Patience is a Trait

Welcome to this week's message from the church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

You may be seated and turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 5.

James 5 · chapter mention

And while we're turning, it's so good to have Melvin back.

Amen.

Really been praying for Melvin.

He uh gave us a little scare there for a minute.

And uh he's doing a little better and praise the Lord for it.

Back in the house of God and uh Amen.

Amen.

That's what in our church.

We just got you know, we've got a New Testament church.

That's what we have.

A New Testament church is a church that responds when people are in need, and that's who we are, and that's what we do.

And I want to thank all of you for the way you do respond to a lot of our needs in this church, and I am so excited about that because we're gonna get even better.

And here's how.

What we're gonna do, we start the Sunday after Labor Day weekend with our Bible study on campus.

And we're starting with three key classes.

We're starting, first of all, with a couple's class with children.

David, Wilson, and David Roper will be team teaching that.

And then we're starting with a men's class, which uh our preaching pastor Sylvester will be teaching that.

And then we're starting with uh a ladies' class, which my wife will be teaching that.

And if you've ever heard her, you you will both.

She, Sylvester, David, both Davids are fantastic teachers.

Uh, and then we're also gonna have children Sunday school during that time.

So we it's gonna be awesome.

Uh my problem is I think we're gonna outgrow it so quick that we're gonna have to be uh doing some other things about where to find places.

I hope that's the case.

And we're already looking at other things to do there.

But uh so here's what I want you to do.

It's gonna be at 8.45 to 9.45, or really to 9.30, between 9.30 and 9.45, because at 9.30 that way you can come over and we'll have coffee and all that, but then you can get your breakfast at 9.32, or your coffee and donut or biscuit, and then come right on into the service.

So here's what I need you to do, because we're kind of planning, we've we kind of in our uh ideas, we've got the places, we're kind of limited a little bit, but we're not gonna we're committed to this wholeheartedly.

So if you, and I beg you to be a part of this, I'm telling you, this is where you're gonna grow.

Uh, and we're gonna be looking.

Our teachers already have their books.

They're gonna be, guess what?

We're gonna, and this is the way we grow as a church.

We don't have five different topics going on.

From the pulpit to the Bible study class, we're gonna be studying the book of Joshua together.

You'll have Warren Wearsby's book, uh Sunday school book.

It's phenomenal.

Warren Weirsby was one of my, not one of my, he was one of my mentors in theology.

And I, in fact, to this day, a lot of the stuff that I give to you, I have gotten from Warren Weirsby.

Uh he's one of the guys that I'd for 30 years I've studied.

He's uh in his 80s, eight now.

Uh he's just phenomenal.

He did what they call the B C reads.

And you can get that at the Christian bookstore.

You can go get the book of Joshua, and we're gonna be using his teacher's manual for the book of Joshua with the teachers, and then I'm gonna be preaching through the book of Joshua together.

So when you look after this quarter, this fall quarter, you will understand what it means to be a Joshua in a country that's in crisis.

So it's gonna be phenomenal.

But here's what I need to do: I need you to sign up.

You need to see Tabitha and just tell us you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna be faithful.

You're gonna be faithful to trying to be here.

Uh and if if you can, do that.

So we'll kind of have an idea of the numbers uh so we won't be caught like one room over here a whole about 15 or 20, but we have 50 sign up, then we gotta look at something.

Does that make sense?

But only if you're really gonna be here.

I mean, and I'm not trying to discourage you.

We say, well, I mean, try it.

Well, good, try it.

If you try it, you'll be hooked.

But but let me tell you what else it's gonna be.

It's gonna be a time of us keep, you know, taking the body and ministering to the body other from than just the pulpit, like a small group.

So it's gonna be exciting.

So let us know if you're gonna be a part.

Men, I challenge you.

We need a strong men's ministry.

We need you.

Women, you, I hate to say this, you're the key.

You're the key.

Most people don't realize most godly women, they come through when the men won't.

Oh me, oh me, owe me.

That's not the case at CCW, though.

Amen.

All right.

All right.

But uh, but we need you.

If I we can get the men fired up, get the women and praying, and the women fired up and praying, and the young people are already fired up.

If you ever just come over here on a Wednesday night and you'll see.

I mean, folks, we can start revival in this area.

Amen?

And that's my heartbeat.

We've got to go to the next level in this church, and the next level is discipling.

We're doing a great job on evangelism, but now it's time for discipleship.

Amen.

So help me.

And hopefully we'll be dividing those classes so quick, quick when we get 20, 20, well, 25, 30 people in class, we'll divide it.

So each class is gonna have a teacher ready to, an assistant teacher ready to divide.

Dividing, multiply.

