Being the Hand and Feet of Jesus: Patience
Being the Hands and Feet of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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What do I believe God wants them to know? We are to be patience like how God is patience with us
Why? It shows people love and care
What do I believe God wants them to do? Show others patience
Why? It shows people love and care
ME/WE
We are in the series the being the Hands and Feet of Jesus one of the ways we do that is not just be doing the work of the Lord, preaching, serving, praying, and the like but also being the Hands and Feet of Jesus means for us to look and act like Jesus.
One of ways we do this is by exuding the and displaying the 9 attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, which are
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
There is not could you stop being joyful? Could you stop being loving?
Today we are onto the next attribute of the FRUIT of the SPIRIT which is....(count to ten)
Many of us have a love and dislike/hate relationship with attribute with patience.
Let me explain
How many of us LOVE when someone is PATIENT with us
We have problem with our homework or our technology or with life and how grateful are we when someone is patient with us
They walk with us to show us and teach the solution to our problem?
They were so patient with me
In fact I asked you to share about somebody who has personally impacted your life they are often someone who has taken the time to be with you and being patient with you....impatient people do not develop deep relationships
WE LOVE PATIENCE WHEN SOMEONE GIVES IT TO US
but sometimes when it is asked of us
What do we say with our WORDS and ACTIONS
Can’t you figure it out? I don’t have time for that? I’m to busy! Go ask your mother. Go ask you Father
This is the 66 time I have told you how to do ____
Patience is something we love to RECEIVE IT, but we don’t always love it
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
What is patience?
- Patience is long suffering (is that not how we feel when we wait in long lines or traffic?) suffering our wants for others
- Patience is forbearance (to be patient with someone) bearing with someone
- Patience is will to wait as long is needed
- Patience is forgiveness
Some might say…really what’s the big deal with patience? Like why is so important that we as believes show and display patience and practice patience, what’s at stake if we skip this attribute?
Let’s ask that question what happens when we don’t have patience? What’s at stake?
1. What happens if you do not have patience when you are in traffic?
You develop road rage
We get ANGRY
And not rightous ANGER
This is not true of TRAFFIC but relationships
2. If we are not patient we will be angry very frequently and ANGRY people also have few to no relationships because they are frequently
ANGRY PEOPLE ARE OFTEN ANGRY BECAUSE THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED IMPATIENCE WITH SOMEONE CLOSE TO THEM, OFTEN A MOM OR DAD....HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE OR THEY ARE ANGRY THAT THEY ARE NOT WHERE THEY THINK THEY SHOULD BE
3. IMPATIENCE OFTEN PRODUCE THE FRUIT OF UNWISE CHOICES
Anyone in hear make a rash decision or rash purchase?
You saw that thing you just to purchase it and then you get home and say that really wasn’t wise…I didn’t need it or have the money for it?
4. Impatience produces in us a shall and not deep relationship with God.
If we are just going and going and going and never have time with God, how is our relationship with God going to be.
If it is a microwave faith
It is a pretty BIG DEAL for us to have PATIENCE…it affects our lives in multiple ways, in not very good ways!
SO THE QUESTIONS IS HOW DO WE GET PATIENCE? HOW DO WE BECOME MORE PATIENT PEOPLE
READ THE BIBLE AND BOOKS…BUT LIKE ALMOST ANYTHING WE READ IT IS NOT USEFUL UNTIL USED....KNOWLEDGE IS NOT POWER UNTIL IT IS PUT INTO ACTION
PRAY.
THOSE ARE HELPFUL BUT THE NUMBER ONE WAY WE GET PATIENCE IS BY PRACTICE
OTHER
HOW MANY OF US HAVE PRAYED FOR PATIENCE....AND THAT DAY GOD GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE PATIENCE…HE GAVE YOU A LONG LINE OR THAT ONE NEIGHBOR COMES TO YOUR HOUSE WHO HARD TO HANDLE
GOD THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT
I SAID PATIENCE
HE SAYS I KNOW
PRACTICE
IT IS THROUGH YOUR PATIENCE THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE MY LOVE
WHO ARE WE TO SHOW PATIENCE TO?
THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE OR GROUPS
ONE OF THE GROUPS GOD WANTS US TO SHOW PATIENCE TO IS
OTHERS
WE SEE THIS WHEN JESUS TALKS ABOUT THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS
WE SEE THIS WHEN JESUS EXPLAINS WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Neighbor was someone you liked
FORBEAR
SEE WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
MAN MADE LAWS GO IN THE WAY OF BEING PATIENT WITH HIM
BUSYNESS GOT IN THE WAY OF BEING PATIENT WITH HIM
GOD IS SAYING THE SAME THING TO US
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
2.Patient with others with our mouths/words
ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS YOU CAN GIVE SOMEONE IS YOUR TIME, YOUR PATIENCE, YOUR LISTENING EAR
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
I can be made a Freddy for being late, Freddy I am so mad you are late!!! GRR....then Freddy said sorry I am late Carly’s car broke down and I need to go pick her up....
3. Forgive
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
We see someone walking and stumbling in their walk with God we don’t say.....haha!
Patient people realize they are not perfect, yet God has forgiven them…How can they now not forgive someone else who
How often are we not where we want to be in our walk with God?
GOD SAYS WE ARE TO BE PATIENCE WITH OTHERS, IN DOING SO WE SHOW THE LOVE OF GOD TO THEM
When we show patience we show love
2. Patient with Ourselves
2. Patient with Ourselves
How many of us are not where we think we should be?
We should be further along in our life
I should be here by now
Let’s ask a follow up questions
How do we treat ourselves for not being where we think we should be?
pleasantries, oh Pete it is ok, we will get there eventually
We have said you are a dummy, you are stupid
I can’t believe you did that again
Oh yeah you say you are a Christian and yet again you did again, hypocrite!
WHY DO WE DO THINK THIS WAY?
BELIEVING MYTHS
WE OFTEN OVER PLAN WHAT WE BELIEVE GOD WANTS TO US ACCOMPLISH IN ONE YEAR…IT IS OFTEN TWO OR THREE WORTH OF STUFF…AND WE OFTEN UNDER PLAN WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN 5 YEARS
MYTH IS THE PERSON WE SEE THAT IS AHEAD OF US GOT THERE OVER NIGHT…WELL JOHN GOT THERE QUICKLY…DID HE? PROBABLY NOT....ALSO WHEN WE COMPARE we dispare
For some us we receive outside pressure from others that is not helpful…shame you into change
How help is any of this?
To beat yourself up or get beaten up by others? “I changed because I shamed myself for not being where I need to be?”
HORRIBLY HELPFUL
What it does is the exactly the opposite…we live in the shame cycle and we don’t move forward
How we move forward is knowing how we move
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
We are are like trees....a tree grows slowly
Oaks or rightouesness are not created overnight
There is overnight oats as in oatmeal but not over night oat meal....
NOT ONLY THAT WHEN WE DO FALL WE ARE KIND TO OURSELVES AS THE LORD IS KIND TO US
In your walk with the Lord you are going to have good days and bad days where you trip and fall
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
And then we get back up
for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
Have the church as we learned early to help us get back up.
Hold onto the promise of the Lord
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
3. Our LORD
3. Our LORD
specifically when comes our desires, God given dreams
Many of us have been given God given dreams and desires
But what is the problem? What is the issue we are wrestling with? GOD has given us a PROMISE, PROPHETIC word but the FULFILLMENT has not happened
What happens? We DOUBT, did I really hear God? Is God going to come threw?
Abraham and Sara
65 Sara, Isaac 75
Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
If God said it He will do it
There is this PROMISE the LORD gave to you…hallelujah
Between the PROMISE and FULFILLMENT OF THE PROMISE is a PROCESS where God is going to get you ready for the fulfillment.
This process requires patient
God is in the business of weighting and developing
God is at work
Joseph waited 13 years for the fuflfillment of the promise
Moses waited 40 years for the fulfillment of the promise
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.
I am not saying this to dampend our spirits....I am saying this because GOD is saying don’t give up.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God is faithful to fulfill what He said He will do.
We are seeing this right now in Mike’s life his first wife passed away in I believe 2005 and for 18 years he has been praying for a wife and God brought Him a wife.
Some of us God is saying I know your waiting.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Communion
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.