1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: Let us pray. Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray, 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: is any marry? Let him sing psalms James five thirteen. 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: Dear God, thank you for being the only real source 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: of comfort and help when I am in need. Allow 5 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: me to surrender to you fully. There are times when 6 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: I try to control specific outcomes by researching what the 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: right answer might be. I will ask for advice or 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: seek approval from family and friends during times of doubt. 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: Please remind me that the correct answer comes through prayer 10 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: and not from making a list of pros and cons. 11 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: Let my mind be calm and allow my thoughts to 12 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: rest in your word. When I seek to control things myself, 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: I know that anything is possible through daily prayer and 14 00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: my abounding trust in you. Amen. Thank you for listening 15 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: to today's Daily Prayer. For more inspiration and an incredible 16 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: message from our feature pastor stay tuned to pray dot 17 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: COM's Sunday service. 18 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 2: Patience, James says, is absolutely necessary if you're going to 19 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 2: experience anything of God's goodness in your life. 20 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 3: He does not work quickly. He aims to. 21 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 2: Produce pearls in you, but pearls take time, and time 22 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 2: takes patience. 23 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 4: Welcome to Summit Life with Pastor JD. 24 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: Greer. Thank you for joining us for Sunday service on 25 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: pray dot Com. 26 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 5: Now grab your Bible and let's join Pastor Jed as 27 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 5: he opens God's. 28 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 2: Work James, chapter five. If you have your bibles, James, 29 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 2: chapter five. I remember being fascinated as a fourth grader 30 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 2: what I learned from my teacher, Missus Kibbler, about how 31 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 2: a pearl is formed. Basically, an irritating little grain of 32 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 2: sand gets lodged inside of an oyster shell, and no 33 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 2: matter what it tries, the poor little oyster can't get 34 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 2: rid of it. It laments, and it struggles, It prays 35 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 2: in whatever ways oysters pray. I imagine, you know, Lord, 36 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 2: if it be thy, will remove this thine piece of 37 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 2: sand from the gullet of thy servant. 38 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 3: But the heavens are silent. 39 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 2: The oyster is frustrated, exasperated even and it's at this 40 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 2: moment that that little oyster, to quote a nineties urban poet, 41 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 2: feels like it's about to lose its mind up in here, 42 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 2: up in here, And so the oyster does the only 43 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 2: remaining thing it knows to do to find relief. It 44 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 2: coats the grain of sand with a milky substance called aragonite, 45 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 2: a substance that the oyster normally uses to make it shell, 46 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 2: and it covers and covers and covers this tiny irritant 47 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 2: until that irritant has been transformed into something of great value, 48 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 2: which we pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for. 49 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 3: At the end of the. 50 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 2: Day, that incredibly valuable pearl hanging around your neck is 51 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 2: the result of an irritated oyster bewildered by the fact 52 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: that God did not answer its aquatic prayers. Here is 53 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 2: the principle, no irritation, no frustration, no sense of y'all 54 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 2: gonna make me lose my cool and act the fool 55 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 2: up in here, up in here, none of that. In 56 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 2: chapter five, James explains that God aims to produce pearls 57 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 2: in our lives, and just like with the oyster, for 58 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 2: them to develop. 59 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 3: In us, it's going to take time. 60 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 2: And so he says verse seven, be patience. Therefore, brothers, 61 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 2: Now you see the word therefore therefore connects everything James 62 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 2: has said before with what he is about to say next. 63 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 2: So let's just take a moment and think about that. 64 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 2: What has James talked about up to this point, He's 65 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 2: talked about suffering. 66 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 3: He's talked about disappointments. 67 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 2: He's talked about frustrations that we have with each other. 68 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 2: He's talked about our unanswered prayers and our unfulfilled dreams. 69 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 2: And James is saying that in all of these things, 70 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 2: God is doing something good, even though you've asked God 71 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 2: to take away all those things. He's doing something good. 72 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 2: But to experience the good, we have to exercise patience. 73 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 3: Be patient. 74 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 2: Therefore, brothers, patience, patience, patience. 75 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 3: I hate patience. 76 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 2: The Greek word for patients is macro through me, right, 77 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 2: everybody wants to say that again, to say macro through 78 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 2: Meia say it macro to me. It just sounds nasty, 79 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 2: doesn't it. Let's just all get on the same page 80 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 2: for a minute, shall we. You were looking at a 81 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 2: guy who is not good at patience. I'm glad my 82 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 2: wife is not in here right now, or she would 83 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 2: be screaming amen so loudly it would be distracting and embarrassing. 84 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 2: Of all my many many faults, this one is probably 85 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 2: the worst. And I have a feeling I'm not alone 86 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 2: at the grocery store, at the grocery store. Are you 87 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 2: the kind of person who sizes up all the lines 88 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:18,720 Speaker 2: to figure out which one's going to be the quickest. 89 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 2: As I'm walking up to the line, I'm calculating. 90 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 3: Who is likely to pay slowly, who is most likely to. 91 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 2: Want to chat with the grocery store clerk, or maybe 92 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 2: the worst, who is going to actually pull out coupons. 93 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 2: I'm like, it is twenty twenty three, and you're going 94 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 2: to rummage through your pocketbook to find a mailer so 95 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 2: you can save twenty cents on ahead of lettuce. Come on, 96 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 2: and if you're really sick, you keep track of who 97 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 2: entered the line at the same time you did to 98 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 2: see how well you fare against them. And if somebody 99 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 2: finishes a couple spots. 100 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 3: Ahead of me, my whole day is ruined. Patience. 