So we can just keep going.

It's gonna be so exciting.

I'm telling you, I've seen this happen twice in other churches that I was a part of, and this is, you hadn't seen anything yet.

I promise.

I promise.

James chapter 5.

James 5 · chapter mention

Today's message is a message that I really didn't want to preach.

Because I fell at every point of this message.

Because it's a message that is today a reality for the Christian if he's gonna be a great Christian, if he's gonna be a testimonial Christian.

And it's called patience.

I don't have any patience.

I wish I had well, I have a little.

But but I we live in a world built on speed.

I meant my phone.

Hey, listen, by the time I get a new iPhone, and about the time I learn about a few things to do with it, it's obsolete.

It's it's slow.

In fact, uh, Benji Brady, the the I call them the geeks in a good way, they're always having the the fastest and foo-foo.

And and my I thought mine was pretty fast.

He looked at it the other day and said, You've got a slow phone.

Well, as fast to me.

You know?

But but I mean, we live, we don't want to wait in line.

Does anybody like to I I know you just love to wait in lines, don't you?

Huh?

I mean, think about it.

Uh we we can work from anywhere, we can do anything, any place with the technology.

We have things to do.

We don't appreciate anyone getting in our way.

The Bible says, though, we need to develop a spirit of patience.

For when trials come, calling.

Patience is what will allow us to ride the storm.

It's very important.

You understand that?

And it's so true.

In fact, I was reading an article with Time magazine, published an article by Nancy Gibbs, and she entitled it this How America Has Run Out of Time.

In it, she reported her time has become the sacredest of commodities in modern American culture, and how people are willing to pay for the opportunity to save even an hour of time.

With time becoming so precious, she said, Is it any wonder that waiting has become the most hated and frustrating experience in life?

We wait in bank lines, supermarket lines, doctor office, and on the freeway, especially 280.

I've gotten to the point I'd rather drive an extra 30 minutes than have to just sit there and do nothing.

I will.

I go, I'd go down Pelham or go 119.

I said, boy, it's beautiful.

My wife says, You know you're not saving any time.

I said, No, but I'm not sitting still.

Amen.

I'm not sitting still.

Nothing to repent about.

No, I'm not.

But have you ever felt that way?

Why?

We fret and we waste time because we waste it.

And then here's what she said.

If you have ever felt burdened by seeming lack of time in your life, have you ever been, I just don't have enough time to get everything done.

Amen.

Now, for you not raising your hand, you must not be doing anything.

Thank you, thank you.

Get them up, get them up.

All right.

You just don't have enough time to get it done.

My wife tells, I hear her say that all the time.

I just don't have enough time.

Well, I got news for you, we all have the same amount of time.

We have 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week.

But how we manage that time is the key.

And I've got news for you.

If we don't learn patience, we will not manage our time in a good steward way.

We've got to learn to be patient.

And I'm telling you, I'm preaching a message I do not like.

And patience is the quality that the Apostle Paul continually stressed as a requirement for a godly life.

Look at 1 Corinthians 13, 4.

Listen to what he says.

Benji though first.

There we go.

Charity, love suffers long and is kind.

Love envies not.

Love vaunts not itself.

It's not puffed up.

But the key there is charity.

What?

It suffers long.

That's patience.

That's another word for patience.

Look at Galatians 5.22.

You know this.

For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.

Look, long suffering.

Long suffering.

And then he goes on and he says, gentleness, goodness, temperance, patience, long suffering, patience, perseverance.

And then Colossians 1:11, listen to what Paul said.

Colossians 1:11

Strengthen with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness.

Wow.

Wow.

Patience.

What is patience?

That's what we're going to look at today.

And as we read and study this next section, this next paragraph, verse 7 through 12, the title of the message is Patience is a trait that is needed by all believers.

First of all, James makes this profound statement in verse 7 and 8.

Look at what he says.

Be patient.

Therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord, behold, the husband waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, talking about the farmer, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the earthly and latter rain.

Now look at verse 8.

Be ye also patient.

Stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

It reminds you, if you went back to chapter 1 when we started the book, the parallelism here is beautiful.

He started out, if you remember, in James 1:4, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be patient and complete, wanting nothing.

James 1:4

Wow.

In other words, you're complete, you're satisfied, you're in the will of God, you're doing what God wants you to do.

You're progressing at God's pace, at God's direction, with God's discernment.

So we see that.

And then at the end, he comes right back, as he started.

Be patient.

Stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

As we learned in these first six verses of James 5, yet last week, the wicked wealthy had committed all kinds of injustice.

They were holding back the money from the poor.

They had rigged the courts.

They had bought off the judges.

