"Have You Learned Your Lesson?"
January 22, 2006

The New Testament Lesson: Matthew 7: 24 - 29
The Old Testament Lesson: Jonah 3: 1 - 5, 10

God is willing to work with us with incredible patience—and with others too!

I.  Patience is in short supply in our culture.
   A. It does not take a keen observer to recognize that American Culture is lacking in patience!
        1. We are geared to speed!
        2. More and more businesses are putting in drive through lanes.
            a. It started with fast food.
            b. It expanded to the mini-markets.
            c. Wyoming has drive through liquor stores!
            d. Even the middle class restaurants now have “take-away service”
        3. If you go to many stores, you can find one stop shopping.
            a. in same building you will find groceries, drugs, flowers and a bank.
            b. I’m surprised no one has thought how to do a physical at checkout!
        4.  All of these things mitigate against human contact.
            a. do talk to me, don’t look me in the eye, don’t slow me down.
            b. I just want what I need so I can keep moving.
            c. but what we need more than anything else is to slooow down
        5. I have started a course at SLTS called cross cultural hermeneutics.
            a. They are recognizing that Americans are struggling to relate.
            b. One of the greatest problems is the way we neglect humanness.
            c. We are trying to do rapid business.
            d. Yet in most cultures, the norm is to take time.
        6. Sorti wrote about an incident in which a young exec in India failed.
            a. None of the Indians we worked with thought he liked them.
            b. He made stops by their office and took care of business efficiently
            c. But their expectation was to make contact, share family concerns, inquire about well being and then do business.
        7. Lack of patience is ruining our relationships.
   B. This is also unfortunately true in the church.
        1. In working with people, we expect instantaneous success.
            a. We want to see people and churches make rapid turn arounds.
            b. We’ll give them a year or so, but we’d better see progress.
        2. Our Statistics show that the average pastorate last 5 years or less.
            a. Pastors seem to want to make their Mark (Z!) and ride on.
            b. Associate pastorates are even shorter.
            c. Youth pastors avg. 18 months!
        3. Fortunately, that’s not how God works.

II.  God has shown incredible patience in working with recalcitrant humanity
   A. The Story of Jonah is a story about God’s grace (and our lack of it!)
        1. Our passage comes after the fish tale.
        2. Jonah has already run out on God and repented.
        3. He’s now working on his second chance to obey God.
        4.  He is told to warn Ninevah of their impending doom!
            a. They’ve only got 40 days because God’s fed up with them.
            b. Jonah likes this part of the job because he’s their bitter enemy.
            c. The Ninevites take the message to heart.
            d. declare a radical fast—no food OR water—even for the animals
        5. The happy ending comes in the middle: everyone is saved!
        6. Thus, God shows his limitless patience and compassion.  (personally, I’m really glad for that message, how about you?)
   B. While some might think that Jonah would be excited for his next assignment, he wasn’t!
        1. He was angry with God
            a. Imagine God having the audacity to forgive those Ninevites.
            b. They’d had more than enough time for repentance.
            c. God should have just wiped them out.
        2. But God deals with others on a whole different level.
        3. God holds us as so precious, God never gives up waiting.
            a. hoping that the wayward will find the right way.
            b. Loving and waiting are God’s response to human sin.
        4. And that needs to be our response as God’s people as well!

III.  Learning patience is of utmost importance.
   A. I am often given pause when I read the description of Love
        1. I Corinthians gives love an operational definition.
        2. It starts out in a very peculiar manner.  Do you remember?
        3. It says first of all, “Love is…patient!”
        4. Now we know why God is amazingly patient…because God is love!
        5. And it also might give us reason to know why people rarely find American Christians to be loving:  We lack patience!
   B. Remember the first throes of passionate love?
        1. picking up your girl friend for a date
            a. You eagerly anticipated her,
            b. even more so when you had to wait a few minutes
            c. you knew the wait would be worth it
        2. Compare that with many a married couple
            a. waiting for your spouse who is habitually late.
            b. “Com’ on honey, they’re waiting for us…Let’s get a move on…I’m getting in the car.  I’ll leave without you!”
        3. Love requires patience—knowing the wait will be worth it!
   C. Patience is the core issue with our dealings with others.
        1. To help people find the forgiveness of God we must be patient.
        2. remember the disciples’ question: How many times do we forgive.
            a. Thought they were being magnanimous with 7 times.
            b. Jesus, displaying the divine patience says, 7 times 7!
   D. The Trouble is waiting for patience to grow in us.
        1. It does not come automatically or easily.
        2. In fact, only way to gain patience is to be in situations that require it.
        3. But just needing patience isn’t enough.
            a. You have to  recognize that you lack it and it is required.
            b. Then you have to exercise it.

And as you go from this place, may you walk in the way of Christ Jesus and May God always find you faithful!