101 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 2: My lack of patience causes problems in our marriage. Sometimes 102 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,040 Speaker 2: if Veronica is telling me about something and I feel 103 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 2: like she's taken too long to explain her or to 104 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 2: get to the point, and I'll go and I'll kind 105 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 2: of go like this, I'm telling you, those conversations never 106 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 2: end well. And y'all, I know that's wrong, and I 107 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:09,359 Speaker 2: know it's going to end badly, but I just can't 108 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 2: help myself. I'm impatient, and I feel like it's not 109 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 2: even entirely my fault. We live in a culture that 110 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:20,479 Speaker 2: seems to have conspired against us to inculcate impatience in us. 111 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 3: I mean one click shopping. I love that I. 112 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 2: Got Amazon same day delivery, and Walmart Plus can have 113 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: it for me in two or three hours, and it 114 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 2: is worth the price of both memberships just to watch 115 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,279 Speaker 2: them battle it out over who can get it to 116 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,119 Speaker 2: me faster. And when somebody please get the Amazon Drone 117 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 2: system We've all heard so much about, Can somebody get 118 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 2: that up and working? If we can put a man 119 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 2: on the moon, there is no reason why my replacement 120 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 2: computer ink cartridge should not be at my door within 121 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 2: fifteen minutes, y'all. And if there were ever a business 122 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 2: opportunity waiting to happen, it is wedding the drone system 123 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 2: to the Krispy Kreme Hot Now sign. I mean, when 124 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 2: that hot now sign comes on, I want to notificate 125 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 2: on my phone that gives me the option to have 126 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 2: a dozen on my desk within five minutes. 127 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 3: There is no telling what I would pay for that. 128 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 2: Streaming platforms now offer no waiting gratification in our entertainment? 129 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 2: Are you like me and my wife who genuinely wonder 130 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 2: how in the world we used to wait a week 131 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 2: between episodes of our favorite shows. 132 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 3: I mean, now, if I can't binge. 133 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 2: The whole series straight through, I don't even want to 134 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 2: start watching. We are an instant gratification culture, and while 135 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 2: it's convenient and I love it, it also has its share 136 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 2: of negative effects on us. Doctor Paul Brand, who was 137 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 2: a renowned orthopedic surgeon who spent half of his half 138 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 2: of his career working in Asia and the other half 139 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 2: in America, he said, and I quote, people in technologically 140 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 2: advanced societies live at a greater comfort level, to be sure, 141 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 2: but they seem far less equipped to handle suffering and 142 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 2: are far more traumatized by suffering when it inevitably comes. 143 00:07:58,640 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 3: Why is that? Why do you think? 144 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 2: Why are people today so less equipped to endure pain 145 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 2: and suffering? The magazine's Psychology Today ran an article not 146 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 2: too long ago explaining that there has been a dramatic 147 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 2: increase in the number of students asking for treatment for anxiety, 148 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 2: depression and addictions on campus. We all know that we've 149 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 2: heard that but it was their explanation for why this 150 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 2: was happening that I found most fascinating. They said, and 151 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 2: I quote, for young American adults, there is no psychic. 152 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 3: Middle ground anymore. 153 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 2: Frustration catapults immediately into crisis. There's no psychic middle ground 154 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 2: between desire and the fulfillment of that desire. We don't 155 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 2: know what to do with that space, that psychic middle 156 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 2: ground that's called patience, and we just don't have it. 157 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 2: The patience, James says, is absolutely necessary if you're going 158 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 2: to experience anything of God's goodness in your life. 159 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 3: He does not work quickly. 160 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 2: He aims to produce pearls in you, but pearls take time, 161 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 2: and time takes patience. So first let's just read this passage, 162 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 2: and then we're going to ask two questions. 163 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 3: Number one, what exactly is patience? 164 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,080 Speaker 2: And then secondly, we're going to ask how can we 165 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:19,319 Speaker 2: develop patience? 166 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 3: Verse seven. 167 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 2: If you got your Bibles, be patient, therefore, brothers, until 168 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 2: the coming of the Lord. 169 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 3: See how the farmer. 170 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 2: Waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient 171 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 2: about it until it receives the early and the late reigns. 172 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 2: You also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming 173 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,560 Speaker 2: of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against 174 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 2: one another, brother, so that you may not be judged. Behold, 175 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,439 Speaker 2: the judge is standing at the door as an example 176 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,199 Speaker 2: of suffering and patience. Brothers, take the prophets who spoke 177 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 2: in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those 178 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 2: blessed who remain steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness 179 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 2: of Jove, and you have seen the purpose of the 180 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 2: Lord in his life. The Lord is indeed compassion and merciful. Okay, 181 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 2: So first, what is patients patience? As I said, is 182 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 2: the Greek word macro thu mia, and it literally means 183 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 2: long suffering macro long thumia, suffering, long suffering. We're not 184 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 2: talking about brief flickers of pain in an otherwise charmed life. 185 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 2: We're talking about long seasons of suffering. We make sure 186 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 2: you get that because sometimes we think that as Christians 187 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 2: we are entitled to basically charmed lives hashtag blessed with 188 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 2: occasional moments of suffering, a bad afternoon, a sore thumb, 189 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 2: a prodigal that wanders for a few months but then 190 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 2: comes back home. We get passed over for promotion at work, 191 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 2: but very quickly vindicated and then rewarded with more. But 192 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,359 Speaker 2: you see, the word patience in and of itself implies 193 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 2: suffering that. 194 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:01,079 Speaker 3: Last a long time, a long time. 195 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 2: Say it again, say say macro macrow. Do your hands 196 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 2: like this when you say it, macro long thu mia, 197 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 2: I do this right here for suffering. 198 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 3: Okay, long suffering. 199 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 2: There's your object lesson for today, all lightning us aside. 200 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 2: I know some of you are there now, and I 201 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,839 Speaker 2: know it's hard. You're in pain. You're single, and you 202 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 2: don't want to be single. You can't find a job. 203 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 2: You've been treated unfairly, you were lied about, you were 204 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 2: taking advantage of macro thu mia. James uses another word 205 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 2: in this passage as a synonym for patients, steadfast verse eleven. 