Rewriting The Code:
Spirit-Shaped Patience
A Sermon On:
PREPARED BY
KEN GEHRELS
PASTOR
CALVIN CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
NEPEAN, ONTARIO
INTRODUCTION - Pooky's umbrella
In his book "The Strengths Of A Christian" Robert Roberts tells us about an encounter he had with his son, Pookey. Pookey was 4 - and had four year old determined mind.
It was raining. Roberts had to be somewhere to run an errand in the next 45 minutes. Pookey decided he HAD to come along. Period. And, no, it would not do to pick him up and carry him. Pookey would walk. And, no, Pookey did not want a raincoat. He needed his umbrella. Leaving a damp father to walk beside him as his 4 year old mind contemplated the wonders of the umbrella, wandering through a puddle, and making a flying leap into the car - leaving father to retrieve this umbrella from a sodden spot on the pavement.
They made it just in time - again the umbrella had to come out. Again, Pookey took Pookey's time. Again - no walking, study umbrella, wet dad.
The umbrella was used one last time to get from the car to the front door of the house, where Mama met them with a cheery face and a delicious supper."
Here's this morning's question - You are Pookey's papa. What would your attitude be toward the young lad and his umbrella?
I'm not asking how you would behave; what you would do.
I want to know what your inclination would be, your attitude towards Pookey.
I Patience Defined
We are continuing our series on the fruits of the Spirit and the theme for our discussion today is from Galatians 5.22:
"The fruit of the Spirit is.... patience."
Patience. The specific Greek word that is used in this sentence is one that literally is translated "long from anger."
One Christian scholar defined it this way:
"the ability to dwell gladly in the present moment when we have some desire, or what would normally be a reason to desire, to depart from it" [Roberts Strengths Of A Christian 53].
This is different from being in a situation where I just grit my teeth and bear it, while every sinew in my body quivers to launch me into outer space, 'cause I hate it so bad! When you are simply hanging in there or sticking with it because you haaaaaaaaaaaaave to, you are engaged in what is called endurance. It's also a good thing, also something Christian folk need from time to time in life....but not what the scripture is talking about when it says "The fruit of the Spirit is... patience."
Patience, not endurance, and also not aimlessness. Sometimes in our society we meet folk whom at first glance seem to be patient. There isn't a thing under the sun that seems to rattle them. We say, "My, how patient they are with all the different circumstances of life."
But then we talk with them:
-- "Where ya goin' Stan?" "Oh, I dunno."
-- "What would you like to do, Stan?" "Oh, I dunno."
-- "How do you feel about the present situation, Stan?" "Oh, I dunno."
-- "Anything on your mind, Stan?" "Oh.... I dunno."
Nothing gets in his way, because he has no way to go. Aimlessness.
II God's Patience With Us
So the big question - how can we possibly develop any kind of diligent practice of patience?
We live in an instant age. You know that - microwave meals, entertainment that must catch us channel-surfing types immediately, computers constantly upgraded because they're not fast enough!
What can be our model, our incentive towards that kind of a disciplined life?
What do the scriptures say?
What did Jesus say?
Open your bibles with me and let's read Matt 18.21-35 together.
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"Be patient with me and I will pay back everything" said the servant to the master.
"Be patient with me and I will pay you back" said the second servant to the first.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart" says Jesus.
The role model and the incentive for our developing patience in life is the divine, forgiving patience which our heavenly father exercises with us. That is where it all begins, and where finally it will all return.
Ever wonder if we look a bit like Pookey from God's point of view?
Refusing to see things his way;
Distracted by our toys and desires;
Oblivious to anything else around us.
Are we always joyful, fun-loving, cooperative people who love God and seek to diligently live in his way?
Do we always -
even mostly,
even generally,
get it right?
Are there times where it might not seem like a good idea for God to throw up his hands in disgust, turn his back on us and move, quickly, in the opposite direction.
Is it not difficult sometimes for God to dwell gladly with us?
Indeed, we are the servant with the great debt. And we, too, are the servant who has had that debt forgiven freely by the Master. As we trudge through life, God the Holy Spirit does in fact dwells gladly in our midst even though we are like Pookey, facinated with ourselves and our little toys, ignoring our Father and his plan for life.
Indeed, God is patient, OH SO PATIENT, with us!
Psalm 103:8 "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."
2 Peter 3.9 "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."
And that patience, that willingness to forgive and to see things from our point of view and to realize our shortcomings and to willingly - gladly - stick with us in spite of them - THAT, says Jesus, has to become the incentive and the model for our developing patience in our own lives.
In fact, it seems that God will somehow measure how much we have opened ourselves to him and accepted his forgiveness and patience by the way we dish up that kind of patience to others.
Meaning that patience is more than some kind of added extra we can do without in life.
Striving for the fruit of patience in our lives;
Desiring the Holy Spirit to reprogram our inner moral and spiritual
computer, as it were,
- giving us the spiritual upgrade to be more functionally patient -
is NOT a "take it or leave it" option; something we can pass by
saying "well, I'm just not that type of a person."
