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From the Passover Lamb to Jesus, the Lamb of God

Passover: Four Questions

Introductory Question

Child: Why is this night different from all other nights?

Leader: Once we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but now we are free. We set aside this night each year to remember the great things God did for us.

Question 1

Child: On all other nights we eat either bread or matzah, but why, on this night, do we eat only matzah?

Leader: Matzah reminds us of two things — we were delivered from slavery in Egypt, and we have a new life.

Question 2

Child: On all other nights we eat whatever kind of vegetables we want, but why, on this night, do we eat only a bitter one?

Leader: We remember how bitter our ancestors’ slavery was while they lived in Egypt.

Question 3

Child: On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once, but why, on this night, do we dip twice?

Leader: We are reminded of tears and of a miraculous deliverance, as we just saw portrayed with the parsley.

Question 4

Child: On all other nights we eat either sitting up straight or reclining, but why, on this night, do we all recline?

Leader: Before, we were slaves, but now we are able to recline to express the rest we enjoy as free people. This pillow represents our freedom.

 

      

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1. It enables us to form a habit of close and ultimate union, communion, and fellowship with God. The law and force of habit are well understood; for all men live and act, more or less under the influence of habit. Those who neglect their duty, or engage in sinful practices, will soon find that they are drawn to these things by an invisible and almost irresistible influence.  

They may see many examples to warn them of the dangers which confront them, and they may feel keenly the awful forebodings and warnings of a guilty and an aroused conscience; but, in spite of all these, the force of habit generally overcomes all their fears and feeble resolutions. Under its still-increasing power they continue their neglect, or sinful practices, until their characters have been largely developed; and then it is well-nigh impossible to change them. “An act often repeated hardens into a habit, and a habit long continued petrifies into character.”

On the other hand, if one begins his life on the ascending scale, and forms the right kind of habits, he will soon find that he will have little difficulty in ascending still higher and higher on his way to eternal life and a home with God.

These habits become helps and encouragements to him, and will cause him to hunger and thirst after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

The habit of prayer, and especially of secret prayer, is altogether in harmony with this general law of habit and the growth and development of human character. In no other religious exercise is one brought so near to God; and in no other can he be so familiar with the Creator of his body and the Father and Preserver of his spirit.

Furthermore, it is a law of nature that one forms attachment to and for those with him he associates, and even becomes like them in his character; and since this is true, it follows that no other act of devotion is so favorable for the cultivation of godliness. Those therefore, who have been most devoted to prayer, in its true sense, have always been the most pious and the happiest of men.

2. It serves to cultivate and educate our spiritual nature. It is generally understood that all parts of our nature are developed and strengthened by exercise; and if that is a law of our human constitution, then what can be more serviceable in the way of spiritual culture than the devotion to the practice of prayer, and especially private prayer?

When one prays in secret there is no motive; to try to deceive God, or to make a vain display of his person, dress, or good works. Instead, his mind turns upon itself; the conscience is awakened; and he sees himself in the light of God.

The practice of secret devotions brings one under the deep and solemn conviction that he is on holy ground, and that the eye of God is upon him; and with that feeling he is almost compelled to be humble, to repent of his sins, to forgive those who have sinned against him, to sympathize with the afflicted, to love and honor the Lord, and to endeavor to exercise all the powers of his being in harmony with the will of God.

There is, therefore, a deep significance in the words of Jesus: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.” (Matt. 6:6).

3. It serves to preserve us from many evils. It is impossible to live in this world without coming in contact with the influence of evil to some extent.

(John 17:15)  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

(1 Corinthians 5:9)  I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people–

(Ephesians 6:10-15)  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. {11} Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. {12} For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. {13} Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. {14} Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, {15} and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The worst enemies that anyone has are his lusts and passions.

(James 1:13-16)  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.

(1 Peter 2:1-2)  Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. {2} Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

4. It secures to us and for us much positive good by fulfilling a condition upon which God has promised to bestow His blessings. Some have erroneously supposed that the influence of prayer is wholly subjective, or, at least, that it never extends beyond the narrow limits of our own earthly associations. The Bible, however, plainly teaches that God hears the prayers of His faithful children, and that He is influenced for good by them.

5. Prayer is a powerful and divinely appointed means of convicting, sanctifying and saving others. This is especially true of the family. The relation of the parent to a child is one of the nearest, dearest, and most interesting on earth; and for that reason it involves an influence which is peculiar to itself.

The example of the parent is to the child, during the most tender and impressible period of its existence, the standard of all that is right, noble, and magnanimous. The child’s greatest concern is to imitate the parent, whether it be good or bad; and if the parent prays or neglects to pray, he may expect the child to follow.

The parent, therefore, is responsible for the proper exercise of the influence of prayer over his child; and it will be a terrible thing for him to stand before the Judge of all the earth and have his child say to him, “You were responsible for bringing me into the world, but you never taught me to read and study the Bible and to pray to the heavenly Father; and now it is too late.”

Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask. On a gloomy day in 1857 a man in New York City by the name of Jeremiah Lanthier scanned the morning newspaper as he rode to his office. He was distressed to read that the depression gripping the nation was causing fear and panic among the people. Factories were stopping production and thousands were unemployed. Although Lanthier was not a big industrialist, but only a clerk, he had one important distinction. He was a man who had great faith in God!

Concerned with the grim economic situation, he sent a note to all his business acquaintances, telling them that each day at noon a prayer meeting would be held in his office. With high hopes he arranged 20 chairs in a circle, but the first day no one came. All alone he prayed fervently that God would bring about a great change in him and in America. The second day he was encouraged, for a few friends joined him. A short time later a similar gathering was started on Wall Street, another on Williams Street, and finally a fourth on Broadway. Then like wildfire the movement spread to all parts of the country. The moral tone of the nation was affected, and there was a great upsurge in the spiritual life of the people. Some historians say that this effort of united prayer and faith was an integral part of the improvement in the economy which soon followed.

I learned early in life that we need to be careful what we pray for, because God might grant it. I prayed for patience, and it seemed my whole world fell apart…..disaster, difficulty, and despair one after the other. My mother had a simple explanation: “you prayed for patience and God put you in circumstances when patience was required.”

The following is also true: I asked God to take away my pride, and God said, “NO.” He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give it up. I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, “NO.” He said the child’s spirit is whole, the body is only temporary. I asked God to grant me patience and God said, “NO.” He said that patience is a by product of tribulation. It isn’t granted it’s earned. I asked God to give me happiness and God said, “NO.” He said He gives blessings, happiness is up to me. I asked God to spare me pain, and God said, “NO.” He said suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me. I asked God to make my spirit grow, and God said, “NO.” He said I must grow on my own, But He will prune me to make me fruitful. I asked God if He loved me, and God said, “YES.” He gave me his only Son who died for me, and I will be in Heaven someday because I believe. I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me, and God said, “AH, FINALLY, YOU HAVE THE IDEA.”

Many successful people have acknowledged in their memoirs that whenever they came to an impasse in their work and were completely baffled, they sought wisdom from the Lord.

This was true in the life of the inventor of the telegraph, Samuel F. B. Morse. In an interview, George Hervey inquired, “Professor Morse, when you were making your experiments at the university, did you ever come to a standstill, not knowing what to do next?” “I’ve never discussed this with anyone, so the public knows nothing about it. But now that you ask me, I’ll tell you frankly — I prayed for more light” “And did God give you the wisdom and knowledge you needed?” Yes He did,” said Morse. “That’s why I never felt I deserved the honors that came to me from America and Europe because of the invention associated with my name. I had made a valuable application of the use of electrical power, but it was all through God’s help. It wasn’t because I was superior to other scientists. When the Lord wanted to bestow this gift on mankind. He had to use someone. I’m just grateful He chose to reveal it to me.” In view of these facts, it’s not surprising that the inventor’s first message over the telegraph was: “What hath God wrought!”

Every time you face a perplexing problem, seek wisdom from above. And when the answer comes, always be sure to thank God and give Him all the glory.

Good advice for difficult times? A sign in front of a church carried this admonition: “When your knees knock together, kneel on them.” That’s good advice! Quieting our hearts before God will calm our fears and renew our courage.

      

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It is a sad truth is that many theologians throughout the history of the church have not taken any of the miracles of our Lord seriously. The Jews of our Lord’s day did not challenge the actual events, but rather the power by which these miracles were performed (cf. Mark 3:22ff.)

The heathen Greek did not challenge the miraculous event either, but only its interpretation.⁹³ Others, such as Spinoza, held the pantheistic view that miracles were contrary to the nature of God.⁹⁴

Miracles were considered impossible by Spinoza because of his presuppositions. Skeptics, like Hume, held that miracles are simply incredible, because they contradict man’s normal experience.⁹⁵ Since Hume doubted that nothing could be known with absolute certainty, those phenomenon which took place outside of the normal course of nature could never be accepted as true.

Schleiermacher and others explained the miraculous in terms of the unknown and misunderstood. Our Lord’s miracles were ‘relative miracles,’ as a savage might consider television, which he does not understand.⁹⁶ The Rationalistic School would have men believe that Christ never claimed to perform any miracles. Only those who sought the spectacular found something miraculous in the records.⁹⁷ Christ did not change the water to wine at Cana, but merely provided a new supply of wine. He did not walk on the water, but on the nearby shore. Others, Like Woolston have found the Gospel miracles to have no factual or historical validity, but are merely ‘tales’ which contain a much deeper spiritual truth.⁹⁸

Such are the views of the skeptics and critics of God’s Word. But for the sincere student of Scripture, there is no satisfaction in these theories. The miracles are an integral part of our Lord’s ministry. They not only authenticate His message; they are a vital part of it.⁹⁹

The Terms Employed

The miraculous works of our Lord Jesus were communicated by the use of three primary terms, each of which accentuated one particular facet of the supernatural activity of Christ. These three terms are found together in several passages. “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22, cf. also 2 Corinthians 12:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).

The term ‘miracle’ (dunamis), emphasizes the mighty work that has been done, and, in particular, the power by which it was accomplished. The event is described in terms of the power of God in action.

If ‘miracle’ emphasizes the cause of the miraculous event, ‘wonder’ (teras) , underscores its effect on those who are witnesses. On many occasions, the crowds (even the disciples) were amazed and astonished by the works of our Lord (e.g. Mark 2:12; 4:41; 6:51, etc.). Origen pointed out long ago that this term ‘wonder’ is never employed alone in the New Testament, but always in conjunction with some other term which suggests something far greater than a mere spectacle.¹⁰⁰

The most pregnant term used with reference to the miracles of our Lord is ‘sign’ (se„meion), which focuses upon the deeper meaning of the miracle.¹⁰¹ A sign is a miracle which conveys a truth about our Lord Jesus. A miracle is usually a sign, but a sign need not always be a miracle (cf. Luke 2:12).

The miracles of our Lord are at one and the same time a visible manifestation of divine power (miracle) an awe-inspiring spectacle (wonder), and an instructive revelation about God (sign).¹⁰²

Classification of the Miracles

Perhaps the most common classification of the miracles of our Lord is into three categories: (1) those which pertain to nature; (2) those which pertain to man; and, (3) those which pertain to the spirit world.¹⁰³

I find it helpful to distinguish between what can be called ‘Class A’ and ‘Class B’ miracles. ‘Class A’ miracles overrule or transcend the laws of nature. Such would be the case of our Lord’s walking on the water (Mark 6:45-52). Here the law of gravity was overruled. ‘Class B’ miracles do not overtly violate natural laws. For example, the stilling of the storm did not appear to violate any natural law. Storms on this lake, we are told, stopped as quickly as they commenced. The fact that it stopped at the time of our Lord’s rebuke is evidence of His sovereignty over nature. ‘Class B’ miracles would be viewed by unbelievers as mere coincidence. ‘Class A’ miracles, such as the raising of Lazarus were an outright affront to natural laws and processes (thus the statement, ‘he stinks’ in John 11:39, stressing the normal course of nature). Both categories, ‘Class A’ and ‘Class B,’ are miracles, but ‘Class A’ miracles are more undeniably so to the skeptic.

Characteristics of the Miracles of Our Lord

Miraculous deeds were not unknown to the age in which our Lord revealed Himself to men. But the miracles which He accomplished were far different than those claimed by other religions. For a few moments, we shall attempt to characterize the miracles of our Lord:¹⁰⁴

(1) They were truly historical. In the Gospel accounts, the writers have not presented the miracles of our Lord as anything other than actual events. They are not true myths, mythical stories with ‘spiritual lessons,’ but real events conveying spiritual truths. The Miracles of other religions are far more mythical in nature. Though perhaps not precisely stated, we can sense a kind of ‘once upon a time’ mood. Not so in the Gospels.