206 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 2: Behold we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. Steadfast is 207 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 2: the Greek word hoop oh moneo or hyper stand hoopo moneo. 208 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 2: Think of it as standing that won't quit. Tom Hanks 209 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 2: stars in a great movie called Bridge of Spies that 210 00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 2: illustrates this word very well. The movie recounts the truth 211 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 2: story of a Russian immigrant named Rudolph Abel who immigrates 212 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 2: to America and gets accused of spying for Russia. Tom 213 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 2: Hanks plays the American lawyer who defends him. At one point, 214 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,199 Speaker 2: Rudolph Abel says to the Tom Hanks character, you remind 215 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 2: me of somebody in my village that we always called 216 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 2: stoyk ujik. And I know our Russian member is gonna 217 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 2: light me up later for how I pronounce that, But 218 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 2: that's the best I can do. Tom Hanks looks confused 219 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 2: when Abel says that. 220 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 3: So Abel elaborates. He says, this. 221 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 2: One time, this one time, our house was overrun by 222 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 2: partisan border guards, dozens of them. My father was beaten, 223 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 2: My mother was beaten, and this man, my father's friend, 224 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 2: he was beaten too. 225 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 3: And I watch this man. 226 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 2: Every time the guards hit him, he stood back up again, 227 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,200 Speaker 2: so they hit him harder. Still he got back to 228 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,000 Speaker 2: his feet. I think because of this, they just stopped 229 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 2: the beating. They let him live. Stoykme eujik. I remember 230 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 2: them saying stoyk eujique, which means standing man, standing man, 231 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 2: stand that just won't quit. That's what James means by steadfast, 232 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:08,320 Speaker 2: you keep getting up, you won't quit. In the words 233 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 2: of another nineties poet, Chumbawamba, I get knocked down and 234 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 2: I get up again. 235 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 3: Ain't nothing gonna keep me down. 236 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,199 Speaker 2: And that brings us to the next question, how do 237 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 2: we develop patients? James is gonna answer this to a 238 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,959 Speaker 2: couple of illustrations. Illustration number one is the farmer and 239 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 2: the seed verse seven. 240 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 3: See how the. 241 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 2: Farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being 242 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 2: patient about it until it receives the early and. 243 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 3: The late rains. So you also you should be patient 244 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 3: like that. 245 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 2: What does a. 246 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 3: Farmer do after he plants the seed? Answer? Very little. 247 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 3: All he can do is wait. 248 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 2: He's got to wait on the rains, which are totally 249 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 2: out of his control. Sure, sure, he can put down 250 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 2: some fertilizer, he can keep the crows away. 251 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 3: But what happens. 252 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 2: After the farmer plants the seeds is mostly between the seed, 253 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 2: the soil, and the weather. 254 00:13:58,000 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 3: If the farmer is frustrated at. 255 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 2: The of the seed's growth, the worst possible thing he 256 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 2: can do is dig up the seed and try to 257 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 2: make it grow. 258 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 3: That'll do nothing but kill it. 259 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,680 Speaker 2: I remember during one particularly challenging season with one of 260 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 2: our kids, I felt pretty exasperated. I thought I'd taught 261 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 2: everything I was supposed to teach, but it just didn't 262 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 2: seem to really be taking in their lives. And so 263 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 2: I was frustrated, wondering what I needed to do differently, 264 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 2: What had I done wrong? What had I not taught, 265 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 2: What had I not said? Where had I not taken them? 266 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 2: What experience had I not given them? Where had I failed? 267 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 2: I was talking with a pastor or mentor friend that 268 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 2: he said. He said, you know, JD. Your problem is 269 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 2: that you're thinking like a mechanic, and at this point 270 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 2: in their lives, you really should be thinking like a farmer. 271 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 3: I said, I don't understand that. 272 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 2: He said, well, if a mechanic, here's a rattle on 273 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 2: the engine, what does you do. He pulls the car over, 274 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 2: immediately figures out what's making the rattle, pulls out a ranch. 275 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 3: And tightens it. 276 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 2: If the farmer, however, is frustrated at the growth of 277 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 2: a seed, the worst thing the farmer can do is 278 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:02,840 Speaker 2: dig up the seed to check on it and try 279 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 2: to readjust his planting of it that is sure to 280 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 2: kill it. All he can do is wait, leave it alone. 281 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,960 Speaker 2: What happens from this point on is between the seed 282 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 2: and the soil. My friend then told me, he said, 283 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 2: Jay do you and vronic a plant a good seed. 284 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 2: You need to put your wrenches away right now and 285 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 2: stop trying to fix everything. You just got to wait. 286 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 2: You got to cover that seed with your prayers. You 287 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 2: got to stop trying to fix it and let God 288 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 2: do his work. Or to change the metaphor, another mentor 289 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 2: told me that the teenage years for my kids are 290 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 2: like that scene in Apollo thirteen, which is another great 291 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 2: Tom Hanks movie. By the way, Tom has known Nicholas Cage, 292 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 2: but he easily qualifies as second greatest actor of our 293 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 2: generation the movie. The movie recounts one of the early 294 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 2: attempts to put a man on the moon. The attempt 295 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 2: fails and the spacecraft is badly damaged, so they're just 296 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 2: trying to get it back home safely. Because of how 297 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 2: badly the space shuttle is damaged, Ed Harris is worried 298 00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 2: that it's going to burn up when it re enters 299 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 2: the atmosphere. And when it enters the atmosphere, they lose 300 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 2: radio contact with it for like it's like four minutes, 301 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 2: and all they can do and all we the audience 302 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 2: can do is stare at the place where it. 303 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 3: Is supposed to re emerge. From the atmosphere. 304 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 2: Even if you know the history, you know what's coming out, 305 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 2: but it's it's still like the longest, the longest tenses four. 306 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 3: Minutes of any movie anywhere. 307 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 2: My mentor friend said, those four minutes are the teenage 308 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 2: years for a parent. 309 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 3: It's radio silence. 