Better is...Patience (5)

(S1) — Looking ahead to Outdoor worship

Who believes God wants BETTER for us? Series—Made some steps towards experiencing BETTER?

Letting go of the GOOD to grab a hold of the BETTER

~ Letting go…choosing a BETTER day with God,

~ one hand free so we can do BETTER for others

~ BETTER wisdom with God

~ a good name...so we can have a BETTER name in Christ

We have established that here is good/Better. Close this series — PATIENCE is BETTER! —Who needs this message today?

PRAY

(S2)

Mother asks her son a young doctor starting a new practice, what do you want for Christmas? Patients! Not patience —Waiting room

Do you ever find yourself short on patience? Some here God has blessed with patience.

“having the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”(1)

Truth is…we all find ourselves at times losing our patience, and we are often most impatient with those we love!

Pull car over for spanking—Waiting for our spouse to get ready

I have come to understand about myself, that Impatience comes easy for me! Being patient is not natural. My human DNA.

Impatient with a family member, friends, at work, or at the grocery store—Waiting for a package to arrive—Driving behind people who aren’t in a hurry—Waiting for others to make decisions

Some of you are losing patience with me right now! Get to the point~sermon to end

(S3)

Proverbs 16:32 Better a PATIENT person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Today we again look at words from King Solomon who was gifted by God with wisdom and abundant prosperity...

The ESV translates this as having patience is maintaining self-control

(ESV). Better is a person who is “slow to anger”

(S4)

The face of an impatient person—nostrils, nose face…slow to anger is to SLOWLY engage one’s face or mouth.

Better is PATIENCE—Two words — (arek) long suffering —Marriage/The church

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

(S5)

Second word is Pinion—a shaft or spindle cut with teeth engaging with a gear.

PATIENCE then is the image of two gears meshing together slowly and perfectly…

Solomon’ wisdom ~ BETTER a person who is slow to engage, then one who charges ahead without wisdom.

Prov 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

The second half of verse 32, also translates, BETTER is a person who rules his spirit ~ who exercises control over his inner self, which is by nature sinful. This is only impossible with the spirit of God in us.

The apostle Paul realized as well, that being impatient, is more natural than being patient.

Romans 7:18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

We are by human nature impatient. So, controlling this, doesn’t come easily. It isn’t natural, however self-control, is something we can intentionally strive for, by consciously being aware of when we are GROWING impatient.

Impatience often isn’t pretty!

(S6)

Like a volcano, it can boil from deep within ~ you can’t see it, but it’s there, churning around, wanting only for the right or wrong time to spew itself out.

Self under control is possible, by aligning our spirit with the God’s spirit

Patience like wisdom is a character of God, which is something we possess when we receive by faith the spirit of God in us. So just as we are naturally impatient (human), when we are born of the spirit (baptism), we then are equipped with the patience of God ~ a right spirit in us.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew (put) a right spirit within me.

Solomon says, BETTER is to be patient than take what you want. Better to be patient then to be on the offensive. Patience is BETTER. can we agree on that?

It is not without reason that Solomon uses the image of a warrior taking a city. Soldiers were men in battle, who were trained to charge ahead without fear, with only one purpose ~ overtaking the enemy, at the risk of their own lives.

Because cities were on hills, to give the best view of the approaching enemies, charging up the hill in plain sight with such confidence, was something only a mighty warrior would do.

(S7)‌‌‌

The Patriot—no retreat—Hold the line

Works well for battle, but not so good for relationships — Being impatient cause us to charge ahead without regard for others. With winning as the goal, impatient warriors take what THEY want, ONLY what is best for them.

Solomon who had many warriors at his disposal still says…

(S8)

(MSG) Moderation is better than muscle, self-control better than political power.

It’s BETTER to be patient, then demanding, self-controlled than controlling, comprising than argumentative. It’s BETTER to slow down than be a driver, BETTER to seek Gods’ wisdom then be led by our selfish ambitions. It’s BETTER to be patient than rushing ahead to take what we want.

Patience is just BETTER (repeat with me)

Solomon taught the way of patience to his students, knowing that because of his human tendencies, even in all his wisdom in leading a rising empire, would at times grow impatient with others.

Moderation is better than muscle, self-control better than political power.

