be perfect, it's going to have to include all the areas of our life. I was going to say a lot of areas of our life, but it's really going to include all the areas of our life. If we're going to be perfect. [00:01:40] Now this is the third message that I'm preaching about this area of being perfect. The first one was to be perfect in our love. The second one was to be perfect in our word. This morning, I want to look, we want to go to James chapter 1, and we want to look at being perfect in patience. Being perfect in patience. In James chapter 1, I want to read the first four verses. [00:02:14] James chapter 1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, Knowing this, that the trine of your faith worketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. [00:02:50] Now, something that is going to help us to be perfect and entire, lacking nothing is the idea there. Sounds like it's pretty important, doesn't it? It sounds like it's something that we better look at and see if that's happening in our lives. And I believe it's something that Jesus is commanding us to be perfect in our patience. [00:03:22] What is patience? What is he talking about here when he uses this term patience? Is it what mothers need when they're a little two-year-old and they've just got him dressed for church and he heads out the door and finds the nearest mud puddle? Is that what he's talking about here is patience? Is it for the father that that little child keeps asking question after question after question after question [00:03:53] and needs to keep answering? Is that what he's talking about here, patience? Is he talking about the teenager that thinks his parents is clueless, needs a lot of patience with them? Well, that's included. I think we find it defined best, if you back up probably just about one page in your Bible, to Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1. [00:04:32] And we see that this term patience defined here, and I think we get a good picture of what it really is in Hebrews 12, verse 1, when it talks about a race. And he says, For foreseeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Now notice, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. [00:05:05] Now there that term patience, and I think we get the picture of it, and that is if you're going to run a race, you're going to have to run it with endurance is the idea. I think that word endurance is probably the best word that we can use here for this term patience. And we don't quite always use it in that sense. But that's what it is. And if you think of the essence of patience, whether it's like these illustrations that I gave a little bit ago, [00:05:38] or what we're talking here, it has the idea of endurance, keeping on. And sometimes we say, well, I lose patience. Well, that's something that we don't want to do. And usually ends up hurting us more than helping us when we do that. But the idea there is keeping on, even when we don't feel like keeping on. It's not giving up, but knowing that I can, I need to keep going. [00:06:13] And we need to, like it says over in Matthew 24 there, talking in the idea, in the context of the latter days, and some of the persecution and the things that could go on. And it says, He that endures unto the end shall be saved. That's the idea of patience that we need to have. And that's the idea that in having that is going to help to bring perfection into our life. Now, as I thought about patience, I thought about the fact that really [00:06:48] Lastly, the key ingredient, the key ingredient to patience is hope. You think about that. I had to think about that for a while for that to sink in. But I believe the key ingredient to patience is hope. You know, that mother even has hope for that little boy that runs into that mud puddle, you know. She changes him and corrects him and that type of thing because she's got hope that it can do something for him. [00:07:26] Hopefully he'll get over that, you know. So, hope is always connected, I believe, with endurance. Now, I had to think, now what about faith? Where does that come in here? What's the difference between faith and hope? What's the difference between any of that? There must be a difference. Think of that well-known verse over there at the end of 1 Corinthians 13. Now abideth faith, hope, and charity, but the greatest of these is charity. [00:08:00] And there is a difference between faith and hope. They're very closely connected. But faith is something we use kind of right at the present time. We walk by faith. And we act out, we live by faith. Hope is something that is looking out toward the future. Just that word itself tells us to think about the future. And it's something we're looking out ahead for. [00:08:33] And that's what the idea when it comes to hope. And so our view of the future, our view of what we think is out ahead, is going to have a big effect upon how we walk by faith. Just think through that a little bit. You know, how we look at the future affects very much of what we do today. Let's go to Titus chapter 2. And I think we see an illustration of this. [00:09:07] Titus chapter 2 verse 11 It says, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ [00:09:45] Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity And purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works We see here that what the grace of God does in our life Sometimes people have all kinds of concepts of what the grace of God does But here he says what the grace of God, how it works in our lives. But think about it a little bit there in verse 13. He says we are looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. [00:10:26] That's what we are looking for. That's what our view is. Hopefully that's what our view is. I hope we all have that kind of view, that we're looking for the Lord to come back again. Now because of that hope, because of that, then we are letting the grace of God work in our lives, and we deny