310 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 2: All you can do is stare at the place where 311 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 2: they're supposed to emerge. You're like, well, they went in 312 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 2: at the right angle. I hope the shields work. Here's hoping. 313 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 2: Now some of you are wondering, what does being an 314 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 2: astronaut have to do with being a farmer. Here's what 315 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 2: they have in common. It's that middle space, that vacuum 316 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 2: of helplessness, that that period, that ellipsis of waiting, where 317 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 2: you've done what you can do, and now all you 318 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 2: can do is trust God to send the early and 319 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 2: the late range. 320 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 3: Don't try to dig it up, don't try to fix. 321 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 2: It, stop trying to play God. Here's his second illustration, 322 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 2: the Prophets and job verse ten, as an example of 323 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 2: suffering and patience. Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in 324 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 2: the name of the Lord. Many of the prophets you know, 325 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:19,000 Speaker 2: preached for years, meeting with nothing but persecution and opposition. 326 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 2: They weren't given big auditoriums and were given book deals 327 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:25,880 Speaker 2: and big honorariums. They were given persecution and opposition before 328 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 2: any of their prophecies came true. For example, think of Noah, 329 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 2: who seemed like a genuine crazy man talking about a 330 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 2: worldwide flood for one hundred and twenty years before the 331 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 2: first reigned up Raphael or Joseph, whom God had destined 332 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,640 Speaker 2: to save Israel and rule Egypt, but was first betrayed 333 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 2: by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and then 334 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 2: in prison for two decades. Or how about Isaiah, who 335 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,119 Speaker 2: wrote those beautiful words in Isaiah fifty three about a 336 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 2: suffering but victorious savior who would be wounded for our 337 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,400 Speaker 2: transgressions and bruce for our iniquities, and. 338 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 3: By whose stripes we would be healed, but. 339 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 2: Whose own life ended not with a big book signing 340 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,800 Speaker 2: tour or a platinum worship album featuring all those great lyrics. 341 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 2: No no, Isaiah's life ended Jewish history tells us with 342 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 2: the rebellious, unbelieving king putting him into a hollowed out 343 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 2: log and cutting it into That's how his life ended. 344 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 2: Or Jeremiah, who for extended periods of time was kept 345 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 2: in a dungeon, submerged up to his armpits in mud, 346 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 2: who suffered so long that he wrote a whole book 347 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 2: about it called Lamentations, in which he said, God has 348 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:36,880 Speaker 2: driven me into a place of darkness without any light. 349 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 2: Surely it gets me. He turns his hand again and 350 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 2: again the whole day long. Or how about Ezekiel, who 351 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 2: was told by God to lie on his left side 352 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 2: in public for three hundred and ninety days each day, 353 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 2: symbolizing a year of God's discipline on the children of Israel. 354 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 2: Three hundred and ninety days. What did the creative team 355 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 2: do with that series? 356 00:18:57,880 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 3: Sermons? Series? 357 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 2: You come in every week and I'm just lying on 358 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 2: my side, like yep, same thing this week. Or how 359 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 2: about David, who, after he'd been anointed king for seven years, 360 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 2: lived in caves under threat of death, alienated from his family, 361 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 2: lied about, and slandered. Who could only say Psalm thirteen? 362 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 2: How long, oh Lord? Or Daniel held in captivity for 363 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:23,880 Speaker 2: his entire adult life? For Paul, beaten and bleeding, chain 364 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 2: to the prison walls, ultimately beheaded by Nero. You track 365 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:31,119 Speaker 2: them with me here All of these prophets endured long 366 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 2: macro stretches of darkness. But for all of them, in 367 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 2: the end their words came true, and today we consider 368 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 2: them Verse eleven blessed. James says, question, if you'd been 369 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 2: living at the same time as they were, would you 370 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 2: have considered them hashtag blessed? Would you have looked at 371 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 2: Jeremiah and the dungeon, or Daniel in exile, or Paul 372 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 2: and chains and said, now there there's a blessed man. 373 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 2: It's only now that we consider them blessed. They had 374 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 2: had a way for it macro thugh Mia. And then 375 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,760 Speaker 2: James points to one more person whose case is so 376 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 2: special that he has to mention him directly by name. 377 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 2: You've probably also heard, he says, of the stepfast as 378 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 2: a Job you've seen in his life, the purpose of 379 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 2: the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 380 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:22,200 Speaker 3: Poor Job. 381 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 2: Job was a man who had legitimately no idea about 382 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,400 Speaker 2: what God was doing in his life. There were things 383 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 2: happening in the heavenly realm he had no knowledge of whatsoever, 384 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,959 Speaker 2: And and God allowed Satan to inflict on Job all 385 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,159 Speaker 2: kinds of pain, body pain, family pain, the death of 386 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 2: his kid's marriage, pain, friend pain. But Job never gave up. 387 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 2: Stoy came yushik, standing man. He kept getting up, and 388 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 2: in time Job came to see two things. First, that 389 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 2: God's presence never had left him. Job is the one 390 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 2: who said, in the midst of his pain, I know 391 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 2: my redeemer lives, and I know one day I will 392 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 2: stand with him alive on the earth. 393 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 3: Y'all. 394 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 2: At the time, Job did not even know half of 395 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 2: what it would mean for God to be his redeemer, 396 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 2: how much it would actually cost God for God to 397 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 2: stand there with him on the earth. Job just since 398 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 2: God had never left him and would redeem him from trouble. Second, 399 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:18,679 Speaker 2: Job came to see that even when it felt like 400 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 2: God had abandoned his good work in Job's life. 401 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 3: He actually hadn't. In fact, we learned at the end 402 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 3: of Job's life Job forty two. 403 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 2: I thinks verse six or something, the Lord restored the 404 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 2: fortunes of Job after he had prayed for his friends, 405 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 2: and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he 406 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 2: had before. 407 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,199 Speaker 3: God gave Job back double. 408 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,199 Speaker 2: Which doesn't mean I've told you that that that's what 409 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,480 Speaker 2: always going to happen in your earthly life, that when 410 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 2: you lose your job, that you're guaranteed a new one 411 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 2: just around the corner, where you work half the hours 412 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 2: and get twice the pay. 413 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 3: That's not the point. Job's restoration in chapter forty. 