So they were just literally defrauding and stealing from the Christians.

And we saw that.

All kinds of injustice against the believers.

But James is going to remind us here in his Christian readers that no matter what evil has been done to us, or hey, he says, that is no reason for us to retaliate.

Now he's not talking about a passive patience, he's talking about an actor.

But he's at the same time, he's literally saying, we don't have to avenge ourselves because vengeance is the Lord's and he will repay.

Romans 12, 19.

And he says, you don't understand, you don't have to get so upset and get so mad and so angry because the coming of the Lord is drawing nigh.

The judge is coming and he's coming soon because he's standing at the door right now.

Great encouragement for the trials that we face.

In fact, we see that he's telling us, in some ways, he's telling us as he's returning to the theme with which he began.

Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, when you fall into all kinds of trials and temptations.

Count it all joy.

Why?

Because you know that Jesus is coming.

That's the exciting thing.

You don't have to worry about avenging yourself.

Jesus is going to take care of that at the rapture.

He's going to take care of it.

Guaranteed.

And he misses nothing.

Nothing.

And so this is the encouragement that he's given us.

In fact, look at the word in verse 7, the word patient.

It's a Greek word.

And the Greek word is Mark Ruthomeo.

Mark Ruth Omeo.

And it literally means long-tempered.

It means to have your spirit in check.

Oh my.

Oh me.

How often is your spirit in check?

Oh, no, it's in check when you don't have any problems.

But the key is, how often is your spirit in check when you're in trouble?

When you're having problem with circumstances?

Is it in check?

What about if you're having problems with Sister Fluffy Head?

Is it in check?

Or Deacon Potato Head?

Is it in check?

Amen?

Or the preacher?

Is it in check?

Amen?

Is it in check?

Or are you long suffering?

Are you taking it?

Are you enduring?

W.

Vines, he's, in fact, Dr.

Vines was a fantastic Greek scholar.

He said that it literally means long-suffering.

It literally means to have self-restraint in the face of provocation, which does not, hey, hey, self-restraint, in other words, not retaliating.

That's what that means.

So patient is, hey, self-restraint.

Amen?

It's like not saying something at the red light.

When the person's in front of you, the light's changed and she's texting somebody.

Oh.

You know what my wife says?

Be patient.

I don't want to be patient.

She needs to move.

That's just that's a great example.

I just lost my self-control.

I was not, myself was not restrained.

Amen.

That's probably one of the best examples I can get.

That gets me, I can't stand for somebody to be at a red light and it changes and they just sit there.

I've often wanted to buy me a big old bumper.

Boom! Just knock them right on through the red light.

That is not Christian.

That is not Christian.

Amen.

But but I mean, you know, hey, I gotta go.

I gotta go.

I mean, I got a lot to do.

No, I'm hitting your button, right?

Amen.

Yeah.

Or or somebody in line at the grocery store.

Can't find a checkbook.

That that card doesn't work.

My goodness, I'll pay for it.

Move.

Put it on my tab.

Just move.

I gotta go.

Anybody?

Am I the only one confessing today?

Huh?

Huh?

Hello?

Hello.

Patience.

Hello.

I tell you how bad it's gotten for me.

I'm learning how to check my own self out.

That's a big step for me.

Forget the cashier or the cashier, bless the hearts.

They'll just they want to talk about every grandchild they got.

And that really is nice, but not right now.

I gotta go.

Hey, if you want to talk to me, let's go back in where the clothes are.

I like to talk then, but when I get in land ready, check out.

Let me check out.

I knew it was gonna get there, huh?

Yeah.

That's not long suffering.

It really isn't.

It's the opposite.

In fact, long suffering is always associated with mercy, the very opposite of anger.

And it's used of God throughout the scriptures that he's merciful.

We see it here, he's long enduring and patient.

Jesus Christ is a perfect illustration of long suffering.

He was verbally and physically abused.

He was spat upon, falsely accused, beaten, and nailed to a cross.

He suffered much, but he did not retaliate.

He said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

In fact, I want you to see this.

1 Peter 2, 21 through 23.

I think Benji's got that one.

1 Peter 2.

Listen to what he says.

For even hereunto were you called.

That's us.

Because Christ suffered for us, leaving us what?

That word there means imitation.

He has given us an imitation to follow, that ye should follow his steps.

And then look at verse 22.

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

We are to be long-suffering.

We're to be patient.

It is good to remember that James and his brother Jude were farmers.

And so what he does now, after he tells us how important it is to be patient, he now tells us and gives us three examples.

He says, first of all, we need the patience of a farmer.

Now I did have the privilege of four years in high school to work on a farm during summer.

So I learned a little bit about how patient you have to be for the crops to grow.