ungodliness. We deny a worldly lust. [00:10:57] We want to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. You see, we live out of that hope that we have for the future. And because of that hope, then, that's what we want to live by faith in these things in verse 12. And again, it's how we look to the future that affects us. Verse 14, He gave Himself for us, that He can redeem us from all iniquity, [00:11:28] and purifying to himself a peculiar people, the church, that's what he's talking about there, zealous of good works. And so how we think about the future, the hope that we have to the future affects us today. What would it be like? What would it be like to have no hope of the future? I can't imagine living that way. But you know, a good share of the world lives that way today. [00:12:02] Stop and think about that. A good share of the world lives without that real hope of the future. Is it any wonder that we constantly read, and I've just noticed that lately, that we're constantly reading, I think it's almost every day, But almost every day we read of someone that kills some of their family, walk into some place and shoot people, and then commit suicide. [00:12:38] Why? Because there's no hope. There's no hope. They think there's no hope at all. What's the use? We might as well end it all. Take somebody else with us. And how sad that is. And I guess it just impressed upon me how important it is that we have our view, where we are looking to the future for. And if we don't have that hope, then our endurance and our patience is not going to be what it should be. [00:13:14] Because if there's nothing out there, why should we have to endure? Why should we have to keep on, even when we don't feel like keeping on? Let's go to Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8 verse 22. It says, For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. [00:13:54] Now, that's pretty well known, isn't it? The whole creation, there's trouble everywhere. And aren't we glad that that doesn't include the Christian? Does it include us? Read the next verse. It says that not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits in the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit, the redemption of our body. You know, some people say that the believer should never be sick. [00:14:29] And there's something wrong with us spiritually if a person is sick. Well, these verses are something that disprove that. We as believers, these bodies, have the same kind of problems and sicknesses and a lot of things that everybody has. And so, we are also waiting, this body is also waiting for the redemption. Now, verse 24, for we are saved by hope. [00:15:06] We are saved by hope. Hope for what? We are saved that we have a hope for the future. We have a save that Jesus is coming back. And because of that, we have taken him as our savior. And we have put our sins under the blood because of what we see coming. We are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? [00:15:38] But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? There again, there comes that word patience. Because of that hope, something we don't see, then we with patience, then we with endurance wait for that to come. Likewise also the Spirit, likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. [00:16:10] But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. I thought it was interesting in here, something I never noticed before as I studied this passage. And that is, over in verse 23, it talks about the groanings that we do, but also we see here that the Holy Spirit has groanings that cannot be uttered. I just found that interesting there. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. [00:16:50] Now, we have that hope. We have that assurance. We know that we all experience the things that everybody experiences. These bodies wear out. We have problems and difficulties in life. We also know that the Spirit makes intercession for us as believers. We know that. We have that hope. We have that confidence. Now, when we know that, and when we have that hope, then verse 28 makes sense. [00:17:26] That's the foundation for verse 28. Verse 28. Verse 28 is not something that's just a, well, if we think it, we can do it. Or if we just think it, everything works out, it'll work out. But verse 28 is built on a foundation. And verse 28 is, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. And that's why we can take verse 28 with confidence and believe it [00:18:01] Is because of that hope and endurance and patience that we have That gives us patience, doesn't it? That gives us endurance Because of that view that we know that God is sovereign We know that He's in charge We know that He knows all about us And that he knows everything that's happening. And that's why we can take that verse and believe it. [00:18:34] And have the confidence that that is actually true. Now, let's go on. Let's go to Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 starting at verse 1 It says, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, [00:19:10] and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and we'll come back to that in a little bit, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not a shame, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. And here again we have this expression there, that hope maketh not ashamed. [00:19:47] And when we see the future, then we can have endurance and we can look ahead with confidence. Because we have that glimpse of the future. Now, how do we get patience? How do we get patience? We've all heard that little saying that somebody has said that, you know, Lord, I want patience and I want it now. And that's how we are too often. [00:20:21] We want things now. We're in a hurry for it. We're used to having things done immediately. But this whole area of learning patience and endurance is something that takes time. And there's really only one way for us to get it, and