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[0:00] About the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.! Then he told this parable.

[0:32] A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, For three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree, and haven't found any.

[0:46] Cut it down. Why should it use up the soil? Sir, the man replied, Leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine.

[0:57] If not, then cut it down. Are you patient? God is.

[1:10] And that is no small part of his revealed glory, that he is patient with sinners. In earlier sermons we've been studying the wrath and the anger of God.

[1:24] In Romans 2 and verse 22 says, He bore with great patience the objects of his wrath. God is not only a God of great wrath, he's a God of great patience, who bore with great patience the objects of his wrath.

[1:43] A.W. Pink defines God's patience this way, a power of self-restraint that enables him to sustain great injuries without immediately avenging himself.

[1:58] In other words, it's his own power over himself to hold back his wrath and his anger. Patience.

[2:10] Human society is so depraved that it views patience as a weakness rather than a strength. Nothing could be further from the truth. Patience is an expression of great strength.

[2:23] Proverbs 16.32, Better a patient man than a warrior. A man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

[2:35] So here's a man with bulging muscles. He's strong. Who's stronger than him? Well, it would be this man of patience over here who has an inner strength that is able to control his own anger.

[2:55] Alexander the Great virtually conquered the known world of his day, but we're told he was not able to conquer himself. He could take city after city in battle, even as the wise man of Proverbs says, but he was powerless to control his own anger.

[3:13] He had no strength of patience to hold it back. And so when one of his generals and a dear friend of his spouted off something that offended him, in a fit of rage, he pulled his sword and killed him, his own friend, and then later was sunk in such depression and guilt for his actions.

[3:38] An impatient man is a man out of control. A weak man indeed. Unable to even control himself. That's the weakness of impatience.

[3:54] And we see it all around us. Men of great achievements in other areas, yet not strong enough to control their own temper. When provoked, it takes more strength to stay in your chair than it does to throw your chair across the floor.

[4:13] When someone offends you, it takes greater strength to keep your hand in your pocket than to pull it out and land a blow in someone's face.

[4:24] When someone says something against you, it takes more strength to keep your mouth shut than it does to open it and to spew out a payback in kind.

[4:37] Our anger sometimes gets the better of us. It conquers us. It overcomes us. And it shows our weakness that we're not strong at all. That we can't even control our anger.

[4:48] And so we say and do things we later regret. God is not like us. He has perfect control over his anger. Perfect control over his wrath.

[5:01] And the Bible calls it his patience. Kids, God's patience is like a dam that holds back the raging waters of his wrath.

[5:15] There's the Hoover Dam. And when it was being constructed, engineers needed to be sure that it was strong enough to hold back all the waters of the Colorado River that were piling up upon it.

[5:30] So they figured out that tons and tons of steel and concrete that must go into this dam if it's to be strong enough to hold back all that's pushing against it.

[5:42] When we think of God's wrath and the strength of the wrath of the Almighty, Psalm 90 says, Who knows the power of your anger?

[5:55] For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. And we say, What is the wrath and power of God's anger? Oh, but what is the power of his patience that is able to dam it up and to hold it back?

[6:11] Here's a hand. It's the hand of the wrath of the Almighty. None like it. None can stand before it.

[6:22] Oh, but there's another hand. What is that hand? That's the hand of his patience. And it's holding it back. And that's why it's not falling in judgment upon people.

[6:35] What do we owe to the strong arm of God's patience that holds back his wrath? Now, God's patience is also referred to in Scripture as his long-suffering.

[6:51] In other words, he doesn't avenge the wrong done on the first offense. He's able to suffer a long time before he comes in judgment. Another word that's used is his forbearance.

[7:04] He's able to bear with a lot. He's able to put up with a lot before he comes in punishment. How much can you take before you respond?

[7:16] God is able to suffer long. Now, another way the Bible describes God's patience is by saying that he's slow to anger. Do you see it?