414 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 2: Two is a picture of eternity, how all things will 415 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 2: be restored to us in eternity. But what Job's life 416 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 2: does show you, James says verse eleven, is the purpose 417 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 2: of the Lord. You can see from Job that the 418 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,639 Speaker 2: purpose of the Lord is actually compassionate and merciful. In 419 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 2: Job's life, you and I get to have a glimpse 420 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 2: of what God will ultimately do with all of us, 421 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:16,959 Speaker 2: both in this life and in eternity. We see that 422 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 2: though the ark of God's goodness is long, it never 423 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 2: stops bending toward goodness and will one day fully resolve 424 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 2: into infinite goodness. 425 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 3: And that was true even when Job couldn't feel that. Y'all. 426 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 3: Job was the first one to. 427 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 2: Sing, even when I can't see it, You're working, even 428 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:35,199 Speaker 2: when I can't feel it. 429 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,439 Speaker 3: You're working. You never stop, You never stop working. 430 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 2: And verse nine James identifies the opposite of patience the 431 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 2: time that you're not exercising it. Verse nine, do not 432 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 2: grumble against one another, brother, so that you may not 433 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 2: be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door grumbling. Grumbling. 434 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 2: The word takes us back to Israel wandering in the wilderness, 435 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 2: because that's what characterized the forty year experience, grumbling. They 436 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,479 Speaker 2: didn't trust God, so they grumbled against God, and they 437 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:07,360 Speaker 2: started grumbling against each other, which is what always happens. 438 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 2: You take out your frustrations with God and how he 439 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 2: is letting your life go, you start taking that out 440 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 2: on somebody else. You remember how in our study of 441 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 2: chapter four, how we saw that our anger at one 442 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 2: another is usually fueled by the fact that we're not 443 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 2: getting what we want, which ultimately goes back to a 444 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 2: problem between us and God. Now again, like I said, 445 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 2: then that's not to say the other person's not genuinely 446 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:35,320 Speaker 2: a fault, just an ultimately that your rage comes from 447 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 2: something that has nothing to do with that person. You're 448 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 2: not getting what you want, they're keeping you from it, 449 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,159 Speaker 2: and the fact that it upsets you so much points 450 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,120 Speaker 2: to the presence of an idol in your life which 451 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 2: has nothing to do with them, That is against God. 452 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,720 Speaker 2: James says, don't grumble out your frustration with life and 453 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,960 Speaker 2: with God. Don't take that out on each other, even 454 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 2: if that person really is a fault, don't dwell on it. 455 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:01,399 Speaker 3: Don't see to get revenge and vindicated. God will handle 456 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 3: that and God will be back real soon. 457 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,679 Speaker 2: You see that that phrases says that judge is standing 458 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 2: at the door. 459 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 3: If I know the judge is. 460 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 2: Literally right there by the door, he's about to walk in, 461 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 2: I don't need you to vindicate me. I don't need 462 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:19,000 Speaker 2: social media to vindicate me. I don't need to get 463 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 2: even with you. If that judge is standing at the door, 464 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 2: he's about to walk in and take care of it, 465 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 2: and I can be like, just you shut up, because 466 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 2: Dad will be back real soon. So those are James's 467 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 2: examples of how to develop patients. The farmer and the 468 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 2: prophets in job. Now, using those two examples, could we 469 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 2: just make this really, really practical when you're in that 470 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 2: season of long suffering and some of you again are 471 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 2: there this morning, how can you develop patients so that 472 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 2: God can do his work in you? James tells you 473 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 2: to look three places. 474 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 3: This is as practical as I can make it. 475 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,360 Speaker 2: He says, First, I need you to look backwards remember 476 00:24:57,440 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 2: the purpose of the Lord that you saw in the 477 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 2: Profits and in Job, how the Lord really is compassionate 478 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 2: and merciful through the prophets in Job, you have seen 479 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 2: what the Lord's purpose is. And summit, can I say 480 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,439 Speaker 2: that we've seen it now somewhere even more convincing than 481 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 2: in the prophets in Job. In the Cross and Resurrection, 482 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,560 Speaker 2: we see the purpose of the Lord, how he is 483 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:24,280 Speaker 2: indeed compassionate and merciful, more compassionate and merciful than any 484 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 2: of them ever even imagined that we endure a crucifixion 485 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,440 Speaker 2: on Friday. We now know there's always a resurrection coming 486 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 2: on Sunday. The weeping last for a night, joy comes 487 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,120 Speaker 2: in the morning. And in the Cross and Resurrection, pay 488 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 2: attention here watch us. In the Cross and Resurrection, we 489 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 2: see follow me that there's a time gap between the 490 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 2: suffering and the resurrection. 491 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:49,919 Speaker 3: By the way, you ever wonder. 492 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 2: After Jesus died, why he wasn't resurrected immediately. He's crucified 493 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 2: on a Friday afternoon, but he wasn't resurrected until Sunday morning. Honestly, 494 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 2: I can get God waiting at least until the morning. 495 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 2: You know, give it a full night to prove that 496 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,919 Speaker 2: he's dead, and plus morning resurrection is more symbolic with 497 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 2: the sun coming up and everything. It's better for the 498 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 2: little postcards we would make one day about it. So 499 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 2: you know, I get waiting un till the next morning, 500 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 2: But why wait another whole day? I mean, how hard 501 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 2: must that have been for those disciples the Messiah that 502 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 2: they trusted themselves to and left everything to follow the 503 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 2: Messiah was dead. They were confused, their whole world had 504 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 2: come crashing. Now they didn't know where to go. They 505 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,639 Speaker 2: were lost. They just hid for a like all that time, 506 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 2: Why wait a whole full two days before resurrecting? We 507 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,159 Speaker 2: all that delay was in part because so much of 508 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 2: our lives feel like we. 509 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:41,720 Speaker 3: Live on that second day. 510 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 2: It's that middle space of pain, that middle space of 511 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:48,440 Speaker 2: delayed gratification where we're like. 512 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 3: God, where are you? Where's your goodness? When's this answer 513 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 3: gonna come? It's like you're completely gone. 514 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 2: Listen, y'all are bibles you ever noticed this filled with 515 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,919 Speaker 2: three day stories. Abraham's got to walk up a mountain 516 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,880 Speaker 2: for two days thinking he's going to sacrifice Isaac until 517 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 2: Genesis says, on the third day, God stopped him and 518 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 2: provided a ram as a substitute. 