that is through difficulty, and through suffering, and through adversity, and that type of thing. That's really the only way that we're going to get it. [00:20:54] Romans 5, 3 there, we just read it a little bit ago. It says that, knowing that tribulation worketh patience. That's how it's developed. That's how endurance is developed. It's through the difficult times. That's why the Lord allows us to have those. We read it over in James chapter 1 verse 3, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. When our faith is tried, when we're tempted to give up, and we say, no, I'm not going to give up. [00:21:27] My confidence is in the Lord, and I'm going to keep on. I don't care what happens. That is an exercise of our patience and it encourages it and strengthens it. Let's go over to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Starting at verse 14. [00:22:00] Here again we get into the resurrection. And you know this whole area of the resurrection is our hope. That's why we can keep going too. Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you. Doesn't that give you hope? Doesn't that give us confidence to keep going? Because the one that raised up Jesus is going to raise us up from the dead [00:22:32] For all things are for your sakes That the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God For which cause we faint not Underline that if you want to For which cause we faint not Because of the resurrection, because of the glory of God, the grace of God We don't faint, we don't give up But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. [00:23:07] Even though these bodies give out, even though things happen to us that aren't pleasant. It says the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. You know, I've always read that verse, and I guess that word glory there always makes me think when we get to heaven. But I believe that verse is talking about now. [00:23:39] He's saying that for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And that begins now. He's talking about now that he wants to work in us in that way. While we look not at the things which are seen. Now notice, you've got to follow this closely in this verse 18. While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal. They're temporary. But the things which are not seen are eternal. Think about that. The things that we see are really temporal. [00:24:25] Everything you see here is temporary, even each other. Our bodies are temporary, aren't they? The things that we don't see are eternal. And so what's really the most important, you know, when we stop and think about that? We pay a lot of attention to what we see, don't we? But he says the things we don't see, that is eternal and that's what ultimately is the most important for us [00:24:58] So it is really important that we look at that There are no shortcuts to learn how to endure and to have patience If we want our patience to be perfect and to help us to become perfect, it's only going to be as we experience some of the difficult and endure through some of the rough times in life. [00:25:30] One of the things I had to think about this in applying this message, you know, none of us like to suffer. and we don't even like to see others suffer, especially our children. I know as parents, you know, we like to protect our children from everything that we can because we, you know, we know how much some of those things hurt. [00:26:01] We know how difficult some things can be. And we as parents have a tendency just to try to protect our children from any difficult thing that happens. I think that can be a mistake. Now, we certainly don't want to abuse them. We certainly don't want to just let them go out in danger and that sort of thing. And I think you understand what I'm saying. But I think there's a danger of overprotection. It's interesting, just within the last week or so, I had a conversation with a neighbor. [00:26:38] And he's a foreman in a factory. And he said, we were having a class. He said, they give us classes on leadership. And he said, there was a lady there that talked to us, and she was from New York. And I took it that she worked or had worked for a company in the personnel department, ones that do the hiring and that type of thing. And she said, she was telling us, she said, in dealing with the young people, the young people that are coming into the workforce today, [00:27:20] She said, you have an entirely different dynamic than what we used to have. She said, the young people today, when they come to work, they come with the expectation of what are you going to do for me. So that's the expectation. He said, young people have been raised where everything has revolved around them. [00:27:54] He said, from the first day of kindergarten, when they took videos of them going to their first day of school, to all through school, and everything revolved around them. And they were protected from anything, everything that the parents could think of, they've been protected from. She said, I have had parents come in to my office and interview me to see if their children were worthy enough to work for us. [00:28:35] And she said, that's what we're dealing with today. And I had to think. Something kind of went along with some of the things that I've been reading lately. You know, I don't know if you realize it or not, but across the church, I'm talking about across the church, all denominations and so on, and I read it in different places that I read. [00:29:06] There is a tremendous turning away from the church and the gospel by young people. It's something that is really, it's just really happening. And young people are getting up to the ages of 18, 20, 25, 26 and saying, I don't need it. And they are turning their back on the church. [00:29:41] And if you don't believe it, just read some of the things that are going on. And I think part of this might be because there's been no adversity. No adversity. Everything