John Gunter: We're back in our God revealed series, and I've already given up the name of it, so there it is. But we've talked about so far that God is holy, God is just, God is merciful, and God is faithful. Can we say amen to that? Yes, he is. And so, this week answers the question, if God is just and sin is real, why hasn't he acted yet?
There are moments where we look at the world and we wonder why God hasn't done something yet. Yes? And as much as we think about that, if you think about your own sin, how often do you think God needs to hurry up and do something about that? It's true. Right?
As much as we look at other things, and we go, God, do something about it. When I mess up, you know, you're busy, you got things to do, been a tough week. In those moments, we don't want God to act immediately, do we? We want time. And I told you, God is patience, and what we want from God in that moment is patience.
Right? And so, today, as we discover this, we're gonna discover scriptures about God being patient. But we often ask the questions, and rightfully so, I think, why does evil continue? Why does sin continue seemingly unchecked at times? Why do people seem to get away with things?
And again, it's always those people, not myself. Why do they get away with things? And even in our own lives, when we have struggles, you know, God, I wish you'd hurry up and fix this. I've asked you a lot over the years, how many of you have lived long enough to to be through to to go through, walk through very difficult times? Times that you didn't see the way out of, and now you're on the other side going, praise God.
Yes. And some of those things just take time, don't they? I wouldn't wish it on our to go through it again, I wouldn't want you to go through it, but going through those times takes time to see the benefit, to see the the end result, and often we are blessed, even though we may not know it, by God's patience. But sometimes when nothing happens immediately, we start assuming nothing is wrong. You ever notice that?
If nothing happens when I do something, it doesn't seem like anything's wrong or anything's gonna happen. One of my favorite and one of our family's favorite shows is The Big Bang Theory. Anybody else? Jim Parsons is from Spring. Hopefully, I'll run into him one day, meet Sheldon.
But one of the running bits over the years is that Sheldon does not have a car, and so he always has to ride with Penny, Penny or Leonard. But he every time he rides with Penny, he is he is concerned because in Penny's car, every single time, is a check engine light, and she does not care. He brings it up over and over, and actually one of the times he brings it up, the check engine light is on, and she said, yeah, I really gotta put a sticker over that. But in a moment when everything is running fine, the car seems like it's okay, it seems that everything's okay. There's no nothing to worry about, but what Sheldon knows, because he's even got half a brain, is that that light is telling you, not necessarily that something's gonna blow up or or be destroyed right now, but something is coming in the future.
And just that driving down the road fine right now doesn't mean that later on, everything's still going to be fine. And actually, later on in the series, her car breaks down, I think she misses an audition, and it finally comes to a head. But I think a lot of people treat God's patience the same way. Because judgment is delayed, because consequences don't happen, I got away with this week, nothing happened to me, I'm good to go, we assume nothing is wrong, but delayed consequences are not proof that everything is okay. Just because you did that thing this week and you weren't struck down, nothing happened, does not mean everything is okay because God is not slow.
In second Peter three verse nine, this is the first part of that verse, it says, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness. That last part was the key for us. Because sometimes when when things are going wrong, you think, God's pretty slow. I've dealt with this enough. Right?
God is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness. And so when when Peter addresses this, he is addressing people, asking why God has not acted. He's asking they're they're asking, alright, what now? And so, they're they're wrestling with this idea that delay means that God is weak, he doesn't have the power, maybe he's forgetful, or maybe he's just choosing not to act, and they have a lot of questions. And we still really do this today when something does not happen on our timeline, we start to have questions, don't we?
Because my timeline is the best. Right? We assume something is wrong when God does not act when I believe he should act. God doesn't see, God doesn't care, God is unconcerned, or maybe we think judgment is never coming. I'm not sure about that whole judgment thing.
This scripture says, God is not slow. Second part of that verse says, it says, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. So in those moments where we're asking God why there's all this inaction, there's no action, there's God won't you show up. He says, God is not slow, but God is patient towards you. Anybody need God's patience this morning?
Say amen. Yes. God is patient. The delay is intentional. You ever thought about that?
I don't necessarily like that in the middle of the storm. But the delay from God is intentional. He's not postponing judgment because he forgot. He's not postponing because he's not just, he's delaying it on purpose. Patience means that God holds back what is deserved.
Can you imagine if God acted immediately like we want him to? At this week, something happens, you're not on your a game, you're not plugged into KSBJ, you know, you're you know, something's going awry. Right? And as soon as you mess up, God says, Judgment? Some of us grew up thinking that's the way God acted.
Right? Out of the out of the book of life type of thing. It's time to go, but patience means God holds back what is deserved. Mercy removes that judge, We talked as God is merciful, but patience delays it. Judgment is still real, but it is just not immediate.
Praise God. Amen? I know we we think about other people, we want it right now, but think about yourself, put yourself in that situation, and God's delay is a blessing. When consequences are delayed long enough, people start assuming that we're just getting away with things. Ecclesiastes eight verse 11, because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
So because I was able to get away with it, that opens the gate, that opens the door to say, okay, I can do this, there are no consequences. Here we go. Another one of my favorite movies and our our family's favorite movies is the the Christmas movie Home Alone. And in that movie, there are two robbers, two burglars, Marv and Harry. And the thing about it, they call themselves you remember what they call themselves?
