The fourth Fruit: Patience

I’ve heard it said and even said it myself, don't pray for patience because God just may teach you to have it. I never thought about it and laughed it off, but honestly this idea is counter active to the attitude that Christians should have. Patience is given through the spirit of God and should be prayed for. It should be asked for, it should be sought. So what is patience? The word in Galatians 5:22 is Makrothymia. To translate the Greek word makrothumia, his word combines the roots makro, meaning "long," and thumos, meaning "temper," so it literally means "to be long-tempered." It implies the opposite of "short temper," describing the mind holding back a long time before it expresses itself in action or passion. Makrothumia is rarely rendered as "patience" and never as "forbearance" in the New Testament, although both words are considered synonyms of "longsuffering." In this scripture the translation states it is patience but the literal translation of the word used means long tempered. Long tempered in the English is often translated as even tempered. This word means not easily annoyed or angered. And there it is folks. I heard it and you felt it the eye rolls were seen throughout the sanctuary. Everyone was OK when we were about to talk about waiting and being someone willing to wait, but that is not what this Scripture is talking about. This scripture is talking about the fruit of the Spirit being that believers are not quickly annoyed or angered. If you instantly said oh no! Don’t worry you are not on your own, I did too. If you know me I am not known for my even temper. I have worked to allow this to be evident in my life but I would venture to say like most of you in here my even temper is most tested and most failed in my home.

I heard a poem

Patience is a virtue,

Possess it if you can.

Found seldom in a woman,

Never in a man.

This morning please turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 14. We will read the whole thing together and then I will take you back and forth to scriptures throughout the passage and we will explore this concept of Patience and even temperament. This morning in the scripture you will see 3 things. First patience requires self examination, Second patience gives intelligence, and Third patience leads to success. Lets read the scripture together then we will pray for guidance.

Patience requires self examination

The fruit of the spirit in patience allows you to understand yourself. When you seek God and His righteousness His spirit will allow you to see yourself and when you see yourself you can make then necessary changes to exemplify His righteousness. The man or woman who cannot see their own actions and change them is doomed to fail. In any addiction training or counseling you will be told the first step is what? To admit that you have a problem. The Spirit of God allows us to see that we have a problem. If you are in here this morning the Spirit is moving to let every one of us know that we have a problem and that the problem is that given the right set of circumstances all of us lack even temperament or patience. What does the Scripture say? Proverbs 14:1-3

Proverbs 14:1–3 ESV

1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. 2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. 3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Proverbs 14:8 ESV

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

The wise woman can see what her actions do and how she is to build her home while the woman who does not see her own actions tears her home down. The upright walk in fear of the Lord in understanding of who they are and who He is but the devious think they are above the Lord, the fool opens his mouth and creates his own problems. The thing you see in each of these scriptures is people who have no self understanding, no self control. These people think that they are the most important people and think that what they want and how they want it is more important than anyone else. The spirit of patience allows us to see ourselves and to understand our actions and to change our actions. Patience first requires us to understand ourselves and to search our own hearts in reflection of the Spirit. Jesus pointed this out in a slightly different way in the New Testament. Turn with me to Matthew 7:3-5

Matthew 7:3–5 ESV

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Jesus is speaking to the disciples in this scripture and he was pointing out the fact that many of us have very little ability to see our own issues while we are quick to see others issues. The one who is filled with the spirit is one who can see into himself or herself and make the necessary changes in their lives to grow closer to the Father. The scripture give us the understanding of self examination.

Psalm 4:4 ESV

4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

Psalm 77:6 ESV

6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:

Psalm 119:59 ESV

59 When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies;

Lamentations 3:40 ESV

40 Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!

1 Corinthians 11:27–31 ESV

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.

A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. "Why do people call me a Christian?" the man asked. After a moment's pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it's because they don't know you."