You have to first plant, and then you have to weed.

You have to work the soil, you keep the weeds out, and but then you've got, hey, you do all you can do, and then you've got to depend on God to do what he must do.

And what must he do in the end of October and November?

He must send the, I call it the planting rains.

And then again, you continue to work the farm and to plow it and to get the weeds out and to fertilize it and to do all and to kill the bugs and all that he's supposed to do.

But then you gotta do, you do all you can do, and then God's gotta do all he can do.

And he must do.

And that's the end of April, May, he sends the harvesting reins.

So we see the patience of a farmer.

I mean, he does all he can do, but then he has to be patient for God to do what only God can do.

That's good.

Amen?

And that's the way our life is.

Or should be.

That's not the way our life is, but that's the way it should be.

We do all that we're supposed to do, and then we be patient for God to do what only He can do.

And by the way, He will see us through every time.

So it's such a beautiful, beautiful illustration.

That brings me to the second thing.

So number one, we have to be patient when we face difficulty.

We have to be patient.

But notice number two, we need patience when we face disappointment.

Look at verse 9.

Do not grumble against one another.

Brethren, lest ye be condemned.

Whoa.

Behold, the judge is standing at the door.

The next command is powerful.

Look at what he says.

Do not grumble.

Do not murmur.

Do not complain.

And that's exactly what most of us do when we get impatient.

We're blessing the lady or the man in front of us at the red light.

We're just letting him have it.

We're grumbling.

Hello?

I don't like that.

I'm guilty of that.

And you know, it's so common that we just do it almost naturally.

Hey, hey, what's the problem?

Hey, what's the problem?

Y'all slow up there.

What's the problem?

Now I know what you're saying.

You're just trying to you're concerned.

No, you're grumbling.

Well, you don't understand.

I got I I don't have time to stand here.

Well, why'd you go there?

Didn't you think you may have a line?

Have you ever done this?

You pull in the bank and there's, hey, and there, you try to get to where there's not a car.

And if there are all cars there, you're you're you're sitting here like a race car driver waiting for the first one to pull out, so you what is taking that teller so long?

Didn't she learn to count?

She's a teller.

Hello.

She may be having a bad day.

She may be training.

And then you say, well, a trainer ought not to be doing it.

Hello?

I'm really fessing up.

Hello?

But we see, we're grumbling.

That's what he's talking about.

Hey, here's what he means.

That word there means intense uncertainty inside you, waiting to burst out.

Yeah, you've been there.

Well, listen to what the Lord says.

This verse he gave me after I'd already done the outline.

He says, 2 Timothy 4, 1.

Write that down.

I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom.

In other words, he says, You're not the judge.

Quit griping, quit mummering, quit complaining.

Don't, hey, that's not your job.

You just be a living testimony for the honor and glory of God.

Show them.

Show them patience.

Show them patience.

That's what he's talking about.

Patience like the farmer.

Patience when you're disappointed.

People are going to disappoint you.

In fact, I want you to go to well, I'll get there in a minute.

But I can't wait to show you the other word.

Patience.

That word of strong, enduring, long-suffering, taking it.

Listen to what he said in Philippians.

This is good.

2, 14, 16.

You got to see this.

Read it with me.

Verse 14.

Do all things.

Right.

Repeat that.

One more time.

You know the one word on there I really don't like?

All.

There ought to be some exceptions!

Amen.

Wait, look at the next verse.

Here's why.

Verse 15.

That you may be.

Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.

The sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.

You know what that out without rebuke means?

When when you show yourself, and people say, did you see how that preacher acted?

Did you did you see how how that SirPro employee acted?

Good example.

I'd gotten a call to respond with a deputy.

And and uh a death, and so they called me.

I was on call on Wednesday to respond, because anytime there's a death, they call the chaplains, we respond, we do the death announcements or bad.

Well, anyway, I had gotten a call.

And so and we are not supposed to run red lights and all that, and we try not to, and and we don't unless, you know, but they tell us to get there as quick as you can.

So I usually put my flashers on, and I was speeding a little bit, and I kind of went in and out a little bit, not not real close to, but I was trying to get there because the deputy, in fact, they called me back and said they need you now.

And so the next day, Christy asked me, she said, were you by McDonald speeding and going in between traffic?

I said, Yeah, I want you.

She said, Well, here's why.

Someone saw the surpro truck and it was a white Tahoe.

And he was speeding and he was in and out, driving like a madman.

I said, hmm.

I said, one, I'm not a madman.

Two, I probably was speeding a little bit, and I was in and out because I had a call from the sheriff's department that they needed me as a chaplain on call.

I said, uh, she said, oh.