[7:27] Slow to anger. That's his patience. Stephen Sharnock says he keeps his sword a long time in its sheath. There's the sword of God's anger.

[7:39] It's real. He hates sin. There's his wrath, the sword of his wrath and anger. But he keeps it in its sheath for a long time. He's not quick to pull it. Alexander the Great was real quick to pull it.

[7:52] But not God. He's slow to anger. There's a long time there before he strikes.

[8:03] patience. Now, the Bible uses that description of his patience at least eight times. The first time it comes from the mouth of God himself in Exodus 34 when Moses prayed, Lord, show me your glory.

[8:19] And so the Lord came near to him the next day and he showed him his glory by proclaiming his name, the Lord, the Lord, the great and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

[8:40] Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished. God's showing his glory to Moses in what he declares about himself. I am slow to anger.

[8:50] I'm a patient God. That's his glory. This slowness to anger was the basis of Moses' prayer in Numbers 14 18 when he was pleading with God to forgive the rebellious Israelites who in their unbelief would not go into the promised land.

[9:09] And Moses says, spare them, forgive them, for you are slow to anger. He pleads for forgiveness on the basis of it. The psalmist praises God for being a God who's slow to anger.

[9:22] Joel states it as a reason for backsliders to repent and return to the Lord. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.

[9:34] And you remember Jonah. And it was God's slowness to anger that was the very reason he didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place.

[9:45] I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. So this is our God, so patient, so slow to anger.

[10:02] Now before we move on to the next point, this is the patience of God defined, if you will. But before we move on, you need to notice, and we read it in Exodus 34, that as God speaks of himself as being slow to anger and so loving and forgiving, he says, yet he will not let the guilty go unpunished.

[10:28] Now that's important, that upon mentioning his patience, he must say, and yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished because mankind has a tendency to wrongly conclude that just because God's anger is slow, it will never arrive.

[10:47] It will never arrive because it hasn't fallen, it never will. And so, we're reminded, no, he is slow to anger, but he will not leave the guilty unpunished.

[11:01] You see, his patience does not cancel his anger. His patience does not remove his wrath, not at all. It only delays it. It only postpones it.

[11:14] It only holds it back. It leaves the sword of justice in the sheath a while longer. That will be important as we see later on in our study of God's patience.

[11:30] So, God's patience defined. Secondly, God's patience demonstrated. Where do we see God's patience? Well, this attribute of God is seen in all of God's dealings with sinful men.

[11:44] Take the first sinner, Adam and Eve. don't eat of that tree, Adam, because in the day you eat of it, you will surely die. And Adam took of that fruit and he ate of it.

[11:55] And though he died spiritually, do you realize that God's patience postponed his physical death for some 930 years? God was patient.

[12:09] Think if God had not been patient with Adam and had killed him as soon as he ate, we wouldn't be here, would we? What do we owe to the patience of God with the first sinner?

[12:22] And then we come to the days of Noah, Genesis 6 through 9, when mankind had so corrupted themselves that God was grieved, his heart was pained at their violence, at the things that they were doing to each other, so much so that he says, I'm going to rid the earth of them.

[12:42] He was angry, his wrath was boiling, he's ready to destroy them. But he leaves the sword in the sheath for some 120 years perhaps, while the ark was being built.

[12:57] 1 Peter 3.20, he waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. you see it, God's wrath, he's going to destroy the whole earth, all of the human population and the animals with him.

[13:13] But he waited patiently so that while Noah's pounding and preaching, sinners might hear and repent.

[13:25] God's great patience and all the nations then later that came from those eight people that went astray and started worshiping idols rather than the living God, turned to created things rather than the creator.

[13:41] God didn't destroy them right away. In fact, Acts 17.30 says, in the past God overlooked such ignorance. it would appear as if he just didn't see it because he didn't immediately judge it.

[13:52] In the past he let all nations go their own way, Acts 14.16. He didn't immediately judge them, instead he fed them. He filled their bellies with good things and their hearts with joy.

