The Fruit of the Spirit – Patience
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such there is no law.
INTRODUCTION
Patience -
A small boy is sent to bed by his father.
Five minutes later … “Da-ad…”
“What?”
“I’m thirsty. Can you bring me a drink of water?”
“No. You should have got a drink before you went to bed. Go to sleep.”
Five minutes later: “Da-aaaaad …”
“WHAT?”
“I’m THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??”
“I told you NO! If you ask again, I’ll have to come in there and spank you!!”
Five minutes later … Daaaa-aaaaaad …”
“WHAT?!!”
“When you come in to spank me, can you bring me a drink of water?”
[Kids Say & Do The Funniest Things – www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/kids2.htm-56k, 11-01-03, adapted]
*** Now that is patience.
However,
“People are not very patient are they?
Particularly in our society, I think we honor the type “A” personality who is aggressive and take charge, because he is the one who gets the job done. Quite frankly, that kind of personally is not very patient –
Many of us pray like this: Dear God, please grant me patience. [However,] I want it right now.” [The Spirit Led Life Part 7 (Patience), a sermon by Joe Bedy, SermonCentral.com, 10-27-03]
Do you have patience? The text says that patience is an aspect of the Holy Spirit’s fruit. Because of that we need to see what it means to be patient and then apply it.
DEFINITION
What is Patience?
Patience – [NASB]
Long-suffering – [KJV]
NT Greek –
makrothumia (noun) (Strong # 3115) (makros – “long” / thumos – “temper”) - means:
Forbearance – to hold up, to bear with, to endure.
Patience – the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is associated with hope – it is not used of God.
Longsuffering - is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger and is associated with mercy – it is used of God. [Vine’s Expository Dict., 1996, 247; 377; 463]
OT Hebrew –
erek aph (Strong # 750 & 639) long of face - [Young’s Analytical Concordance, 22nd ed., 614] or as I have known it for years as “long of nose” carrying with its meaning the thought of being “slow to anger” [BEA]
NOTE – The best approach to understanding this Greek word is to view it like a two sided coin. One side – man’s patience. The other side – God’s long-suffering.
I. Patience in Trials
PATIENCE – the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is associated with hope.
Hebrews 6:9-12
Beloved, we are convinced of better things of you [vv. 1-8], and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
*** Show [openly display through “practical holiness” – A.W. Pink, Exposition of Hebrews, 337] … diligence [be earnest] … to realize the full assurance of hope until the end [coming to complete salvation] … through faith [evidence of things not seen] and patience [persevering in hope amidst all the trials – Ibid., 338].
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness [Gk. – perseverance, margin notes] of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.
*** Though the Greek “hupomones” here translated perseverance [i.e., patience] is not the same as found in the text the same thought is illustrated.
James 5:7-11
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold the Judge is standing at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
*** Here we are taught that we are to be willing to under go suffering - ill treatment – persecution – because of the call of God – If you are in Christ you are going to suffer because of your Christian witness -
John 15:18-21
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
II. Patience of God
LONG-SUFFERING - that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger and is associated with mercy.
Romans 2:4-5
Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
Romans 9:22
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
*** Time is of non-essence to God – He waits patiently [mercifully – in order that men might come to repentance] knowing that His day of wrath will come – let not stubbornness (v. 5) cause one to think lightly of this day.
1 Peter 3:18-20
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during construction of the ark, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
*** Because of the patience of God [Genesis 6:5-9] – eight souls were saved when He destroyed the world with the flood.
2 Peter 3:8-15
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slackness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you.
*** Just as God was patient allowing the ark to be built to redeem Noah and his family, so too is God being patient today by allowing sinful men and women time to repent before certain and complete judgment comes upon this earth again –
1 Timothy 1:15-16
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
III. Patience towards Believers
Ephesians 4:2
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.
Colossians 3:12
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave your, so also should you.
*** How patient are you with other believers? These verses tell us that we are to be long-suffering [just like God is towards us!] towards our fellow believers –
1 John 19-21
We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
CONCLUSION
A. Believers –
1. How are you handling situations in your life? …. Are you impatient with God? …. Are you demanding that God intervene and remove your calamity?
*** Patience is enduring the trials that come into your life – waiting and not murmuring towards God because you know and understand that God is sovereign and still in control and that every thing is working out in accordance to His will and that sooner or later His day of vengeance will come upon those who are treating you in such an evil manner.
2. Are you seeking God’s mercy toward others?
*** All too often we forget that God was patient with us and redeemed our souls despite all of the wickedness that we did, are now doing, and will do in our lives. We need to be praying to God that He will continue to be long-suffering and show mercy to others. Especially to those who are treating us in an evil manner. …. I wonder who in the church was praying for God to be merciful toward Saul of Tarsus?
3. Are you being patient with others in the church?
*** How we become puffed up in our own minds. Instead of seeing ourselves as being superior over others and becoming impatient with those who have not grown in the grace and knowledge of the Lord – let us humble ourselves instead and become patient with those other brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage them in their service to the Lord. Let us be as patient with them as God has been patient with us. Christ told us that by our love towards each other, because by that men will know that we are His disciples [John 13:34-35].
B. Non-Believers –
My friend, you really should be very thankful for the long-suffering of God today. Do you not realize that His long-suffering is keeping you from facing His wrath? Are you not concerned that you are standing at eternity’s door and that you may be required to enter in at any moment? Oh I urge you not to try God’s patience any longer.
Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.
2 Corinthians 6:2b
Behold, now is “The acceptable time,” behold, now is “The day of salvation.”
Bruce Allen
Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church
bea0210@hotmail.com
November 2, 2003
