Unit 14 – Patience
Lesson 39 – “I Want Patience – Quickly!” – Rom. 5:1-5; Rom. 12:12; James 1:2-8; Heb. 12:1-15
Preparation for the Teacher
1. Aim: To lead the people to understand God’s processes for helping us develop patience that leads to Christ like maturity.
2. Explanation of the Aim: A good definition of patience is the ability or willingness to go through hard or boring times in order to reach the right goal. Some synonyms for patience include:
forbearance, even tempered, self-controlled, tolerant, pastoral, unflappable, restraint, submissive, serenity, endurance, resolve, fortitude, long-suffering. God gives patience to people who have learned to pass through difficulties knowing that He is developing Christ like character in them.
The Lord is patient as he suffers long with his stubborn people and those are yet to receive Christ as their Savior. (2 Pet. 3:9) God patiently bears up when people disappoint Him because He remains faithful even when we are unfaithful.
The Lord could have destroyed Adam and Eve when they sinned against Him, but he was patient in holding back his anger. He also showed patient while Noah took nearly 100 years to construct an ark for the saving of his family before the great flood cleansed the earth from corruption.
God patiently waits for the gospel to be preached in the whole earth before the return of Christ to the earth. Jesus Christ demonstrated great patience with everyone He met because He loved them regardless of their problems or background. The Lord expects us to be patient as He is patient with us.
Application: Ask the Lord to give you the patient endurance to bear up with long days and months of hardship as He did for us. Demonstrate His love by patiently bearing the sins, shortcoming and criticisms of others.
3. The Bible Story: Patience is a character quality, a fruit of the Spirit and a product of the Spirit transforming us into a Christ like loving individual.
Only when a person experiences the new birth through Jesus Christ are they able to exercise the patience God has worked in their heart. The Holy Spirit gradually changes a Christian’s attitude to become more patient as we yield our mind, will and emotions to His control.
Paul teaches us the six step process of how God develops Christ like patience in our perceptions, attitudes and actions in Romans 5:1-5.
A person cannot be patient until they are at peace with God by finding forgiveness for their sins through faith in Jesus Christ. This new relationship allows a person to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to impart graceful transformation in every aspect of our perspectives.
Christ gives us an example and the power to rejoice in our sufferings. Christians should not be morbid but full of joy in the way the Spirit is transforming them into a Christ like individual. Through the access we have to God’s patience we can demonstrate patience to every person that we meet.
Application: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ gives us the power, motivation and enabling grace to show patience when it is otherwise humanly impossible.
4. Prepare to Teach: The INTRODUCTION is designed to help the people consider some of the hindrances to becoming a patient person? (Anger, jealousy, envy, fear, immaturity etc)
Ask the people why some people have developed a greater patient character than others?
What role does temperament play in helping a person display patience? (I.E. Choleric-Authoritarian, Sanguine-Socially Interactive, Melancholy-Quiet and Analytical, Phlegmatic-Calm and Pleasant)
Ask the people how a choleric like the apostle Paul developed patience? What are some of the things we should do to become a more patient individual? The BIBLE STORY discusses some of the processes that the Lord wants us to pass through in order to become a more patient servant.
The MEANING FOR OUR LIVES gives the people an opportunity to make an application from the lesson. Allow the people to get with several friends and ask the Lord to help them grow in patience, perseverance and adaptability.
Introduction
Consider some of the hindrances to becoming a patient person? (Anger, jealousy, envy, fear, immaturity etc) Ask the people why some people have developed a greater patient character than others? What role does temperament play in helping a person display patience? (I.E. Choleric-Authoritarian, Sanguine-Socially Interactive, Melancholy-Quiet and Analytical, Phlegmatic-Calm and Pleasant)
Application: Ask the people how a choleric like the apostle Paul developed patience? What are some of the things we should do to become a more patient individual?
Before people can be characterized as patient they need to be assured of their justification by faith (To be made righteous in God’s sight through forgiveness found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ). When a person is justified they can now be at peace with God because they are no under condemnation because of their sin.
When we are at peace with God we can learn how to be patient with others by being imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit who helps us develop Christ like patience with His calm, peace, and harmony with God’s power.
Patient people are humble, tolerant and able to overlook faults. Second, people who want to become patient need to make a habit out of rejoicing when they encounter tribulation.
Tribulation is used by God to work patience not by itself, but through the powerful grace of our Lord Jesus. The more patient you become the more you are able to stand firm when afflictions are multiplied.
Tribulation has a way of working needed experience and proven character in and through our lives.
Third, God develops perseverance in the hearts of those who are willing to take up their cross and follow Jesus in all circumstances.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit transforms our inner character into great Christ like qualities through His empowering grace.
Fifth, God supplies us with hope despite all the discouraging things that happen to us. A right sense of God’s love to us will make us not ashamed, either of our hope. When we are taunted about why we are waiting on God we can rest confidently in His promises. People who fail to rejoice in their trials become bitter, angry and resentful.
A right sense of God’s hope does not allow us to get discouraged, frustrated or disillusioned when we do not see our desires fulfilled.
Sixth, the Lord helps us gain a greater appreciation of the greatness of His love in all dimensions of life. Only when we are yielded to God working through this process are we able to grow in our patient godly perceptions, attitudes and actions. (Rom. 5:1-5)
Application: Ask the Lord for greater grace, insight and commitment to the Holy Spirit’s working through this six step formula for growing in Christ like patience.
Memory Verse: We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance (Patience); perseverance, character and character, hope. (Rom. 5:2,3)
The Meaning for Our Lives
Give the people an opportunity to make an application from the lesson. Allow the people to get with several friends and ask the Lord to help them grow in patience, perseverance and adaptability.
Application: Ask the people to contribute to a prayer that is based on Romans 5:1-5 that can be used in their family devotions this week.
Response:
Song: Make me a servant, patient and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be. Make me a servant today.
Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you develop patience through His Biblically based process of Romans 5:1-5
At Home: Ask your parents how Romans 5:1-5 assists them in developing patience with all of their members of the family.
