                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                            How Patient Are You?

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By David Wilkerson
July 4, 1994
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          Recently, the Lord opened my eyes to an incredible
          truth about patience -- something I'd never seen
          before. It appears in Jesus' explanation of the parable
          of the sower:

          "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
          Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh
          the devil, and taketh away the word out of their
          hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

          "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear,
          receive the word with joy; and these have no root,
          which for a while believe, and in time of temptation
          fall away.

          "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when
          they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares
          and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no
          fruit to perfection.

          "But that on the good ground are they, which in an
          honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it,
          and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:11-15).

          This parable is all about patience! I don't mean
          patience toward people -- but patience toward God.
          Jesus is speaking here of patience in our walk with
          God, patience in doing His work, patience in His
          working in us.

          I believe that once you see what God is saying here,
          you will understand more clearly why so many Christians
          are backsliding and falling away. And you'll also
          better understand the working of the Lord in your own
          heart!

          The "good ground" Jesus mentions indicates those who
          heard the Word and eventually brought forth fruit "with
          patience." The other hearers brought forth a measure of
          fruit too -- but only for a time. Why? It is because
          they were impatient with the Lord and His working in
          their life -- and they fell away!

          I pray that as we explore this parable, you'll see each
          of these hearers in a whole new light. I believe there
          is a fresh word here for you from the Lord.

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                   First, Consider the "Wayside Hearer"!

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          "Those by the way side are they that hear..." (Verse
          12).

          This hearer had the Word of God planted in his heart.
          And he heard it like any interested hearer: He sat,
          listened and didn't turn it off. He was not a mocker --
          he had respect for the Word.

          Yet, Jesus says, "...then cometh the devil, and taketh
          away the word out of their hearts, lest they should
          believe and be saved" (verse 12).

          Now, I have always had a difficult time with this
          verse. Am I to believe I can preach to a congregation,
          drive out the powers of hell, command the devil to
          leave -- and yet Satan can come in promiscuously and
          rob a person of the Word he or she has just heard? Can
          the enemy hover over a believer, wait for the Word to
          fall on that person's heart, then freely pluck it up?

          That, to me, seems like throwing the Word of God
          straight into the devil's mouth! I just can't accept
          it. Instead, I believe we have to ask: Is this wayside
          hearer simply an innocent, childlike person, anxiously
          hearing the Word? Is it true that, through no fault of
          the hearer, the devil can swoop down, rob him of the
          preached Word and blind him spiritually, so that he
          won't turn to the Lord?

          No -- never! We don't serve a God who's like that! And
          that isn't the gospel we preach. We have to understand
          Jesus is saying something much deeper here.

          You see, the wayside hearer has a heart that is
          "trodden down": "A sower went out to sow his seed: and
          as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was
          trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it"
          (verse 5).

          Here is our clue! Jesus is describing the kind of heart
          this wayside hearer has. And the phrase He uses here is
          trodden down. In other words, this person has "heard"
          often. In fact, he is a "professional hearer" -- an
          expert at it. His heart has been trodden down, made
          hard like a well-walked road, by years of hearing
          without ever heeding!

          This wayside hearer is described in Isaiah 5. The
          prophet tells Israel how God is going to turn them into
          a trodden-down vineyard -- because they have heard so
          much reproof and rejected it all:

          "...I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I
          will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten
          up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be
          trodden down: And I will lay it waste" (Isaiah 5:5-6).

          Jesus quotes from this same passage to introduce the
          parable of the sower: "...Unto you it is given to know
          the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in
          parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing
          they might not understand" (Luke 8:10). You see, God
          had instructed Isaiah: "...Go, and tell this people,
          Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed,
          but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat,
          and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest
          they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
          understand with their heart, and convert, and be
          healed" (Isaiah 6:9-10).

          What Isaiah describes is the condition of the wayside
          hearer!

          The Wayside Hearer Is Hard and Trodden Down Because He
          Has Rejected the Word So Often!