(2) They were reasonable. The miracles of the Apocryphal Gospels are fantastic and questionable.¹⁰⁵ They are completely out of character, with Jesus arbitrarily and capriciously using His supernatural powers. In contrast, the Gospels show a highly ethical use of His power, in a way totally consistent with His person.

(3) They were useful. Almost every miracle of our Lord was designed to meet a physical need. Our Lord refused to employ His powers to satisfy His own appetites, or to ensure His protection. He turned down every invitation to do the miraculous to satisfy idle curiosity (cf. Luke 23:8).

(4) They were accomplished openly. The miracles were performed in the most public situations, not oft in a dark corner. While so many alleged ‘miracles’ of today defy documentation, those of our Lord were mainly public.

(5) They were accomplished simply. Others who claimed to be ‘miracle workers’ always operated with a great deal of ritual and ceremony. A ‘miracle’ was an extravaganza, a carrying-on with pomp and circumstance. Our Lord most often merely spoke a word, and at times performed His miraculous deeds at a distance (cf. Matthew 8:5-13).

(6) They were accomplished instantly. With very few exceptions, the miracles of Jesus were completed instantly and completely.

(7) They were accomplished in a variety of circumstances. While some could do their deeds only under the most controlled environment, Jesus did His works under a great variety of circumstances. His powers were demonstrated over nature, over sickness and disease, and over the forces of Satan. The sicknesses He healed were of amazing variety.¹⁰⁶

(8) They were accomplished on the basis of faith. The miracles of the Gospels were accomplished on the basis of faith, either that of our Lord (cf. John 11:41-43), or of the one cured (cf. Mark 5:34), or of others who are concerned (cf. Matthew 8:10, Mark 2:5). Where there was little faith, little was accomplished (cf. Mark 6:5,6).

(9) They were gratuitous. While in the cults, a fee of payments was expected, the miracles of our Lord were free of charge. No fee was expected or accepted. Our Lord’s ministry, from start to finish, was one of grace.

(10) They were free from retaliation. With the possible exception of the cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14) none of the miracles of Jesus were of a punitive or negative variety. This is in contrast, not only to the desires of his own disciples (Luke 9:52-56), but also the practices of other ‘healers’ of His day, and even of what often occurred in the Old Testament.¹⁰⁷

(11) They were eschatological. The miracles of Jesus were evidence of the dawn of a new age. With the presentation of Jesus as Messiah, a new age had begun. He had come to restore man from his fallen state, and creation from the chaos resulting from sin. He had come to restore and to save. Man had been placed an the earth to rule over it. When the last Adam (Jesus Christ) came nature immediately recognized its master. When our Lord confronted sickness and disease He mastered it. He came to save, and thus the word often used for healing was ‘to save.’¹⁰⁸

The Purpose of the Miracles

Several purposes emerge from the Scriptures for the exercise of miracles by our Lord.

(1) They attracted men. Though not the primary thrust of our Lord’s miraculous ministry, one outcome was that His miracles attracted men and women who were anxious to hear His message. To many, His deeds were at least those of a prophet (cf. John 3:2; 4:19). Here was a man with a message from God.

Our Lord made many attempts to avoid the spectacular and to arouse misdirected Messianic hopes (Matthew 8:4; 12:16; 16:20, etc.). But we must also recall that it was the miraculous healing ministry of Jesus which drew the multitudes to the place where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered (Matthew 4:24-25).

(2) They accredited Jesus. It was expected that when Messiah came He would be accredited by miracles. When our Lord presented Himself at the synagogue in Nazareth, He quoted a passage from Isaiah chapter 61:

“And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:17-19) .

The people expected Messiah to present Himself by signs (John 7:31). Our Lord’s power over demons demonstrates the coming of the Kingdom: “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). By reason of His work alone, men should receive Him as Messiah (John 10:37-38).

(3) They reveal God. As we have previously noted, the miracles of Jesus were not merely deeds to authenticate the message of Messiah, but a vital part of that message. The miracles not only revealed the power of God, but His person. In the miracles of Jesus we see the sympathy and compassion of God. Jesus was deeply moved by human suffering and need (cf. John 11:35). These needs prompted Him to action. Again, the miracles reveal Jesus to be the Redeemer and Restorer of a fallen universe. He came to save.

A Psychiatrist’s Letter to Young People About 50 Shades of Grey

By MIRIAM GROSSMAN, M.D.

She seemed the same as the rest of us. She loved the Lord and lived for Him, taking every opportunity to serve that she could, but place a little bit of alcohol in her coke and something happened to her. She became a completely different person. That which she had seemed to overcome – alcoholism – took over and she could do nothing about it She was no longer able to control herself to say no and to refrain from drinking more.

For most of us this is hard to understand and yet for some we seem controlled by a little white stick called a cigarette. If we are confined to a place where we can not smoke, we crave inside waiting to get outside where we can light up. I’ve seen calm people get very upset because they could not find their cigarettes.

Or there may be those of us that cannot stop looking at pornographic pictures – just a quick look.

Or perhaps there is someone who seems to makes us change who we are. We can be kind and gentle but we are so angry with someone that feelings overtake us and we loose control – saying things or doing things we really don’t want to. We hear of killers who were the nicest people.

In all these cases there is a common problem – that of not having self- control.

Words like self-control, temperance, moderation, and self-restraint are all terms used to describe the last of the nine fruits of the Spirit. Self-control may be the last facet of God’s love in the list, but that certainly doesn’t reduce it to the least important.

The word “self-control” seems to stress self – me. And that is what the Greek word “agkretai” means. In Greek writings and philosophy it means status, power by which I can control myself, others, and all situations rather than let myself be controlled.

No doubt it is true and fair to say that it is one aspect of Christian conduct and character and conversion with which most of us have the greatest difficulty. Of all the fruits which should flourish in the garden of our lives this may well be the one which is the most “spotty, uneven, and irregular.”

In the New Testament itself we have very little material through which to work out the meaning of this word (egkrateia). It occurs in only two places:

(Acts 24:25)  “As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.””

(2 Peter 1:6)  “…and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness…”

Self-control; the word is egkrateia which Plato uses of self-mastery.  It is the spirit which has mastered its desires and its love of pleasure. 

The corresponding verb egkrateuomai occurs twice in the NT. It is used of the athlete’s discipline of his body (1 Corinthians 9:25) and of the Christian’s mastery of sex (1 Corinthians 7:9). 

(1 Corinthians 7:9)  “But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

(1 Corinthians 9:25)  “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

The corresponding adjective agkrates occurs once:

(Titus 1:8)  “Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.”

There is the fruit of temperance (egkrateia): to master and control the body or the flesh with all of its lusts. It means self-control, the master of desire, appetite and passion, especially sensual urges and cravings. It means to be strong and controlled and restrained. It means to stand against the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16).

In some situations we behave in a most exemplary and commendable manner. At other times we behave worse than beasts. There are days when we seem to act in decent and dignified ways. On other occasions we can become erupting volcanoes of venom and violence.

In these situations, we are showing ourselves to “be human,” to be sure. But it can also call into question the struggle we have between consistency and credibility.

We need to stop and make another point absolutely clear: we are not talking here of the world’s concept of “being stoic.” The picture here is not the grim, rigid idea of setting the jaw, steeling the will to endure life with cold cynicism. Self-control for God’s person doesn’t imply that with severe self-discipline I can control my conduct.

Self-control for the Christian means that my “self,” my whole person, my whole being, body, soul, and spirit comes under the control of Christ. It means that I am an individual governed by God.

My entire life, every aspect of it – whether spiritual, moral, or physical – has become a subject to the sovereignty of God’s Spirit. I am a “man under authority.” The running of my affairs, my attitudes, my actions is a right which has been relinquished and turned over to God’s Spirit, living within me.

Some statements about self-control

We live under the illusion that if we can acquire complete control, we can understand God, or we can write the great American novel.  But the only way we can brush against the hem of the Lord, or hope to be part of the creative process, is to have the courage, the faith, to abandon control.  For the opposite of sin is faith, and never virtue, and we live in a world which believes that self-control can make us virtuous.  But that’s not how it works.  — Madeleine L’Engle in Walking on Water. Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 4.

A common path to sexual sin is the notion that feelings are not only all-important but also totally uncontrollable; they just happen to you.    — Louis McBurney, M.D., Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 3.

Self-control is the capacity to reak a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of the pieces.

The believer is to proclaim self-control to the lost.

“And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:25).

The believer is to control his sexual desires.

“But if they cannot contain [control], let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn” (1 Cor. 7:9).

The believer is to strenuously exercise self-control, just as an athlete controls himself.

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Cor. 9:25).

The believer is to grow in self-control.

“And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness” (2 Peter 1:6).

The aged believer is especially to be on guard to control himself.

“That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:2).

Secular Greek uses it of the virtue of an Emperor who never lets his private interests influence the government of his people.  It is the virtue which makes a man so master of himself that he is fit to be the servant of others.

Without God we are out of control. In the examples at start of message people showed that our bodies are out of control.

Their belly is their God. 1Cor 6 we are told that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Eph 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

We need to choose – what controls us is our god – what is your god?

In concluding our discussion we should remember that the fruit of the Spirit is the very nature of God (Galatians 2:20; Ephes. 5:18). The believer is to walk in the Spirit; that is, he is to walk in such a consciousness of God and in such open confession that he is kept constantly clean from sin. God keeps him clean and pure and acceptable as though he were perfect. As the believer so walks in such an awareness of God, he assimilates the very nature of God and the Holy Spirit’s fruit is produced. No law can stand against such things.

There are four stages of fruit-bearing given: (1) no fruit (John 15:2), (2) fruit (John 15:2), (3) more fruit (John 15:2), and (4) much fruit (John 15:5, 8).

What does it mean to say a Christian is to bear fruit? It means to bear converts (Romans 1:13), to bear righteousness (Romans 6:21-23), to bear Christian character or the fruit of the Spirit.

Note also the conditions for bearing fruit in life: cleansing (John 15:3), abiding in Christ (John 15:5), and obedience (John 15:10, 12). A true Christian is a person who really does abide in Christ (1 John 2:10). John said that to abide in Christ means eight things.

     1.   A person walks in open confession before God. He walks through life opening up his life to God; he confesses all known sin. He does not walk in sin, and he does not allow any sin to go unconfessed (1 John 1:6-10).

     2.   A person walks and fellowships with Christ. He lives and moves and has his being with Christ. He communes and lives in a consciousness of God’s presence, and from God’s presence he learns of God, and he draws the strength and authority to live victoriously day by day (1 John 2:6; 1 John 2:27; cp. Psalm 16:11; Proverbs 3:5-6).

     3.   A person continues in the church; he has not gone out from the church (1 John 2:19).

     4.   A person possesses confidence, an unashamedness in life that prepares him for eternity (1 John 2:28).

     5.   A person does not walk in continuous sin (1 John 3:6). He experiences constant victory over sin.

     6.   A person actively surrenders himself to obey God’s commandments (1 John 3:24).

     7.   A person experiences the indwelling presence and witness of the Spirit (1 John 4:12-13).

     8.   A person dwells in love and unity and fellowship with all other believers (John 17:21-23; 1 John 4:16; cp. 1 John 4:20).

When we study history and the Bible, we find that many great men and women in the past also failed in this area. Adam and Eve failed in eating the forbidden fruit. Noah failed in getting drunk and exposing his nakedness. Abraham failed in sleeping with his handmaid, Hagar. Esau failed in selling his birth right for the temporary satisfaction of his hunger. Samson failed in the indulgence of his lust. King David and King Solomon also failed in the same area. These leaders paid a heavy price for their lack of self-control. Their descendants also suffered the consequence of their sins.

There is one person in human history who has perfect self-control. This person is Jesus Christ. Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days in the wilderness. The devil tempted him in the area of physical need. Jesus refused to yield to him by saying: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) The devil tempted Him with pride, Jesus refused to yield to him by saying: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Matt. 4:7) The devil tempted him with worldly glory and riches. Jesus refused to yield to him by saying “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Matt. 4:10) Throughout His life on earth, the devil continued to tempt Him, but Jesus never lost His self-control. Neither did He yield to Satan’s temptation. Jesus not only won the victory for Himself, He won the victory for us.