[14:05] So patient this God. He bore with great patience the objects of his wrath. we see it with all the nations of the earth, but we see it especially with his nation, Israel.

[14:19] It's hard to think of anyone who tried God's patience more than his own people, Israel. Nehemiah rehearses the history of Israel before the Lord and tells how God had gloriously brought them through the Red Sea and delivered them from the Egyptian bondage, but how they became arrogant and stiff-necked and disobeyed.

[14:39] But you are a forgiving God, he says, gracious and compassionate slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore, you did not desert them even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said to it, there is your God, O Israel, that brought you out of Egypt.

[14:59] The patience of God, slow to anger. Then off into the wilderness they go for 40 years. Psalm 95 10 says, for 40 years I was angry with that generation.

[15:11] I said they are a people whose hearts go astray. So God's anger was hot against that generation and they provoke God's wrath in so many ways, grumbling against him, rebelling against his leaders, speaking evil of him, acting as if God had brought them out into the desert to die, worshipping other idols.

[15:36] And several times God says he was angry enough to destroy them all and start all over. But he didn't. He was slow to anger. He was patient with them.

[15:46] Psalm 78 38, time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. Time after time.

[15:58] Do you hear his patience being tried? Time after time he restrained his anger. Acts 13 18, he endured their conduct for 40 years in the desert.

[16:11] He patiently put up with them. Instead of destroying them he fed them with manna from heaven and water from the rock. All their needs protected them, brought them into the promised land.

[16:26] But as soon as Joshua was laid in the grave, they returned to their idolatry. Judges chapter 2 killed the prophets, blasphemed God, put God's laws behind their backs.

[16:38] You remember the whole period of the judges is that cycle of turning away from God to idolatry and God raises up nations to come and to punish them and then they cry out to God in their need and God is so patient.

[16:52] He comes and raises up deliverers for them and saves them. And no sooner were they saved and they went back to their sins. How many times would you go around in that cycle with a people that were that provoking of your wrath?

[17:07] God over and over and over and over restrained his wrath, delivered his people, was patient with them.

[17:20] For many years you were patient with them. Nehemiah 9 and verse 30. You did not put an end to them or abandon them. same thing during the time of the kings.

[17:34] Kings would go astray and all the people would go astray and yet God says for my own sake I delay my wrath.

[17:46] For the sake of my praise I hold it back from you so as to not cut you off. Isaiah 48 9. Never was a child more rebellious than God's child Israel.

[18:00] None more provoking of his anger. And yet God was so slow to anger with her. So slow to unsheathe his sword.

[18:12] He says in Isaiah 65 2. All day long have I held out my hands to an obstinate people who walk in ways not good pursuing their own imaginations who say keep away from me don't come near me for I am too sacred for you such people are smoke in my nostrils a fire that keeps burning all day.

[18:37] There's the picture the garbage is burning all day long and the stench is in your nostrils and you've got a headache it's provocative it's provoking you and yet all day long he holds out his hands to this obstinate people what patience in our God and he sends them prophets to rebuke them to call them to repent and to return to him and they abused them they mistreated them they killed them and when they killed one he sent them another and when they killed that one he sent another and when they killed that one he finally sent his son and you remember what they did with his son and because of their ultimate rejection of his son the sword would come out of the sheath but even yet it would be some 40 years after Jesus was put to the cross before

[19:37] Titus and the Romans would come down and destroy Jerusalem he was slow to anger even then and after his resurrection what does he do he sends out his apostles and he says go first to the Israelites go first to the Jews with the gospel that they might yet find mercy so patient so throughout the Old Testament we have the patience of God manifested as it were on every page and when we come to the New Testament we meet the most patient man that ever lived Lord Jesus Christ we can only imagine how patient he was with his younger siblings as he grew up in that home in Nazareth but we don't need to imagine his patience but we just follow him around the gospels and we see those twelve disciples that acted more like twelve brats and children sometimes quarreling your children quarreled so did they they argued with each other who is the greatest not once not twice we find them at least three times in what's recorded and who knows how many times were not recorded and Jesus instructs them and he teaches them each time and he rebukes them and they didn't get it the first time they didn't get it the second time they didn't get it the third but he's so patient

