Every day we are confronted with situations that require us to show patience. Whether it is in our relationships with family, friends, or colleagues, patience is a virtue that can be difficult to master. The Bible tells us to be patient with one another. It's not possible without Holy Spirit's help and the revelation of what Biblical Patience really is. Learn more in the message Biblical Patience and Why We Need to Have It
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TL/DL/DW
When I was a kid there was this album called Music Machine. It had a song on it that our parents would sing to us whenever we didn’t want to wait.
I sang it to my kids too. They would pretend to hate it like I did. But I have heard them singing it to each other to get a rise.
Here’s the song in CGI.
How many remembered that?
I suppose you can tell what we’re going to be talking about today.
I’ve got to tell you, sometimes you have to smile with God.
The first day in a long time I was late to church… the day I’m speaking on patience. I had to wait for you to get cupcakes… when the message was already preached about three times already today. I’ve started a new job, and need to wait for a new computer before I have access to everything. God won’t let me teach on anything I am not currently re-learning. I need to live it out before I can declare it out.
Scripture tells us to be patient with one another.
Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Can we pray?
We know we should be patient in trouble…
Romans 12:10-12 NLT Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
We know God is patient with us…
2 Peter 3:9 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.
I trust we know patient isn’t something we can will ourselves to be.
Colossians 1:10-12 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.
We may think we know everything about being patient and having patience… and that is the problem.
The problem with Patience
There is a problem with patience and it’s not the song.
As Christians we seem to to accept a Stoic view of patience, not a biblical view of one.
Have you ever heard the joke - I’ve told the joke - “Never pray for patience, or else you’ll have to wait.” ?
That is not a biblical view of patience. It’s a Stoic view.
Stoicism was a School of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno in Athens early in the 3rd Century BC. It flourished throughout the Greek and Roman world until the end of the 3rd century AD. It experienced decline after Christianity became the state religion. Christian writers wrote things that Stoics would have loved. “Treat all hardship as discipline.” “The testing of your faith produces endurance.” “I have run the race, I have finished the course. “
Christianity co-opted Stoicism.
There is a difference between Christian thought and Stoic thought.
The difference was Christians focussed on the actions because of what Christ did, was doing and what would do. Stoics focussed on fundamental virtues.
For the Stoics, patience is a fundamental virtue – one that arises from, yet also sustains, the reasoned detachment crucial to Stoic ethics. Basically it’s a “suck it up, buttercup” approach. Deal with what you can deal with, don’t worry about things you can’t control.
Biblical patience isn’t that.
Yes, we are to treat all hardship as discipline, but it’s because we have a good father who disciplines us for our good and will work all things together for good.
Let’s look at Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4 so you can see what I’m saying.
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance (enduring patience or patience over time). And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
James 1:2-4 NLT Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance (enduring patience or patience over time) has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance (enduring patience or patience over time) is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
steadfastness/ constancy/ endurance/ patience/ is the same Greek word - hypomonē (hoo-pom-on-ay’)
Patience is the evidence of Holy Spirit’s working. Biblical patience is not a passive toleration of things we don’t like.
That is stoic philosophy not biblical patience.
Biblical patience defined in these verses is an “Unyielding, defiant perseverance in the face of aggressive misfortune and thus a kind of courageousness.”
Biblical patience is not a passive toleration of things we don’t like. Biblical patience is unyielding, defiant perseverance.
What does Biblical Patience mean to how we treat one another?
That’s a great question, I’m so glad you asked.
That’s how we’re to treat one another. Not passive toleration of one another, but unyielding defiant perseverance to see God finish the work He’s started in you and started in me.
If God is good and I can trust Him to finish the good work He’s started in me, I can trust Him to be good and finish the good work He’s started in you.
If you don’t think He’s going to finish the good work work He’s started in you, you need to stop and ask Him for the revelation of that truth today. Experience His grace for you, and realize His grace flows through you to others.
Patience is not passive toleration of things we don’t like.
It’s not passive toleration of sin or selfishness.
Patience is TENACITY
Patience is…
T - The authentication of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
E - Evidence of Holy Spirit working. Galatians 5:22
N - Never not forgiving. Colossians 3:12-13
A - Always being slow to anger. James 1:19-22
C - Correcting and encouraging. 2 Timothy 4:2
I - Inviting and extending peace. Isaiah 26:3
T - Thanksgiving not complaining. Philippians 4:6
Y - Yielding to God’s timing. James 5:7-8
T - The authentication of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Agapeo - this kind of love is choice. We are to do everything in love 1 Corinthians 16:14
When we are patient with each other we are showing love to each other. You’re not showing love if you’re not showing patience.
Am I choosing to love when it’s difficult to love?
E - Evidence of Holy Spirit working. Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23
Biblical patience is not something you can work up in yourself. It’s Holy Spirit work in you. We can all be patient for so long… if we assume patience is the passive toleration of things we don’t like.
But Biblical patience is unyielding, defiant perseverance. It’s not something that we can work up in our own, apart of Holy Spirit’s work in us. It’s a fruit that grows. Our role is to not stop it from growing. He will finish the good work He’s started in you. (Philippians 1:6)
Am I more or less patient than I was in the past?
