Frontlines 2025 (Night 3) // God is Slow to Anger

Introduction

My dad used to tell me stories about my grandfather - and how angry he would get when my dad was young. Whenever my dad or aunt misbehaved, my grandma has a really short fuse and would get angry really quickly. He would get red-faced and yell. Thankfully, before I was even born, my grandpa trusted Jesus to be the leader and forgiven of his life and it changed a lot about him.

Maybe you know someone like that - it doesn’t take them very long to get very angry.

Often, when people get really angry really quickly it can be scary - and sometimes we worry about our safety. Because when people get really angry really quickly, it shows us at least something about their ability to control themselves. They seem out of control. And, out-of-control people can be scary.

The other thing that is very difficult about being around people that get very angry very quickly is that they typically don’t give you enough time to change. Maybe when you were young someone got angry and yelled at you and you started to cry, and the - in their angry said - “stop crying.”

Well - you can try, but you typically can’t stop quickly enough.

Angry people don’t give us enough time to change.

But God is different. Let take a peek at Exodus 34 again

Exodus 34:6 NLT

6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh!* The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

Our aim for Frontlines this year is that you would get to know God a little bit better and that as you get to know him you’d want to spend more time with him.

So far, we’ve learned a few things:

God is compassionate (rakhum)

It is his consistent reflex to move towards those who are hurting to offer protection.

God is merciful (hanun)

God enjoys giving good things to people who don’t deserve them.

Tonight, we learn one more thing about God

God is slow to get angry

His patience outlasts your failures.

So, you’re not one mistake away from being rejected.

Let’s go back to Luke 15 and we’re going to zoom in on a specific moment from early in the story.

Luke 15:11–12 NLT

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

Upperclassmen - graduates - you all are probably close to the age of the son, here.

If you seriously walked into your dad and said:

Look, I’m tired of living here

I’m sick of you always bugging me about grades, and work, and taking responsibility for myself.

You’re on my last nerve and I wish you were dead.

So, here’s what I’m thinking - let’s pretend that you ARE dead, and why don’t you go ahead and give me whatever your will says that I’ll get when you die so that I can get out of here and do what I want and get you off my back!

Let me tell you - there isn’t a single human in the world that I’ve ever met that would say, “okay, son - okay daughter - if that’s what you need - I’ll get the paperwork drawn up and the money will be in your account by the end of the week.

Now, again, remember - THIS IS NOT A REAL STORY!!

This is a parable - what is a parable?

a parable is an earthly story that tells spiritual truths.

The story is intended to be extreme - not to tell you that acting like that is okay. Rather, the aim is, again, to illustrate the extraordinary character of the Father.

The Father is slow to get angry - his patience outlasts the sons failure.

What’s incredible is that the father doesn’t argue.

He doesn’t explode.

He doesn’t even chase him down later with a guilt trip.

He simply lets the son go.

AND THEN - he patiently waits for him to come back.

That’s part of what it means that God is slow to anger.

He has a long fuse. The Hebrew phrase for God being slow to anger is literally - God has a long nose.

It is a visual way to explain how long it takes for him to get angry.

When people get angry, their face often gets red.

The idea of being long of nose means it takes a long time for the redness to get to his face.

God doesn’t react out of insecurity or rage.

He gives us space—even when we don’t use that space well.

And maybe you’ve never thought about it like this, but:

The space between the son’s rebellion and the father’s reunion is proof of the father’s patience.

He didn’t write him off.

He didn’t send someone to un-son him.

He waited—quietly, heartbreakingly—with hope.

God is slow to anger - he is patient. And I want to show you three things that God’s patience accomplishes.

1. God’s patience gives you space to return.

Some of you know some of my story. When I was in high school, my church went through a major split and it made me angry at the people in my church and angry at God. And for a long time I walked away from God. I made a lot of bad choices in high school and college.

But didn’t write me off or tell me that I could never return.

God gave me space to experience the consequences of being far from him.

it hurt

It was miserable

And when I was 24 I returned (just like the son) and God accepted me with open arms.

Some of you have already been in a situation like this - where you’ve walked away from God and have chosen to do your own thing. It is loving and gracious that God is slow to anger - he is patient with you.

2 Peter 3:9 NLT

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Some of you are still wandering and God is patiently waiting for you to come back to him. to turn from your foolishness and selfishness and come back to him.

If you rededicated your life to Jesus last night… that wasn’t the first moment He noticed you were wandering. He’s been patiently waiting—lovingly, hopefully—giving you space to come home.

1. God’s patience gives you space to return.

2. God’s patience isn’t approval—it’s opportunity.

God being patient with you doesn’t mean that it okay to continue living the way that you are. And it doesn’t mean that you won’t experience hurt and consequences.

One of the greatest tools that God uses to bring us back to him is pain. Pain communicates to us that something is wrong. Often, God allows us the space to return to him so that we can feel the full pain, loneliness, anxiety, and fear of not being with him.

That’s what happened to the prodigal son - he had to reach the end of his stupidity before he came to his senses and came back.

That’s the same thing that happened to me.

And it may be the same thing that happens to you.

Things may not be that bad yet. You might be enjoying some of your sinful life, bad habits, unhealthy relationships. But the enjoyment won’t last long. And God is not being patient with you so that you’ll presume that everything is okay. He’s giving you an opportunity to- right now at Frontlines 2025, to turn around and run to him.

Romans 2:4 NLT

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

God’s patience isn’t permission to keep running—it’s a chance to stop and turn around.

The longer you wait, the more you're missing out on life with Him, and the most pain and emptiness it may cause.

1. God’s patience gives you space to return.

2. God’s patience isn’t approval—it’s opportunity.

3. God’s patience won’t run out—but your time might.

The Bible tells us that there will be a moment in time when the opportunity for you to repent - to turn back to God - will be gone. Life as we know it on this earth will come to an end because Jesus will come back.

And he will have an epic battle with the Devil and all of his enemies - and he’ll win really quickly and really easily.

Conclusion

God is not holding a grudge.

He’s not sitting in Heaven saying, ‘I’ll give them one more shot, but if they blow it… I’m done.’

That’s not His heart. That’s not who He is.

His patience outlasts your failures.

You are not one or two bad decisions away from being disowned.

And if you turned back to Him last night, or if you’re still thinking about it—He’s not on edge, waiting to see if you’ll mess it up. He’s steady. He’s patient. And He’s not going anywhere.

LifeGroup Questions

1. What’s something that tests your patience the most?

2. What part of your life do you think God might be patiently waiting for you to surrender? What’s stopping you from giving it to Him?”