THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (PATIENCE)
Text: Galatians 5:22
I. INTRODUCTION
A. One of the Needed Fruits to Bear
1. Patience doesn’t come easy for most people
B. Review the Series
1. The Fruit of the Spirit Love
2. The fruit of the Spirit Joy
3. The fruit of the Spirit Peace
II. BODY
A. Exhortations to Patience
1. God often calls on us to wait
a. “wait on the Lord” (Ps. 27:14)
b. “wait patiently on Him” (Ps. 37:7)
c. “wait only upon God” (Ps. 62:25)
d. “They wait upon the Lord” (Isa. 40:31)
e. “The Lord is good to them that wait for Him”(Lam.3:25)
2. The disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4)
3. We are to “wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 12:1)
4. Christian to run the race “with patience” (Heb. 12:1)
B: Examples of Patience
1. Job is the most common example
a. Patient when his family and fortune were taken
b. Patient when his wife urged him to curse God and die
2. Paul was patient. He tells us of his thorn in the flesh, us of his thorn in the flesh, us of his thorn in the flesh. He prayed for God to remove the thorn. He prayed three times. Then God seemed to whisper to him, “ I will not remove the thorn, but I will give you grace sufficient to bear it.” Do you have a thorn? Do you have a cross to bear? Then asked God to bear it. He may not remove it but he will help you by giving added grace. Be patient.
3. The patience of Daniel in the lions den (Dan. 6)
4. Jesus was the greatest example of patience
o His patience before Pilate
o His patience on the cross
o His patience in returning (2 Peter 3:9)
C: Excellent Opportunity to Witness Through Patience
1. Patient husband may win their wives
2. Patient wives may win their husbands
3. Patient parents will be honored by their children
4. Patient employers may win their employees
5. Patient drivers impress other drivers
6. Patient people stand out in a crowd
7. Observers of patient people wonder how they can do it
a. They believe their witness is real
b. Opportunities to witness worth waiting for
8. Others see the Holy Spirit at work through patient people
D: Some Cases Where Patience is Necessary
1. We need it in the presence of life’s mysteries
o In things we don’t understand(John 16:12)
2. We need it in times of great disappointment
o In times of defeat, sorrows
3. We need it when things are moving slowly.
Stalactites and stalagmites grew only an inch in a hundred years, why can’t we I be patient in doing the Lord’s work, remembering that He bring forth the results.
III. CONCLUSION
A: You Can Be Patient
1. The Holy Spirit will calm you down
2. Your patience depends on your degree of surrender