[20:53] I have many more things to tell you but you're not able and he he's so patient in his instruction that he shapes his instruction based on what they're presently able to hear now he's coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration and there's a father who has a demon possessed son that casts him into the fire to destroy him he says I brought him to your disciples but they couldn't heal him oh unbelieving and perverse generation Jesus said how long shall I stay with you how long shall I put up with you bring the boy here to me and Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy and he was healed from that moment you can't help but be amazed at the power of

[21:55] Jesus as you read through the gospel a word and the demons run the wind the waves obey diseases flee do you know something that's equally amazing is the power of his patience the slowness of his wrath here he is their unbelief in this scene hurts it's so provoking him that it hurts how long must I put up with you I've been here for three years and you still haven't got it you still haven't figured it out you're still unbelieving still so little in your faith later the disciples wanted to know why they couldn't drive out the demon because you have so little faith he says so little faith Matthew records those words at least five times when he had to say to his disciples oh you of little faith what what did they see and yet they're unbelieving in the next trial oh you of little faith but he doesn't destroy them he kindly rebukes them and his patience suffers long the

[23:17] Lord Jesus Christ we see his patience throughout the gospels and then we come to that man Saul of Tarsus who regarded this Jesus a contemporary of his as a blasphemer somebody that claimed to be God that wasn't a false messiah and so he devoted his life and all of his learning and all of his energy to persecuting followers of Jesus and he forced them to blaspheme must have tortured them put some pressure on them until they would blaspheme he was a violent man a persecutor killing some imprisoning others agreeing with the stoning of the godly Stephen destroying the church breathing out slaughter against it and as you read that account we must wonder every time a Christian family is divided and father and mother are hauled off to jail and the children are left to fend for themselves and now dad's being killed and we wonder how long Lord how long will you put up with this man Saul of Tarsus

[24:28] Sharnock says God was so patient with his enemies that his friends thought he had forsaken them that's how patient he is how long you gonna allow this man to go on why don't you strike him with cancer why don't you strike him with some disease let worms eat him why do you let him live another day in order to kill more Christians why does God spare and hold back his wrath well he tells us why first Timothy 1 16 Paul says how he was this violent persecuting blaspheming man but for this very reason I was shown mercy so that in me the worst of sinners Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life unlimited patience is a very bad translation because as you as you all know that God is patient but there is a limit to his patience it's not unlimited patience a better translation would be the whole of his patience that God might display the whole thing how far his patience reaches so that if anyone else out there is considering that maybe you've you've been too sinful that God can't forgive you

[25:58] God won't forgive you that you'll consider my example he forgave me blaspheming violent Christian killing man that I was what patience that's what God wanted to do he wanted to show off how patient he was and then save this man and further magnify his patience where does God manifest his patience today think of our nation our nation that knows better and that has said we don't want you anymore God like a husband tired of his wife and simply saying I don't want you anymore we don't think it's worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God that we had we're tired of your laws they don't suit our desires we don't want your word telling us things that disagree with our science we don't want you God is openly despised and yet our nation continues amazing amazing patience with this nation think of the whole world not just this one nation but all the nations sunk in sin and depravity and idolatries of all sorts and the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good his pure eyes must watch it all every rape every murder every abuse every sexual immoral act why does he spare with all that he sees nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight and as he sees his holy anger burns and his sword rattles in its sheath and yet he delays it he delays it now you think of putting up with the sin of the world just for one day you couldn't bear it