has been given to them. They've not had to face any hard choices. They've had plenty of money. They've had all kinds of things given to them. And I think through that there's no endurance. There's no patience. [00:30:19] I don't know, it's just something that, as I was working on this message, all of a sudden came to me that, you know, when there's no adversity, I think people get bored. Boredom sets in. I think that young people need a challenge. And I just want to commend our young people. I appreciate you so much. And I believe some of the challenges some of you are finding, you know, with Kids Club and some of the other things that are happening. [00:30:56] Take those challenges. Don't back away from them. Don't say, why me? And not only young people, but all of us. We face the difficult things in life. And don't feel like that somehow I'm, something is really wrong with me because I face these things. God is wanting to use those things in your life to help you to have endurance. [00:31:30] And to have this thing, what he's telling us here, to be perfect in patience. That's what's going to bring perfection, part of perfection to our lives. We need to endure. And we need to have that hope and that confidence that there is a future out there. And there's something that is so tremendous and so great that I'm willing to go through this now in order to have that. I just think that is so important that we keep that in sight. [00:32:08] That not only do we live now, but we also live for the future. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 7. He says, For who maketh thee to differ from another? Kind of dropping in the middle here. [00:32:39] And for what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? Now, he's talking here to the Corinthians, and what he's talking about here is that he's saying to the Corinthians, he says, you've kind of got it made. You're rich. Everything is going good for you. But when you compare you to us apostles, there's quite a change. There's quite a difference. [00:33:12] And he says here that, now in verse 8, he says, Now ye are full. You've got everything. Now ye are rich. Ye have reigned as kings without us. And I would to God ye did reign, that we might also reign with you. And then he goes on and draws a comparison. He says, For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last. In other words, he's kind of put us down at the bottom. He's saying, As it were appointed to death, for we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men. [00:33:50] He says, We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ. We are weak, but ye are strong. We are honorable, or ye are honorable, or well thought of, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place, and labor, working with our own hands, being reviled, we bless. [00:34:22] Being persecuted, we suffer it. Being defamed, we entreat. And we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscoring of all things unto this day. He says, I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you. Now, when you think about the Corinthian church and their situation, and the apostles, Who do you think is going to endure to the end? [00:34:55] Or who do you think has the biggest chance of enduring to the end? Is it going to be the Corinthians that are full, they're well thought of, everything is going good for them? Or is it going to be the apostles and all the things that they suffer? I believe that's pretty obvious of who's going to endure to the end. Well, I'd just like to challenge us this morning that, you know, we don't go out and look for trouble, do we? [00:35:27] We don't want to say, Lord, give me trouble. I'd have a hard time praying that, I guess. But you know, trouble is going to come. Difficulty is going to come. And let's develop in our lives that hope for the future that we can, when trouble comes and difficulties come and whatever we're facing comes that we can say, Lord, I am going to stick with you. [00:35:58] I am going to be faithful. I am going to keep on. I'm going to have patience. I'm going to have endurance. No matter what happens. I'd just like to challenge us with that this morning. Let's stand together. Perhaps you're someone that this morning just says, I need special prayer. Because times I get tempted to give up. And I need that kind of patience and endurance that the Bible's talking about here. [00:36:33] If you'd just like to say this morning, I need prayer, just raise your hand. Would you do that? Thank you. Yes, I see these hands. Thank you. Let's pray. Loving Father, this morning we come to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. And Lord, I'm sure probably every one of us here this morning at some time or another has been tempted to just simply give up. [00:37:03] But Lord, you want to work perfection in our lives. You told us to be perfect. And Lord, you've told us to be perfect in endurance and patience. And Father, since these things come through adversity, Lord, we're just asking that your Holy Spirit would work in each one of our lives and hearts. Lord, that as we go through those times, that you can develop and work in us what needs to happen in our lives. [00:37:46] Lord, I just pray especially for those that have raised their hands this morning. Lord, I just pray that you would just give them your spirit, each one. Fill them with your spirit. And Father, that you would just give each one what they need, the power to endure. Lord, in our own strength, in our own might, we can't do it. But only, Lord, through the power of your Spirit and through the hope that you give to us of the future. [00:38:22] Thank you, Lord. Lord, thank you for your word and how it ministers to our hearts and to the needs in our lives. And so Lord, just speak to each one of us here again this morning. Dismiss us now with your blessing, dear Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Anabaptist, Anabaptist, Anabaptist, Anabaptist