Dear brothers, sisters and friends, do you have the problem of lack of self-control? I believe that most of us will have to say “I have a weakness in this area. I need help!” Jesus can help you and He wants to help you. He can help you to develop the virtue of self-control. Let us understand from the Word of God in what areas we need to have self-control and how we can develop the ability to control ourselves. We can have victory through Jesus Christ.

I. The areas God wants us to have self-control

A. God wants us to have self-control in eating and drinking

Rom. 14:17 says: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.

God has created many kinds of food for man to enjoy. Eating and drinking is not a sin in itself. In fact God wants us to eat and drink properly in order to be happy in life and have good health. The problem with men is that men enjoy the good food created by God but forget the Creator Himself. Besides, men indulge in eating and drinking to the point of hurting themselves.

Many people spend too much time in thinking, buying and preparing fine food to eat. They always look for the best restaurants to go. Paul said of these people that their god is their stomach (Phil. 3:19)

Many people in America have the problem of overeating and overweight. Many Christians also are guilty of indulgence in eating. The result is that over 25% of the Americans have too much fat in their bodies which develop into some forms of heart disease. Every year about one million Americans die of heart diseases. It is the number one killer in this country. Overweight and too much fat can also develop into other diseases such as diabetes. Indulgence in drinking caused 15 millions Americans to become alcoholics. Alcohol is responsible for about 100,000 death each year. The Word of God exhorts us to exercise self-control in eating and drinking.

B. God wants us to have self-control in sexual desire

1Ths. 4:3-5 say: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God”

God created the desire for food as well as the desire for sex in human nature. Sex is not a sin in itself. It is a gift from God to make the marriage union joyful. It is also for the purpose of the multiplication of the human race. But God has given a law concerning the use of sex. It can only be enjoyed within marriage. The breaking of this law is a serious sin before God. The Bible condemns all forms of fornication and adultery. The nations of the world don’t have the written laws of God but they have a conscience which was planted by God in their hearts. The conscience of man also tells him that fornication is a sin.

But many people in the world today ignore the conscience and God’s law. They commit all kinds of sexual sins. God in His providence, allow many kinds of terrible diseases such as gonorrhea and aids to be inflicted upon those who violate His laws. There are also other kinds of evil consequences. Many marriages and homes were broken because of marital infidelity.

There are a lot of temptation in the world today. Pornography has invaded all channels of the media. Pornography is rampant in movies, cable TV. magazines and in the internet. Premarital sex, casual sex, extra-marital sex and many forms of perverted sex are widely practiced in our campuses and society. Christians too are subject to these temptations. While many people of the world give in to all forms of sexual sins, the Word of God exhorts the believers to exercise self-control in this area and to live a holy and honorable life.

C. God wants us to have self-control in speech

Another area God wants us to have self-control is in our words. It is easy for a person to commit sin with his lip. The prophet Isaiah under the light of God confessed that he was a man of unclean lip and that he lived among a people of unclean lips. The apostle James described the evil of the tongue with these words. He said: “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. (James 3:8-9)

The evil words people speak include gossips, dirty jokes, filthy language, slanders, unfair criticism, words of rebuking, words of insult, malicious words, lying and boasting. The evil words of man cause a lot of harm in the home, in the work place and in the church. It hurts relationship. It causes a lot of hard feeling, animosity and bitter fight among people. It offends God. Jesus warned that man’s careless words will come under the judgment of God.

The apostle James says: “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” (James 1:26). It is important for the Christians to control our tongues so that we will not sin against God and man.

D. God wants us to have self-control in anger

Another area God wants us to have self-control is anger. Jesus warned the disciples not to be angry with a brother. He said in the Sermon of the Mount: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matt. 5:21-22)

Anger is often an expression of the hatred, wickedness and pride inside a person. Angry attitude and angry words can hurt a person deeply just like a violent act can. Anger creates tension and animosity among family members, friends and colleagues. That is why the Word of God teaches us to have control over our anger.

The Bible doesn’t say that every expression of anger is sinful. Anger can be a natural response to some injustice done to us or to our loved ones. But even in a righteous anger we still need to be careful. Because we have a sin nature inside, we can express our hatred and wickedness through our angry words and attitude. That is why Eph. 4:26-27 teach: “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

God has His way to correct injustice and wrong behavior. We need to grow in knowledge and grace so that we can follow God’s way to correct injustice. Before we know how to deal with wrong behavior and injustice, let us control our anger, so that we will not sin.

E. God wants us to have self-control in greed

Another area God wants us to exercise self-control is greed. Jesus said to the people of His days: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

We are living in a very materialistic society. Most people are bent on the pursuit of money and material things. They consider life consisting in the abundance of one’s possession. They give all their heart, time and energy to make more and more money. They keep acquiring more and more property and assets. They keep buying luxurious things.

Rich men like Bill Gates and Sam Walton have become the heroes that millions of people admire. Many people take on two or three jobs in order to get rich. They have no time to think about God, morality and the destiny of their souls. They fight with everyone for selfish gain. They lose their loved ones and friends and make many enemies. Many Christians also abandon the Lord to pursue worldly gain. They do not grow in spiritual life even though they may have been Christians for many years.

1Tim. 6:10 says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” For the pursuit of money and material things, many people lose God, lose their family, lose their character, lose their friends, lose their health and in the end they will lose their souls.” Jesus said: What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt. 16:26)

There are higher and better things in life than money. God, eternal life, the kingdom of God and righteousness are of infinite worth while money and material things are of temporal value. Paul exhorted Timothy: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” (1Tim. 6:11)

Besides greed, the Word of God also exhorts Christians to exercise self-control in other areas such as pride, jealousy, vanity and worldly pleasure.

II. How can we develop the virtue of self-control

A. Depending on the Holy Spirit

Gal. 5:23 says: The fruit of the Spirit is self-control. This means that the Spirit of God will help us to develop the virtue of self-control. If we depend on our own strength we will fail because we have a sin nature inside of us which is too powerful for us. The sin nature is that strong, evil bent in us which causes us to indulge in eating, drinking, sex, malicious talk, anger, greed, pride, self-seeking and vanity.

After many years of failure, I finally recognize that I don’t have the ability to control the evil desires inside of me. Now I turn to the Lord and depend on Him completely. I find victory in Jesus. Jesus has already won the victory for me and now He is living in me to help me to control my sin nature. If you are still struggling with gluttony, lust and greed, my advice to you is that don’t depend on your own strength to control them. If you do, you will certainly fail. But if you depend on the Holy Spirit moment by moment to control the evil desires of your body, you will have victory.

How does the Holy Spirit help us? He helps us by imparting in our spirit a new desire for the things of God which are holy, righteous, truthful and noble. This new desire is fighting again the old desires of our flesh. As a new Christian, we begin to experience that these two desires are constantly fighting against each other within us.

As young Christians we still fail from time to time and follow the desires of the flesh to live. But every time we indulge in the flesh and commit sin, the Holy Spirit causes our heart to feel grieved. We feel shameful and miserable about what we have done. We are convicted by the Holy Spirit of our sins. Our fellowship with the Lord is broken. Then, we have to repent and confess our sins before the Lord. It usually takes us a day or two to regain the joy of salvation and the fellowship with God again. The Word of God teaches: “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Flee from all this.” (Eph. 4:30-31)

An average Christian probably will go through the cycle of sinning, repentance and restoration of fellowship hundreds of times in the first few years of his Christian life. But if a Christian is faithful in prayer, bible study, attending meetings and serving in the house of God, his spiritual life will grow strong. He will discover that the desire for holiness in him become stronger and stronger and the Holy Spirit helps him to subdue the evil desires of the flesh. That is why Paul said:” “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Gal. 5:16) Paul also said: “If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Rom. 8:13)

B. Fasting and prayer

As we turn our attention to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, let us also look at the Biblical teaching and example of fasting and prayer. Fasting is an act of humiliation and repentance. God said to the people of Israel through the prophet Joel: “Even now, declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”(Joel 2:12)

When we have sinned, it is necessary that we repent with an attitude of humiliation. Genuine repentance and the denial of our physical needs will help us not to fall in the same sin again.

Besides, the Lord Jesus Himself set a good example in fasting to resist the temptation of the devil. He said: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4). By the practice of fasting, we affirm that knowing and obeying the Word of God is more important than satisfying our physical needs.

The prophets and teachers in the Antioch church fasted and prayed in seeking God’s will. As a result of their earnest attitude, God revealed His will to them and called them to send out Paul and Barnabas as missionaries to the nations.

C. Enduring suffering in God’s will

The apostle Peter said to the believers in the first century: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do –living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. (1 Pet. 4:1-4)

The Christians in the first century suffered poverty and persecution for their faith. Peter comforted them and pointed out to them the value of suffering. Suffering in the body can help a person to get rid of the habit of sinning.

In God’s providence, some of us may be suffering from the loss of a job, poverty, failure in business, sickness, family trouble or other kind of adversity. Instead of taking it as a misfortune in life, we should submit to God’s will. God is in control of all things and He is working in all things for our good. God utilizes the difficult circumstances to remove some sins in our lives such as pride, vanity, self-will, gluttony or greed. Just as fire can purify gold, hard circumstances can purify our lives.

Suffering can help us to develop good character and make us more mature. Paul said: We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. “(Rom. 5:3-4)

D. Pursuing the Word of God

Another way to develop self-control is to spend time to feed on the Word of God. Jesus said to the Jews in His days: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:27)

The Bible reveals that God created man with three parts: spirit, soul and the body. The spirit is the highest part of man while the body is the lowest part. We should let the spirit lead us how to live rather than letting the body to lead us. But if our spirit is weak and the body is strong, the desires of our body will dominate our lives.

On the other hand if our spirit is strong, the spirit will take the leadership. It will lead us to live according to God’s will. How can our spirit become strong? It becomes strong through the feeding of God’s Word. Jesus Christ and His Word is the bread of life. If we study and meditate on His Word, we will become strong in the spirit. His Word satisfies our souls. His Word teaches us the truths and the noble things of God. His Word gives us strength to control ourselves and to live according to God’s will.

Many people fail in the area of lack of self-control. Dear friends, brothers and sisters do you have a problem in self-control? Can you overcome the temptation in eating and drinking, in sex, in words, in anger, in greed, in pride and vanity. If you recognize that you are vulnerable and you are in danger of falling, I have good news for you this morning.

Jesus Christ has won the victory for us. He has overcome Satan’s temptation. He never sinned in all his life. He offered His life to die for our sins on the cross. He was resurrected to give the believers eternal life. If you have failed in self-control and have committed sins. Come to Jesus and believe in Him. He will not condemn you. He will forgive you and He will give to you the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Let us all depend on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us to control our sin nature. Under His guidance, let us practice fasting and prayer. let us endure suffering in His will and let us pursue the Word of God diligently. We will possess spiritual strength from God to control our evil desires. We will have strength to do God’s will and live a holy life. Yes, we can have victory in Jesus.

Most of us have seen believers lose their temper, and demonstrate the opposite of meekness. Perhaps we have even done it ourselves. Christians, however, are to be meek.

Definition of Gentleness or Meekness

We’re going to consider the fruit of “gentleness.” And once again, we need to define it. What is “gentleness?”

Their definition of gentleness was “power under control,” & they illustrated it with the picture of a horse that had been tamed. Gentleness to them was a powerful animal with its power completely under control.

I. What is meekness?

A. It is NOT weakness.

DEF. Webster “soft, pliant, supple. Mild of temper; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; submissive.”

B. Great men are described as meek.

1. Moses (Numbers 12:3) “(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”

2. Jesus (Matthew 11:29; 2 Corinthians 10:1)

(Matthew 11:29)  “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

 (2 Corinthians 10:1)  “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you–I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away!”

C. It is STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL.

D. It is EMOTION under control.

It is the ability to “govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked, and when we are so, to be soon pacified.” Matthew Henry (Notice next fruit – temperance, which is APPETITE under control.)

II. Where does one get meekness?

A. Fruit of the Spirit. (Provision.)

“If any man have not the Spirit of Christ…”

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you…?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

B. It must daily be put on. (Colossians 3:12) (Definite action.)

(Colossians 3:12)  “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Wardrobe is AVAILABLE, but no good until you take action and PUT IT ON.

C. It must daily be pursued. (1 Timothy 6:11) (Continuous action.)

(1 Timothy 6:11)  “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

Car, once started, will only work if you keep the pedal down. So with the fruit of the Spirit. It is available, but we must CONSTANTLY be asking for the Lord’s help to demonstrate it.