I said, so please, whoever told you that, would you please call her back and tell her it was on a call.

But that just goes to tell you everybody around's watching you.

I learned a lesson.

Next time take the surpro signs off.

Amen.

Just a thought.

Put the sheriff in room on there or something.

But but no, that's a great example.

They're watching you.

And by the way, especially if you have the church at Chelsea Westover, Jesus is awesome, and I'm hogging the horn, get out of the way! Do you get it?

You see, this is what James is trying to convey to us about being so patient.

Oh, we've got to be so patient.

And then he goes on.

Hey, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, in other words, we're living in an ungodly nation.

And here's the purpose for being patient.

Look at the last verse.

Among whom ye shine as lights in the world.

A light that sat on the hill cannot be hid.

They see that endurance, that perseverance.

They see that patience.

Can I get an amen?

They see a difference than what they're living.

And they look at us and say, how can he be so calm with all that going on?

Let me tell you why.

I have Jesus in my heart.

I have the Holy Spirit as my comforter.

And it's temperance and long-suffering and patience.

And I'm preaching to myself, and I will be the first at the altar.

But that's so true.

It's so true.

And we justify our impatientness all the time.

All the time.

James is already, again, James and remember chapter 4.

Listen, what he said in 11, speak evil.

He said, Hey, speak not evil one of another brethren.

Ye that speak evil of his brother and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law.

But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

So, and he's saying the same thing at the end again.

He's saying, look, you don't have to try to make things happen.

Or when people come at you, you just endure the, you endure the criticism, you endure the evil temptation or troublesome circumstances, because God is the judge and God will repay and God will make sure everything's done right.

Amen.

So he's comforting us.

Even though when you're going through it, it's not a lot of comfort.

But it is.

That's why he tells us in Galatians 6:9, let us not be weary in well-doing, but in due season we shall reap.

Galatians 6:9

Now watch.

If we faint not.

If we don't, hey, if we're patient, if we're patient, we'll reap.

We'll reap.

That brings me to number three.

We need patience not only when we face disappointment, but we need patience when we face difficulty.

But number three, we need patience when we face disapproval.

Look at verse 10 and 11.

Take my brethren, the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience.

Indeed, we count them.

Now watch, blessed who endured.

Whoa! Now comes the encouragement from the Old Testament.

Whatsoever things are written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Romans 15, 4.

So he's given us an example.

He said, remember how they persecuted Moses for standing up for right?

What about Joshua?

What about David?

What about Jeremiah, the weeping prophet?

I'm in his whole ministry.

All these guys, he says, you got an example.

You got the prophets that went before you.

Listen, let me say something.

And we're going to see this.

Let me go ahead and show you.

I want you to see, look at verse 11.

This is good.

Behold, we count them happy which endure.

There's two words here that really are dealing with patience and long suffering.

Mark Ruthio mio, which is being patience, dealing with circumstances.

Now we have the word endure, which is another Greek word, and the Greek word there is hoop omino.

And it means to stand and not to give an inch.

It means to stand strong.

Finally, my brother, be strong in the Lord.

So he's saying with the word patience that we are to be able to be long-suffering in our circumstances.

Difficult circumstances.

Now he says we are to endure in our difficult circumstances.

But really, here it's in the context, too, of enduring not just circumstances, but enduring difficult people.

Because they had difficult people that they had to endure.

The rich were just nailing them, cheating them, defrauding them.

So he says, even though you've been cheated, you're being done wrong, endure.

Why?

The judge is standing at the door, and the judge will repay.

Endure.

Don't give up.

Don't give in.

Don't take your ball and go home.

How many people have done that at churches?

They get mad and they take the ball and go home.

You know why?

They don't get their way.

You know why?

They're selfish.

You know why?

When I don't get my way, I get upset.

I'm selfish.

I want it my way.

I get a how many people get up every morning and say, I just want to make sure I can make sure everybody around me gets their way today.

Huh?

Hello.

Oh, I'm just here to serve everybody today.

Hello?

You okay out there?

See, you're already complaining.

By love serve one another.

He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant.

Matthew 23 and 11, Jesus.

So, so what he's trying to say is, you've got to learn to endure.

Can I say something?

Let me help you right now.

Luke 6.26.

Jesus said, Woe unto you if all men speak well of you.

I have never had that problem.

They either love me or hate me.

Knock on the door, I'm from CCW, either pucker or duck.

Hello.

Amen.

One or the other.

Honeymoon's over.

That pastor at CCW, you know what?

He's doing it.

And you know what?

We got a comment about the ice cream truck.

First one we had.

And you know what my first reaction was when I read that?

I'm going to his house.

Then all of a sudden, patience.

I didn't want to be patient.

