Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Introduction:
Grocery Store
Some food,
Outta control toddler
“Be patient Joey....”
“I’m Joey...”
Patience Does Not Equal Waiting
When you talk about Patience
Usually we think about Waiting, don’t we?
The problem is Patience does not = Waiting
The truth is you’re going to be waiting either way
Dr’s Office Waiting Room
The question is, HOW will you wait?
You’re going to wait either way
You’re going to wait for what you need
You’re going to wait for that promise, either way
But HOW will you wait?
Patience is waiting with the right spirit
Its having endurance, and perseverance
Its often spoken “the patience of Job...”
Patience of Job
Its often spoken “the patience of Job...”
Calamities, Tragedies, Adversities: Waiting to understand it all,
Waiting for restoration... But waiting with the right spirit
Job: Endurance, Perseverance
He kept a right spirit, in the midst of all of it
Why is a right spirit important?
Think again of the Dr’s office...
That right Spirit is what keeps you from giving up,
Throwing in the towel
James 5:11 KJV 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.
You can have patience b’c you’ve seen the end of the Lord
Patience is waiting with the right Spirit
Paul
Paul recounts what he’s been thru...
2 Corinthians 11 (NIV)
23 ... I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
28 Besides everything else,
Now this is interesting -- Besides everything else?
Wait theres more?
How does it get any worse than that?
28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
So he has patience for all of those things
But now, people?
Whew?
He had to learn patience with people
Patient With People
Proverbs 15:18 NIV A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.
KJV says slow to anger
Slowness in avenging wrongs
We’re quick to cast judgment
To put our foot down
Quick to get back
Quick to snap back
A patient person can heal a broken relationship
Maybe its a co-worker
Maybe its a child
Maybe its a spouse
But when we are patient
It will bring a healing to that relationship
1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV) But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
No matter who you are today
God has patience with you
As an example
God still loves them,
They fell down
And got back up
Jesus didn’t write off the Woman at the Well
He had patience with her
Jesus didn’t write off Zaccheus
He had patience with him
Jesus didn’t avenge Peter
He said Tell my disciples, and Peter
God has been patient with us!
And if He has been patient with me,
I must be patient w/others!
Patient With Problems
How many people have ever had a problem?
In school, they would hand you a sheet of “problems”
How many feel like that still happens?
Hey, here is a sheet of problems
...
Job had endurance in problems
Job had patience in adversity
Patience is hard because you don’t understand the situation
If at the Dr’s Office the nurse came out and said,
Here’s the situation,
The Dr is with a man who is having a heart attack right now
He’ll be with you in 10 minutes, no more than that...
But life doesn’t always work that way...
But you can always understand this about any situation...
Romans 5:3 (KJV)
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Tribulation, Adversity, Problems
Works Patience in our life
These problems in our life are opportunities for us to develop
Patience
Life is always a mixed bag
Build spiritual muscle, spiritual endurance
When we exercise patience in the small problems of life
We will build endurance
...
Exhibiting Patience in small occasions like a Dr Office
Will enable you to withstand greater things
If someone who hasn’t exercised on bit for 10 years
Decides they are going to start jogging
Start running for exercise
And they really want to get in shape
Get healthy, lose weight etc etc
And they set the Treadmill for an hour
They probably won’t get 5 minutes into that hour before
They’re jumping off of there!
Their legs are going to be jello
Gonna be out of breath
So what do you do?
You start slowly, start with walking for 10 minutes
Then next week try to jog for 5 minutes
But you have to start somewhere
When you are having trouble with the Uphill Climb
Just know that its preparing you for something greater
When you’re trusting God in the small minutiae
Just know that its preparing you for something greater
Sometimes we see people around us
Who just live life with a smile
Doesn’t matter what they go through,
They have a smile
Especially the older saints
They just worship God
They love other people
Serve the church, Serve people in the church
And we think, wow it must be great to be retired
Well they’re not smiling b’c they’re retired
They have pain, they have problems too
But what you have to understand is
They’re smiling b’c they’ve already scaled some mountains
They’ve already traveled through some valleys
They’ve already seen some hard times
But each and every time
The Good Shepherd led them to lie down in Green Pastures
Led them beside the Still Waters
And even tho they scaled some mountains
And traveled some Valleys
God built patience in their life thru those times!
For in due season, we shall reap if we faint not!
Patient With The Promise
God I know you’re able
But why aren’t you?
When?
David anointed, chased, cut robe.... Saul still comes back...
David 15-20 years between anointing and throne
Abraham & Sarah held on to their promise for over 25 years
Joseph spent over 20 years in Egyptian slavery and prison
Before his dreams came true
When he saw his brothers come back
Joshua wandered around 40 years in the Wilderness before entering into the Promised Land
When He and Caleb had the desire and the faith to take it 40 years ago
Patience with promises from God
1 - Accept That Your Impatience Will Not Bring Quicker
A man’s car stalled in heavy traffic just as the light turned green. All his efforts under the hood to get the car started failed, & a chorus of honking horns behind him made matters worse. He finally walked back to the first driver behind him & said, "I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to get my car started. If you’ll go up there & give it a try, I’ll stay here & honk your horn for you."
Have you ever felt like saying, “look I am just sick and tired of this and I just this to be over with so I can move on.”
How many of you have found that just saying those worlds,
does not necessarily make the situation end any sooner.
God has his timing...
2 - Know That You’re On The Right Path
Know that what youre doing is the right path
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
When you know...
Hebrews 10:35-37 (KJV)
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while , and he that shall come will come , and will not tarry.
Cast not away= this was a term of soldiers throwing away their weapons and abandoning the battle.
When you are patient
You keep fighting the good fight
Even when its gloomy
Even when you don’t understand
Patience believes God
Patience has faith in God
In his time, in his course!
Trust Him
He’s returning for us
In due season, we shall reap if we faint not!
