PATIENCE
This is a sermon for me and everyone that, works a high stress job and/ or have a lack of patience. I fit both of these categories. It is something I have fought all my life, and have lost many of the battles. It is something I’m not proud of and something I worry about a lot.
Endurance, staying power, tolerance, lack of complaint, persistence, fortitude and serenity are words synonymous with patience.
Annoyance, irritation, edginess, and intolerance are words that are synonymous with impatience and words that fit me at certain times.
With this as many others things in life we can find help, if we a willing to follow it, in the Bible
PROVERBS 15:1 18
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but he who regards reproof is sensible.
6 Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, but trouble is in the income of the wicked.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not so. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves one who pursues righteousness.
10 Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; He who hates reproof will die.
11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men
12 A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, He will not go to the wise.
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken
14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.
17 Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred.
18 A hot tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger calms a dispute.
PROVERBS 14:29
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick tempered exalts folly.
ECCLESIASTES 7:8
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.
JAMES 1: 19 20
19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
We already know that we have to have patience.
EPHESIANS 4:1 3
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Again we know we must have patience it is very important for a Christian. So how do we who lack it get it?
COLOSSIANS 1:10 12
10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
Now bearing fruit I’ve heard that some where?
GALATIANS 5:22 25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
I received the Spirit when I was baptized and yet I do not have patience, why? As with everything in Bible study we do not know what the Bible says about a subject until we know all that the Bible says.
2 PETER1:1 11
1 Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self control, and in your selfcontrol, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
The thing that I need to work on most in life is my impatience and I can not achieve this with out working on everything in my life. Because, this guide Peter gave us must be followed completely, leave out one step and the whole plan is off.
PLAN OF SALVATION
ROMANS 10: 17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
HEBREWS 11:6 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
ACTS 2:38
38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 10:9 10
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
MARK 16:16
16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
MATTHEW 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