The wet bandits. And the reason they do that is every time they rob a house is it Marv or Harry? I can't remember. The taller one? Marv.
Yeah. Marv always goes to the sink, he gets a cloth or something, clogs up the drain, turns the sink on so it floods the house. We are the wet bandits. And what that does is it shows you that as they rob houses, you remember they've had a plan, they've gone around as police officers, it looks like we've got a perfectly executed plan, and they're getting away with every single one of them. And it may feel like, I'm never gonna get caught.
You ever been in that? You ever done some maybe it's not like that, but maybe some little things. I'll never get caught, nobody will ever know nothing. But what happens in the end? Once they are caught, because of what they did, they are tied to every single thing they did.
Every robbery is a wet bandit robbery. Clogged sink, faucet turned on, we're getting you for that one. And all of a sudden, it comes down to, oh, consequences do happen. And so, when it says here back in second Peter three and nine, again, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Read that last part with me.
Not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. That is God's attitude toward us. If you grew up thinking that God was waiting around the corner, setting the trap for you, we missed it. Not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. That is what God's patience is all about.
This patience has purpose. God is giving us time. He's not ignoring sin. God understands sin happens. He's not excusing it, but what he is doing is he's giving time.
He's giving us time to recognize sin, he's giving us time to turn from it and respond to him. How many of you have ever been in a situation where somebody had to kind of come alongside you and just remind you who you were supposed to be. Yes? You you come off the path. You're starting to do some things that aren't in in line with God's will.
How many of you would would really like it if God would have said, no. No. No. No. No.
I'm not giving them time. They know better. But God's attitude, no I don't want anybody to perish. I I want all to reach repentance. And so that is who God is.
God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. I think there are two ways to respond to patience. People often they can receive it or they can misuse it. I think one of the most dangerous assumptions that we have is believing we always have more time. Yes?
I can do that tomorrow. I don't know why that's popping. I can do that tomorrow, I've got time, let me think on it. I'm a processor, like I told you before, drives Katie nuts. I'm a processor, I need to think about it, but it's almost that I always have more time to hear my kids talk about it, I'm on death's doorstep, I'm old, I'm ancient, because to them, that's a long time.
Right? 43. But we don't always have more time. We don't have more time to change, we don't have more time to take God seriously, we don't have more time to deal with sin or more time to respond. Because when that time is up, it's up, isn't it?
We think often that later will be easier, maybe another opportunity will come, there's no need for urgency. We talk often about thinking, as soon as I get my life right, then I'll come to Christ. And we're going, don't do that. All of us are saying, those of us who've come to Christ, don't do that because you're not gonna get there. Because even those who of us who have come to Christ know we live imperfect lives.
We're not living in a way that shows perfection. We're we're trying, but hopefully what we're doing with our lives is pointing back to Jesus, saying, I'm living for him. I'm not perfect. I'm trying to follow him. Hope that's the story of our life anyway.
I wanna follow him. But spiritually, later I'll do this later. Later's a better time. Spiritually, later is one of the most dangerous things a person can say or think. Because what we do is I think most of us, probably most of us, don't reject God outright.
We don't just come to a point and say, no, I'm not doing it. Some do, but I think most people don't just reject God outright. What we do is we keep delaying. What would you think of a relationship that you there's somebody you like, and you'd like to have a relationship with them, and you ask them, would you like to have a relationship with me? And they keep delaying.
I'll get back to you. A week goes by, I'll get back to you. How long does that go? How long would you go asking that person and them saying, you know, let's talk about it again later. At best, if they ever say yes, it's gonna be, uh-oh, I don't know how strong a length this is.
But can you imagine that? We often that's the way we treat God. It's not a no, it is a I'll think about it, I'll talk about it. Let me see if I can get my life right by myself somehow, and then I'll talk to you later. But that's why God's patience can actually become dangerous when it's misunderstood, because we think we've got plenty of time.
The time God gives is meant to lead you back to him. That's what it's meant for, not further away from him. In Romans two verse four, or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance actually dealing with that again, and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to what? He is being patient. And actually, that word patient is talking about the the root is kind of going through suffering.
You wouldn't describe your life as being patient when everything's going right, would you? I'm just being patient through all of these riches. Would you? No? God is just blessing me.
I just gotta get through it. No. Patience is is showing I'm gonna put up with some things. I'm gonna go through some suffering. I'm gonna deal with some things because there's a purpose.
K? God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. But back to second Peter, God's patience will not last forever. It says, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. There is a time, there is a day, it's not theoretical, it's not symbolic, it is real.
We don't like to think about it. We don't like to think about getting older, even if we even if we live a healthy life or we get it get to the the the age that the health people say we should average make it to, even if we do that, a day is coming, is it not? We're thankful for God's patience that he doesn't punish us immediately, that he doesn't as soon as I sin or or fall short or not do something, that that God doesn't do this, but if we keep delaying, we are moving closer and closer to the day. Now, when I was growing up, this was used really as a weapon, and I don't wanna I don't wanna guilt you with this, but I do wanna be real about it. Whether we're talking about Jesus coming back or just simply death, there is a day coming.
