The Fruit of Patience
Notes
Transcript
Text
Text
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Background / Context
Background / Context
Introduction
Introduction
Harvey Mackay is a businessman and columnist and author. He is best known as the author of five best-selling books on sales strategy. One of those books, written in 2005, was entitled Swim with the Sharks (Without being eaten alive). It’s a book about world-famous businessmen and their secrets to success.
One of the stories he tells is about a trip to Japan to listen to that country’s top business men. Listen to part of the story: “When I was in Japan in 1983, we had a series of seminars in which we heard speeches from the leaders of Japan’s largest industrial concerns. We heard from the top officers of Honda, Sony, Mitsubishi, and the head of the biggest enterprise of all, the eighty-eight-year-old president of Matsushita Electric—Masaharu Matsushita. Persuading them to speak to us was quite a coup, because the Japanese system is much more rigidly structured than ours, and they regard appearing before the troops in this fashion as somewhat beneath their dignity. And if giving speeches was regarded as ... crude ... imagine how they felt about answering questions. But when the eighty-eight-year-old Matsushita addressed us, he spoke eloquently and profoundly.” Then came the questions: Questions: “Mr. President, does your company have long-range goals?” Answer: “Yes.” Question: “How long are your long-range goals?” Answer: “Two hundred fifty years.” Question: “What do you need to carry them out?” Answer: “Patience.”
What is Patience
What is Patience
The patience that is spoken of in the New Testament is normally translated in the King James translation as longsuffering. It refers to an emotional calm even under provocation. It is a composure that entertains no thoughts of retaliation even when wrongfully treated. The best example we have in the New Testament is our Lord’s behavior in each of the three trials he endured the night before His crucifixion. In Matthew’s Gospel we read this account:
The example of Christ...
11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. 12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? 14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
In remaining mute, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth.
The example of God’s forgiveness..
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: Neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
Declaration: As believers, we too, are to exhibit the kind of longsuffering that can only be explained by the presence of God in our lives and the filling of His Holy Spirit.
Transition: The Bible teaches that there are many areas where the believer needs to have patience. But there are three areas that are particularly stressed.
I. We must be patient as we wait on the Lord
I. We must be patient as we wait on the Lord
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Example of Peter - Jesus told his disciples that he would meet them in Galilee after his resurrection and they went to wait for him there. Peter got impatient about waiting on the Lord and said “I am going fishing”
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
Waiting on God is not easy - we are naturally impatient creatures
A. Sometimes we must wait for an answer
A. Sometimes we must wait for an answer
There are many things is God’s Word that are clear and simple and we don’t need to wait on the Lord
At times though, we encounter difficult circumstances where the answer is not clear
In these moments we must wait patiently for the Lord
God is not in nearly the hurry that we are
B. Sometimes we must wait for the right timing
B. Sometimes we must wait for the right timing
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.
In other words .... wisdom knows what to do and when to do it
II. We must be patient as we wait upon each other
II. We must be patient as we wait upon each other
Ep 4:
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Everyone grows at different rates and at times it does not seem like those around us are growing at all
When we grow impatient we begin to divide - Paul was stressing this idea of endeavoring to be unified
The only way this is possible is if we patiently wait for one another and forbear
A. We wait with humility
A. We wait with humility
“with all lowliness”
simply means to not have a high view of ourselves in relation to others
We don’t wait on others from high and lofty positions of superiority
B. We wait with a gentle spirit
B. We wait with a gentle spirit
“..and meekness”
1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger.
It means to be gentle
Illustration: Patiently waiting for our children as they grow and mature - many times it requires gentleness
C. We wait with forbearance
C. We wait with forbearance
“forbearing one another in love”
literally means to endure
Illustration: How Running a Marathon puts your body through Hell - Gizmodo - Sarah Bettencort 4/17/17
Over thirty thousand runners began the Boston Marathon this morning in Hopkinton, MA, some having trained and run for years to get to this point. Their completion medals will be well-earned. From your heart, through your circulatory system, to your leg muscles and kidneys, running a marathon is sort of like putting your entire body through a meat grinder.
Body temp rises feverishly - 102-103 degrees
The Kidneys are taxed - In a study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the researchers wrote that 82 percent of runners showed Stage 1 Acute Kidney Injury immediately after the marathon—a condition where kidneys have stopped filtering toxins from blood.
Energy Production Overdrive - According to David Mark Ph.D, a nutritional performance consultant, runners begin the marathon with a calorie burning rate of 150 calories an hour. He said, “the moment they start running, they’re up to 700-800 calories an hour.”
Change in heart and blood Flow - Dr. Gregory Lewis told Gizmodo that studies have found that the right chamber of the heart dilates disproportionately to the left chamber during the race, with the left ventricle “bearing the burden” of the marathon. Researchers have also observed that runners create a byproduct of troponin inside heart cells, which is used by doctors to see if someone has cardiac damage if suffering a cardiac episode.
Muscle & Joint Damage - Many spectators will see runners hunched over throughout the marathon, but even more so near the end. According to Dr. Hadcock, that’s because of an increase in the amount of lactate in their muscles, which results in cramps and even muscle damage.
Like the motivation to finish a race drives a distance runner, love should carry us to a level of forbearance for and with one another in the body of Christ.
III. We must be patient as we face opposition
III. We must be patient as we face opposition
The word “longsuffering” has two primary meanings. It means, as we have already discussed, a patient spirit in relationship to timing as we wait on God and wait on others. However, it has another dimension in scripture and it involves the enduring of a difficult trial.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Some church historians have estimated that more Christians have were martyred for the faith in the 20th century then in all of the nineteen centuries that proceeded this year alone it is estimated that, worldwide, 160,000 Christians were martyred for their faith
1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
Some church historians have estimated that more Christians have were martyred for the faith in the 20th century then in all of the nineteen centuries that proceeded this year alone it is estimated that, worldwide, 160,000 Christians were martyred for their faith
We may not be experiencing persecution in America today - but others around the world are suffering for their faith in Christ
Ecc 4:1
A. Patience in opposition produces maturity
A. Patience in opposition produces maturity
“behold, we count them happy which endure”
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
If you are facing opposition today - remember that God is working through it to mature you
B. Patience in opposition reveals mercy
B. Patience in opposition reveals mercy
“...ye have seen the end of the Lord ; that he is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
God is merciful and when we patiently endure a trial we get to experience this first hand
Conclusion
Conclusion
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
The fruit of longsuffering, like all aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, is supernatural!
IV. We must be patient as we wait for the Lords return