Patience requires that we see ourselves to have self-examination. Do you examine yourself? Are you willing to make the changes necessary? If you are sitting in here this morning and you are like me you are saying to yourself I don’t believe that I am as aware of my own behaviors as I should be. Often times my wife tells me things about myself and I want to tell her to worry about herself but I also understand that in order to make significant progress I have to be willing to see the things in me that I want to act like are not there. The spirit of Patience requires self examination, it also requires intelligence which can only be given by the Spirit.

Patience requires intelligence

Proverbs 14:15–18 ESV

15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. 16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. 17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. 18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Patience will give you intelligence. Think about the most intelligent people you know in your life. Is it that they know everything? Or is it that in any situation they understand how to stay calm, gather details and make educated decisions. The Scripture we just read says that the fool is reckless and careless, a man of a quick temper acts foolishly. I want to have intelligence. I want to be known as someone who takes time to make good decisions and is seen as a patient man. Not someone who simply waits for the answer to come to him but someone who takes time to make calculated and wise decisions. What does the Bible say about this?

2 Peter 1:5 ESV

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Proverbs 2:6 ESV

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 18:15 ESV

15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

James 3:17 ESV

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

The intelligence given by the spirit is pure and peaceable, it is gentle and open to reason. How many of these things explain you when you are dealing with situations that annoy you or anger you? folks this is the life that believers are called too. We must live with this type of intelligence because it is from the spirit . Patience causes you to live with intelligence.

Albert Einstein said, “Intelligence is not the ability to store information, but to know where to find it.”

Patience is the ability to allow the Spirit to control your actions, to be calm, deliberate, understanding, seeking peace, seeking to be reasonable, and merciful. I can tell you when my kids break something at the house I am not always this way but I am striving to become this. We often times think of making people change, but let me ask you this. Does all of your anger and frustration, yelling and screaming, passive aggressive speech and physical harm actually change anyone? Do they really change or do they simply learn to fear you? God calls us to be even tempered as He is even tempered and He has sent His Spirit to us to allow us to do this. Intelligence is leaning into the Spirit because you know that without Him patience is not something you can attain. Patience requires self examination which I can do with the Spirit filling me, it requires intelligence which the Spirit gives me, but it leads to success which the Father provides when we live in the Spirit.

Patience leads to success

Proverbs 14:26–27 ESV

26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Living in the Spirit and in Patience is done because the fear of the Lord. When you are living a life of self examination and intelligence you will seek to Honor God because you Fear the Lord. The Fear of the Lord and the desire to live according to His spirit leads to success. We do not count though success as the World counts success. Success for the believer is a life that God honors. This may come with earthly rewards but the one seeking to live in the Spirit of God will not care a thing about those earthly rewards. Are you living in the Spirit of patience and loving others and being slow to anger and annoyance? I need to more than I am I can tell you that. I want to enjoy life and I want things but more than things and the enjoyment of life I strive to hear God say to me well done my good and faithful servant. The amazing truth about this is that all I have to learn to do is to submit to His spirit. The Spirit when I submit will cause me to live in patience and will lead to success because those who live according to the Spirit are honored by God.

Galatians 5:16 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Romans 8:14–16 ESV

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Philippians 4:13 ESV

13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Psalm 37:4 ESV

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 1:1–3 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Proverbs 16:3 ESV

3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Matthew 16:26–27 ESV

26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Jeremiah 17:7 ESV

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

This morning I pray that just as the Spirit led me in understanding that patience is not just the ability to stand in a line for long amounts of time, it is so much more than that. It is the ability to be led by the spirit to understand my tendencies. To allow the Spirit to give me the ability to walk in intelligence and to see the success because I am seeking the will of the Father. The will of God is so much bigger than I am and I seek to understand, to follow, to be in His will constantly. Patience is the ability to not be quickly angered or annoyed, not because you have learned some montra or some anger management process but because you are filled with the spirit and understand that God calls us to live this way with others. How is your patience doing now that all of you are ready to go home, just kidding lets pray.