          Luke uses a Greek word for trodden down that means,
          "rejection with disdain; an attitude of superiority."
          The wayside hearer has been reproved so often and for
          so long, he now smirks at the gospel. He laughs at it
          -- mocks it! Nothing touches him anymore.

          I think of a young Jewish man who came to Times Square
          Church during our first two years here. He was
          homeless, and the congregation adopted him. Almost
          everyone shared the gospel with him. Loving people gave
          him money and took him out for meals. Jesus Christ was
          made very plain to him.

          That young man came to the altar at least twice. Both
          times I saw him standing there with his hands folded --
          and wearing a devilish grin on his face! I used to look
          up in the balcony and see him sleeping through the
          sermons. I prayed that at least one message would
          pierce the trodden-down soil of his heart.

          It never happened! Eventually he became so vile,
          disruptive and explosive we had to ban him from the
          church. He had become hard -- a man with a trodden-down
          heart. No person in New York heard more of the gospel.
          No one received so much love. No one was more prayed
          for. But he had hardened his heart and shut his ears!

          Beloved, that is when the enemy comes in -- when the
          heart is hardened! Satan swoops down and steals the
          seed that has been distributed, before there is a
          chance of even a tiny crack opening in the ground. The
          devil doesn't promiscuously have access to any heart
          that hears the gospel. Not at all! Rather, he steals
          from those who have been reproved -- yet who smirk in
          disdain at God's Word!

          This "trodden down" hearer is the most impatient of all
          people. He does not want to deal with his problems.
          He'd rather drown them in pleasure -- alcohol, drugs,
          sex, anything -- to calm down his terrible feelings of
          guilt!

          You speak to him of having heaven some day -- but he
          wants it all now! He longs only for good times -- no
          problems, no self-denial, no hardships. "Taking up a
          cross? Enduring suffering? No will of my own? Waiting
          forever for God to work character in me? You've got to
          be crazy!"

          Indeed, multitudes of Americans are in a big hurry to
          prosper -- to "get theirs" while the getting is good.
          That's what motivated Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken and
          so many other greedy Wall Streeters. They all thought
          the economy was headed for collapse, so they tried to
          make a quick fortune they could hide in a Swiss bank
          account.

          How sad it is, though, that this spirit is creeping
          into the church! Many Christians have no patience for
          being tested or tried. They have no time for waiting on
          God, for bearing fruit with patience, as Jesus
          described. Instead, they want a full, blessed,
          painless, prosperous lifestyle with no waiting, no
          preparation, no reproof. And, sadly, they have teachers
          and a gospel to back them up!

          These believers hate any preaching of obedience,
          separation, holiness, repentance. They call it all
          "doomsday preaching." Why such resistance, such spite?
          It is because they are trodden down with the urge to
          "get it all now!" They want to be entertained, blessed
          -- to go to church, feel happy and leave in the same
          condition as when they entered. They don't want the
          Holy Spirit to prod them, to dig deeply to do the slow
          work of faith. They'd rather go to a charismatic
          circus!

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                   Next, Consider the "Rootless Hearer."

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          "...which, when they hear, receive the word with joy;
          and these have no root, which for a while believe, and
          in time of temptation fall away" (Luke 8:13).

          These hearers make the best-looking converts you've
          ever seen. They're happy, full of joy, vibrant. They
          testify to Christ's work in their lives. And theirs is
          a true conversion. They want to go on with the Lord --
          convicted by the Word, repentant, living in His joy.

          Yet I ask every new convert reading this message right
          now to pay careful attention: If you ever fall away
          from the Lord, it will be because you are in this
          category -- a "rootless hearer"!

          You've been saved, filled with God's peace, and you're
          praising the Lord. You sing, you worship, you have joy.
          But one problem remains: You still battle a powerful
          temptation! It is like a snake, coiled and hissing,
          ready to strike at you with its poison.

          You hate this besetting sin that once controlled your
          life. And now you're on your knees, crying, "Oh Jesus,
          deliver me! I don't want this old lust haranguing me. I
          want to be free, clean. Help me -- it has hold of my
          heart!"