519 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:13,199 Speaker 3: Why not stop him? 520 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 2: As soon as Abraham said yes, he had to wait 521 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:18,560 Speaker 2: three days for it. Esther fasted and prayed to stop 522 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 2: a genocide directed against her people and the king, it says, 523 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 2: changed his mind on the third day. The question is 524 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 2: why a day in between the desperation and the salvation? 525 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 2: Why in every three day story a two day story instead? 526 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 2: It's because God is producing pearls of faith and steadfastness 527 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 2: in our lives. 528 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 3: And pearls take time, and pearls take patience. 529 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,120 Speaker 2: And so James says, in a time of waiting, look 530 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:52,000 Speaker 2: backwards and see how God has worked in the past. 531 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 2: And then he says, look number two forward, establish your 532 00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 2: hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 533 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 2: That word established means become fixed, like concrete. 534 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 3: Throughout this book, James has talked. 535 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 2: About unstable people like the wind, like grass, like a 536 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 2: wave of the sea. This word established, concrete implies the 537 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:19,119 Speaker 2: opposite of that. The way we become established, James says, 538 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,879 Speaker 2: is by how how do we become established? 539 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 3: Look at your bibles? What's you say? Not me? 540 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,119 Speaker 2: Your Bible's okay? I want to see the tops of 541 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:27,359 Speaker 2: your heads right now, not your eyes. 542 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 3: What does this? How do you become established? 543 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,640 Speaker 2: We establish our hearts by reflecting on the coming of 544 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 2: the Lord, the fact that it is at hand, which 545 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 2: means it's relatively soon. 546 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,240 Speaker 3: Remember our illustration from last week that we. 547 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 2: Talked about, the rope with this little red section right 548 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 2: here represents your life, and this section right here represents eternity. 549 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 2: This little time period that we call life seems so 550 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 2: long sometimes, but it's a teeny tiny fraction of eternity. 551 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 2: And any suffering you experience now in that red part 552 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 2: is more than made up for in the expanse of it, 553 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 2: in the expanse of eternity, and that's relatively close, he says. Now, 554 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 2: I do want to be clear here, we can and 555 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 2: should expect the inbreaking of God's goodness into our lives. 556 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 2: Now to you, quote King David in the Land of 557 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,000 Speaker 2: the Living, David was like, look, I don't want to 558 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 2: just praise you in heaven, and I'm going to praise 559 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 2: you in heaven. It's going to be awesome Ettornity, but 560 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 2: I want to celebrate your goodness and your answers to 561 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 2: prayer now in the Land of the Living. Job experienced that. 562 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 2: Many of the prophets experience that too. We should pray 563 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,640 Speaker 2: for the inbreaking of God's goodness, and we should expect it. 564 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 2: But the point remains, for some things to get to 565 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 2: that final resolution, we got to wait until eternity for 566 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,200 Speaker 2: the pearl. God promises He's working all things in our 567 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 2: lives for good, but sometimes we can't see it, and 568 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 2: we got to wait until eternity to see full resolution. 569 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 3: James says, hang on, it won't be long. The Lord 570 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 3: is at hand. 571 00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:59,040 Speaker 2: I can't help when I say that, but think of 572 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 2: some of the old rich negross spirituals that arose out 573 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 2: of the suffering of black Christians and slavery, blatant, outright 574 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 2: injustice that looked to them like it would have never ended, 575 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 2: and in many cases it didn't have an end in 576 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 2: their lifetime. They died in those earthly chains of oppression, 577 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 2: but they defiantly sang like James instructs them to hear. 578 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,440 Speaker 2: Jordan river is deep and wide, Hallelujah, milk and honey 579 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 2: on the other side, hallelujah. Swing low, sweet chariot coming 580 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 2: forth to carry me home. These slaves felt as if 581 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 2: they had nothing on this earth, so they waited eagerly 582 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 2: for him. Maybe you feel like there's no resolution ahead 583 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 2: for you, and you know, I'll be honest, I wish 584 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 2: I could, but I can't stand up here and tell 585 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:48,239 Speaker 2: you that all the relief is right around. I mean, 586 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 2: just you know, just give it to the mar It's 587 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 2: gonna be fine. I can't promise you that you're not 588 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,520 Speaker 2: going to die in pain. I can't promise you that 589 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 2: your life will end without suffering. I can't promise you 590 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 2: that you as escape all the shame. But I can 591 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 2: promise you that you can die singing. 592 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 3: Jordan. River is deep and wide. 593 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,400 Speaker 2: Hallelujah, Milk and honey on the other side, Hallelujah. What 594 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 2: I can promise you is that God has heard every prayer, 595 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:13,719 Speaker 2: and we'll answer every single one, and we'll work everything 596 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 2: in your life for good, making pearls out of all 597 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 2: of it, just like you promised. Eugene Peterson wrote a 598 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 2: great little book on the Psalms, and when she pointed 599 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 2: out that while a lot of the songs contain these 600 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 2: heartfelt cries of where are you God, some of the songs, 601 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 2: he points out even end without clear resolution to that question. 602 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 2: And there are songs that are just like God. I 603 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:40,720 Speaker 2: don't understand you. Where are you? You've forsaken me. I'm 604 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 2: the worst person on earth. I don't understand he said. 605 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 2: While that's true about a lot of the psalms, the 606 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:49,960 Speaker 2: last six psalms Psalms one forty five through one point 607 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 2: fifty are nothing but praise. 608 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 3: Go back and read them. Sometimes there's no request in there. 