[28:14] Sharnock says the most patient angel would hardly be able to bear with the follies of good men during worship and yet every day millions of God haters breathe his air eat his food walk his earth feel his sunshine enjoy his gifts and refuse to acknowledge him and serve him and trust in his son and God doesn't strike them dead but rather fills their lungs with air that they might use that air to curse his name once more is that how they will thank him for his patience oh I would be out long ago but he's not like us so great is his power over himself restraining his anger restraining his wrath and God bears not only with all the sins of the world for one day but every day and his patience holds back his hand of wrath but you know there is a day of wrath coming when he will destroy the world with fire for 2

[29:29] Peter chapter 3 and we shouldn't be amazed we should stand amazed not that he's going to destroy the world with fire but that he hasn't destroyed it already amazing patience at the end of every day we should pinch ourselves and stand amazed that God was so patient that he let this wicked world go on another day why why is he so patient 2 Peter 3 9 he's patient with you not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance but the day of the Lord will come you see it patient but not forever 2 Peter 3 15 bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation why is he so patient he's got salvation on his heart not that everyone will be saved because of his patience only those who come to Christ and repent but his patience as Paul says in

[30:36] Romans 2 4 his patience is to lead us to repentance it's to take us by the hand and say John consider your ways and come over here turn from your ways and come to Christ his patience leads us to repentance so wherever we look we see the patience of God manifested don't we when we look at ourselves you and me we can see patience can't we I don't know about you but I didn't repent and believe the gospel the first time I heard it God was patient with me saying no to the offer of God when he offers you his son if you say no even once it is such a provoking offense to God that it deserves hell on the spot but you would say I don't regard your son as worthy of my trust my life my love my obedience and you say that to

[31:44] God about his son and I said that to God about his son and without his patience I would be in hell this morning and rightly so but for the patience of God we all would be in hell if God had just given us immediately what we deserved for refusing his son for going our own way but you know I don't have to just look back to when I was an unconverted boy and God's long suffering with me I can look at yesterday and I can say God you were patient with me yesterday you didn't give me yesterday what my sins deserve isn't that the rejoicing of the psalmist in Psalm 103 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities how patient God has been with me how many times would he say to me

[32:49] John oh you of little faith how many times do we need to go through this John we were through it last week we were through it last year now here you are the same problem the same behavior there's still much in us to put up with duties left undone performed so poorly with such cold hearts battles lost or scarcely won sin repeated sin repeated repeated sin slowness of heart to believe worldly mindedness we sin enough each day that we should be amazed at the patience of God every day every day every minute we've ever lived has been a minute of God's patience someone said we've lived another minute of God's patience what do we find every time we return to him with our sins our savior is waiting with his open arms and he forgives us and he embraces us and he restores us and he goes on teaching us and working with us he goes on walking another mile with us not just the second mile but the third the fourth the hundred the thousandth mile with us wherever we look we find a demonstration then of

[34:19] God's patience his patience defined his patience demonstrated very quickly his patience illustrated his patience illustrated the text that was read for us a parable that Jesus taught in Luke 13 6 to 9 this man had a fig tree and he planted a vineyard and he planted it in his vineyard and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any now a vineyard was the best plot of ground on the whole pasture this was the place where they would very often build a little wall around it to keep out all intruders and animals that would come and often it was irrigated so that the plants there in the vineyard got special treatment and this man had this vineyard and in it he planted a fig tree along with his grape vines he has this fig tree now it takes a few years before a fig tree that's planted will bear fruit and so he waits and now it's time to reasonably expect fruit from this tree and so he comes and he finds nothing but leaves so he tells himself well maybe next year will be better and he continues to have the gardener pour in all the care for that that fig tree and he comes back another year later and he finds the same barrenness and he waits another year and comes back and finds the same nothing but leaves and now he's ready to cut it down so he said to the man who took care of the vineyard for three years now

[36:01] I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any cut it down why should why should it use up the soil you see it's not only a useless tree itself it's not producing any return on our investment but it's actually using up ground it's cumbering the ground and using up all the nutrients that another tree could be planted there and be bringing us fruit so cut it down let's move on that's that one's had enough time let's let's get a new tree in that spot that favored spot and the gardener had some attachment to it perhaps all his labors over it for the many years and he pleads for one more year one more year let me dig around it and bring up the earth and fertilize it and give it special loving care and if it bears fruit next year then fine but if not well then cut it down then cut it down that's the end of the story it's the end of the parable the illustration we're not told what happened well did it did it produce fruit or didn't it you know what he does he leaves the ending up in the air because you are that tree