I wanted to go.

I'm not gonna say that.

But I really wanted to go confront him.

Patience.

Pench not yourself.

For it is written.

Pengence is mine.

And my wife came up with an idea.

She said, I want you to text him this.

I'm gonna tell you.

Shall I tell you?

No.

Yeah.

Okay, I'm gonna tell you.

I've got two now.

We get a thing on the left.

He may be watching.

Alright, I'm I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm not booting off like I do.

Alright.

Ice cream truck went up in the neighborhood giving out ice cream.

Well undoubtedly he didn't get an ice cream.

So he sends me a letter.

And I wanted you to know, Pastor, that you out here.

But the trunk made sure he went to the White House.

But we're sitting here in my garage and he didn't stop to give me an ice cream.

Now I thought to myself, if I'm not mistaken, Ben is giving out the ice cream.

African American.

So I thought to myself, I called Ben up and I said, Ben, you're discriminating against your own people.

And I thought to myself, but see, let me tell you what Satan was Satan was doing.

Satan was trying to get me mad.

And then the first thing I thought, I know my heart.

There's not a discriminating bone in my body.

So I wrote him for Susan's email was better than mine.

I wrote him back.

I said, Why don't you just come eat with us tomorrow?

Hear me preach.

I said, and not only will I give you a free meal, I'll give you two ice cream cones.

But I wanted him to just come see.

See, he's making an accusation of something that's not even close to what the truth is.

And so Satan was trying to take that and get me mad.

And he almost did.

Yeah, I wanted to get Ben if I found it.

God wouldn't let me get his address.

Because I was gonna come here, I was gonna get Ben, I was gonna get a whole crate of ice cream and go knock on his door and say, here, Ben, give him your ice cream.

And I was just gonna tell him I got on the Ben for being discriminated.

I don't even know if that's a word.

Amen.

Amen.

I'm telling you, folks, that's the way it is.

And we're living in a nation that's trying to divide us when hey, under God, we're all one.

Amen.

Red, yellow, black and white, blah blah punishment.

You're not gonna do that with us.

We're one.

We all, hey, we all have the same bloodline.

We may be different colors on the outside, but if we're born-again Christians, we got the same bloodline.

Can I get an amen?

Did I do okay on that one?

Okay.

I hope he was watching.

I mean, but what a comment.

But that's Satan.

That's Satan.

Now, see, and after I calmed down, I thought to myself, I think I passed the test.

Maybe I passed the test.

But but the Lord was trying me just with what I'm preaching.

Hello?

Amen.

Amen.

But you know what?

I was thinking in my heart, God knows.

And God avenge.

Because, like I said, here's Ben giving out the ice cream.

Oh, I just, but anyway, God handled it.

He'll handle it.

Because my job is to love him, and I do.

Amen.

And I did.

I responded and invited him to come to church, hear me preach, and have lunch with me, and then we'll give you some ice cream too.

I said, even you'll have better than that.

You can get some banana pudding.

That's better than ice cream.

Peach cobbler today.

Today.

Amen.

All right.

Number, where am I?

Number four.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

We need patience when we face disaster.

Verse 11.

You have heard of the perseverance, that's what that word means, endurance.

Hupomeno.

Perseverance of Job and seeing the end intended by the Lord.

That the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Hmm.

Again, the word shift.

And the word shift goes from Mark Ruth Omeo to hoopomeno, which means we are to be long-suffering in trial situations, and we're to be enduring in difficult situations.

Does that make sense?

That's good.

Two words there.

But really mean the same thing.

But kind of give you, be patient, but then you've got to be more than just patient, you've got to endure.

You've got to endure because Jesus said, as they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you.

Amen?

Matthew 5, 10 through 12.

And thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2 3.

All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

2 Timothy 3 12.

So he says, You got to endure.

And then he uses Jane.

I meant Job.

Do you realize that the battle with Job started?

In heaven.

Job was a righteous man.

Now, Job, hey, had to learn patience too.

And he did.

He really did.

He started out.

Job threw back at his buddies pretty good.

But first of all, it started in heaven because you know what God said, I mean, what Satan said to God, he said, uh, well, God said, hey, you have you considered my servant Job?

You know what Satan said?

Job, hey, the reason, because what did God say about Job?

He's a righteous man.

And you know what he said?

Satan said, the reason he's righteous and so good is because he has no troubles.

He's a rich man.

He's got a great family.

He's got a lot of servants.

Got a lot of cattle and livestock.

I mean, he's wealthy.

No problem.

He's got it made.

He's in the elite.

God said, okay, you really believe that?

He says, I know that.

He said, I'll tell what I'll do.

You can do anything you want to Job except kill him.