609 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:57,719 Speaker 2: There's no cries of where are you God, there are 610 00:31:57,720 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 2: no lamentations, there are no complaints. 611 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 3: It's all just praise. 612 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:05,840 Speaker 2: Eugene Peterson's conclusion, the way the psalms are arranged is 613 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:08,960 Speaker 2: meant to show you that any prayer followed far enough 614 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 2: will eventually turn into pearls of praise. Soon enough, you 615 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 2: and I are going to sing the praise of these psalms, 616 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 2: like Psalm one five, which might have paid my kids 617 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,720 Speaker 2: to memorize a couple of summers ago. The Lord is faithful 618 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 2: in all his words and kind and all his works. 619 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 2: The Lord fulfills the desires of those who fear him. 620 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 2: He hears their cry, and he saves them. All your works, 621 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 2: including me, all your works, O, Lord, will praise you. 622 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 2: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures 623 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,719 Speaker 2: throughout all generations. One day, I'm going to say that 624 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 2: from my heart because because all those prayers that I prayed, 625 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,440 Speaker 2: all of that's suffering, I'm going to see how all 626 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:45,479 Speaker 2: of it worked for good and all of it's going 627 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 2: to end in praise because that all happened exactly like 628 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 2: God promised. 629 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 3: It would happen. 630 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 2: So see, we look backwards, we look forwards. There's one 631 00:32:55,320 --> 00:33:01,920 Speaker 2: more direction, we look upwards. That's the God in. But 632 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 2: that's what we'll get to Lord Willing next week, because 633 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 2: it's the next day versus. 634 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 3: So for now, let me close with this. 635 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,760 Speaker 2: Tim Keller says there are at least three places where 636 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 2: God produces pearls in our life through patients. The first one, 637 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 2: let's just call them pearls of skill. Those are my words, 638 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:23,360 Speaker 2: not his, but I think you can summarize it the 639 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 2: way pearls of skill. 640 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 3: Nothing really worth anything in your life. 641 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,400 Speaker 2: You know this, Parents elbow your teenager if they're in 642 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 2: here when I say this, Nothing in your life that's 643 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 2: really valuable as worth can happen in one click. No 644 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 2: skill you develop that makes you able to make a 645 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,240 Speaker 2: living is one clique. It's like Malcolm Gladwell says to 646 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 2: get good at anything, it takes at least ten thousand 647 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 2: hours of patient, repetitive practice. For most good things in 648 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 2: your life, you need middle space. You need a day 649 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 2: two of waiting before day three of realization. Pearls of grace. 650 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 2: Let's call that number two. Genuine friendships and solid marriages. 651 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 3: Listen. So, I mean, if you feel like I know this, 652 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 3: you don't. 653 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,720 Speaker 2: They take time and grace, and some of you don't 654 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 2: have space and patience for the kind of relational give 655 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 2: and take that it actually takes to form a good friendship. 656 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 2: Let me go back to that Psychology Today article that 657 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,120 Speaker 2: I quoted at the beginning. That article said that one 658 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:21,280 Speaker 2: of the reasons people are having so much trouble maintaining 659 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,640 Speaker 2: relationships today is that we don't have relational middle space. 660 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 2: If somebody treats us unjustly, somebody sends against us, or 661 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:34,000 Speaker 2: disappoints us, or even annoys us, culture says, cut them. 662 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:36,840 Speaker 3: You don't need that baggage in your life. 663 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 2: Cancel them if they're not helping you get to the 664 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:41,440 Speaker 2: destination you want to get to. 665 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:42,319 Speaker 3: Cut them. 666 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 2: Find better friends, join a new small group, find a 667 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:52,600 Speaker 2: new church. Y'all listen, real friendships. Pearls of friendships only 668 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 2: grow in the soil of grace. Yes, yes, the Bible 669 00:34:56,560 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 2: tells us to confront people when they're in error, and 670 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 2: there is certainly time to end a relationship, particularly if 671 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:08,200 Speaker 2: it's abusive. But the Bible points to an enormous middle 672 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 2: space of grace in our relationships, and it says things 673 00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 2: like it's a man's glory to overlook an offense, tells 674 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 2: us to bear with one another, tells us to turn 675 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,840 Speaker 2: the other cheek, or love covers a multitude of sins. 676 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,080 Speaker 2: I'm just gonna tell you right now, if you call 677 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,399 Speaker 2: out people every time they slight you, if you cut 678 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:26,959 Speaker 2: them off every time they disappoint you, you're never gonna 679 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,399 Speaker 2: have any community, and you're gonna end up lonely. You'll 680 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 2: feel righteously indignant about how righteous you are on that 681 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:38,520 Speaker 2: little island of self righteousness you call loneliness. Real friendships, 682 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:41,520 Speaker 2: pearls of friendships can only grow in the. 683 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 3: Soil of grace. Finally, pearls of faith. 684 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:49,000 Speaker 2: The confidence of God is up to something good even 685 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,680 Speaker 2: when things feel bad. The confidence, Peter says, is more 686 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 2: valuable even than gold. 687 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:57,840 Speaker 3: Tim Keller says it like this, he says. 688 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:01,880 Speaker 2: Every hour something will come along in your life that 689 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,640 Speaker 2: you bristle at every hour. When that happens, you're at 690 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 2: a fork in the road. You can either say, I 691 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 2: trust God. I'm gonna be patient with what God is 692 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:13,960 Speaker 2: doing right now. That person may be annoying me, but 693 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 2: I'm gonna trust God that He's got a good purpose 694 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 2: for me in it, and then you can sleep easily. 695 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:22,200 Speaker 2: Or you can say, I trust my understanding of what 696 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:27,800 Speaker 2: needs to happen and develop an ulcer. It's up to you. 697 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 2: Good night, sleep, Ulcers up to you. Pearls of faith 698 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:39,320 Speaker 2: or pulmonary embolisms, your choice. Tim Keller's definition of faith 699 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:46,560 Speaker 2: or patient excuse me. Patience is graciousness, steadiness, and faithfulness 700 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,480 Speaker 2: in the face of delayed gratification. 701 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 3: Church. 702 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:55,759 Speaker 2: I told you at the beginning the patience is hard 703 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,799 Speaker 2: for me, and so I can tell you from experience. 704 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 2: But I know how difficult it is to wait. And 705 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:10,960 Speaker 2: maybe that's you right now. Some of you are even 706 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:12,560 Speaker 2: going to be tempted to walk away from God at 707 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 2: a time of waiting because you just hang on and 708 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:19,800 Speaker 2: just think with me on why that's a terrible decision. 