III. Who should meekness be demonstrated toward?

1. Those who have sinned. (Galatians 6:1)

(Galatians 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.”

1.  Weakness turns its back on them.
2.  Meekness restores them.

1. Those with whom you serve the Lord. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

(Ephesians 4:1-3)  “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. {2} Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. {3} Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

1.  Weakness brings disunity.
2.  Meekness brings unity.

C. Those who have done you wrong. (Colossians 3:12-13) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. {13} Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

1.  Weakness returns the abuse.

2. Meekness TAKES the abuse.

1.  Jesus Christ “Who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Peter 2:23

D. Those who disagree with you. (2 Timothy 2:24-26) “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. {25} Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, {26} and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

1. Weakness argues.

2. Meekness instructs.

E. Everybody. (Titus 3:2) “…to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

a.  Meekness has a humble state of mind. The meek person simply loves people and loves peace; therefore, he walks humbly among men regardless of their status and circumstance in life. Associating with the poor and lowly of this earth does not bother the meek person. He desires to be a friend to all and to help all as much as possible.

b. Meekness has a strong state of mind. It looks at situations and wants justice and right to be done. It is not a weak mind that ignores and neglects evil and wrong-doing, abuse and suffering.

• If someone is suffering, meekness steps in and does what it can to help.
• If evil is being done, meekness does what it can to stop and correct it.
• If evil is running rampant and indulging itself, meekness actually strikes out in anger. However, note a crucial point: the anger is always at the right time and against the right thing.

c. Meekness has strong self-control. The meek person controls his spirit and mind. He controls the lusts of his flesh. He does not give way to ill-temper, retaliation, passion, indulgence, or license. The meek person dies to himself, to what his flesh would like to do, and he does the right thing—exactly what God wants done.

The meek Christian does not throw his weight around or assert himself. Just as wisdom is the right use of knowledge, so meekness is the right use of authority and power.

Meekness is required when wrong has been inflicted on us. It especially points to us having the command of our feelings under wrong.

ILL. Water that’s under control would be water rushing through a dam turning turbines, generating electricity to light a city. Water out of control would be a flood destroying everything in its path.

ILL. A disease out of control can devastate the body & kill its victim. But a disease under control can produce vaccines & save thousands of lives.

So when you think about gentleness, think about power under control, anger under control, our emotions under God’s control. In summary, the meek man walks in a humble, tender, but strong state of mind; he denies himself, giving utmost consideration to others. He shows a control and righteous anger against injustice and evil. A meek man forgets and lives for others because of what Christ has done for him.

(Matthew 11:29)  “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

(Galatians 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.”

(Ephesians 4:1-3)  “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. {2} Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. {3} Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

(2 Timothy 2:25)  “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,”

(Titus 3:2)  “to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

(James 1:21)  “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

(James 3:13)  “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

(1 Peter 3:4)  “Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Do you know any VDPs, “Very Draining People?” They’re the kind who say things that set you on edge, & you’re convinced that they enjoy doing it? They come into your home & say, “Where did you find that wall-paper?” And it’s obvious that they’re not asking because they want to go out & buy some for themselves.

They’re the kind who come right out & ask, “Ooh, how much weight have you gained, dear?” Or they say, “Boy, you sure look tired today.” Deep down inside, we know that we don’t need comments like that.

They’re all around us! And why are they like that? I’ve heard their excuses. “It’s not my fault. That’s just the way I am. It’s in my genes. I inherited it from my mother or my father. That’s the way they were, too.”

You see, we live in a “blame game” society where what we do & how we act are never our own fault. Our temperament, our personality, how we deal with people are always somebody else’s fault.

At times I just want to shake people like that & ask them, “What about God? What about the Holy Spirit? Why don’t you let Him into your life, to change your attitudes & actions, your life & your personality?”

PROP. What I’m hoping for is that you will allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you, changing & making you into the kind of person God wants you to be. And when that happens, the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in your life.

II. JESUS IS OUR EXAMPLE OF GENTLENESS
A. Now let’s look at some demonstrations of gentleness in the Bible. Once again, Jesus is our perfect example.

So let’s consider 3 events in His life that demonstrate the gentleness of Jesus. But as we do, I want you to keep in mind this question: “If we had people like these people in our church, how would we treat them?”

1. With that in mind, in the 4th chapter of the Gospel of John, we see His gentleness in the familiar story about the woman at the well.

Vs. 7 says. “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, `Will you give me a drink?’” And in parentheses it says, “His disciples had gone into town to buy food.” If the disciples had been there, this would have been a very complicated situation.

Vs. 9 says, “The Samaritan woman said to Him, `You are a Jew & I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’” Then it says in parentheses, “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.”

Now again, remember the culture. In that day a man didn’t talk publicly to a woman, & a Jew certainly didn’t talk to a Samaritan. So if Jesus were a normal Jewish man, He would never have spoken to her. But Jesus is deliberately trying to break down the barriers between them.

Well, you know the rest of the story – how she taunts Jesus & speaks very unkindly to Him. Yet Jesus responds with patience & kindness & love. Then it turns out that she has been married 5 times, & is now living with a man who is not her husband. She’s guilty, there’s no question about that.

But Jesus sees in her more than just a woman who has been married 5 times & is now living with someone who is not her husband. He sees a thirsty, needy person. And He offers her living water that will quench her thirst, not just for a moment, but forever.

2. There is a similar story found in the 8th chapter of the Gospel of John. It is the story of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. She was guilty, & Jesus could have judged her harshly. She deserved condemnation. She deserved punishment. She deserved judgment.

But Jesus treats her gently. He writes in the sand, & shames her accusers into slinking away. Then He says to her, “Neither do I condemn thee. Go your way & sin no more.”

3. There’s another story in Luke 19. It is the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man who gets all his self-esteem from taking money from other people. He’s rich & dishonest. But Jesus looks at him & says, “Zacchaeus, come down. I am coming to your house today.”

Soon we see a changed Zacchaeus, & we hear Jesus saying, “Today, salvation has come to this house.”

How would you deal with people like that in our church – dishonest business men, immoral women, a woman who has lived with several men, hoping that each one would be the right relationship? How would you deal with them? Would you judge them harshly? Would you tell them that they’re not welcome here?

Let me suggest that is exactly what the word “gentleness” is all about, dealing with people who have been broken & twisted & mangled in life.

Now why didn’t Jesus condemn them? Because His motivation is very different. He did not come just to judge. But rather, He came to restore. He came to save.

We have always known John 3:16 as one of the most important verses in the Bible. It says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Vs. 17 is equally important. It says, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

We must never forget that the whole reason Jesus came was “to seek & to save the lost.”

III. HOW GENTLENESS IS TO BE USED
Now finally, I want you to see how gentleness is to be used. Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin,” Notice the terminology. Paul is saying “if someone is caught.” It’s like a lure, a trap, a web. A person is caught & all wrapped up in their sin.

Then he says, “You who are spiritual” in other words, those of you who are filled with the Holy Spirit, “restore him gently.” That’s the way gentleness is to be used. It is to be used to restore.

We live in a war zone. Do you feel it? Do you sense that you’re surrounded by exploding lives & personalities & relationships? Do you hear the cries of suffering? Do you see the mangled lives & relationships – all because they made wrong choices?

ILL. Maybe it is a business man who made a wrong choice in business, & his integrity is now suspect, & he’s about to lose his job. Maybe it is someone who has made wrong moral decisions. Now he finds himself infected with a sexually transmitted disease, & his marriage has been destroyed.

ILL. Maybe it is a woman who decided to abort her child, & now she must deal with the guilt. Maybe it is a young man who made wrong sexual choices, & is now caught in the trap of homosexuality. Maybe it is a teenager who made wrong choices about drugs or alcohol.

God is saying, “When you see people who are caught in sin – like the woman at the well, like the woman caught in the act of adultery, like Zacchaeus” – He says, “When you see people like that… Church, be gentle! Be careful. Their lives are so fragile. They could be easily broken.

But they can also be restored. So treat them with gentleness. Pick them up & hold them gently. Show them the way to repentance, & the way back to me, because they are mine. I created them, & I want them back. More than anything else, I want them back.”

Listen to these words of prophecy about Jesus found in Isaiah 40:11, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms & carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.”

ILL. A picture that will probably always be fixed in our minds from the Oklahoma City tragedy is the picture of the fireman holding the body of that baby. We’ll never be able to forget it, will we? What’s touching about that picture is the obvious gentleness with which that big, burly fireman is holding that little baby. You can see in his face, “I must handle this child gently. He’s so fragile. But if I hold him gently, maybe he can be saved.”

ILL. Violet Slaughter’s father died in 1969. Before he died he gave her an antique pitcher & wash basin that before the turn of the century used to be found in guest bedrooms. The pitcher would be full of water & the guest would pour water into the basin to wash off at night before going to bed.

It was Violet’s most prized possession because it came from her parents’ home. And it became even more precious to her after her father died. She kept it on display in a very special spot in her home.

One day guests came to visit, & they brought with them an unruly dog that jumped around a lot. In doing so it wrapped its leash around the little table on which this pitcher & basin were displayed, causing the pitcher & basin to fall & break.

It was a tragedy to Violet. Her husband says, “I watched as she took the dust pan & picked up every piece of that broken basin & pitcher. She kept all the pieces. And every evening, she would bring out the ceramic glue & glue pieces back together again.”

That’s what God says we need to do as a church. So we have two goals. First of all, to realize how gentle God has been with us, how many times He could have condemned us, how many times He could have punished us. But gently, time & again, He reaches out & takes us in His arms & holds us close to His heart. He gently leads us.

Secondly, I want you to realize how important it is that we become gentle caregivers, & begin to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

SUM. It’s a harsh & cold world out there. And somehow humanity needs to see that Jesus makes a difference. He brings our tempers & our temperaments & our personalities under control.
The Manly Meekness of Moses

In the hour of discouragement and tragedy, Moses manifested a manly meekness, a remarkable control of his passions. Notice a few of the factors which no doubt helped Moses to attain such manly meekness:

. . 1. Moses believed and revered God.
. . 2. Moses was remarkably unselfish.
. . . . a. He could have possibly become a Pharaoh in Egypt.
. . . . b. He could have made himself a king in the wilderness.
. . . . c. Heb 11:2-24.
. . 3. Moses had disciplined his will power.
. . 4. Moses was a man of prayer.

Two Great Men of Meekness

The two greatest to walk on this earth– Jesus the Son of God, and Moses, the greatest mere man who ever lived. One of their greatest characteristics and qualities was their meekness.

1) Moses (Num 12:3)
2) Jesus (Mat 11:29)

Meekness is characterized by a willingness to suffer wrong rather than do wrong.
1) Moses Num 12:1-7
2) Jesus– being crucified.

Meekness is not weakness, nor an indication of spinelessness, but it is “strength under control.” Jesus quoted much O.T. Scripture regarding meekness. Pss; Isa 61:1 (Mat 5:5).

Paul entreated meekness and gentleness. 2Cor 10:1; Gal 5:23, 6:1; Eph 4:2; Titus 3:2; 1Pet 3:4.

Conclusion: Jas 1:21 “Receive with meekness the … “

“For every ten marriages occurring in America today, five will end in bitter conflict and divorce. That is tragic… but have you ever wondered what happens to the other five? Do they sail blissfully into the sunset? Hardly! Some couples will remain married for the benefit of the children, while others will pass the years in relative apathy. Incredibly, only one or two out of ten will achieve what might be called ‘intimacy’ in the relationship.” –Dr. James Dobson

“One of the telling features of the dominant culture is the value placed on disposability. We have disposable plates, napkins, eating utensils, packaging, razors, diapers, contact lenses and cameras. Indeed, almost every week a new product comes on the market whose primary “virtue” (read “selling point”) is its disposability. Rather than service those things that serve us, we create products that we can simply discard. Within such a culture should we be surprised if we find it easier and easier to “dispose” of relationships once they have outlived their usefulness?” –Philip Kenneson

Some Recent Statistics on Divorce:

There were over two million divorces in America last year.

The average duration of broken marriages was only seven years, half before three years.

Almost half the children in America had no healthy marriage models in the formative years.

Approximately 80% of couples seeking divorce state money was the focus of their disagreements.

90% of children suffer some acute sense of shock when marriage separation occurs.

37% of children are more unhappy about a parental divorce 5 years after than even at 18 months.