          Jesus says rootless hearers "...in time of temptation
          fall away" (verse 13). This does not mean the
          temptation is so overwhelming it sweeps them away. It
          doesn't mean they fall because of an overwhelming
          desire for drugs, a sexual urge, a thirst for alcohol.
          No -- it all has to do with being impatient with the
          work of God!

          If you look back at a time when you fell or failed God,
          what would you say happened? You got mad at God for not
          answering your prayer! You didn't believe He would
          honor His Word to keep and deliver you. And in time of
          temptation, you fell away because you were impatient
          with his work in you!

          A woman in our church has a sister who fell from grace
          back to drugs. This backslidden woman is tormented by
          her addiction. Yet she is like an evangelist, telling
          converts who struggle with impatience: "Stay in church
          -- stay with the Lord! Look at what's happened to me.
          It's so hard to get back!"

          I'm sure if you sat down with her, she'd probably tell
          you, "I prayed -- but I was overwhelmed. My preacher
          told me Jesus was my deliverer -- that He would keep me
          from the power of sin. I cried, I prayed, I wept. But
          nothing happened!" Beloved, her sin was impatience!

          Oh, what agonizing cries the rootless hearer sends up
          in time of temptation: "Lord, set me free! Take away my
          desires, the old sins. When will You ever deliver me,
          so I will never have to be afraid anymore?" Yet when
          the rootless hearer comes into a time of temptation, he
          falls -- because he is not patient enough to put down
          roots!

          You see, it is not enough to repent -- to simply say
          "yes" to God. You have to put down roots in the Lord --
          and that takes patience. You can't simply drop a seed
          into the ground, stand over it and command, "Grow
          roots!" No -- it's a natural process that takes time.
          It is a sovereign work of God.

          Yet, as a young believer, you were surprised whenever
          you fell! You immediately condemned yourself. And after
          repeated failures, you told yourself it was no use
          trying. Then the devil whispered to you, "You're no
          good -- you're too wicked. You can't make it. You might
          as well quit!"

          But you had forgotten that God always judges you with
          great compassion! He knew you had not had time to put
          down roots. And that is the very reason you fell: You
          hadn't had time to grow roots!

          This may sound like an excuse, but it isn't. It is a
          valid explanation for what happens in our walk with the
          Lord. And the answer to it all is: Go back! Pray, dig
          in. Ask the Lord for roots. And ask Him for patience
          until they come!

          But, you ask, what about mature Christians who once had
          roots -- people who were grounded in Christ, yet still
          fell into sin? You know Christians who have been saved
          for years, who seemed to have deep roots -- but who
          took a terrible fall!

          The Bibles says, "...their root is dried up, they shall
          bear no fruit..." (Hosea 9:16). Such believers didn't
          stay close to Jesus! They had roots at one time -- but
          they drifted away, and those roots dried up. The winds
          of false doctrine blew them away, because they allowed
          their roots to dry!

          God Tests Us To See If We Will Patiently Wait for Him
          To Deliver Us!

          God knows that our impatience is totally destructive.
          Consider Israel's impatience:

          Moses went up to the mountain, and God delayed him
          there. So what happened below? The people lost
          patience! After forty days, they rose up to play, dance
          and carouse in a drunken orgy. Finally, they melted all
          their jewelry and made a golden calf to worship!

          I picture the Israelites saying, "Where is Moses? Where
          is our God, our help? What kind of deliverance is this?
          God has let us down! He saved us only to turn us over
          to this awful desert. Now we're going to do our own
          thing!"

          Yet at that moment, Moses was on his way down the
          mountain, with God's Word in his hands! Indeed, God is
          always on His way -- He's always right at the door!

          Consider what happened to Saul. Samuel told Saul to
          wait for him at Gilgal before fighting the Philistines.
          He warned him not to go into battle until Samuel had
          returned and could offer sacrifices to the Lord. Samuel
          said, "It may take me six, seven, eight days. But I'll
          be there!"

