Opening Prayer: Lord we thank you for your patience with us, do your work in us through your Word & by the power of your Holy Spirit as we seek to understand Patience as a Fruit of the Spirit. Amen!
INTRODUCTION: Patience - Yikes! Feels like I'm stepping into a mine field! I know I'm not very patient, and that's patience how the world sees it - so how does God see it? What is this supernatural Fruit of Patience? Our book describes patience as self restraint in the face of provocation, and thinking before we act. Ok, even the world can understand this kind of patience. Patience as a fruit of the Spirit is much more, it involves a changed heart and a transformed mind, so that we aren't just patient on the outside (self-restraint) but also patient on the inside (gracious).
PRINCIPLE: The Fruit of Patience demonstrates God's Grace
As with all of these Fruits they are a response to all that God has done for us, if God has been gracious to us how ought we to respond to others? We ought to respond with God's Grace:
- Being patient with our brothers & sisters in Christ as they grow in Maturity/Sanctification.
- Being patient with the unsaved as we seek to Love them into the Kingdom.
I. God's Patience with People
As I was answering the questions for myself this week the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about something that has been troubling me lately. I am always troubled when the unsaved die, especially people I love or people who seem to have been trying to live in a loving manner, and a part of me would love there to be yet another chance for people after death. Lately I heard someone expounding an idea from a work of fiction that implied that there is a time after death to get your life right with God - and as much as I would like that to be the case I don't see evidence for that in scripture. I even caught myself thinking perhaps there is something not yet revealed, perhaps part of eternity for the believer is to draw the lost to God - but again, there is no evidence of this in scripture. So I've been praying about my heart for people, and questioning myself & my own desires... then I read 2 Peter 3:9 which tells us that God has incredible patience with people, so much patience that it seems He is being slow keeping His promises - but His reason for His timing is this: He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. This was a comfort to me, and I realized that my heart for people isn't in the wrong - instead it seems to be lining up with God's heart for people.
God's patience also extends to His people, those who have given their lives to Him - but still fall & fail Him. Philippians 1:6 tells us that God is working to sanctify us, that he has started a good work in us and will carry it on to completion. 1 Peter 2:4-6 tells us that we are living stones being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It goes on to tell use that those who trust in Christ will never be put to shame. These verses are promises for our assurance in Christ, but also speak of our growth & maturity in faith as being something that God is patiently working on.
I have a personal faith-walk story that is marked by deeply rooted & devastating sin, as well as terrible betrayal at the hands of others - it is the faith-walk I had to take to break the bondage of sin, and to learn about the amazing Grace of God. I have written it down, but will not share it today - I call it "Graceful Walk", which is the meaning of my name (Annette) & is an apt description of my journey both to God (Salvation) and with God (Sanctification). I praise God for His Patience and Grace poured out for me!!
PRINCIPLE: God is Patient because of His Great Love for People
God Loves people, He is always fair & gracious, He never drives anyone away that hasn't already clearly pushed Him away many times. An example of this is given in Exodus - God prophecies that He will harden Pharaoh's heart in Exodus 4:21 & 7:3, and this sounds cruel to us to hear God speak this way; however, when we read the full account (chapters 7-11) of how Pharaoh responded to the display of God's power, how he time & again hardened his own heart in response to God's clear call, we understand why God chose to drive him away. God is a gentleman, and does not force Himself on those who don't want Him; nevertheless, He is patient & desiring for all to come to Him & return His love.
II. Our Patience with People
Our patience with people ought to come as a response to the patience God has with us, it is a love-gift that we can give to God. Our lives ought to be poured out as an offering, as a sacrifice to God, in order that others will be drawn to God.
I have been blessed by having several family members, all of them men, who's lives are amazing examples of patience. My Dad, my Grandpa (my Dad's Dad), my Great-Grandpa (my Dad's Dad's Dad), and my Son - yep, it skipped my generation. Each of these men are (were) marked with similar characteristics: they rarely got angry, took life in stride daily with a cheerful outlook, had a sense of humor about themselves, and were content. Each had personal tragedies & struggles, but managed to remain patient in the process. Some of this was simply their natural temperament, but it also was a reflection of hearts that loved God.
