Fruits of the Spirit 05 - Patience

Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

I.    Patience is a Good thing

      A.  Life in the Fast Lane

            1.   Instant coffee, instant milk, instant breakfast, instant relief, instant results, instant answers, instant credit, instant winner, instant success, instant communication, cellular phones, pagers, microwaves, remote control, automatic redial, speed dial, speed search, live satellite feed, news as it happens, words per minute, pages per minute, kilobits per second, milliseconds, megahertz, multi-tasking, speed reading, condensed book, Barnes notes, priority mail, overnight mail, same day delivery, fax, email, fast food, drive through, freeway, by-pass, pay at the pump, direct deposit, quick fix. Get the idea?

            2.   Our lives seem to be zinging past us beyond the speed of sound, or at least beyond a sound speed. It’s all we can do just to keep up.

            3.   Or is it that we are zinging past life?

                   a.   What are we looking for? We want happiness and we want it now.

                   b.   But in our haste are we flying past life’s beauty at 9 ½ MPH past the speed limit

                   c.   We too easily and too quickly become impatient with life, with each other and with ourselves.

      B.  The trouble with Short - Cuts

            1.   Somebody said “The trouble with life in the fast lane is that you get to the other end so much quicker.”

            2.   The trouble with short cuts to happiness is that they rarely get there.

                   a.   The same is true for short cuts to self-improvement, to self-discipline, to child rearing, to spiritual growth, to interpersonal conflict, to health.

            3.   Life takes time. The only way to experience more is to experience it all in shallower and shallower ways.

      C.  Good things come to those who Wait

            1.   The early bird might get the worm but good things come to those who wait.

                   a.   We do not wait well.

                   b.   The photographer at Mt. Baker.

            2.   Biblical patience is almost always tied to the idea of expectant waiting.

                   a.   It is not the same as fatalistic resignation: Que será será, whatever happens happens, why fight it?

                   b.   Biblical patience stands on its tip toes in anticipation of what God might be up to now.

            3.   The Bible talks about patience primarily in 2 categories: patience in suffering and patience with people.

II.   Patience in Suffering

      A.  There is no way to Escape suffering

            1.   Medicine cannot do it, psychotherapy can’t do it, drugs and alcohol can’t do it, avoidance can’t do it, religion can’t do it, not even being the best Christian you could be would be an escape to suffering.

            2.   Human rebellion against God opened the door to suffering and death and every human experiences both.

      B.  God gives Strength in suffering

            1.   God nowhere promises to keep all suffering from us, but he does promise to be with us and give us strength in times of difficulty.

                   a.   God gives strength for, not exemptions to life’s difficulties. (vv.27-29)

            2.   Our trust in God’s promise to work everything out for our good (Rom.8:28) gives us the strength to let go of our desperation for relief, and wakes up our curiosity about how God is going to keep his promise this time.

      C.  This word also means: Endurance

            1.   In some older versions the Greek word of Galatians 5:22 was translated “long-suffering.”

                   a.   The origin of our English word comes from a Latin root meaning endurance

            2.   Great patience requires great strength.

                   a.   Like a lighthouse beaten by furious waves must be strong to stand firm, so we, beaten by life’s storms must be strong to endure without being knocked off our foundation.

            3.   When we find our endurance low and our patience in suffering short, when this fruit is still small and green and sour.

III.  Patience with People

      A.  People can be Exasperating!

            1.   The Bible teaches us to be patient in circumstances, but also to be patient with people.

                   a.   When 1Corinthians 13 describes what love is the 1st thing Paul says about love is that love is patient.

                   b.   Then he tells us (in Ephesians 4:2): Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

                   c.   Patience is an internal virtue, but also an interpersonal one.

            2.   I used to think I was a patient person. Then I had kids.

                   a.   It’s easy to be patient around folks who you don’t need patience to be around.

                   b.   Being patient with inconsiderate, impolite, inconsistent, obnoxious people. That’s another story.

      B.  People grow at their own Rates

            1.   And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 1Thes.5:14-15.

            2.   Paul urges us to encourage growth, but also to be patient with it, and with each other in the process.

                   a.   We sometimes assume a right to be impatient with people, just because we’re better at something than they are.

                   b.   You and I rarely know the obstacles to growth in others.

            3.   God is at work in your brother and your sister. And God has his own patient way of working.

                   a.   As you stand on your tip-toes waiting on the Lord to work in other people, you’ll see some amazing things!

      C.  Be patient with Yourself

            1.   The hardest person to be patient with, at times, is the one that looks back at you in the mirror.

            2.   When patience fails we give up, or beat ourselves up. But no one hits a home run their first time at bat, or even every time. Babe Ruth had a lot of strike outs.

                   a.   Don’t worry, God is at work in you too!

            3.   When this fruit of patience with people needs a lot of maturing yet, what do you do?

The Bottom Line:

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