          So Saul gathered with Israel at Gilgal. But after five
          days, the Israelites grew impatient. The Philistine
          army had been gathering and building strength -- and
          Saul's people began fleeing left and right! Soon the
          king had only a handful of soldiers left. Finally, on
          the seventh day, he grew very impatient: "Where is that
          prophet? Where is the burnt offering? We need it now!"

          What Saul didn't know was that God had delayed Samuel
          -- because He wanted to see what was in Saul's heart!
          God wanted to know if he would hold onto his faith
          while everything looked bad -- if he would say, "I'll
          die trusting God if I have to. I'm going to stand on
          His Word to me!"

          Instead, Saul took matters into his own hands. He said,
          "Bring me the lamb!" And he laid it out and offered the
          sacrifice himself (which was against Israel's law!).
          Then suddenly, Scripture says, "...it came to pass,
          that as soon as he had made an end of offering the
          burnt offering, behold, Samuel came..." (1 Samuel
          13:10).

          Here came Saul's answer, his deliverance. But he had
          already acted in impatience! He hadn't been willing to
          stake his future on God's Word. The answer had been at
          the door all along -- but he lost it all!

          Perhaps this is true of you as well: Your deliverance
          was close at hand. But you fell because you could not
          hold on just a little while longer. You lost heart --
          you fainted too soon!

          David is another man who grew tired of waiting. He
          complained, "For I said in my haste, I am cut off from
          before Thine eyes: nevertheless Thou heardest the voice
          of my supplications when I cried unto thee" (Psalm
          31:22).

          David was looking back and saying, "In my impatience I
          accused the Lord of not answering my cry. I accused Him
          of abandoning me in my temptation and trial. But all
          the while, He heard me and preserved me. I stand here
          today preserved by Him!"

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                     There Is Also the "Thorny Hearer."

                      -------------------------------

          "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when
          they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares
          and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no
          fruit to perfection" (Luke 8:14).

          Jesus tells us this hearer didn't fall. He didn't go
          back to the world. No, he kept going on. But he didn't
          bear any fruit!

          The "thorny hearer" goes to church, listens to the
          preaching, reads his Bible, hangs around God's people.
          He goes through all the motions -- but he bears no
          fruit to fullness! He makes a lot of promises to God
          but never fulfills them. He's simply there --
          spiritually empty, just a body filling a pew!

          Jesus says the thorny hearer "goes forth." In other
          words, once he hears the Word, he goes on with his
          life. Oh, he prays a little every day, talks the
          Christian talk, witnesses to others on occasion. But
          he's preoccupied, busy -- with cares, pleasures,
          business!

          How did he become so bogged down with the cares of the
          world? Through riches! The Bible says this type of
          hearer is drawn into lustful pleasures by his desire
          for wealth: "But they that will be rich fall into
          temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and
          hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
          perdition" (1 Timothy 6:9).

          I believe the thorny hearer is more impatient than
          anyone else in this parable. I picture him as
          high-powered, active, entrepreneurial, a person of
          action -- kind, charitable, not selfish. But a terrible
          kind of impatience has gripped him: It is an impatience
          with the high-cost demand of the cross of Christ!

          The thorny hearer cannot fully embrace self-denial. He
          cannot tolerate the idea of forsaking all to follow
          Jesus. He "chokes" (Luke 8:14) on the demand to come
          out of the world and be separate and clean. And he
          chokes on the call to make his career secondary -- to
          give his life to God's interests.

          I know very few rich people who embrace self-denial.
          They're used to providing everything for themselves,
          catering to their flesh. They are like the thorny
          hearer, who has never been weaned from the things of
          the world. This hearer knows nothing of the spirit that
          was in Moses, who "(Chose) rather to suffer affliction
          with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing
          pleasures of sin for a season..." (Hebrews 11:25).

          Thank God, there are some wealthy Christians who are
          able to do this. But, as the Bible makes clear, most
          rich people spend their time, their energy and all
          their waking thoughts on investments, cares, pleasures.
          And they "go forth" content with a fruitless walk!

