The Virtue of Patience

Intro:

Good evening.

I’m going to ask you to be patient with me tonight. ;)

We’re talking about the Christian virtue of patience this evening.

Ironically, as I was writing this sermon, I was on an hour-plus phone call with customer service, and they kept chiming in every 20 seconds or so, “Thank you for your patience.”

Needless to say it was a TEST of my patience!

Do you ever have things test YOUR patience?

Maybe it’s not an hour long customer service phone call …

Maybe it’s your CHILDREN (or your GRANDCHILDREN) who test your patience!

Maybe it’s a co-worker on the job that tests your patience.

Maybe it’s waiting in line at the tag office, or the DMV! ;)

Maybe it’s a health problem, or a bridge that was burned, or maybe even someone we’d count as an enemy — and he tests our PATIENCE.

The bottom line is that we all need patience!

Patience is a particularly important Christian virtue!

Not only will it help us stand out against those who are NOT patient, but it will greatly improve our lives as well!

So let’s begin by first discussing …

Those Who Do NOT Have the Virtue of Patience:

Have you ever been to a restaurant?!

You have?

I have, too! ;)

Well, let me tell you about an experience or two or three of mine:

They all involve pizza, incidentally.

The first one was out at Lookout Kitchen on Lake Murray (used to be called Foggy Bottom).

We ordered some pizza — a large pepperoni, and sat and waited … and waited.

And eventually I see a large pepperoni pizza go by, pass our table and go to the table about 5 tables down.

The waiter puts the pizza on the table, the other customers look at it with bewilderment (it’s obvious that’s not what they ordered), and rather than telling the waiter it’s the wrong table, they start eating it!!

(Well, it all worked out, we eventually got a pizza, and they even gave the kids some free ice cream, too).

Second occasion:

We were going to get some Hideaway Pizza after our paintball outing with the young men a couple of weeks ago, and everyone’s food starts to come out.

One by one, everyone gets their pizza and wings and whatnot.

Except for … me and Andrew!

After sitting and waiting and wondering for a bit, finally I ask the waitress, and come to find out, the kitchen lost the ticket and never made that order!

And so we waited a lot more! (And eventually, we did get our pizza — Had to eat most of it on the road afterwards, but we got it!)

Third occasion:

We go to Papa’s Pizza in Ardmore for lunch after church services one morning recently.

If you’ve ever been there, it’s typically a very busy restaurant, so I went ahead and called in our order and told them we will eat it there but I wanted to go ahead and get our order in.

Well, we get there, we go to pay, and the server says, “Um, we never got your order.”

Well, needless to say, we had to wait longer that I was hoping ...

But it was okay!

Now, what if I had (to use the expression) “bitten off the head” of those waiters/waitresses?

What if I had “pitched a royal fit,” had stomped and shouted and been ugly to them?

What kind of example would I have been?

Would those waiters/waitresses have seen the attitude and actions and example of a CHRISTIAN if I had done that?

(We know the answer).

And yet how many people do we come across all the time that do NOT act like Christians in those sorts of situations at restaurants, or waiting in line at the doctor’s office, or at the grocery store, or at Lads 2 Leaders convention (like some of us experience when we tried to check into our rooms the other day)?!

It’s called the sin of IMPATIENCE.

Patience Defined:

Oxford languages online has this definition for the word “patience” - “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”

I think that’s a pretty good definition!

We’ve essentially already talked about accepting or tolerating delay - (pizza examples, right?)

What about trouble?

I think a good example for that in the Bible would be Paul and Silas in prison. (Acts chapter 16)

And what were they doing?

Having been beaten, put in the inner prison, and their feet fastened in the stocks, at midnight we find them … praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them! (verse 25)

Sounds like Paul and Silas had the Christian virtue of patience, doesn’t it?!

And the Philippian jailer and his household end up being converted after the ordeal!

Well, what about patience in suffering?

I think the greatest example has to come from Christ.

The Bible says of the example of Christ …

1 Peter 2:18–23 - “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Jesus was an example of patience in suffering, and we should expect suffering in some form or fashion as Christians, considering all who live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution!

But finally tonight I want to talk about another …

Biblical Example of One Who Was Patient:

James 5:11 says, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance (“patience,” KJV) of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

Do you remember Job’s story?

It’s not a pretty one! (That is, it’s very difficult!)

But throughout it all, Job still remains on the Lord’s side!

Let’s look at the first chapter of Job, and the last!

(I’d encourage you to read the middle for yourself!)

And you’ll see an incredible example of the patience of Job!

(Read Job 1 quickly)

(Read Job 42 quickly)

Conclusion:

Christian, whatever it is that tempts you to be impatient, is it anything close to what Job went through?

Anything close to what Paul went through?

How about Peter?

How about Joseph?

How about David when he was on the run from Saul?

Is it anything close to what Christ had to go through? (Of course not)

Christian, you CAN be patient!

Maybe you need to pray for patience … I would warn you though that patience comes from the TRYING of your faith (James 1:2-3)! So get ready!

“Patience is a virtue,” as the saying goes! :)

And patience (or “longsuffering”) is a fruit of the Spirit and one of the Christian graces as well (Gal. 5:22-23 and 2 Pet. 1:5-7)!

Let’s all do our best to have it!