THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: Patience and Kindness

Memorial Drive 7/7/19 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: Patience and Kindness Various Texts Paul speaks of “the fruit of the Spirit” within the understanding that our calling is always to put God on display! … THE GOD OF PATIENCE AND KINDNESS: The Nature and Character of God • Everything In Our RELATIONSHIP With God BEGINS With God Example: “We love BECAUSE He first loved us!” (I Jn. 4:19) “Or 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?” (Rom. 2:1-4) • Patience and Kindness Often Go Together In Scripture “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, and KINDNESS …” (Gal. 5:22a) “in PATIENCE, in KINDNESS, in the Holy Spirit …” (2 Cor. 6:6) “… the riches of His KINDNESS and TOLERANCE and PATIENCE …” (Romans 2:4) • That They Are Often Closely Related Gives Insight Into Their Nature “kindness” – engaged or in the service of being useful to another “patience” – having fortitude, staying power, a willingness to endure with another “tolerance” – restraint toward an action one could rightfully take • What Is True of God He Desires To Be True of Us “… 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.” (I Tim. 1:16) … THE PATIENCE AND KINDNESS OF GOD: Our Response To God’s Nature and Character • AN OUTWARD PATIENCE: Living & Giving To Others What We Have Received ◦ A Worthy Walk of Patience Is a Proper Response To God’s Dealings With Us “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of THE CALLING with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with PATIENCE, showing TOLERANCE for one another in love …” (Eph. 4:1-2) These words which are often grouped together flesh out the context within which patience and kindness are to be lived out! ▪ Humility – Calls into question whether this is just THEIR issue ▪ Gentleness – Acknowledges that differences SHOULD BE addressed – graciously! ▪ Patience and Tolerance – Indicate that I am willing to be OBEDIENT TO GOD and therefore am ACTIVELY ENGAGED in being “useful” to others ▪ Kindness – Tells me that I can NEVER be AMBIVALENT about how another is doing: AM I my brother’s keeper? “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 you, so also should you.” (Col. 3:12-13) ◦ In Every Kind of Circumstance “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with PATIENCE? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you PATIENTLY ENDURE it, this finds favor with God.” (I Peter 2:20) • AN UPWARD PATIENCE: Patience Toward and With God “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. For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.’ And so, HAVING PATIENTLY WAITED, he obtained the promise.” (Heb. 6:11-15) “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Ro. 4:19-21) … HOW WE LIVE IT OUT “And working together with Him, WE ALSO URGE YOU NOT TO RECEIVE THE GRACE OF GOD IN VAIN … in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, IN PATIENCE, IN KINDNESS, IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God …” (2 Corinthians 6:1, 4-7b) • The grace of God enables supernaturally-empowered living! • The grace of God is clearly sufficient “in everything.” • Patience and kindness can be lived out by the grace of God in every situation. • The grace of God is clearly made available “in the Holy Spirit.” • Submitting to God as a means of “keeping the conduit of grace open” clearly involves submitting ourselves to “the word of truth.” • Living out patience and kindness, and all of the other “fruit of the Spirit,” is possible ”in the power of God.” Do you believe that God’s Word is true? That God can supply a “greater grace”? That as we submit ourselves to God and His truth, that His power makes possible what seems impossible? That God can make us “steadfastly patient” even when we feel ready to fall over? “… so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, (There’s the grace!) FOR THE ATTAINING OF ALL STEADFASTNESS AND PATIENCE …” (Col. 1:10-11)