[37:22] I am that tree yes Israel was that tree but so are we and all the care that's been heaped upon us and all the goodness of God's been heaped upon us and God's waiting for fruitfulness has he waited longer than three years with any of you here one more year we'll give him one more year and then cut him down how many of you would be here next year if you just had one more year you draw life from God food from God health from God blessing from God all you have from God and he expects a return of your trust your obedience your love the throne of your life now the lesson is obvious

[38:27] God is very patient but there comes an end to his patience wait one more year oh how patient of this God but if not cut it down the end of his patience so the answer or the lesson is obvious therefore repent now first part of Luke 13 says you must repent or you'll perish this parable says repent now repent now so God's patience applied how should we apply God's patience well we should improve it that is we should make good use of his patience God's patience is an opportunity to seek the Lord and to be saved before his hand of judgment falls God's patience is giving you an opportunity to come to him to believe on him so let God's patience conduct you to repent let it take you by the hand and lead you to

[39:30] Jesus seek the Lord while he may be found call on him while he's near let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will freely pardon but let him do it now that's God's patience improved but sadly God's patience is abused I don't know of any other attribute of God that is more abused than this one and so there are three warnings that I would leave you with about abusing God's patience number one don't interpret God's patience as his being soft on sin and we saw that in Psalm 50 in verse 21 and 22 that after enumerating the sins of the wicked God said to them these things you have done and I kept silent I kept silent I kept the sword in my sheath I kept my hand of wrath from falling what did they conclude from that these things you've done and I kept silent you thought

[40:37] I was altogether like you soft on sin easy going about sin sin's no big thing you thought I was like you but I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face consider this you who forget God or I will tear you to pieces with none to rescue just because my anger has not fallen immediately don't think it never will that's the first warning about not abusing God's patience the more patient he is with us the more we will sin is that how we repay him oh that's abused patience secondly don't make a savior out of God's patience patience don't make a savior out of God's patience don't rest on God's patience don't say you know I know I'm I'm lost I know I'm outside of Christ John I know if I died this morning I would be in hell forever and ever but it sure feels good knowing

[41:38] God's patient you know what you're doing you're resting on God's patience you're making a savior out of God's patience you're trusting in God's patience but I remind you his patience is not the removal of his wrath it's only the delaying of his wrath his patience simply postpones it for a later date to remain lost under God's patience is to remain lost under his wrath so don't rest in delayed wrath rather God's patience is to be viewed as an opportunity to run to Jesus right now and to repent to not repent and to treat God's patience with contempt is to treasure up more and more wrath for the day of wrath Romans 2 4 and 5 when God's righteous wrath will be revealed so don't rest in

[42:39] God's patience run to Christ because Christ not only does far more than the patience of God Jesus Christ removes the wrath of God from you he doesn't just hold it back for a little while longer no Jesus Christ removes it and how does he do it by taking it upon himself and suffering that wrath himself he sets you free from it he pacifies the wrath of God so there's no more for you so come to Christ don't rest on God's patience rest only in Christ and him crucified Jesus who saves us from the coming wrath and the last caution don't procrastinate another moment in sin do not procrastinate another moment in sin hear me young people how many of you say I intend one day to get right with God I intend before my life's all over to be a Christian but just not yet not yet to put off repenting until later is an abuse of

[43:47] God's patience to procrastinate is to presume on God's patience it's to assume that he will continually delay his wrath do you see the folly of procrastinating hell is full of men and women boys and girls who counted on God's patience continuing one day longer than it did oh he'll be patient here I am I was here last week and heard gospel preaching and I rejected Christ and here I am again I'll be around next week I'll be around next year just not yet are you so sure that he who is patient today will be patient tomorrow you have no assurance of such you rather have the parable standing before you in Luke 13 one more year one more opportunity and then cut him down no don't young person don't procrastinate another moment the day that started in grace could end in wrath yes the door of the ark remained open all those years while