Yes? You know that? And it's gonna come like a thief in the night. We don't know and that's all that means, is we don't know the time. If we knew the time, it probably wouldn't be to our advantage to know it, would it?
Because we'd probably say, well, got a couple weeks, I'm gonna live in this crazy manner, and then I'll I'll clean it up that last twenty four hours. Right? And our hearts would not really follow God if we knew the time. But God is patient, he gives us time, but there is a time coming, a day that is not theoretical. It is very, very real.
His patience has a limit, not because he changes, but because justice will be fulfilled. Think about that. God cannot be just if justice never comes. If God just put up with everything, he would not be just. But God's delay is not permanent.
In Hebrews nine verse 27, injustice it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. There is a day coming. There's a great day coming. Anybody grow up singing that song? There is a great day coming if you're following Jesus, if you have that relationship with him.
It is appointed a man for man, wants to die, and after that comes the judgment. I want to remind you of the story of Noah. Noah, it says in the in the New Testament, was a preacher of righteousness that he he preached to people saying that there is a flood coming. How long did did Noah preach? How long?
I'm hearing different numbers. A long time. Let's just go with that. For a long time, Noah preached. He tried to convince, he tried to work with the people, he even built a boat to say, I'm taking this pretty seriously.
And you think about the time that Noah spent in that. If I said I heard I heard somebody say forty years, is forty years a long time? Depends. I'm forty three. If you say, forty years from now, John, I'm going to give you a $100.
Well, thank you, but I'm probably gonna forget about that $100 by then. Yeah? Four decades. Also, I'm 43. It wasn't very long ago I was in college, high school, growing up, going to these kids classes that I still remember.
Yes. So it depends on perspective, doesn't it? Think about our oldest member, miss Merle. She is how old now, Robert? 97 years old.
And again, if you tell me, in ninety seven years, something's going to happen, you think, oh. But I bet if miss Merle was here today, she'd say, ninety seven years is going pretty fast. And that's exactly what we see in the story of Noah, though it was a very long time, eventually a day comes. And if we think about our lives in that in that manner, we know how quickly they are going. How many of you really wanted to be 16 to drive?
18 by tobacco? 21, just to be 21. Right? Yeah. Once you got past those milestones where you could buy everything you want to buy or I don't know what gun age is now, but once you got past those milestones, it seemed like somebody turned up the dial on the speed of things.
And you turned 21, and the next year, turn 43. Kids, I promise you, in that amount of time, you're gonna say, yeah. Yeah. I remember that, and he was right. And so we know how quickly life goes, yet still, often our response is, I'll put it off until tomorrow.
Knowing full well, we don't mean tomorrow. We mean the next week or the next month or next Easter, and I come to church again. And we delay, and we delay, and we delay. God is holy, God is just, God is merciful, God is faithful, God is patient. Church, say amen.
Amen. His patience has a purpose. Do not misuse it. It is because of God's kindness, it is because of God's love that he is giving us time, but that time is to be able to return, to repent, to respond to him. And so the question is not, why has God not acted yet?
I think we saw that this morning. The question for you today is, what are you doing with the time he has given you? Sit with that just a second. What are you put your name in it, don't point at somebody else. What are you doing with the time God has given you?
I'm talking this morning to the person who has never put on Christ in baptism. You keep putting that all thinking, well, one day that'll be okay. I'm talking to the person who is already a follower, but things aren't follower, in quotes. I'll get back right with him. I'll I'll I'll come I'll repent.
I'll confess later on of the things I have done. All the situations that we keep putting off and thinking we have got plenty of time. I'm not here to just guilt you into something, but again, I just want to be real. There is a time, and what better time is there than right now? Really.
What is gonna change about tomorrow or next month or next year that's gonna make a change so big that, oh, then I'll Why not make that change right now? We're gonna offer an invitation, and and the song I've chosen is one we don't sing because we don't meet at night. The name of the song is Oh, Why Not Tonight. I used to give my brother a hard time because he would lead singing sometimes, he'd come in five minutes before the sermon or before everything started, he'd sit on the front row and pick out his songs real quick, and on Sunday morning, he's saying, Oh, Why Not Tonight. That sounds like, not right now, let's do it later.
But I wanted to sing that song this morning because it conveys an urgency. It conveys a why not right now? God has given you this moment. God has given you the health to be here right now. God has given you the relationship that brought you to this church and this place this morning.
God put you in a family that learned about faith or that knew about faith or that brought you to faith. Everything had a purpose to lead you back to him. How dare we stand and say, not right now. God, I'll do it later. Some of us need to grow a backbone and say, now is the time.
I wanna be a leader of my family. I wanna lead other people to Christ. I wanna be the example to the people I work with. Yes, God is patient, but I know there's a time coming where I won't have any more time. So what will you do with the time God has given you?
Let's think about that as we stand and sing this morning. Go ahead and stand, would you? During this song, if you would like to pray with someone, I'm gonna ask Scott. Scott will be down here to receive you. If you wanna put on Christ in baptism and begin that walk with him, do it today.