Wow.

You know what he did?

First thing he did, he killed all ten children.

He had ten children, seven guys, seven males, and three daughters.

Seven sons, three daughters.

Killed them.

Storm.

Earthquake.

Whatever.

They were in the house.

Crashed on, killed them all.

Oh, it didn't stop there.

You know what happened next?

What happened next was he lost all his wealth.

All the cattle died.

Boom.

Lost it all.

Now what else?

That didn't stop there.

Then he had boils and a disease come upon his body from his head to the toe.

Now he lost his health.

He said, Well, that's enough.

He loses his children.

He loses his wealth.

He loses his workforce.

And then, but hey, it gets worse.

Hey, then his friends come and preach to him.

His buddies come and tell him the reason you're in, hey, you got this problem, hey, you are a great sinner.

You got sin in your life.

Now that's when I'd have lost it.

I'd just knock them all out.

They're judging.

We can't say much.

We're pretty good at that ourselves.

Remember, Jesus said, judge not that you be not judged.

Romans says, if you judge, hey, what you're judging, you do in yourself.

That's why you're judging.

Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2 · chapter mention

So here he is.

His friends, his close friends.

Just start lamb-blasting him.

You know, it's one thing for my enemies to get me, but when my close friends start eating my lunch, that's pretty tough.

Gets worse.

Now his wife comes up to him instead of putting his arm around him, said, Honey, I'm with you.

I'm sorry.

I'm praying with you.

We'll get through this.

You know what?

She said, Well, I tell you what, you see, you just messed, hey, you got sin in your life, you lost it.

Why don't you just curse God and kill yourself?

Now that's really encouragement, isn't it?

Why don't you just curse God and die?

That's what she said.

Now you ready for what he said?

Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.

Job 13, 15.

No, he slay me.

Yet will I trust him?

And I and I found some, I found two verses that I don't know why I hadn't seen them, but I want you to see this.

In Job 13, 15, he says, Though he slay me, yet will he trust in him, but I will maintain my always.

In other words, he says, I don't care what they say about me, what they say about my testimony, I know I'm walking with God and I'm standing with God.

I'm gonna endure with God.

Now watch this.

I had never seen this.

I had, but not in the context.

I had a Pentecostal spell this morning.

Job 16, 19.

Listen what Job said.

Mm-mm.

Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven and my record is on high.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

In another words, he says, you can say all you want to, you can say I'm the worst, and I've had it said about me in ministry.

I have had it said.

You hey, I've been called Jim Jones, I've been called all coming things.

And the blue slay me.

Yet will I trust me?

I'm going with God.

Amen.

I'm going with God.

He knows.

And then I'm not gonna take time to read them all at once, but no.

But you go on with those other verses with Job.

Oh, Job 19, 25 through 27.

Let's read those.

Let's do those few.

I know it.

Oh, and listen to what he says in Job 19, verses 25 through 27.

Job 19:25–27

You got those, Jason, there they are.

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see, whom?

Verse 27, I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, though my rage be consumed within me, he says, I'm gonna literally stand in the presence of God personally.

I know my Redeemer liveth.

He said, I won't stand before my three friends as the judge.

But I'll stand before him as the judge.

And by the way, he's standing, the scripture says, at the door.

Man, that's good.

Woo! That's good.

Man, that's good.

That's good.

And when you get back over to 42 verse 10, the end of the story, because of his patience and endurance, God doubled everything that he had previously had.

Doubled it.

Twice.

Where is it?

Yeah.

And the Lord turned to captivity Job when he had prayed for his friends.

Also, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had.

Gave him back, hey, ten more children, too.

Same thing.

Seven guys, seven children, seven males, three females, three girls.

Though he slay me?

Yeah, well, I trust him.

And then the last thing.

You know what God's purpose?

Hey, let me tell you what God gave me.

We'll be through.

Because the last one's points, kind of self-explanatory.

But let me tell you what God gave me this morning about seven o'clock.

Because I kept asking in my own mind, what's the purpose of this?

The purpose, yes, is to teach him patience.

And to give us an example of patience for us.

But what was the purpose for Job?

Job's purpose was to show us patience and endurance.

Okay?

But I said, what was God teaching Job?

Because he was a righteous man.

He was a man of patience and faith and endurance.

Well, let me tell you what God.

Oh, he was awesome.

Verse 11 really it shows us what God was teaching Job.

Look at what he says again in James 5.

Verse 11.

Oh, it's so good.

There we go.

Behold, we count them happy, which endure.

Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord.

That the Lord is very pitiful.

That means merciful, kind, loving, long-suffering, tender and mercy.

What is he teaching?

He told him, God gave me four things in that verse.