III Growing In Patience
So with whom should we be patient? Let's begin right at home. Patience with ourselves - An ability to accept ourselves, to be able to live gladly with ourselves. Jesus has that kind of an approach to us. Can we do the same?
-- You seek to become a person who cares and is considerate about others. And one day you look back and see you have acted like Pookey.
-- Or you strive to develop a solid and consistent prayer life and pattern of bible reading, but you suddenly realize with a jolt that it has been a week or a month or more since you last sat down and spent some quality time with God or His Word.
--You try to develop the talents God has given you and to be responsible at work, but look back on Friday afternoon to realize that this week you have basically goofed off, not give 100% and really not been a responsible employee.
In short, you are faced with some failure, maybe a massive one, or maybe an accumulation of little irritations. And you stare in the mirror.
What is your attitude towards the person you see?
Can you look at that face gladly?
Can you forgive that person for the blunders, and give that person time to develop,
AND
Can you, in spite of the short comings, give thanks for the good things happening in the life of that person?
Can you be patient? Takes practice, doesn't it?
And what incentive do you have? Simply this:
God forgives that face in the mirror. God loves that person. God doesn't demand instant response. He gives you time to develop; rejoicing with each small development and improvement; picking you up after each time you fall.
God dwells with you gladly.
"Patience is the ability to say with a calm heart, `I have failed; I have not...... been the temple of the Holy Spirit in the way I should have been. But God is greater than my heart and greater than my actions. He remains faithful to his promises. And though I know that today I failed, still he remains with me and His Holy Spirit doesn't leave me and so in the long run failure is NOT the destiny of those who persevere in faith. And so I am glad to do this activity, to try it, even though while doing it now, it may seem futile over the short haul."
And as that develops in our lives, we gain a form of self control that enables us to stay at the present task, to not be constantly tempted to give up what we are doing and fly off in another direction.
And it helps us get away from a superficial attitude towards life that says, "Give me a fix for the problem, and give it to me RIGHT NOW!" And it keeps us from getting frustrated and angry with ourselves and our lack of immediate progress.
Patience - God-inspired patience. A fruit of the Holy Spirit as He works in our lives, bit by bit, inch by inch, day by day, moment by moment, experience by experience!
Patience - not only do we need it with ourselves. We also need it with others.
Perhaps it sounds strange to say, but the first "other" we need patience with is God. The Rock of Ages, in whose eyes a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day, is not like an instant breakfast shake that can be opened, mixed, drunk and benefited from in 43 seconds.
The bible speaks of people meditating on God, dwelling gladly in his presence, staying with him. Isaac, says the Bible, went into the field to meditate. He needed space and room with God.
Patience - content just to be with God.
Patience - after a prayer, content to live through the circumstances of now while waiting for an answer.
Patience - when the world seems to come crashing down, like some precious piece of pottery falling on a marble floor - waiting for God to make good on His Bible promise that "all things will work together for the good of those who love Him."
Patience - when the future seems unclear, trusting that God sees it perfectly, and will direct you in His sovereign time and space.
Patience - waiting for the second coming of Christ, being able to dwell gladly in the present, even though we know that when Jesus returns we will be far happier and better off and the countless suffering millions of this earth will be better off.
We also need patience in developing our relationship with other people. Perhaps there are activities that are necessary for them, or meaningful to them but which we find insignificant, boring, or even downright irritating!
How often haven't we heard someone say something like, "Why does so-and-so have to behave in this or that fashion? I can't understand it. Why can't they just do it at home?"
Patience with the Pookey's of our lives, be they our children or coworkers or backyard neighbors or fellow pew sitters or the newly ordained officebearers.
How to develop that? Same as with ourselves. See in that person someone with a unique personality and temperament, and unique circumstances of life. See there someone who, just like you, has been forgiven by God, is cared for by God, and is gladly dwelt with by God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus turns to us and says, "Now you treat them as God did."
We pray to the Holy Spirit to help us develop that patience, to make it something that "sticks" in our lives and becomes a habitual part of our approach towards others. We pray for it to become a fruit of the Spirit.
We pray to have our eyes opened that we might better understand the circumstances in which another person operates, to see deeply into their life situation and to appreciate it for what that is and them for who they are.
We seek to become as Robert Roberts and try to understand what makes a little 4 year old boy become so fascinated with an umbrella, and hence be able to dwell gladly with that youngster as he explores what is to him a new corner of life, even if done awkwardly.
And we practice it - In Mt 25.29 Jesus says, "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance...." It's a basic principle of spiritual momentum - you will roll in your life and as you roll you tend to go quicker. You either find yourself building up speed moving towards the Lord. Or you end up moving quicker and quicker away from Him.
In the context of this morning - as you take the first tentative steps in practicing patience with self, others and the Lord you become more adept at it.
Your "patience muscles" grow stronger.
For you techie types, it's a bit of a feed-back loop.
And the momentum grows.
The fruit of patience begins, like love, with a decision, NOT a feeling.
Which is why our reading of God's will for life included, as the beginning of God's demand for love in our lives, these words:
LOVE IS PATIENT.
A decision.
A prayer.
Much practice.
And so the Spirit will reorder us and grow the fruit of patience within.