N - Never not forgiving. Colossians 3:12-13
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:12-13
You can’t be patient and not be forgiving. When we have patience for each other we forgive one another. You need to know, you can forgive with your whole heart. (Matthew 18:21-35). That means you make the decision to forgive, you do some action to bless the one who cursed you, and you feel the freedom forgiveness brings. If you don’t feel like you’ve forgiven, we can help you allow Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of what your feelings show that you actually believe.
Is there anyone I need to forgive?
A - Always slow to anger. James 1:19-22
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:19-22
Proverbs 19:11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
We condemn anger in other people and justify it in ourselves. Anger isn’t sin, but it can lead to sin. We can’t be quick to anger and think that we are patient. Patience is not passive toleration of one another, but unyielding defiant perseverance to see God finish the work He’s started in each of us.
Have I been slow to anger lately?
C - Correcting and encouraging. 2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2
Have you ever had more patience for stranger than you have had for family members? We expect more from those who should know better. Being patient with everyone means not only our family, but other drivers in Edmonton. We can’t do this without Holy Spirit working in and through us.
Best way I’ve found to correct people is to ask questions. I learned this from my Uncle Gordon. He would ask “What do you think God thinks about that?” And “Is this going to matter in 100 years?” And you knew you were being corrected. And you knew you weren’t being condemned. It’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.
Look at Paul the questions he posses in his letters. Sure, some are sarcastic, some are rhetorical, but both of those types of questions can get us to stop and examine ourselves. When we ask questions we leave room for Holy Spirit to speak truth into their lives.
Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Have I been asking questions or demanding conformity?
I - Inviting and extending peace
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3
Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea. Isaiah 48:18
Peace is proof of your authority.
We get peace by trusting God. When we trust God we know peace. When we don’t trust God there is no peace.
Peace begins between us and God. It flows from us to others and the situation.
We can speak peace to the storms in other people’s lives.
Did I tell you I had a self-proclaimed atheist come to me and ask me for prayer because she needed my peace?
You can’t have patience without peace. Patience without peace is passive toleration of things we don’t like. That is not biblical patience. Biblical patience is unyielding, defiant perseverance that comes alive in peace.
It’s not something we will in ourselves, but receive when we trust God is good and working all things together for good.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Do I have peace that passes understanding? Do others comment on my peace?
T - Thanksgiving not complaining. Philippians 4:6
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6
The journey of patience will be a short one, if we choose to complain instead of remembering to give thanks. We need to give thanks with our whole heart (Psalms 9:1). So that means we decide to be grateful, we do something to show appreciation, and we feel gratitude rise up in us… in no particular order. Gratitude is the attitude that makes patience last and extends patience out.
Do you want to lose patience? Start complaining. Do you want to show patience? Give thanks with your whole heart.
Have I been thanking or complaining?
Y - Yielding to God’s timing. James 5:7-8
James 5:7-8 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Patience is not - not putting the work in. The farmer needs to plough the fields and to sow the seed. When we do our part we wait with expectation for God do His part.
Patience is not inaction.
When that comes to others, we have to remember - sometimes we plant, sometimes we water, sometimes we harvest where we haven’t planted or watered. It’s God who give the increase. He’s the one who is going to finish the good work He started in us. He’s the one who will finish the good work He’s started in others.
Be encouraged, in the waiting, with the Word. I feel someone needs to hear this verse today. You need to paste it on the mirror and memorize it.
Jeremiah 31:16-17 But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” says the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land.
Remember what Biblical patience is…“Unyielding, defiant perseverance in the face of aggressive misfortune and thus a kind of courageousness.” Some of you have given up on your kids or your grandkids.
Whenever you have to wait for God’s promises - whether it’s for your relationships or finances or health - strengthen yourself in the Lord. One way we do that is in waiting with the Word. If that verse doesn’t sing to you find, go into the book and read until one does. This word is life.
Have I been patient with God’s timing?
Conclusion
Have you been passively tolerating things you don’t like thinking you were being patient?
Remember - Patience is unyielding, defiant perseverance.
When we are patient with each other we realize God is going to finish the good work He’s started in each of us. So we don’t need to demand our own way or insist on our preferences.
Remember Patience is TENACITY
T - The authentication of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Am I choosing to love when it’s difficult to love?
E - Evidence of Holy Spirit working. Galatians 5:22
Am I more or less patient than I was in the past?
N - Never not forgiving. Colossians 3:12-13
Is there anyone I need to forgive?
A - Always being slow to anger. James 1:19-22
Have I been slow to anger lately?
C - Correcting and encouraging. 2 Timothy 4:2
Have I been asking questions or demanding conformity?
I - Inviting and extending peace. Isaiah 26:3
Do I have peace that passes understanding? Do others comment on my peace?
T - Thanksgiving not complaining. Philippians 4:6
Have I been thanking or complaining?
Y - Yielding to God’s timing. James 5:7-8
Have I been patient with God’s timing?
Closing blessing
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Romans 15:5
You can get the notes for this message at https://livelight.ca/downloads