Peeled 4 - Patience

Patience

We are examining the Fruit of the Spirit and discovering characteristics of a life changed by Christ.

Here’s what we know about fruit, fruit is never grown overnight, it must be cultivated.

Picture your life like a piece of fruit. When you are peeled is the fruit sweet or sour?

We are peeling back the layers of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Many say “fruits,” however there are not 9 “fruits” of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit has 9 characteristics, 9 layers if you will. One Fruit with 9 attributes.

These Fruit taken together make up the character of Christ.

Some people try to pick and choose their way through the Fruit of the Spirit. Many pray and ask God to “give” them the fruit of the Spirit. Gifts are given. Fruit is cultivated.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The Fruit of the Spirit is a description of the character qualities found in Christ.

So far we have examined Love, Joy and Peace.

This week let’s examine Patience.

1. Patience is the Character of God. 

What is patience?

·      More than something we need while driving!

·      More than the ability to tolerate frustrating people!

Think about this, when we belittle people, we are actually exposing our pride. We call others names because in our minds we are better than them, or more intelligent, or have more common sense.

But in reality Pride has caused us to consider ourselves better than someone else. So it’s not patience we need, it’s forgiveness for our Pride.

Webster’s: Patience is bearing pain or trials without complaint: showing self-control: calm: steadfast, persevering

Internet: Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

In the NT there are two words translated patience.

[Greek] Makrothumia (3115) mak-roth-oo-mee’-ah

longsuffering, patience

Longsuffering describes the character of God.

Exodus 34:5-6 NLT Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. ⁶ The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”

When we allow the Holy Spirit to produce patience (longsuffering) in our lives, we are developing the quality of self-restraint when we are provoked. The more we allow patience to be cultivated in our lives, the more we become like the character of God.

Romans 2:1-4 NLT You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. ² And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. ³ Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? ⁴ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

2 Peter 3:9 NLT The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Patience is who God is, it’s His character.

2. Patience cannot be developed without adversity.

[Greek] Hupomonē (5281) hoop-om-on-ay

endurance, constancy; - enduring, patience, patient, continuance

Vine’s – literally an abiding under – it is patience that grows only in trial.

James 1:2-5 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Perseverance is the Greek word Hupomonē, it’s the ability to abide under pressure.

As you study scripture’s about patience you begin to understand that patience is forbearance under suffering and endurance in the face of adversity.

Patience is the ability to keep on keeping on.

The ability to be consistent when times are good, when you are suffering, when you are being tested, when people are getting on your last nerve, no matter what outside circumstances you find yourself facing, you are constant. You are patient.

The Fruit of Patience is never grown overnight, it is cultivated.

Patience is often developed in our lives in the midst of difficulties.

Want to see if you are Patient? Notice how you respond in difficult times. Trials and tests help find a person. How you react under pressure is the real you.

As we go through trials and difficulties in life, we may not realize it but trusting in God during these times allows patience to be cultivated in our lives.

So many times we run when we face difficulties. Or we decide this church is not for us, or we become offended, bitter, jealous or even filled with hate.

What we fail to realize is that perhaps God allowed us to go through this difficulty to develop patience in our life. When we run away, or get upset, we miss a chance to build the character of God in our lives.

We grow in the tough times, not the easy times. If we run from the difficult times we will seriously hinder our growth.

The Fruit of Patience is never grown overnight, it is cultivated.

Patience is cultivated in our lives in the midst of difficulties.

3. The Reward of Patience.

The Chinese Bamboo Tree
In the Far East the Asian people plant a tree known as the Chinese Bamboo. During the first four years they water and fertilize the plant despite seeing little or no results. Then during the fifth year, they again water and fertilize the tree - and in five weeks' time the tree grows ninety feet! The obvious question to ask is: Did the Chinese bamboo tree grow ninety feet in five weeks, or did it grow ninety feet in five years? The answer is: It grew ninety feet in five years.

You see if at any time during those five years the people would have stopped watering and fertilizing the tree, it would have died. Many times our dreams and plans appear as if they are going nowhere, and we are tempted to give up and quit trying. But on the contrary, we must keep watering and fertilizing those dreams and plans God's placed inside us. Because we know that if we do not quit, if we show perseverance and endurance, we will also reap a harvest.

James 5:7-11 NIV Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Our motivation for patience is harvest time.

The Lord is coming to reap a harvest.

Romans 8:18-25 NLT Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Hebrews 10:36 NLT Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

James 1:12 NLT God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Revelation 2:7 NIV To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 NIV The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 2:17 NIV To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Revelation 2:26 NIV To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

Revelation 3:5 NIV The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Revelation 3:12 NIV The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.

Revelation 3:21 NIV To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 21:6-7 NIV He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

2 Peter 1:3-9 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

⁵ In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Illustration: Andrew Jackson

The story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then President of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?” “Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat—he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andrew Jackson would throw him and be the winner.”

Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed.’” We may face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Then, through the Holy Spirit’s power we can be the eventual victor over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s, so there is no excuse for us to stay “throwed”! 

adapted from Our Daily Bread

Galatians 6:9 NIV Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

James 5:7-11 MSG Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. ⁸ Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

⁹ Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.

¹⁰ Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. ¹¹ What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

The story of a Moth

There was once a young boy in the first grade that had to do an insect collection project. The young boy was very excited when he found his first moth, still in its cocoon. The young boy broke off the stick that the cocoon hung from, put it in a jar, and brought it to school. Day after day the little boy would stop to look at the cocoon time and time again throughout his day. But it was taking too many days, too much time for the moth to make its way out of the cocoon. The young boy had become so attached to this moth that it was very difficult for him to watch the moth struggle to make its way out of the cocoon.

Finally, the young boy could handle the pain no longer. So, one day at recess, while everyone else was out of the room, the young boy took some scissors and snipped a little bit of the cocoon to make it easier on the moth. Later that afternoon, the young boy became very excited because the moth had made quite a bit of progress getting out of the cocoon. Soon the moth would be free.

Again, the next day, while everyone was out at recess, the boy once more took a pair of scissors and snipped a piece of the cocoon off. After all, he was just trying to help the moth out. Not long after that, the moth was completely free of the cocoon. The boy waited in anticipation for the moth to begin to fly around the jar but the moth wasn’t flying. As the boy moved in for a closer look, he noticed that the moth looked funny. His wings were kind of wet, and he looked awkward. But the boy wasn’t too worried. He thought, “pretty soon that moth will get strong and begin to fly.” After all, his moth was the first one in the whole class to come out of its cocoon. The other kids didn’t know the secret this young boy did. If you snip the cocoon, your moth will be free sooner.

As the other kids opened their jars, their moths flew high into the sky with brightly colored, strong wings. But as the little boy opened his jar, his moth didn’t fly… it couldn’t. For you see, the struggle that the moth goes through to become free of the cocoon is the very thing that makes their wings strong enough for flight. And although it was very hard to watch this process, it was this struggle that made the moth strong.

Sometimes a loving heavenly Father looks down and says, “I see your pain and struggles.” And you say, “God why don’t you stop this? Get me out of this jar! It’s not fair!”

And sometimes it’s a loving heavenly Father who would give anything to snip the cocoon and get you out of the process. But you asked Him to make you like Jesus. To make you strong; to give you enough spiritual stamina to fly above stuff. And so, if He makes it easy for you every time, you will never learn that. Never.