The Great Need for Marriages Today…Faithfulness: a life characterized by belief and trust; strict adherence to duty and promises pledged.

“Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him. Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right” (Prov. 20:6-11)

“But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”(Gal. 5:22)

Fidelity; this word (pistis) is common in secular Greek for trustworthiness.   It is the characteristic of the man who is reliable…it is that which makes a man/woman a person on whom we can utterly rely and whose word we can utterly accept.

 

There are only three other times the word is used in the New Testament:

(Matthew 23:23)  “”Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

 

(Romans 3:3)  “What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?”

 

(Titus 2:10)  “and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”

 

The Three Components of Faith:

1. The faith: the body of Christian truth implied in faith.

“Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3)

2. Faith: a total belief in the work of Jesus for salvation.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

3. Faithfulness: responding to God’s faithfulness by the way we live.

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (Matt. 25:23).

Typical Marriage Killers That Challenge Faithfulness (from James Dobson)

1. Over commitment and physical exhaustion, the only time couples see each other they are worn out
2. Excessive credit and conflict over how money will be spent
3. Selfishness, friction over a marriage with a giver and a taker
4. Interference from in-laws, couples not fully emancipated from parents
5. Alcohol or substance abuse, as well as pornography, gambling and other addictions
6. Sexual frustration, loneliness, low self-esteem and the greener grass of infidelity
7. Business failure followed closely by great business success (see Prov. 30:8)
8. Getting married too young—there is an 85% divorce rate in America for teens who marry.

There is the fruit of faith or faithfulness (pistis): it means to be faithful and trustworthy; to be loyal and stedfast in devotion and allegiance. It means to be constant, staunch, and enduring. A faithful person denies and sacrifices himself—all he is and has—and trusts God. He believes God and knows that God will work all things out for good. Therefore, he casts himself totally upon God and becomes faithful to God.

• Faithfulness does not doubt God—not His salvation, provision, or strength to help.
• Faithfulness does not begin with God then back off and give up.
• Faithfulness does not walk with God then give in to the lusts of the flesh.

 

ILL. Almost exactly two years ago the headline of a major supermarket tabloid proclaimed, “And they said it wouldn’t last!” The paper was celebrating the first wedding anniversary of a very well-known couple whose marriage many had predicted wouldn’t last. The tabloid was gleefully proclaiming that the predictions were all wrong, & that the marriage was healthy & strong.  Who were they talking about? Who was this famous couple? It was Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley, whose marriage ended soon afterwards. Now not only was the tabloid absolutely wrong about the state of their marriage, but it also revealed the weakness of modern society in suggesting that if a marriage lasts one year, it has really lasted. ILL. Hallmark has a card that fits the mood of our time by saying, “I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today.” That’s about as deep a commitment as some are willing to make. B. But in contrast to that, God exhibits & honors faithfulness. Psalm 100:5 says, “The Lord is good & His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”  Every time you see a rainbow, remember that God is faithful – He keeps His promises. Every time you pick up a Bible, remember that He said, “Heaven & earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” [Matthew 24:35].  Every time you gather to worship with brothers & sisters in Christ, remember that He said, “Where 2 or 3 come together in my name, there am I with them” [Matthew 18:20]. Every time you partake of communion, every time someone answers the invitation, remember that He said, “I will be with you always, even to the end of the world.” And when you stand on the brink of death, remember His promise, “In my Father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come back & take you to be with me. For where I am, there you will be also” [Matthew 14:2-4]. ILL. The songwriter is right: “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father… Morning by morning new mercies I see.  All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.  Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”  Oh, I wish could do justice to singing that! But even though I can’t, I can still proclaim that our God is a faithful God, that “His faithfulness continues through all generations.” APPL. And if we allow His Spirit to work within us, then the fruit of faithfulness will be real & evident in our lives, too. The more we yield to His guidance, the less fickle, the less vulnerable to discouragement & temptation we’ll become.  And as we are filled with His Spirit, others will find in us a reliability, a trustworthiness, a staying power through both good & bad, a faithfulness that the world doesn’t understand. I. A DEFINITION OF FAITHFULNESS A. To begin with, let’s define “faithfulness” & make sure that we’re talking about the same thing.  If you were going to define faithfulness, as Paul uses it in the N.T., how would you do it? Well, if you looked in the dictionary, you would find a technical definition that says, “To follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty.” That’s a good definition.  But let me give you one that may be easier to remember, “Faithfulness is love hanging on.” It is love saying, “I will not quit. There may be misunderstandings, there may be disappointments, there may be discouragements, but I will not quit.” It is love hanging on. ILL. If a husband says, “I really love my wife,” & then he goes out & has an affair, you may call him a liar. You may call him a cheat. But most of all, you will say, “He is unfaithful.” Because that is what he has been. And no matter how strong his arguments may be, no matter how loudly he proclaims his love for his wife, you will not believe him because his unfaithfulness negates his proclamation of love. ILL. And if someone says, “I really love the Lord,” or “I really love the church,” & then is unfaithful, then it’s hard to believe that he really does love the Lord. Because, you see, faithfulness & love always go hand in hand. Faithfulness is love hanging on. You may get discouraged. You may be disappointed. But faithfulness says, “Even though there is discouragement & disappointment, I will not let go, I will not quit. I will keep on attending & giving & serving, because God has called me to be faithful.” B. Listen to what the Bible says. Here are some of the scriptures that challenge us to be faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 challenges us to be faithful in stewardship. Ephesians 6:21 talks about being faithful in service. 1 Timothy 5:9 speaks of being faithful in our marriages. Revelation 2:15 speaks of being faithful in witnessing. Romans 12:12 says we are to be faithful in prayer. Colossians 1:7 speaks of being faithful in ministry. Revelation 17:14 says we are to be faithful in following the Lord. Proverbs 31:26 speaks of faithful instruction. 3rd John 3 says we are to be faithful in the truth. Revelation 13:10 speaks of faithfulness even in times of persecution. Revelation 2:10 says we are to be faithful unto death & then we’ll receive the crown of life. ILL. One of the hot box office attractions two years ago was a movie called “Bridges Over Madison County.” It was advertised as “the world’s greatest love story.” I didn’t see it, but I did read the reviews. It starred Clint Eastwood as a traveling photographer & Merryl Streep as a housewife. They meet, & begin having a sordid affair. Then, after 4 days, they end it & go their separate ways. And Hollywood called it “the world’s greatest love story.” APPL. You see, this world really doesn’t understand faithfulness. It doesn’t even have a clue as to what Paul is talking about when he says the fruit of the Spirit is “faithfulness.” II. A DEMONSTRATION OF FAITHFULNESS A. To help us better understand it, let’s look at a demonstration of faithfulness in the Bible. Once again, the example is Jesus, & it is found in the 16th chapter of Matthew. Vs. 21 tells us that Jesus brings His disciples together, & tells them that He is going to Jerusalem. He tells them, “I know what will happen there. I’m going to be arrested, & beaten, & crucified. But I’m going anyway.” You may remember that in the next verse Peter tries to stop Him. He said, “Lord, don’t go!” But Jesus says, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Now here’s the reason that He called Peter “Satan” – because Satan was using Peter to try to get Jesus to quit, to be unfaithful. Again & again throughout His ministry Satan tried to tempt Jesus to be unfaithful. “Don’t go to the cross. Don’t die for their sins. Just quit. It’s going to be too tough. There will be too many obstacles, too many difficulties. Just turn around & quit.” Yet here the King James Version tells us that “Jesus set His face steadfastly toward Jerusalem.” Jesus was determined that no matter what happened, He would be faithful to the mission God had for Him to do. So “steadfastly” He goes to Jerusalem. Even while He was hanging on the cross, the people below Him were mocking Him, saying, “If you really are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” That’s what Satan was saying, too. “Quit! Come down. It’s not worth it. The pain is too intense. The people don’t care anyway. Just quit!” But He continued to hang there until finally He says, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” And “Into thy hands I commit my spirit.” That’s faithfulness. That’s faithfulness unto death. And the faithfulness of Jesus has inspired the faithfulness of others down through the ages, those who hung in there, through the good & the bad, through times of plenty & times of want.  ILL. They’re the people who were here when this church began in a renovated butcher shop on East Levee. They’re the people who built the old church building & then sacrificed through the depression years to pay for it. They were here praying when it wasn’t easy to pray. They were here through the good times & they were here through the bad. There must have been many times they were tempted to quit, tempted to say, “I’m sorry, it’s too big a job. I don’t want to hang in there.” But God had called them to be faithful. So down through the years they hung in there & they were faithful. And we are the recipients of their faithfulness. ILL. George Muller began praying for 5 of his friends. He prayed 5 years before the first one was converted; for the next one he prayed 10 years; for the third one 25 years; for the fourth nearly 50 years. The last one was converted after 52 years, at George Muller’s funeral. George Muller was faithful, even unto death. III. HOW DO WE DEVELOP FAITHFULNESS? A. Finally, let’s ask the question, “How do we develop faithfulness?” In order to answer this you need to realize that an apple tree doesn’t stand out in the middle of an orchard saying, “Now how do I develop apples?” An apple tree produces apples because that’s what apple trees do.  And when we are Spirit-led Christians, when we are a branch attached to the vine who is Jesus Christ, then we produce fruit because it’s the natural thing to do. We don’t have to sit around & think about it & analyze it. But we do have to be careful that our branch is never detached from the vine, or that some disease will destroy our fruitfulness. B. So there are certain things that we need to be careful about.  1. #1, we need to realize that temptations will come. Just as surely as Jesus was tempted to be unfaithful, we will be tempted to be unfaithful – in our marriage, in our relationship with the Lord, & in the church. That’s what Satan does. He will tempt us to be unfaithful. 2. Secondly, we need to seek the Holy Spirit’s reinforcement & develop regular, positive, spiritual habits. This world is not a Christian world. This nation is not a Christian nation. And we’re being pressured on every side to develop negative habits, tempting us to be unfaithful in church attendance, to be unfaithful in prayer, & in studying the Word of God. But if we’ll say, “Get thee behind me, Satan,” & be determined to serve God faithfully, then people will be able to count on us. We’ll be consistent, & trustworthy, & reliable. We’ll develop these habits so they come automatically. And when Satan tempts us, we will not be severely tempted because we’ve developed the habits of faithfulness, & we will not quit. 3. Finally, we need to get back up when we fall or are knocked down. ILL. Simon Peter is one of my heroes in the scriptures, but not because he always did right. Sometimes he made glaring mistakes, even denying the Lord, & he wept bitterly because of what he had done. But every time he fell down, he got back up again. So when it came time to choose someone to preach the very first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost, guess who was chosen? The Holy Spirit said, “Simon Peter, you do it. You’ve had the experience of being down & getting back up again. You’ve made some mistakes, & these people need to know that. They need to hear how vulnerable you’ve been, but despite all that, God is able to do His work through you.” ILL. The same is true of Saul of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul. He experienced all kinds of persecution, all kinds of discouragement, all kinds of temptations. Yet he didn’t give up. Then came that glorious day when the old Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy, “The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – & not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing” [2 Timothy 4:6b-8].

 

Faithfulness begins with God and continues with God. Faithfulness continues on and on; it never slackens or surrenders.

• God is faithful.

      “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9).

      “Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).

      “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:9).

      “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant” (1 Kings 8:56).

      “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1).

 

Believers are to be faithful.

      “And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).

      “Moreover it is required in stewards [believers], that a man be found  faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).

      “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after” (Hebrews 3:5).

      “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5).

 

Learning Faithfulness Straight From the Source—God Our Father

“This saying is sure and faithful: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Tim. 2:11-13)

Key Realization: Faithfulness is first about who we are, seen by what we do!

1. What God does is always reliable.

“The works of God’s hand are always faithful and just.” (Psalm 111:7)

2. How God acts is always consistent.

“The word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 33:4)

3. The manner God loves is always dependable.

“I will declare your love stands firm forever, your faithfulness is established in heaven itself” (Psalm 89:2)

4. The way God stays is always permanent.

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” (Psalm 36:5)

5. When God speaks, it is always believable.

“The statutes you have laid down are righteous, they are fully trustworthy.” (Psalm 119:138)

6. When God responds, it is always appropriate.

“I know that your ways are righteous, and in faithfulness you have disciplined me.” (Psalm 119:75)

“Love the Lord, all his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full”(Psm 31:23).

“It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns”(24:46).

“The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut….Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour”(25:10-13).

“Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness” (25:21,23)

“’Thank you God, for what we have…which we know we cannot keep.’ I wish every newlywed couple could capture that (prayer’s) incredible concept. If only we realized how brief is our time on this earth, then most of the irritants and frustrations which drive us apart would seem terribly insignificant and petty.”–Dr. James Dobson

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?…In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shutter….You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone….As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:14-26)

Translations differ in the translation of the 5^th virtue of the Spirit: chrestotes. It is translated gentleness in one location but in all other it is the word kindness.

It is the divine kindness out of which God acts toward men. It is what the OT means when it declares that “God is good,” as it so frequently does. The Christian is to show kindness by behaving toward others as God has behaved toward him.

Kindness and goodness are closely connected words.  For kindness the word is chrestotes.  It, too, is commonly translated goodness.  The Rheims version of 2 Corinthians 6:6 translates it sweetness.  It is a lovely word.  Plutarch says that it has a far wider place than justice.  Old wine is called chrestos, mellow.  Christ’s yoke is called chrestos (Matthew 11:30), that is, it does not chafe.   The whole idea of the word is a goodness which is kind. 

The word Paul uses for goodness (agathosune) is a peculiarly Bible word and does not occur in secular Greek (Romans 15:14; Ephesians 5:9;2 Thessalonians 1:11).   It is the widest word for goodness; it is defined as “virtue equipped at every point.”  What is the difference?  Agathosune might, and could, rebuke and discipline; chrestotes can only help.  Trench says that Jesus showed agathosune when he cleansed the Temple and drove out those who were making it a bazaar; but he showed chrestotes when he was kind to the sinning woman who anointed his feet.  The Christian needs that goodness which at one and the same time can be kind and strong.

The goodness or kindness of God is not a moral holiness from which a man might shrink in fear; it is a kindness which draws men to him with cords of love. The Old Testament sees this kindness of God expressed in certain ways:

• The kindness of God is expressed in nature. “The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.”    (Psalms 85:12) “When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.”    (Psalms 104:28) The bounty of nature is the expression of the kindness of God!
• The kindness of God is expressed in the events of history. “May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. Selah” (Psalms 20:3) “I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” (Psalms 52:9) “They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” (Psalms 145)
• The kindness of God is expressed even in the judgments of God. (Psalms 119:39)  “Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.” If God’s judgments were simply morally good, then there would be nothing left but fear; but God’s judgments are kind and therein lies our hope.
• The kindness of God is expressed in the instruction of God. (Psalms 25:8)  “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.” (Psalms 119:65-68)   “Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD. {66} Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands. {67} Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. {68} You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.” God’s kindness is expressed in the revelation of his will and his holiness to men.
• The kindness of God comes very specially to certain people. (Psalms 34:8)  “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalms 145:9)   “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (Nahum 1:7)  “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,”
• It therefore comes as no surprise that it is the possession of this kindness which makes a man a good man, and the neglect of it brings the condemnation of God. (Psalms 13:1-3)  “For the director of music. A psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? {2} How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? {3} Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;” (Psalms 36:3)   “The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.” (Psalms 52:3)  “You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah” (Psalms 112:5)  “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.”

The New Testament speaks of the kindness and the forebearance of God (Romans 2:4), and Paul has nothing  but condemnation for the man who does not see that this kindness of God is designed to lead us to repentance. It should in fact be that very kindness of God which is the dynamic of Christian goodness.

It is because men have tasted that the Lord is kind that they should lay aside all sinful things (1 Peter 2:3).

The kindness of God must never be regarded as providing an opportunity to sin; it is a terrible thing to seek to try to trade on the kindness of God. In any event, this kindness of God in hand with it goes the severity of God (Rom. 11:22). In God there is strength and gentleness combined.

The kindness of God is a universal thing, for God is kind even to the unthankful and to the evil (Luke 6:35). The fact is that it is impossible to live in the world and to enjoy the light of the sun without experiencing the kindness of God; there is no man or woman who is not indebted to this kindness for it is universally bestowed, not according to man’s deserving,  but according to God’s graciousness in giving.

(2 Corinthians 6:6)  “in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;”

(Ephesians 4:32)  “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

(Colossians 3:12)  “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Gentleness cares for the feelings of others and feels with them. It experiences the full depth of sympathy and empathy. It shows care and gets right into the situation with a person. Gentleness suffers with those who suffer, and struggles with those who struggle, and works with those who work.

• God is kind.

      “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35).

      “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephes. 2:4-7).

• Believers are to be kind to one another.

      “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10).

      “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephes. 4:32).

      “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12).

      “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity “ (2 Peter 1:5-7).

There is the fruit of goodness (agathosune): it is being full of virtue and excellence, kindness and helpfulness, peace and consideration. It means that a person is full of all good and he does all good. It means…

• that he has a good heart and good behavior.
• that he is good and does good.
• that he is a quality person.

     Note that a good person lives and treats everyone just as they should be treated. He does not take advantage of any person nor does he stand by and let others take advantage. He stands up and lives for what is right and good and just. This means that goodness involves discipline and rebuke, correction and instruction as well as love and care, peace and conciliation. A good person will not give license to evil, will not let evil run rampant. He will not allow evil to indulge itself and treat others unjustly. He will not allow others to suffer evil. Goodness steps forward and does what it can to stop and control evil.

      “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another” (Romans 15:14).

• God is full of goodness.

      “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

      “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephes. 5:9).

      “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power” (2 Thes. 1:11).

      “He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the lord” (Psalm 33:5).

      “O taste and see that the lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8).

      “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me” (Isaiah 63:5).

• Believers are to be full of all goodness.

      “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another” (Romans 15:14).

      “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephes. 3:19).

The Generous Goodness

The difficulty with the 6^th virtue in the fruit of the Spirit is to define more exactly what it means. All the other eight virtues and graces are quite definite adornments of the Christian character; but the English goodness is a wide and general term.

The difficulty about the word goodness is that it takes its meaning from its context, and from the sphere in which the particular excellence described lies.

The word is used in only three other instances in the New Testament:

(Romans 15:14)  “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.”

(Ephesians 5:9)  “(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)”

(2 Thessalonians 2:17)  “encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

“Sex is the great amateur art. The professional, male or female, is frowned on; he or she misses the whole point and spoils the show.” –David Cort

“Today, men and women feel more pressure than ever before to be “good” at sex. We have been seduced into believing that if we are healthy, growing individuals, we will do it more, be better at it, and derive more pleasure from it. And if we don’t, we’re not just missing out, we’re seen as cold, uptight, repressed and inadequate…. We are victims of sexual misinformation overload. Millions of Americans are secretly on a sexuality treadmill, believing that sexual behavior is a measure of self-esteem rather than a source of pleasure and/or expression of loving feelings.” –Dr. Melvin Kinder                                             

The Sexual Performance Rat-Race Quiz:

1. Is the focus upon sexual performance or sexual fulfillment?
2. Is the focus more upon someone looking sexy or being close?
3. Is the focus upon a choreographed “dramatic event” or upon mutual desire?
4. Do you hesitate to initiate times of love making because everything wouldn’t be “just right”?
5. Do your times of lovemaking involve the “real you” and celebrate your closeness?
6. When you have sex, is the goal a specific outcome or a certain expression?

Two CompetingTruths:

1. It is the fear of being average that puts us into the sexual performance rat-race!
2. The more importance we place on sexual performance, the worst we feel!

The Way Out—Focus Upon Expressing kindness!

Kindness: humane, having tenderness or goodness of nature; benevolent; friendly; courteous; a congenial disposition.

“Love cannot remain by itself–it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is kindness” –Mother Teresa

“But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience and Kindness…” (Gal. 5:22)

B. The Kindness (steadfast love) of God:

The word for the kindness of God in the Old Testament is Hesed. This word occurs over 200 times, and conveys a sense of absolute loyalty and a willingness to love (see Jonah 4:2, Psm. 103, 136).

Kindness = Love + Integrity.

C. When It Comes To Sexual Performance, Kindness Is…

The force which allows us to be patient. (SoS. 3:6-11)

“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not self-seeking…” (I Cor. 13:4)

The focus  which allows us to see our partner’s beauty. (SoS. 4:1-7)

“You are all beautiful my darling, there is no flaw in you!” (SoS. 4:7)

The faithfulness which makes a relationship safe. (SoS. 4:8)

“And the God of all grace will himself make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (I Pet. 5:11)

The fire that flames a passion based in purity. (SoS. 4:9-12)

“You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.”

The fuel behind the joy of committed love (SoS. 4:13-16)

“Always try to be kind to one another, and to everyone else.” (I Thess. 5:15)

The fondness that comes from having a true life partner. (SoS. 5:1)

“I am my lovers and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies.” (SoS. 6:3)

The freedom that comes from God to “Enjoy!” (SoS. 5:1)

“Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers”

“And the man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Gen. 2:25)

The Secret: Practice random acts of kindness!