709 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,040 Speaker 2: I mean, I agree with Philip Yancey and his book 710 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:27,120 Speaker 2: Disappointment with God. He says, the only thing worse than 711 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 2: disappointment with God is disappointment without God. You see, with Jesus, 712 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 2: even though sometimes I don't understand him, I have the 713 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:39,920 Speaker 2: confidence that though my weeping last for a night, I 714 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:41,240 Speaker 2: know Joy's coming in the morning. 715 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:42,560 Speaker 3: See. 716 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:44,440 Speaker 2: I know that because the Redeemer who died for me 717 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 2: on a Friday and seemed absent on a Saturday, resurrected 718 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:50,800 Speaker 2: with power on a Sunday. And that's a picture of 719 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 2: what he's going to be doing in my life. I 720 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 2: know my Redeemer lives, and soon I'm going to stand 721 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 2: with him. 722 00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:00,000 Speaker 3: Victorious on the earth. Oh, I've quit it. 723 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,640 Speaker 2: Tim Keller a lot in this message. Recently, you may know, 724 00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 2: doctor Keller went home to be with Jesus. I had 725 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 2: the privilege of attending his funeral in New York City. 726 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 2: It was held at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Tim had struggled 727 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 2: with for the last several years with very painful, aggressive 728 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:20,080 Speaker 2: version of pancreatic cancer, and. 729 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,439 Speaker 3: There were literally thousands of us across the country praying 730 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:25,000 Speaker 3: that God would heal him. 731 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 2: Because another ten fifteen years with Tim Kellery so valuable 732 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 2: to us. And the funeral was moving, of course, but 733 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,200 Speaker 2: it was a normal funeral, except right at the very 734 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:42,759 Speaker 2: end we all stood together and we sang together this 735 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:46,400 Speaker 2: old Keith Green song. There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's 736 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,719 Speaker 2: own son, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One. Thank you, 737 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,680 Speaker 2: oh my Father, for sending us your son and leaving 738 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 2: your spirit until your work on earth is done. When 739 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:57,719 Speaker 2: I stand in glory, I will see his face there. 740 00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:03,360 Speaker 2: I'll praise my King forever in that whole plays she Supposedly, 741 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:07,680 Speaker 2: for the first decade or so of Tim Keller's church 742 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:10,319 Speaker 2: in Manhattan, the churchy Planet, it was called Redeemer Presbyterian. 743 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:13,520 Speaker 2: They sang that at the end of every single service, 744 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,640 Speaker 2: and so it perfectly captured Tim's life and his message, 745 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:20,760 Speaker 2: as well as how. 746 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:25,240 Speaker 3: He struggled, how he died, and what he now sees. 747 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:28,959 Speaker 2: And so as I was thinking of that this week, 748 00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 2: it felt like it particularly apropos that it captured the 749 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:34,320 Speaker 2: hope we have in this message, I just thought it 750 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:35,560 Speaker 2: might be appropriate for us to. 751 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:38,320 Speaker 3: End our service that way. 752 00:39:39,239 --> 00:39:41,359 Speaker 2: There is a Redeemer. All that means I can wait. 753 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,640 Speaker 2: There is a Redeemer. It means that all is worth it. 754 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,640 Speaker 2: It means eternity is worth it. It's actually not that 755 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:52,560 Speaker 2: far away. Faithfulness is worth it. I can wait. Jesus 756 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:57,160 Speaker 2: is worthy of my patience. There is a redeemer, which 757 00:39:57,239 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 2: means I can be stoy kane USh because he was 758 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:07,920 Speaker 2: stoykme you sick, a standing man, and he stands by 759 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:09,600 Speaker 2: my side because he stood in my place. 760 00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:17,360 Speaker 6: As we look ahead to a new year, many of 761 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:20,080 Speaker 6: us spend time setting goals, a way of deciding how 762 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 6: we'll ultimately spend our time. After all, we can't add 763 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 6: any more seconds to the day, so it's important to 764 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:31,960 Speaker 6: use the time we have intentionally. Often we prioritize our health, education, 765 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 6: or finances, but the most important thing we can invest 766 00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:40,440 Speaker 6: our time in is what lasts forever. Our newest resource, 767 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:43,840 Speaker 6: the Summit Life twenty twenty four day Planner, is designed 768 00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:46,520 Speaker 6: to keep you organized and on track with more than 769 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:50,040 Speaker 6: just basic time management. The new year is a great 770 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:52,680 Speaker 6: time to take stock of your life and decide how 771 00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:55,080 Speaker 6: you want to grow in your relationship with God in 772 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:59,319 Speaker 6: the coming months. In addition to a full view of 773 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,759 Speaker 6: each month, this twelve month planner also features a week 774 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:06,640 Speaker 6: by week layout with space for appointments, notes, and reflections. 775 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,920 Speaker 6: The planner uniquely includes key scripture references each month and 776 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:14,600 Speaker 6: a Bible reading plan to help you maintain the vital 777 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:20,200 Speaker 6: spiritual discipline of consistently spending time in God's word. Very 778 00:41:20,239 --> 00:41:22,920 Speaker 6: few goals in life actually happen without a plan to 779 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,800 Speaker 6: implement them. We pray this planner will be a great 780 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:29,000 Speaker 6: tool to help you manage not only your personal life goals, 781 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:32,880 Speaker 6: but also your Kingdom goals. Request a copy of the 782 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:35,759 Speaker 6: Summit Life twenty twenty four day Planner when you give 783 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:39,439 Speaker 6: to support the ministry of Summit Life. Call eight sixty 784 00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:43,920 Speaker 6: six three three five fifty two twenty. That's eight sixty 785 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:47,920 Speaker 6: six three three five fifty two twenty, or go to 786 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:56,040 Speaker 6: Jdgreer dot com and request this resource today. 787 00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:59,480 Speaker 5: Thanks for joining us today on Summit Life. As always, 788 00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:02,719 Speaker 5: you can visit us at Jdgreer dot com. We'll see 789 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:11,680 Speaker 5: you next time for Summit Life with Jdgreer. Today's program 790 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:14,719 Speaker 5: was produced and sponsored by JD. Greer Ministries. 791 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:20,480 Speaker 4: The podcast The Bible in a Year with Jack Graham 792 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:24,040 Speaker 4: is a moving and inspiring Biblical audio experience that will 793 00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:27,120 Speaker 4: help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book In 794 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:31,280 Speaker 4: each episode, you'll learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. 795 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,879 Speaker 2: Each cinematic episode is a journey through the Bible's most 796 00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:38,359 Speaker 2: profound stories that will strengthen your appreciation of the Word 797 00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:41,280 Speaker 2: and inspire you to keep learning. 798 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 4: Listen to the Bible in a Year with Jack Graham 799 00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:48,000 Speaker 4: on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.