That's not my temperament, so Patience is something I have to work at & that I've seen God work on in me as I'm maturing in Christ. I've discovered that usually when I'm impatient it's because I'm too focused on me (yuck). Here are a couple examples of how I'm improving:
- I grew up & lived in the San Diego area until I was about 34 years old, I've dealt with traffic, bad traffic, and as is the habit of people who deal with bad traffic on a daily basis (my 12 mile commute typically took 30-45 minutes mostly driven in stop & go traffic). As a result I learned to talk to the cars around me, things like "hey, let me in already" or "are you nuts" or "it's the pedal on the right idiot" or "do you have a death wish". After moving to Minnesota my talking to cars didn't stop, and I had a couple locals point it out, that got me thinking. Now instead of talking to the cars I stop and think about the people in the cars (well, I try at least), and frequently I find myself praying for them - especially if I got angry with them.
- I have a wonderful loving & patient husband, but like all people (myself included) he has his quirks. Something he used to say a lot, but doesn't say so much anymore is "that's not right". He might say that about how shirts should be hung (his all face to the left), about odd food combinations (he's gotten used to my experimental cooking), or how books ought to be lined up on a bookshelf - library style. I used to take it personally, as a judgement against me, when he said "that's not right". After a while I learned that was Jeff's way of indicating it wasn't how he'd learned to do things, and I learned to laugh when I hear him say this; in the process I've gained more of a sense of humor about myself & learned to be more gracious when it comes to things that aren't eternal in nature.
PRINCIPLE: Our Patience with others ought to be a response to the Love & Patience of God
Who tries your patience? Why might God have placed that person in your life? Is God using that person to grow you in some way? Is God giving you an opportunity to Love that person into His kingdom?
We all have people in our lives I call Grace Builders, people who seem to enjoy causing turmoil, people who like to stir up controversy, or people who purposely pick on us for some reason. These people I call Grace Builders because that's how God can use them in our lives, to grow us in His Grace.
III. Learning from Biblical Examples of Patience
We can learn patience from the examples of others, and scriptural examples are always good to rely on. From Moses we can learn patience in waiting for God's redemptive process to work over time. From Job we can learn patience at a time of loss & affliction. From Joseph we can learn patience despite difficult circumstances & false accusations. From Hosea we can learn patience toward those who betray us. From David we can learn patience in waiting on God's timing to fulfill what He has promised.... and the list goes on.
My favorite is Jesus, especially his constant patience with his disciples, but we know from the example of him driving out the money-changers (John 2:13-17) in the temple that his patience wasn't a result of him being a weak, but rather meek - to be meek means to have strength under control, and this a beautiful example of strength kept under control. Jesus was angry but in His anger didn't sin.
My Dad was a big strong man, capable of causing great harm if he'd chosen to. Only one time in my life did my Dad express anger toward me, I told you he was patient!! The one time it was more than well deserved, I was a teenager & had been particularly nasty toward my Mom (sorry Mom) & finally went too far. It took a lot to get Dad angry, but once he was angry I knew I was in deep trouble. Thankfully I was smart enough to realize I'd seriously messed up, and quickly realized I didn't want my Dad mad at me. Luckily I had a Dad who modeled God's Forgiveness as well as Patience, and the situation was resolved relatively quickly - yep, I learned my lesson. My Dad exercised meekness, strength kept under control, and even when angry was capable of expressing anger in a controlled manner.
PRINCIPLE: When we have God's Fruit of Patience we can be angry & yet not sin.
We will all get angry at times, and there are times when it is appropriate to be angry. God's Spirit working in and through us can teach us when to be Patient as we wait for God to work through a situation, and that Patience can also teach us how to respond in anger but under control.
CONCLUSION: We live in an impatient world, a world that can try our patience, we must lean on God and trust in His Spirit's power as we walk in this world & seek to be not of the world.
Closing Prayer: Lord as we interact with people help us to love them and be patient with them in response to how you have loved & been patient with us. Amen!
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