[45:01] God was patient with him but there came a day when he closed the gate the door no one could enter don't put off coming to Christ procrastinating is not only folly it's also evil treats Jesus as unworthy of your affection and trust God comes to you and says repent believe now and you say no I'll do it later can you see that your later to God is no today that's just out now rebellion procrastinating is not only folly it's it's evil it's tempting God will you try the patience of God Isaiah 7 13 S those who play with God's patience are playing Russian roulette and it's just a matter of time before his patience will run out how close am

[46:08] I to the patience of God running out how close are you my friend you don't know do you you just don't know there is a line by us unseen that crosses every path the hidden boundary between God's patience and his wrath oh where is that mysterious line by which our path is crossed beyond which God himself has sworn that he who goes is lost how far can one go on in sin how long will mercy spare where does grace end and where begin the confines of despair an answer from the sky is sent ye who from God depart while it is called today repent and harden not your heart that's

[47:10] God's call today today is the day of salvation you don't know when his patience will end come to Christ today today and he will receive you he's full of mercy and you'll find that he has more mercy than just patience he has mercy to pardon and forgive all your sin believers how does the patience of God apply to you well number one praise God for his patience David says this is another reason for me to praise the Lord praise the Lord oh my soul don't forget all of his benefits because he is slow to anger verse 8 of Psalm 103 slow to anger it's one of his excellencies it's one of his beauties so think on it and praise him for it A.W.

[48:05] Pink reminds us that this is an attribute that is manifested only in this world only here and now mercy has a heaven and justice has a hell to display itself for all eternity but patience has only this present age so identify it now while it's being shown develop an eye for it see it in every piece of food every breath of air see the patience of God and praise him for it now while it's being displayed a time is coming when there will be no more patience either in heaven or in hell secondly let God's patience lead you to continual repentance you see I thought that was for the sinner outside of Christ well it is but it's also for us melted by the kindness of his patience how can we sin against this God that's been so patient with us let his patience take shall we not be ashamed to sin further against such kindly patience and thirdly imitate

[49:16] God in his patience is he patient to me then I should be patient to others to be patient is to be like God is he slow to anger James says let everyone be quick to listen slow to speak slow to anger so when I'm tempted to disgust to revenge to lash out in anger remember God has been patient with me he's put up with so much in me can I not put up with more in them he's been so slow to anger with me will I be quick to the sword with others too many verses pressing upon us the need to be clothed with patience Colossians 3 clothe yourself with patience and bear with each other live a life worthy of your calling Ephesians 4 be patient that's the only way to live a life worthy of your calling you mean

[50:20] God's been so patient to you then live live a life fitting and be patient to others be patient with everyone 1st Thessalonians 5 14 a man's wisdom gives him patience it's to his glory to overlook an offense and it's in that way that more of the beauty of Christ will be seen in our lives God has spoken to us from his word let's take time to respond to him in prayer each of this and the quietness of our hearts whatever your needed response to this patient God is let's pour out our hearts to him sinner come to him even as you pray and I'll close when we're done Lord we often get amazed when we see you doing things but we've been stopped in our tracks this morning and see that we ought to be amazed when you do nothing when you do not strike out in vengeance and anger teach us to admire you for your patience to stand in awe of you make it harder for us to sin against you because of your patience help us to be praising you telling each other telling this world a world that's so in a hurry and so impatient with each other that we have found one that has been patient with us and his name is the

[51:48]  Lord Jesus please draw many to him before your patience ends either in their death or in you giving them over to their sin or in the Lord Jesus returning for the day of wrath glorify yourself then as we think and sing and speak to one another of this great patience that you have we ask in Jesus name amen