What determines the value of something? A child may think that a quarter is worth more than a dollar bill because the quarter is shiny & pretty, or that a candy bar is worth more than a handful of dollar bills because it wants the candy more. So what really determines value?Again, we all have things that we consider valuable. If our house caught fire, one of the first things we would try to save would be a box of family pictures, for they’re valuable to us. But they wouldn’t be to you. So how do you determine the value of something? During the past few weeks, as we have looked at Galatians 5:22 & considered the fruit of the Spirit, we have talked about some very valuable fruit, like love & joy & peace & patience. But what about goodness? I’m afraid that people just don’t seem to be very committed to the idea of goodness anymore. While love & joy & peace step to the plate & hit homeruns, goodness does its best just to get a single. To many, goodness is just not considered important or even desirable today. I. GOODNESS IS DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE RIGHT REASON One of our problems with goodness is the same problem we have with love. The word “good” is used in so many ways, just as we use the word “love.” We love our children, we love apple pie, & we love a beautiful sunset, but each of these “loves” are entirely different.  It’s the same with the word “good.” We say, “I had a good meal,” or “I met a good person,” or “We had a good cry.” They’re different, aren’t they? So let’s look at how the word “good” is used in the Bible. For instance, we read in the opening chapters of Genesis that God created the heavens & the earth, & then He created life in the sea & in the air & on the ground. After each creation, God looked at it & said, “It is good.” What does that mean? Well, I guess it means that when God looked at what He had done, He was pleased with it. So maybe we could say, “Goodness means something that pleases God.” Or maybe we could go a step further & say, “A good person is a person who is pleasing to God.”  The Bible also tells us that “God is good.” Now what makes God good? Well, God is pure, God is holy, God is forgiving, God is generous. So therefore, if we’re good people, then all those characteristics would be true of us, too. Let me give you another definition of goodness. It is a pretty simple definition. But if you’ll remember it, I think you’ll begin to see the value of goodness. “Goodness is doing the right thing for the right reason.” SUM. Now I suppose we could do the right thing for the wrong reason. I suppose that we could even do the wrong thing for the right reason. But “goodness is doing the right thing for the right reason.” II. JESUS – A DEMONSTRATION OF GOODNESS During the past few weeks we have been reminded again & again that our model, our example, is Jesus. When you want perfect love, look at Jesus. When you want joy & peace, look at Jesus. And the same is true of goodness. Now don’t make the mistake of thinking that being good came naturally for Jesus. He lived in the flesh just as we live in the flesh. And Satan tempted Him over & over again. Turn with me to the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, & let’s look at one of the times that Satan tempted Jesus. There are 3 temptations here. The first is the temptation of selfishness. The second is the temptation of compromise. And the third is the temptation of popularity. And Satan is still using those same temptations on us, even today. 1. Listen to Luke 4:3-4, “The devil said to Him, `If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ Jesus answered, `It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone.’’” Now here is the age-old struggle between selfishness & love. It started in the Garden of Eden & it continues today. Today’s culture tells us that as long as we have food & nice clothing, as long as we live in a nice home & have a good automobile, & are able to live in comfort, then we are a success & ought to be proud of ourselves. But here is Satan, trying to get Jesus to focus on Himself. He tempts Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Now you must understand that Satan always tempts us in our area of weakness, & Jesus had been fasting for 40 days. He was extremely hungry, & it would have been so easy for Him to have used His power to do what Satan suggested. Now do you understand what Satan was trying to do? If he could just get Jesus to be concerned about satisfying His own needs, of making things easy for Himself, of taking the easy way out, then Jesus would never be willing to pray, “Not my will, but thine be done.” And He certainly would not have been willing to pay the price for your sins & for mine. He would never have gone to the cross for us. If Jesus were concerned first about His own needs, then He would never have gotten around to being concerned about us. But Jesus, because He had come to do the will of His Father, knew that the most important thing was not Himself, but us. So He says, “It is written, `Man does not live on bread alone.’” He did the right thing for the right reason. Now the second temptation was a temptation to compromise. Luke 4:5-7 says, “The devil led Him up to a high place & showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Him, `I will give you all their authority & splendor, for it has been given to me, & I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’” Boy, what a temptation! ILL. You know, every week people line up by the thousands to buy lottery tickets, fantasizing about buying new houses, & new cars, & taking exotic vacations, & doing all the things that they couldn’t do otherwise. “Here it is, Jesus,” Satan says, “I have control over the people of this world. They’re serving me. So let’s make a deal. Don’t set your standards so high. Just compromise with me, & all this can be yours.” APPL. Is Satan using that same temptation on you? Are you playing fast & loose with the truth, cutting corners, compromising with that which you know to be wrong? All this just so you can get more & more? I don’t think there is anything wrong with material things. God gave them to us. But who is really the owner of the things that we have? Is God the owner, or am I? If God is the owner, & He’s just loaning all of this to me, then my responsibility is to be a good steward of it, & to make sure that God is exalted by the way I use it. Jesus did the right thing. Vs. 8 says, “Jesus answered, `It is written: `Worship the Lord you God & serve Him only.’’” So He did the right thing for the right reason. The third temptation is the temptation of popularity. Vs’s 9-11 say, “The devil led Him to Jerusalem & had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. `If you are the Son of God,’ he said, `throw yourself down from here. For it is written: `He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’’” Here is Satan taking scripture out of context, & he does it very well. He is tempting Jesus to do something spectacular to amaze the crowds & show them His power. Why bother spending 3 1/2 years walking back & forth through the land, accompanied by just a few Galileans as His disciples? If Jesus would do something marvelous like throwing Himself down from the top of the temple in Jerusalem before the leaders of Israel, & then have God’s angels swoop down & catch Him like in “Angels in the Outfield,” everyone would eagerly follow Him. Then if He would do it again every once in a while, people would come from far & near to see it & praise Him. He would instantly become the most popular man in all Israel! It would be so easy for Jesus to do, & then the people would follow Him anywhere! This was the temptation that Satan brought to Jesus. And it wasn’t the last time. He did it again as Jesus hung on the cross. Listen to the people crying out, “Jesus, if you’re really the Messiah, come down from the cross & save yourself. Then we’ll believe in you. Show us that you’re really the Son of God. And we’ll follow you.” What a big temptation that must have been because Jesus could have done it. He could have saved Himself. But He could not have saved Himself & us, too. Jesus said to Satan in vs. 12, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” And vs. 13 says, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him until an opportune time.” But Satan didn’t stay away long. He kept on tempting Him. Don’t ever think that it was easy for Jesus to be good. He had to deliberately do the right things for the right reasons. SUM. Some churches are constantly being tempted to focus on more & more spectacular services because they want to be popular. But the right thing to do is to focus on Jesus as our Savior & our Lord. III. TANGIBLE WAYS TO DISPLAY GOODNESS In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talks about a good tree & a bad tree. He says that the “good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit” [Matthew 7:17]. And He says, “The good tree cannot produce bad fruit, & the bad tree cannot produce good fruit.” Then He says, “If the good tree does not produce good fruit, we cut it down & throw it into the fire.” He ends it by saying, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” So the question is, “What kind of fruit are we producing?” And as you look at the fruit, do you see goodness? Is it there? Well, here are 4 ways to display goodness. 1. #1, we can display God’s goodness by being forgiving. Listen to Matthew 6:14-15, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, you heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Now those are frightening verses, because they say that if I’m not forgiving, then I cannot be forgiven. If I go around holding grudges, then I won’t receive the forgiveness of God because it is blocked by my unforgiving spirit.  So the first step is to do the right thing for the right reason & to become forgiving as God is forgiving. 2. The second step is purity. We can display goodness by being morally pure. Now that is counter-cultural because our culture embraces impurity, & is constantly telling us that everybody is doing it. APPL. Have you noticed how we’ve shifted, even in the last few years?  ILL. Remember Gary Hart? He ran for president in the 1980’s, but withdrew his candidacy when it was revealed that he had an extra-marital affair. It was pretty much certain in the 1980’s that we would not vote for a candidate who engaged in extra-marital affairs. But recently Gary Hart said that our nation has matured, & now we freely elect candidates who have had extra-marital affairs. ILL. Dolly Parton has said that “Marital unfaithfulness is okay as long as no one gets hurt. Raquel Welch says, “Men have sexual flings, & it’s okay. Just expect it.” But the Bible doesn’t say that. And if you’re going to be a good person, you are to be a pure person, keeping your life pure before the Lord.  3. The third way we display goodness is through graciousness. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when we are in Christ, we’re a new creation. Now why are we new? We’re new because God has changed us.  ILL. Robert Keller writes, “It is the good person, the gracious soul, the generous heart who helps the down-trodden.” So the gracious person is one who has a heart of compassion. He looks around & sees others who are suffering & need his help. So wherever he can reach out & help them, he does. Now, others may never know. You’ve performed good acts & no one every knew that you did them, right? You may have never heard a “thank you.” But here’s the promise, when you’re gracious & good to others, one day you will hear the voice of God Himself, “Well done, good & faithful servant.” And that’s all the recognition we need.  4. Finally, we express goodness through generosity. 1 John 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us.” It is so much love that we cannot even receive it all. God is a giving God. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” And He gives & He gives & He gives some more.  So in turn, then, if we are to participate in the goodness of God we need to become generous, too. But that’s a touchy subject, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we give cheerfully? Shouldn’t we give because God has given us so much? Shouldn’t we give just because we love to give to God? Someone has said, “You never look more like God than when you are giving.” Don’t give out of guilt. Don’t give out of obligation. Give because it’s the right thing to do.  CONCL. Well, after having said all that about goodness, let me say this, “Goodness will never get us into heaven.” We will never be good enough to get into heaven. It’s only through the mercy & grace of God that we can be saved.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22,23)

Ambition is lauded as a virtue. To lack ambition in our society is to risk being called lazy, fearful, and even stupid. We are constantly reminded that people with drive, zeal, and enthusiasm made this country what it is.

Success is a game with rules that lots of people talk about and penalties that few will acknowledge. It speaks to the price of ambition! People are finding themselves on the treadmill…they feel as if they are being ground up…and they are confused because they are miserable while seemingly doing so well!

Each profession has its criteria for success, a collection of trophies, a list of rewards, that mark the path to make it. The most common metaphor we use is “climbing the ladder of success.” Another? We use the phrase “playing the game” which may reflect some of our self-doubts about what we are doing.

The ambition treadmill is all about reaching ever higher. It’s a thief of time, a killer of contentment. It leads to exhaustion, and an even more depleted sense of self.

And success doesn’t always bring the anticipated sense of fulfillment. After attaining a goal, some people run out of steam and lose direction. They forget, or perhaps never knew, that the process of mastery or ambition should be rewarding on its own terms.

I cannot think of a virtue that is more desperately needed, or harder to produce in our lives, than patience.

ILL. The story is told of a young Christian who went to an older Christian for help. “Will you please pray for me that I may be more patient?” he asked. So they knelt together & the old man began to pray. “Lord, send this young man tribulation in the morning; send this young man tribulation in the afternoon; send this young man…”

At that point the young Christian blurted out, “No, no, I didn’t ask you to pray for tribulation. I wanted you to pray for patience.” “Ah,” responded the wise old Christian, “it’s through tribulation that we learn patience.”

WHAT IS PATIENCE?

“Patience” (makrothumia) is the quality of putting up with others, even when one is severely tried. The importance of patience is evidenced by its being most often used of the character of God, as in the great text from Joel: “Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil” (2:13, RSV).

1. “Patience is self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate against a wrong.” That’s pretty good. When someone does you a wrong, how do you respond – with patience or anger?

2. Here’s another: “Patience is the ability to accept delay or disappointment graciously.” How do you deal with delay or disappointment? For some that’s really tough. Yet, patience is the ability to accept it without becoming upset.

3. Here’s another: “Patience is the powerful attribute that enables a man or woman to remain steadfast under strain – & continue pressing on.” Maybe that is where some of you are. You’re dealing with difficult circumstances. You’re a raising a child, or you’re caring for aging parents, or maybe you have a loved one who is ill & you’ve spent long hours at the hospital or nursing home. You’re weary, but patience is the quality that says, “This too, will pass. It’s almost over. I can keep on keeping on.”

4. But here is my favorite definition: “Patience is a calm endurance based on the certain knowledge that God is in control.”

The story is told of an artist who went to visit an old friend. When he arrived, she was weeping. He asked why. She showed him a beautiful handkerchief that had great sentimental value, but which had been ruined by a spot of indelible ink.

The artist asked her to let him have the handkerchief, which he returned to her by mail a few days later. When she opened the package she could hardly believe her eyes. The artist, using the inkblot as a base, had drawn on the handkerchief a design of great beauty. Now it was more beautiful & more valuable than ever.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP PATIENCE

Well, as desirable as patience may be, as the young Christian found out, it is not easy to develop patience. For instance, I think developing patience is difficult because it goes against human nature. We aren’t born patient, are we?

When a baby wakes up in the middle of the night & is hungry, or its diaper is wet, it doesn’t lie there & think, “I know Mom & Dad are tired. So I’ll just wait until a more convenient time to let them know that I need something to eat or my diaper changed.”

No! That baby cries impatiently & continues to cry until it receives the attention it demands. Children aren’t very patient. Have you ever traveled with a child? That can be quite an experience.

ILL. How about the little 4-year-old boy who was traveling with his mother & constantly asking the same question over & over again? “When are we going to get there? When are we going to get there?” Finally, the mother got so irritated that she said, “We still have 90 more miles to go. So don’t ask me again when we’re going to get there.” Well, the boy was silent for a long time. Then he timidly asked, “Mom, will I still be four when we get there?”

Now here’s a second reason why developing patience is difficult. It’s because there are weeds of pride, selfishness & anger that can choke out the fruit of patience.

A couple of years ago a survey revealed that we have become an impatient & oftentimes angry nation. You see it at work. You see it in school. You see it on the highways.

A man’s car stalled in heavy traffic just as the light turned green. All his frantic efforts to get the car started failed, & a chorus of honking horns behind him made matters worse. He finally got out of his car & walked back to the first driver behind him & said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to get my car started. If you’ll go up there & give it a try, I’ll stay here & honk your horn for you.”

Thirdly, patience is difficult to develop because it’s contrary to our culture. We don’t live in a relaxed culture. Go to most third world countries today & you’ll find a much different lifestyle. They’re more laid back. They think, “Whatever happens, happens. It’ll be all right.” And they wonder why we’re so uptight.

It’s because we’re on a fast track, & in a rat race. We’re in a world of fast food & quick print & expressways & 10-minute oil changes & instant cameras & microwaves.

One Calvin & Hobbes comic strip pictured his father sitting at a computer saying, “It used to be that if a client wanted something done in a week it was considered a rush job, & he would be lucky to get it. Now, with modems, faxes, & car phones everybody wants everything instantly.” About that time Calvin walks by holding a microwave dinner, reading the instructions. “It takes 6 minutes to microwave this,” he says. Who’s got that kind of time?”

I think another reason that patience is difficult to develop is because we have convinced ourselves that impatience is a virtue. So you hear people say, “Well, I may be impatient, but I get things done.”

We like “type A” personalities, hard-charging people who get things done, & somehow impatience is seen as a virtue.

Proverbs 14:29 says, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.”

Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”

ILL. A young man was very upset with his mother. They had argued, & at work that day he wrote her an angry letter giving all the things that he felt were wrong with her. It was a very nasty letter. After sealing the envelope, he handed it to a co-worker to mail it for him. Well, the co-worker knew what was in the letter, so he put it in his pocket. “Maybe he’ll have second thoughts about it. I can always mail it tomorrow,” he thought.

The next day, when he went to work, his friend was sitting there all forlorn, saying, “Oh, I wish I had never written that letter. I’d give $100 to have it back.” Well, you know what happened, don’t you? His friend pulled it out of his pocket & said, “Here it is.”

Would you consider yourself to be a patient person? Do you show patience in your life? No doubt many of us struggle with this. No doubt we all could use a little more patience. It’s so often the case, is it not, that we allow ourselves to become guilty of impatience.

