Spiritual Maturity #5

A. Have you heard the American Prayer? “Lord give me patience...And I want It NOW!” It’s hard for
people who exist on frozen dinners, instant potatoes, digital cameras, fast interstate highways,
to learn how to be patient, just sit back and wait.
The yellow light says, “WAIT” and we speed up. We’d rather do anything except wait . That's not the way mature Christians are. Jas 5:7-8, 11, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.....Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord?? that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
a. Learn to be patient and wait on God. It’s hard. It means you have to trust in God, rest in God
instead of wringing your hands and worrying yourself sick. You ever done that?
(A) Waiting on God is a statement of faith. Yet how many of us fake it? By putting on a false
face. Looking cool on the outside. All tore up on the inside? We race through with a
big smile. Beneath the mask the jaw is tight, the teeth are crumbling.
(1) That’s not the way to grow a mature Christian. Most important wok in your life. Noble
task of building God’s Holy Temple. Not build with sloppy, inferior materials. Build
on the right foundation. 1 Cor. 3:10-11. Take heed how you build.
Holy Spirit tells how in 2 Pet. 1:5-11. Don’t use your own blueprint. Don’t substitute your own building blocks. End up with something different from God’s Temple.
Listen to James. The Bible’s man from Missouri: “SHOW ME!” Jas. 2:17-26. Prove to me, show me your faith by living it. You prove your talk by walking the Walk.
Patience and waiting on God is a statement of faith. You Prove it by living it. We know about patience (Head Knowledge). What we lack is patience itself.
You don’t fake it. You become a person who really is patient. Jas. 5:18-20. Try to show me your faith with out patience and You’ve shown me you have no faith.
Ps. 62, Talks about how we add the beautiful Christian grace called patience to our lives. Ps. 62:1-2, 5-8, 11.
It tells what you do and how you do It. You patiently and quietly wait on God.
Remember Eccl. 3:1-13. God does nothing before it’s time. That’s a good lesson. You patiently, quietly wait for God’s time. Subject to Him and be patient under His hand. learn to trust Him.
Rom. 8:28, says, “God does all things for our Good, and for our Enjoyment.” Eccl. 3, says, “He does it so we can find Gladness in His Blessings and Enjoy the Fruit of our Labors.”
Give up self and give God a chance. That’s all God’s asking. Don’t be anxious, retful, stressed, chomping at the bitt, racing your motor.
Don’t run ahead of God hollering, “Come on God, We’ve got to Do THIS and we’ve got to do it THIS WAY and we’ve got to DO IT NOW.” Guess what? That’s Not patience, trust, faith. That’s presumption and rebellion! “I know best.”
(a) Guess what? You cannot wait and run at the same time. Try it and see how stupid
you look! Again listen to Ps. 62:1, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him
comes my salvation.” (If a tornado comes where are you going be? In the storm
cellar or standing under the close line?) “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is
my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” Who, What else can you depend on to
care for you?
This is a declaration, statement of faith. David says, “This is what I believe and I’m not going to believe anything else OR act otherwise.”

2. Ps. 62:5, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” This is belief, faith in practice. David is talking to himself at a time when life is difficult, hard. Saying to Himself, “Hey, self, woa, stop, sit down and practice what you know to be true.” Hit the break, stop and wait for God to provide the answers. And while you’re waiting, enjoy the blessings. Believe with David these words, “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart before Him (Pour it all out, Fall down before Him, Give Him all you have and all you are, and trust totally in Him) make God your refuge, your only refuge.”
(1) Spiritual maturity comes from knowing and understanding God’s awesome love. Rom. 8:28?30; Vs. 31-32. Here are the facts of what God has done for you in Jesus on the cross. What are you going to do? How are you going to plead? Guilty or not guilty? Throw yourself on the mercy of God or spit in God’s face and walk away?
(1) God, our Creator, loved an uncreated creation (that He knew about before it was created)
Before God ever said, “Let there be light.” He said, “Let there be a cross.” 1 Cor. 2:7.
Paul says, “...we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that
God destined for our glory before time began.” Eph. 1:4?6; Tit. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:8?9;
1 Pet. 1:18?21.
(1) What about the little petty stuff in your life? All else falls into insignificance when you understand who God is and what He has done for you. The Creator loved an uncreated creation enough to create it and then become a part of it, to die for it, that He might save it.
(2) Nothing, is greater than that. God loves you and there is nothing that you can do to make Him not love you. God is love. That’s the way He is and He cannot be any other way.
(2) And the proof of that is that we have a Creator who loved an uncreated creation enough to create it and then become a part of it, to die for it, that He might save it. Reject that and you loose it all. Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot come close to that, Islam cannot even touch the hem of that garment, Mormonism perverts it, Catholicism and denominationalism mock and disrespect it by their additions to and deletions from it.
(1) Why not just grab the break. Stop, compose yourself, look into your self and say,
“Soul, shut up, be quiet, sit down be still and wait for God and while you’re waiting
start growing up spiritually and enjoy the good things He has so graciously provided.”
(2) Leave all things in God’s hands and He will fix everything you broke.
(3) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 10/20/02 am Bob Martin