          A Pentecostal minister once made a pitiful confession
          to me. He said he went to visit his parents in their
          tiny trailer home. His elderly father was a retired
          minister and was very poor, with no insurance. As the
          son looked at his parents' meager surroundings, Satan
          whispered to him, "See this? If you give your whole
          life to the gospel, you'll end up in poverty! Think of
          all the missionaries who spend their lives for God.
          They all come home with nothing!"

          Something came over that son. At that moment, he
          decided he would never be poor! He determined to make
          all the money he could, so he could retire in style.

          This man was an official in his denomination and was
          very well-known and respected. But he started "wheeling
          and dealing" with his finances. All his tithes went
          toward investments. He "went forth" with his life,
          involved in ministry -- but his preoccupation with
          wealth began to choke out his love for Jesus.

          Eventually, all of his investments went sour. But,
          sadly, there has not been any repentance or change in
          him. He still ministers, often preaching at
          conventions. But he is still wheeling and dealing on
          the side, trying to build himself a nest egg.

          Unlike his father, he may someday retire with a lot of
          money. But his father is going to go out in glory! I
          believe the Lord will always provide for that elderly
          minister and his wife. They may not be rich, but
          they'll always have food on the table. And when that
          father dies, he'll go to the Lord in peace and rest --
          home to receive his new body, a mansion and all that
          goes with it!

          But the son will be bogged down with the cares of this
          life. If he ever does secure his future, he'll never be
          able to enjoy it. Why? It is because he will live and
          die with no fruit to perfection!

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                Finally, There Is the "Good Ground Hearer"!

                      -------------------------------

          "But that on the good ground are they, which in an
          honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it,
          and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).

          These hearers have a "good, honest heart"! Yet, what
          does this phrase mean? The answer is found in 2
          Thessalonians: "And the Lord direct your hearts into
          the love of God, and into the patient waiting for
          Christ" (3:5).

          This verse contains the two distinguishing marks of a
          "good-ground" hearer: (1) a heart that is set on loving
          God, and (2) one that is convinced Jesus will always
          deliver on time. These two characteristics are
          necessary for a heart that produces lasting fruit!

          Now, the good-ground hearer is just like everybody
          else. He endures great afflictions, fiery trials and
          tests that seem strange to him. His body grows weary.
          Sometimes he gets depressed. Sometimes he's seduced by
          the flesh, and his passions are unruly. Sometimes his
          thoughts are disorderly and have to be brought into
          obedience to the Lord. Sometimes his love for Christ is
          tested, and he has long dry spells. Sometimes he is
          troubled by a distressed conscience.

          But his heart has a definite direction! In every
          circumstance, he directs himself first into the love of
          God, and then into the patient waiting for Jesus
          Christ.

          Now, waiting patiently on Christ has a dual meaning: It
          means, first of all, anticipating Jesus' Second Coming.
          But it also means waiting for Jesus to come suddenly in
          answer to your prayers, to deliver or bless you.

          The good and honest heart says, "Jesus, I know I'm not
          perfect. I know my heart is black without Your
          cleansing blood. But I also know I love You with all my
          heart, and I am set on obeying You. I want to walk
          pleasing before You. Yet I don't have the power to do
          anything of myself. You have promised to keep me. And I
          am going to wait for You to come with my deliverance!"

          Jesus used a special word in referring to bearing fruit
          with patience: "cheerful." This means, literally, "a
          hopeful endurance through all tests and trials."
          Indeed, God's Word is most productive in us when it
          produces a quiet, trustful rest in the Lord.

          Hebrews tells us: "For ye have need of patience, that,
          after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive
          the promise" (10:36). Have you set your hope -- your
          whole life -- on this Word? Do you believe it will keep
          you throughout all the years of your walk with Him?

          Take God's Word and settle it in your heart right now.
          Let it produce an honest, pure, good heart in you.
          You'll find that in every trial and temptation, it will
          always direct you immediately into His love and into
          patience -- until Jesus comes with healing and victory.

          Hallelujah!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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          link this site to reference these messages.

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