What’s Growing On? - Patience - Sunday, April 20, 2008

I asked the congregation these three questions at the beginning of this sermon:

These are just a few of the answers, but can you relate to how it feels when someone is patient or impatient with you?  

This is part one of the sermon series “What’s Growing On?” about what the Bible calls the “fruit of the Spirit.” Just like you can tell the quality of a tree or vine by its fruit, others can see the quality of our walk with Christ by the fruit or our lives.  

In Galatians 3:22-23, Paul describes the marks of quality fruit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” For the next three weeks we are going to talk about cultivating patience, faithfulness and gentleness. 

Patience is hard anyway, but it’s even more so in our “instant” society. We’re used to technology that works quickly and efficiently. Anything that slows us down tries our patience. I used to fume if I missed the left turn signal at the traffic light by the church office. If I didn’t get through on the green arrow, I felt like I was stuck there indefinitely. Then one day I decided to time the light and found it was only three minutes until it changed again. I’m a little more patient now. 

We become impatient with things we expect to work instantly, and I think some of that spills over to people. 

The Greek word for patience in Galatians is “makrothymia.” It’s a compound word meaning “long” and “angered,” or slow to get angry. It is the opposite of being “short tempered.” It is sometimes translated “longsuffering” which captures the idea of being willing to bear with other people and not get easily annoyed or upset. Patience is calm endurance based on the certain knowledge that God is in control.  

The main point I want you to take away from today is this: God wants you to be as patient with others as He is with you. That’s a tall order and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to grow in patience, but remember that God doesn’t ask us to do anything He hasn’t done for us first and He will help us do anything He tells us to do. When He commands us to love even our enemies, He loved us first even when we rejected Him. He tells us to forgive and show, which is exactly what He did for us on the cross. 

The Lord is patient with us, always willing to forgive and encourage, and that’s how He wants us to treat others. The Bible says this about God’s patience: 

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”          Exodus 34:6

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,   
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
                                      Psalm 86:15
 

“Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
  Return to the LORD your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
  slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.”
                                    Joel 2:13
 

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?” Romans 2:4 

“You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” Nehemiah 9:29-31 

I see in my own life how patient God is with me. He’s still teaching me lessons I should have learned already, still encouraging me to get up when I fall down, still moving me toward His vision of the person He wants me to be. 

God wants to grow the fruit of the Spirit in you so that your life would reflect Him to other people. In the Just Walk Across the Room sermons we talked about people seeing Christ’s character in us. The fruit of patience is one way to show people what Jesus is like. 

Jesus took what everyone knows about how fruit grows and made it an unforgettable image of how the “fruit of the Spirit” will grow in us. The bottom line: the branches (you and me) have to stay connected to the vine (Jesus) for healthy fruit, including patience to ripen: 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:1-5 

We remain connected to Jesus by surrender to Him daily, obedience, prayer, Bible study, following Him with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit daily to stay connected to Jesus and to grow the fruit of the Spirit. 

The sweet fruit of patience is what God wants to cultivate in you and me. Think of the impact simply being patient, or impatient can have on those around you.  

When we aren’t patient with people it sends the message:

That’s some bitter fruit! When we are impatient with someone, it’s as if we are writing them off and deciding they won’t grow, learn, achieve or mature at the pace we think the should. If that’s how we, as Christ followers treat someone, its likely they will infer that God looks at them the same way.

On the other hand, when we are patient with people, we send a completely different message:

Patience means we focus on their potential, not our frustration. We see them more clearly as God sees them, and perhaps see ourselves more as God sees us. Most importantly, we are reflecting Christ to them. 

God wants you to be as patient with others as He is with you. If you stay connected to Jesus, the fruit of patience will grow more and more…sweeter, riper 

As we wrapped up, I asked everyone to take out the Scripture insert from their bulletin and do two things: 

1)      Circle or underline: John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” 

What is one thing you will do this week to stay closely connected to Jesus? Write it down.

2)      Circle or underline “patience” on list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.   

Write the name of one person you are asking God to help you be more patient with this week.

GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

GAL 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. [2] Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. [3] If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. [4] Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, [5] for each one should carry his own load.

Psalm 1 

  PS 1:1 Blessed is the man
    who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
  or stand in the way of sinners
    or sit in the seat of mockers. 

  PS 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
    and on his law he meditates day and night. 

  PS 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
  and whose leaf does not wither.
    Whatever he does prospers. 

  PS 1:4 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away. 

  PS 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 

  PS 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

JN 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

    JN 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.