God's Patience for Today

We are seeking to know God, and not just to know about God. This Psalm below is from an older David.  It is a Psalm of praise.

Singing and worshiping the Lord is spiritual.  We praise Him for who He is.

    

Every day we should be worshiping the living Christ, and on Sundays we unite in our praise of Him together. 

Psalm 103:7-11 (NIV)

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:

God showed Moses the way or the process in which He works.  He showed Moses why He does what He does.  

The people of Israel only witnessed His deeds not His inner workings. 

This is the cycle of sin that the people of Israel were in and ours too if we let it:

1. The people fell into sin. 

2. God corrects and convicts them.  

3. They repent.  

4. God brings them back. 

5. The cycle starts all over again. 

What if God said "one time and I'm done?"  

That's not God's way.  

How can I explain the patience of God?

It is the power of control that God exercises over Himself when people sin against Him.  

God will not allow sin to go unpunished forever.  However, He is slow to punish.  

Nahum 1:3  (NIV)

3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,

    and clouds are the dust of his feet.

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.

God does lose His temper, but He is slow to do so. We don't have to fear outbursts of God's anger. God desires our best interests ,and is patient with us. 

What if you counted up all your sins for the last 6 months?  All sin is an abomination to God.  God's love for you restrains Him in hopes that you'll repent which means you'll change. 

Your sin does matter, but God desperately wants for us to be close to Him.  God paid the debt for our sin when the blame of our sin was placed upon Jesus Christ.  

God overflows with love for you.  It is an attribute of God.  Do we look at lost people the way that God looks at saved people?  We want God to be patience with us for our sin.  Won't you do that for others?

God longs for everyone to be right with Him.  We are to look at lost people and love them the way that God loves us. Look closely at your life, and you'll see evidence of God's patience. 

  

9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

God's patience will one day run out.

Romans 2:4  (NIV)

4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, 

not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NIV)

2 For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

You must not test God's patience. Don't wait to accept Jesus as your sacrifice for your sins by making Him your Lord.    

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;

God's grace and love is reserved for those who fear Him which means to respect Him.  

Hebrews 10:26-27  (NIV)

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

We want to take advantage of God's patience today.  God does get angry, but is slow to do so.  God's love is immense, but so will be His anger.  

If you want more of God, turn your eyes upon Jesus and look fully into His wonderful face.  Then, the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.  

You need to patience of God.  People need to see the patience of God at work in you.  

Lord, remind me of how patient you've been with me.  I don't want to put off your patience any longer.  Please be my Lord and Savior.  

Darryl Craft, Whitesburg Baptist Church

http://www.whitesburgbaptist.org/sermons/gods-patience/