Patience

SERIES: Cultivate!
• We’re talking about what it looks like to partner with the Holy Spirit in cultivating godly fruit in our lives.
• Remember, it is ONLY through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to grow godly fruit. It is possible to have fake fruit! But it doesn’t last…
• Today, we are talking about patience.

Gal 5:22-23 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

• Patience is all about perspective. The problem we face is when we have broken perspectives that lead to impatience. Here are 3 broken perspectives:

1. “I KNOW BETTER THAN GOD.”

Luke 9:51-54 51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

o Jesus knew something that the disciples didn’t.
o He knew that calling down fire on the Samaritans wouldn’t accomplish anything and would actually go against what he was trying to do.
o His disciples, on the other hand, were too impatient because they believed that they knew better than Jesus.

Isaiah 55:8-9 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

o God is telling us, “I know some things that you don’t know because I can see some things that you can’t see. Your job is to trust me! The view from the base of the mountain is very different than the view from the top!”

2. “IF I DON’T DO IT, IT WON’T GET DONE.”
• This is a control problem in our lives that can easily result in impatience.
• Control is when we believe that we must take things into our own hands and force them to happen. It’s when we have fear, anxiety, and frustration because things aren’t happening fast enough or in exactly the way we think they should.

Matthew 26:51-54 51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

• “Waiting” can be difficult, for sure, but it is an important discipline that we need in our lives!

3. “MY NEEDS (WANTS) ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVERYONE ELSE’S.”
• One of the primary broken perspectives that causes impatience in our lives is “selfishness.” Patience and selfishness cannot cohabitate! They cannot live in the same room together!
• If you are a selfish person, you will be an impatient person because your world revolves around you, your timeline, your desires, your expectations, etc.

James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

BIBLICAL REMEDIES FOR IMPATIENCE:

• Ask for patience.
o This series is all about what the Holy Spirit does in us to produce fruit.
o Asking God to soften your heart is the best place to start,
• Practice trust.
o When you start to feel that urge to step in and take control of your circumstances or your situation, stop and confess the truth that God is in control and you are not!
• Practice humility.
o Put others’ needs in front of your own.
o Make it a habit to serve others!
• Practice waiting.
o Try stay in the slow lane all the way to your destination.
o Pick the longest line at the grocery store.

Exodus 14:11,13-14 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? … ” 13And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

• We can have patience in our lives because we have a God who knows us and fights for us!

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:
Passages to consider: Galatians 5:16-26; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Icebreaker: What is the hardest thing to wait for? Or, What is something worth the wait?

1. Share something from this week’s sermon that was meaningful to you. A) Is there something from last week’s sermon (peace) and discussion that you are still mulling over?
2. Read Colossians 3:12-13 and James 5:7-11. What do those passages show about the fruit of patience?
3. Who has been an example of patience and forbearance to you?
4. What is hard about patience? A) How do you recognize the lack of patience in your life?
5. Galatians 5:16-18 says to walk by the Spirit. What are you discovering about walking with the Spirit? A) How does what you are discovering about walking in the Spirit help you in the area of patience?
6. What situation or relationship would you like to display more patience in? How can you intentionally nurture patience in your attitude and approach?