One, here's what he said.

God was teaching Job that his faith was real.

His faith was real.

Listen to me.

You won't know your faith is really real until you get really tested.

Hello?

So he was showing Job that his faith in him was real.

And then the second thing he was showing him, he was showing him, he was, and I love this, I wrote it to me.

Hey, he was showing him that Satan was attempting to destroy his faith.

But if God be for you, who can be against you?

Satan was literally trying to thwart, hey, hey, thwart Job's faith.

What he was saying.

With me, Satan can do nothing.

And then the third thing, to strengthen Job's faith and let him see God more clearly.

He saw God in an enlightenment that he had never seen before.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saw God like they'd never seen him before in the fiery furnace.

Daniel saw God like he had never seen him before in the lion's den.

That's why he was able to pen those words that I read to you a while ago.

Oh he slayed me, yep.

Well, I trust him.

And I know that he's in heaven and he knows who I am and that one day I'll be there.

Wow, that's good.

And then the last thing.

Are you ready for this?

Huh?

To, and I love this, to to increase Job's blessedness.

He's gonna even bless him greater.

Woo! That's good.

He's gonna bless him even greater because of his faith and his patience and his endurance.

Man, that's good.

And then the last thing, and I'm through.

We need patience when we face verse 12.

Dishonesty.

We welcome what James has to say here because when we come to James, his final point about patience is verse 12.

And notice what he says: but above all, my brethren, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no no lest you fall into judgment.

Here's what he said.

Back then, the the scribes and the Pharisees, listen to what they would do.

They would use their oaths on God, about God, on the temple in Jerusalem, on several things to reinforce what they were saying to be true when in reality they were deceiving the people.

Can I say something?

If your life is real and true, you don't have to make any kind of oath commitments.

It'll be seen.

Can I get an amen?

It'll be seen.

And let me remind you, lying lips are abomination unto God.

They will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 12, 22.

So, as we close.

And by the way, another thing he's talking about there with that, using the Lord's name in vain.

Not only making an oath, falsely using it in vain, but actually using the word.

Thou shalt, you know what, Exodus 27?

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Exodus 27.

He goes on and he tells us.

You know what God says?

Life's not gonna get any easier for any of us.

You know, the older we get, the harder it gets.

Let me tell why.

We get older, sickness, trials, our kids, it really does get a little harder.

So what he's saying to us as a Christian, he's saying, hey, life's not the most easiest road to walk.

But it becomes a blessed road when you walk with me.

Now notice the difference.

He says, hey, he didn't say if you come to me, the road's gonna be without trials and tribulations.

But what he does say is if you walk with me, I'm gonna take you through, hey, the trials and the tribulations.

You're gonna walk with me hand in hand.

I'll be there for you.

I'll be with you.

And the key for you to endure is to be patient.

And when the trials come, when the difficult circumstance come, when the difficult people come, you be patient.

And you endure.

Amen.

I needed that.

You know, isn't it been amazing how God's given us every week right what we needed?

I'm telling right where I'm walking.

Right where I'm walking.

And I want to close with this.

How do we see all this in our own lives?

Right there in that one verse in verse 12 when he says, Therefore, establish your hearts.

You know what that means?

Give your heart to Jesus.

You know what that means?

When the going gets tough, you stand with Jesus.

Philippians 1 6, being confident of this very thing, that he which begun a good work in you will perform it.

Until the day of Jesus Christ.

Can I get an amen?

Faithful is he that's called you, who also will do it.

They that endure to the end shall be saved.

Now that's not a work salvation.

Matthew 10, 22, when Jesus said that, he's saying, those that are real, hey, that have walked with me have learned to be patient and endure.

Amen.

And because they have, they're saved.

So let me ask you a question.

Have you established your hearts this morning?

Have you established your hearts?

Are you standing on him?

On this rock I stand, no other ground can be sinking sand but Jesus.

Amen.

Do you know him?

There's not a one of us in here that doesn't need more patience.

Amen.

Not one of us.

But now we understand.

We understand why.

What God wants in our lives.

He wants us to be that light in that crooked world.

That's what he wants.

When people look at us, they can see you being mistreated, they can see you being downtrodden.

Why do you think all the hymns, a lot of the old hymns, are about going through tough times?

It was back in the early slave times, bad times.

And all the hope they had was Jesus.

I got news for you.

We may get back to there in America that our only hope's Jesus.

It's going quick, folks.

Every 83 hours there's a terrorist attack now.

But I got good news.

Don't worry.

Be patient.

Endure, because Jesus is standing at the door.

And he could interrupt anytime.

Ha ha! Anytime.

Woo! Anytime.

He could come.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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