You know, it can even be said that in some ways, impatience lies at the heart of almost every sin you can think of. Just look back to the beginning of sin, when Eve was tempted by the serpent in the garden of Eden. The serpent tells her that if she were to eat of the forbidden fruit, she could be like God, knowing good and evil. She saw that the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. She became impatient for that wisdom, she became impatient with the command of God which said to her that she did not need to have that wisdom, so she ate, and she gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Consider also the Ten commandments, and how impatience will cause you to break each and every one of them:

• Command 1: You shall have no other gods before me. Why would we want other gods? Because we are impatient with God, and we think that perhaps some other gods can give us more of what we want than God.
• Command 2: no graven images. We make graven images because we are impatient with the way of worship which God commands of us in his Word, we impatiently want to make an image of Him that we can see. Remember how the Israelites were impatient when Moses was up on the mountain, so they made a golden calf.
• Command 3: no taking God’s name in vain. We take His name in vain in cursing because we become impatient in reaction to something which has happened to us. Can you think of any instance where you would swear in anger when you are not being impatient?
• Command 4: remember the Sabbath. We break Sabbath, doing unnecessary work because we are impatient to see that that work gets done. We can’t wait until Monday to do what we want to do.
• Command 5: honor your parents. You do not show your parents the proper respect which God commands of you because you are impatient with their weaknesses.
• Command 6: no killing. You show anger toward your neighbor, perhaps even going so far as killing them, because you believe that they did something wrong to you, and you are too impatient to leave it to God to avenge.
• Command 7: no adultery. You lust after someone sexually, you commit some sexual sin, because you are too impatient with respect to having your physical desires satisfied in the proper context of marriage.
• Command 8: no stealing. You steal from your neighbor, because you are too impatient to actually earn for yourself that which you stole. Someone steals a car to sell for money, they are too impatient to earn their money in a legitimate job.
• Command 9: no bearing false witness. Someone lies about their neighbor, bearing false witness against them, because they are too impatient to let the truth takes its course.
• Command 10: no coveting. You envy what belongs to your neighbor, because you impatiently believe that God has not given you enough. You are impatient with His providence, knowing that He has promised to take care of all your needs, but not believing that he is taking care of them fast enough.

So much sin, so much impatience. Think about the sins you have committed this past week. You spoke ill of someone behind their back, because you were impatient with what you perceived as their weakness.

You became angry with some person, some family member, a child, a brother or sister, whatever the case may be, you became angry because you were impatient with how they did not act exactly as your wanted them to act. Boys and girls, you grabbed some toy away from a brother or sister because you were too impatient to wait until they finished playing with that toy. Even babies get angry because they are impatient to be fed.

We can also be impatient during church services. For instance, we can be impatient with a song that has a tune we are not very familiar with. Perhaps we become impatient with a sermon that we find boring, or that we don’t quite agree with, or that hits a little bit too close to home. Maybe you are even becoming impatient with the fact that I am talking about impatience so much in this sermon.

I would dare say that there is hardly a sin which you could think of which somehow is not connected, if not directly, than at least indirectly, to impatience.

It should not be surprising then, that impatience is so completely contrary to the will of God. It should not surprise us that God commands his people to be patient. As Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

And Colossians 3:12 – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”

We have been called by God to live as his chosen, redeemed people, and as redeemed people, washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, we should be living as patient and humble people, putting up with one another as people who share a common bond of love.

This is not just simple moralism here. I am not just trying to promote a feel-good, let’s-all-try-to-get-along, sort of attitude. People of God, this is the will of God for His people. This is what redeemed people will be like, having the Holy Spirit live in their hearts, producing in them the fruit of patience. This is the will of our God for our entire lives.

We must be patient with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. But now, consider this: if you are sitting there thinking, “Yeah, that’s right, that so-and-so over there, he sure has to be more patient”, then you yourself are being impatient with that brother or sister, and you had better look to your own heart to see where you yourself can be more patient.

But now, OK, we need to be more patient with other people. But what about when people do something terrible to us? Are we expected to be patient then? How are we supposed to be patient when an injustice is done against us?

Well, we read in 1 Peter 2:21-23 – “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. `He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

Not easy to follow that sort of example, is it? We would much rather seek revenge, and try real hard to get what’s coming to us. But is that what God’s Word requires of us?

Consider also the example of Paul put before us in 2 Corinthians 6:4-7 – “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.”

Now, you might say that this sort of patience is just too difficult. Maybe a super-Christian like Paul might be able to have that sort of patience, but it’s impossible for someone like me. I can’t do it. How can God expect that sort of patience from me?

Well, consider this: God calls us to be patient because He Himself is patient. He does not require of us patience while being at the same time an impatient God. He is not one to say, “do as I say, and not as I do.” Oh, while preachers may have to preach about things where they could use some improvement themselves, God does not need any improving with regard to the patience He demands of us. He is perfect. He is perfectly patient. God, by his very nature is a patient God, and He calls us to be patient as He is patient.

Consider how God so often demonstrates patience. For one thing, think about the fact that there is so much sin in the world. Now, if he wanted to, He could destroy at any time all the reprobate who have not been cleansed by the blood of Christ. He could destroy at any time all those who are not a part of his people. He would be perfectly justified in doing so. And yet, He does not destroy them right away.

In Romans 9:22 we read, “What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath- prepared for destruction.”

God endures with much patience those who are destined to suffer his just wrath. For the time being, He puts up with those who reject him and violate his Word. And in doing so, he demonstrates his power and his glory.

But of course, not only is God’s patience shown in how he deals with the unbeliever, but His patience is even more clearly demonstrated in how He deals with His people. For instance, in Nehemiah 9:16,17, we read about how God was patient with the people of Israel when they were in the desert after having been delivered from Egypt – “But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.”

In spite of the wickedness of the people of Israel, God was slow to anger. He did not leave them to perish completely in the wilderness, even though He had every right to do so. He put up with their complaining. And He still brought them to the land of Canaan.

Psalm 103:8 says, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Psalm 145:8 – “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.”

Joel 2:13 – “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.”

Our God is a gracious God. Our God is a merciful God. Our God is slow to anger, He is patient. And as He is slow to anger, as He is patient, as He has so clearly shown with us, so also He demands that we show in our lives.

But now, perhaps you might be asking yourself the question, what exactly does it really mean that the Lord is patient? Does it mean that he is willing to put up with sin, turning a blind eye toward it, ignoring it until we try his patience for too long and then He blows his top? Is God like a parent who will ignore something that his young child does until he runs out of patience, at which time he finally punishes the child in anger?

Well, actually, this is not at all what is meant by the fact that God is slow to anger. His being slow to anger does not mean that he is willing to overlook sin for a while.

We read in Nahum 1:3 – “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.” Now, at first it may seem that these statements contradict themselves. On the one hand, God is slow to anger, patient, but on the other hand, he will not leave the guilty unpunished. How can these two go together?

Well, we have to understand why it is that God is patient and slow to anger. To help us understand this, consider 1 Timothy 1:15,16 – “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

 

The patience of God was demonstrated in the fact that a horrible sinner like Paul, a man who persecuted and killed believers, a man who resisted Jesus Christ with all his might, such a man could still be brought to salvation. What a marvelous testimony to the patience of God!

And in 2 Peter 3:15 we read another verse which emphasizes what the patience of God is all about: “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.”

The Lord’s patience means salvation! God is patient in not coming back right away, and in not destroying the world right here and now. And in this patience is found salvation. Since he is not coming back right away, this means that more will be able to become a part of his people. More people can be saved!

Also, God is not slow to anger because He wants to be easy on those who are reprobate, those who are not elected to be a part of His people. Rather, God is slow to anger in order that the salvation of all of His people may be accomplished.

God was patient with Paul, and eventually He brought him into the fold, and the life of Paul was a marvelous witness to the grace of God. God is slow to anger against this wicked world, in order that all of God’s elect may be born and brought to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. And God is slow to anger against each and every one of us, in order that we might know of His grace and trust in His mercy. God is slow to anger, that you might be saved.

Ecclesiastes 7:8,9, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”

There is much wisdom here, wisdom which, if we keep it in mind, can certainly help us to cultivate patience in our lives.  For instance, consider the first statement here: “The end of a matter is better than its beginning”.

There is one way to cultivate patience: keep your eyes on your goal. Keep your focus on the end which God has in store for his people.

We know of the end that the Lord has in store for us. We can see that He has salvation awaiting us. And knowing of the salvation that is ours, we can be patient with respect to what happens to us. Patient with God, knowing that ultimately He will accomplish His purposes. Patient in the face of adversity, knowing that God works all things for the good of those who love Him. How can we help but be patient, knowing how God has eternal life in store for us?

But now, in all of this, there is one thing that we especially need to remember: patience is a gift. Patience is a blessing. Patience is a blessing which the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those who have been called apart to be the people of God.

Consider also this: patience is not a sign of weakness. Rather, patience is a sign of strength. It’s a sign of the strength which only the Holy Spirit can ultimately provide. It’s a fruit of His work in our life.

HOW DO WE DEVELOP PATIENCE?

1. The first suggestion is the same with every one of these virtues. “How do we develop love? How do we develop joy? How do we develop peace? How do we develop patience?” The answer is always the same, “Abide in Christ.”

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

So it is important to receive the nourishment that only Jesus Christ can give. We cannot produce patience unless we’re abiding in Christ, unless we’re walking in His steps, unless we’re reading His Word, unless we’re growing in our prayer life, unless we’re spending quality time worshiping & fellowshipping with brothers & sisters in Christ.

1. There are other things that we can do. For example, we can slow down.

The Lord came up with the idea of a sabbath day – a day to worship & rest. Our bodies need it, our minds need it, our spirits need it. We need time just to sit & reflect on God & what He’s doing, & absorb His teaching. So take a walk. Spend some time in the park. Watch children play, & listen to birds sing. Read a book. Plant a flower & watch it grow.

Thirdly, we need to overlook the little frustrations of life. But what about the big things that we’re just not capable of dealing with? What do you do when the big stuff comes along? What do you do when you go to the doctor & he tells you that you have a serious illness? What do you do when you lose your job? What do you do when your children disappoint you? Or your spouse leaves, & life is empty? What do you do? The Bible says that there are some things that we just can’t handle on our own, & that we’ll never be able to handle them without the Lord’s help.

There is a beautiful illustration of this in the 14th chapter of the Book of Exodus. Moses has led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage & they are standing on the bank of the Red Sea. Before them is this great body of water. Behind them they hear the hoofbeats & the chariot wheels of Pharaoh’s army. They are caught between a sea & an army. What do you do in a situation like that? They turned & cried out to Moses, “Moses, weren’t there enough graves in Egypt? You led us all the way out here to die in this God-forsaken place.”

Then Moses speaks in vs. 13, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm & you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” Now listen to vs. 14, it’s such an important verse.

Moses said, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

JESUS IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE

Once again, let’s turn to Jesus for the perfect example of patience. In the 26th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew we see Jesus coming to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Leaving the rest of the disciples by the gate, He takes Peter, James, & John with Him into the inner recesses of the garden, & says to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here & keep watch with me” [Matthew 26:38].

Then Jesus went on a little farther by Himself & prayed. Luke 22:44 says, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly; & His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Then when Jesus came back, He found Peter & James & John sound asleep. Now how would you react to that? Here Jesus was experiencing the most terrible night of His life upon this earth, & they fall asleep, not once, but 3 times. And yet Jesus treats them with love & patience & kindness.

Now there is just one more verse of scripture that I want you to see. It is 2 Peter 3:9, & it says, “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.”

Have you ever stopped & wondered why God hasn’t intervened? Why doesn’t God send a lightning bolt? Why doesn’t God knock Saddam Hussein off the face of the earth? Why doesn’t He intervene when injustice seems to run rampant?

For one reason, God is patient & He wants everybody to be saved. Every day that He waits is just one more day for people to repent & come to Him.

• Parable to Teach Us Patience With Others (Matt 18:23-35)

• Learning God’s Purposes Through Patient Suffering

• Understanding God’s Priorities for Your Life:

#1. Personal Spiritual Growth (Deut. 4:29, 6:4, 2 Peter 3:11-12)

#2. Commitment to your family (I Tim. 3:4-5)

#3. The development of your spiritual message (I Cor. 1:18, Gal. 1-2)

#4. The broadening of your ministry (I Peter 5:1-4, Matt. 28, Eph. 4)

     

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