(S9)

In 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul addresses this topic

14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Paul’s context is not an empire of up and coming warriors, but a growing church of faithful Christians, who would at times be tempted and grow impatient with each other, and the pagan world around them. They were a community of faith trying to make an impact for Jesus, in the expanding region of the roman empire, which didn’t want to hear about Jesus.

Sound familiar?

Paul was teaching the people of the church, proper conduct in their relationships with each other, and to be examples of Christ. Yes, impatience is naturally in our human DNA, but Paul was saying, as believers we are not without excuse, we are to be and act BETTER, both with each other and out there, so as to be an example to others.

To live in a way that brings PEACE first to our relationships (each other), and then to those around us

(S10)

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in PEACE with each other.

BETTER starts here with us, and is to extend outward, by how we live BETTER with others.

Lack of patience disrupts the unity of the relationship because it comes from a place of self-interest or lack of control. The root of impatience is the sin of ‘self-undenial’ ~ Refusal to lay one’s interests aside for the benefit of another or a greater purpose.

(S11)

“What if we did not see our lack of patience (sin), as a failure of judgement, but as a failure of love?” J.D Walt

The BETTER Paul is talking about is striving to love in all our relationships. He gives a whole laundry list to the way of peace….

— (12) Acknowledge (respect) in love those who among you who serve wholeheartedly

— (14) Gently warn (bring to light) those who are idle or disruptive to peace

— (14) Encourage the disheartened, help the weak

— (15) Always strive to do good

— (16) Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances

BE PATIENT WITH EVERYONE! — This is difficult to achieve on our own, we need better. We need the spirit of God with us and in us. Sure, we will fail, most certainly I have, but that’s where forgiveness comes in, so we can again come to peace when there is discord and again live BETTER.

This is the BETTER, that Solomon taught, that Paul encouraged for the church…and that Jesus by example lived! Jesus, who took on the natural ways of humanity, but retained the character of God. Just as Jesus lived and showed his disciples, he is still showing us the church, that Patience is better!

(S12)

I. A Patient Person can HELP heal a Strained Relationship

Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

Joseph and his brothers. Betrayal. Years went by… Joseph waited patiently to forgive instead of retaliate

Genesis 50:20 What you intended to harm me, God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

When have you shown patience to someone who only meant to hurt you?

Galatians 5:22 It is the Holy Spirit which produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

By our fruit they will know we are followers of Christ. Through our patience—God changes hearts and heals strained relationship!

(S13) — Better is patience

II. A Patient Person Gives God Time to WORK.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27:14

{Israelites – grew impatient in the wilderness, it cost them forty years and for a generation, the promised land}

But God never gave up on them, he only wanted to teach them to trust him in impatient times ~ to learn that his timing is always Better than ours, because his view is different.

Have you ever experienced God’s perfect timing in your life? It always turns out better when we give him time to work ~ like it did for Joseph and the people who would have starved if he had grown impatient with God.

The god of the universe always gets it right, even if we don’t.

{grandson praying for grandpa)

Patience is giving God time to work.

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

(S14) — Better is patience

III. Better is Patience Because God is PATIENT with YOU.

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

Jesus didn’t write off the woman at the well for her immoral life choices — He didn’t blackball the tax collector Zacchaeus for greed— He didn’t ban Peter from being a disciple for his denial

Jesus showed love, forgave, waited on God his father to work and showed us a life of patience to bring peace to the human heart—The spirit of God, the character of God—We can live better being patient...

2 Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him

It’ s just BETTER—to HELP a strained relationship—to give God time to WORK—To be patient because God is patient with us.

Like those gears meshing together for the greater good—A volcano that simmers down

(S15)

WHAT CAN WE DO?

—Acknowledge those who work hard among you, show respect in love because they serve god and people wholeheartedly,

—Gently warn in love those who are idle or disruptive\

—Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, always strive to do no harm but to do good

—Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, and BE PATIENT WITH EVERYONE!

Its not easy, but it’s possible with Christ who lives in us.

(S16)

BETTER is a day with God—One handful—Wisdom—A good name—because of God with us, Jesus in you makes you Better

This is the call of the church to be the BETTER here so we can bring BETTER to the world. Because with Jesus life is better both here and now and yet to come.

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN BETTER? Believe in and live for God who believes in you enough to bring BETTER

You only have let go of the good and grab hold of better—A relationship with Jesus