Fruitful | Patience

Big Idea: ” but as Spirit-produced strength that governs how we treat people, endure pressure, and trust God’s process. That will make the sermon fully reflect the meaning of patience within the Fruit of the Spirit.

Introduction: Moving too quickly can cost you the game

We have been talking about the fruit of the Spirit and going in depth about what is produced in a Spirit-led Life. Today we visit patience. Patience is a strength produced by the Spirit that rules and governs:

Galatians 5:16–25 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

How we treat people

How we thrive under pressure

How we submit to and trust the process of God

When we submit to the Spirt and the authority of the word, patience overcomes anxious urgency—This is when we feel everything will fall apart immediately if we do not control the outcome. Anxiety has no trust in the outcome. It looses sight of the controller of the outcome. Worship and prayer are vital keys to maturing biblical patience. **********************************

From Bible Hub

makrothumia: Patience, Long-suffering, Forbearance

Original Word: μακροθυμία

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: makrothumia

Pronunciation: mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah

Phonetic Spelling: (mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah)

KJV: longsuffering, patience

NASB: patience

Word Origin: [from a compound of G3117 (μακρός - long) and G2372 (θυμός - wrath)]

1. longanimity

2. (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

longsuffering, patience.

From the same as makrothumos; longanimity, i.e. (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude -- longsuffering, patience.

see GREEK makrothumos

HELPS Word-studies

3115 makrothymía (from 3117 /makrós, "long" and 2372 /thymós, "passion, anger") – properly, long-passion, i.e. waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. This avoids the premature use of force (retribution) that rises out of improper anger (a personal reaction).

3115 /makrothymía ("divinely-regulated patience") is used of God Himself (see 1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 3:15). Indeed, only the Lord produces 3115 /makrothymía ("true patience, longsuffering") in us and hence is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).

"3115 (makrothymía) embraces steadfastness and staying-power. If in English we had an adjective 'long-tempered' as a counterpart to 'short-tempered,' then makrothymia could be called the quality of being 'long-tempered'. . . . which is a quality of God (LXX, Ex 34:6)" (F. F. Bruce, Commentary on Galatians, 253).

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If we do not allow the Spirit to rule our lives impatience can cause us to move too quickly and derail us.  Impatience Considers the next move. It is often:

rash

Un,under or misinformed

Often seeking a flesh pleasing result

Causes more problems 

Is rooted in selfishness and pride.

It is an adolescent nature that cannot delay gratification. Impatience often produces immature results.

Consumer Debt

Poor relationships

A forfeiture of peace 

Impatience points to an area of our life that needs to be submitted to God. It highlights a place where our faith is weak and the fire may need to be applied to refine us. But patience causes us to pause and give grace. Just as we are going through our life process and everyday is new, it is the same with others. We must hold onto faith no matter how hard it becomes to profess our faith. We practice endurance knowing that God’s timing is superior to ours.

I. Submitting my timeline to God

Submission requires a release of control. No matter how much we may not like to admit it, most people on some level have a control issue. There is a point where you are not longer comfortable being in the passenger seat.

Here are some questions:

Am I truly waiting on God, or am I waiting for God to agree to a plan I created without consulting Him?

Am I mad at God because I somehow realized His timeline does not align with mine?

Could we secretly view God not moving at our speed as a threat to our own agenda?

We secretly view God not moving at our speed as a threat to our own agenda. This reveals:

unhealthy need for control revealing and unsubmitted life. 

A life that is under stress and pressure ( often self-inflicted)

False Assumption that our speed is always the right speed

If we’re a believer, patience is produced by Holy Spirit. But sometimes our flesh struggles with it.It feels uncomfortable disconcerting and often somewhat painful to wait.

Sometimes external pressures and weights cause tension in our soul and causes us to muffle the patience that rests in our spirit.

Today we make the choice to we resist resentment and practice patience because:

II. Patience Produces Maturity

It is impossible to live in this life and not face hardships. But patience allows us to endure those hardships and receive the benefits that are produce in us as a result. James addresses a different aspect of patience. 

James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬https://bible.com/bible/114/jas.1.2-4.NKJV ******** ***************This patience is defined as cheerful endurance.

Sometimes our faith will be tested in struggle. To endure hardship produces a more mature believer. When we view the challenge as an opportunity to produce a better version of us in us, we approach situations differently. We are not so quick to run from the table.  “When facing trails we must remember even if God did not cause it, He can still use it for greater”

III. Patience Trusts God with the outcome

David reminds us to trust in God. He will never forsake us:

Psalm 37:5–6 NKJV

5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Proper waiting is not procrastination. It is preparing with hope and joyful expectation. It is TRUSTING GOD WITH THE OUTCOMES.

Conclusion:

Our hope is not that God will do exactly what we want. Our assurance is that God is wise, good and will never forsake us. Today, we press mute on the manufactured urgency of the flesh and turn up the volume of Holy Spirit. Today we declare:

Psalm 40:1–3 NKJV

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 37:5–6 NKJV

5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I will not get ahead of God. 

We won’t make permanent decisions to relieve temporary pressure. 

We won’t abandon our faith because our answer hasn’t arrived yet.

If God says move, we will move. If God says wait, we will wait. Because when we cannot trace His hand, we can still trust His heart. TYN: It can wait. And So Can I! Because our God can be trusted.