HOFC Sermon Archive: Fruit of the Spirit Part 6

Fruit of the Spirit

Part 6 – Patience

Rev Bruce A. Shields

The House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

Online Audio Files | HOF Church Facebook | Truth Digest Facebook

This document is a Sermon Outline. You may hear the full audio of the sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this and other Full Sermon Audios. For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on Facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church. #worship #godheals #newtestament #jesuslovesyou #churchfamily #godsword #loveoneanother #holy #godislove #church #jesus #god #bible #christian #love #faith #worship #jesuschrist #gospel #prayer #christ #christianity #pray #holyspirit #godisgood #hope #blessed

SERMON TIMELINE

1. Christ set us Free

2. Walking in the Spirit

3. Love

4. Joy

5. Peace

6. Patience

INTRODUCTION

Today is Sunday. August 27th, 2023

This is week six of our look into what the scriptures say about the Fruit of the Spirit, focusing on Galatians 5 while exercising good hermeneutics to understand the meaning in light of the Word of God.

We have covered the difference between acts (or fruits) of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit, including what keeping in step with the Spirit means for us in our lives.

We biblically defined Love with I Corinthians 13 and what Jesus Himself said about it. We talked about Joy and how the Spiritual fruit of joy is based on the Spirit and characteristics of God rather than outward circumstances in our lives, which is why we see the apostles singing and praising God, even in prison.

Last week, we spoke about the Fruit of the Spirit, Peace, and how we can have peace that surpasses all understanding when we allow the Spirit of God to produce these fruits. Remember, as long as we do not quench the Spirit of God within us, we will have access to all of these characteristics of God in our lives.

The Spiritual fruits are more than us having some of God’s character in our lives through His Spirit. They serve a purpose: to fulfill the Will of God.

Today, I will remind you of God’s Will and how we fit into it. The purpose of the Fruit of the Spirit and how patience is more than waiting to get what we want but being slow to speak and slow to anger.

Today we will Learn about the Spiritual Fruit - PATIENCE

SCRIPTURE READING (Legacy Standard Bible)

Galatians 5:22-25 Crucify the flesh

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in step with the Spirit.”

TODAY’S MESSAGE

I. THE WILL OF GOD

a. God’s Will, according to scripture

i. God’s Will is simple to understand

ii. I Timothy 2:3-5 “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

iii. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

iv. Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it.”

v. Here is what we can see from the scripture;

1. God desires ALL to be saved

2. God has patience because He desires ALL to repent

3. God is “not willing” for ANY to perish

a. The Greek word for willing is ποιέω (poy-eh’-o)

b. LEMMA – do; make; cause

vi. Making 2 Peter 3:9 say, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not (causing/making) “willing” for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

vii. The Lord is not causing, nor making, ANYONE perish. He is patient, wanting, willing, for ALL to repent.

b. Our Will and why it must be free

i. So we understand verses like Matthew 23:37 where Jesus says, “I wanted to gather you (God’s Will), and you did not want it.”

ii. God is not making or sending anyone to Hell. They send themselves when they reject the Will of God because His Will is that YOU repent and are saved.

iii. I preached a bit about why the tree was in the garden when we went through the Book of Genesis.

iv. I also spoke many times about why we have commands from Jesus and how obedience gives us access to Christ’s righteousness and opens the door for God’s blessings and inclusion into the Kingdom and all it offers.

v. When we have the free Will to choose and choose what is holy and pure, our obedience keeps us in a proper relationship with the Lord.

vi. From scripture and its many examples, such as Eden, we know that disobedience breaks the covenant with the Lord and prevents us from being IN the Kingdom.

c. Our liberty has limitations.

i. Some may say, “But there is no longer any condemnation in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

ii. Yes, however, read the entirety of the chapter!

iii. Romans 8:5 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

iv. It goes on to say, if you are dead to sin, then sin will not be alive in you.

v. Our Christian Liberties have LIMITATIONS.

vi. Romans 8:12 “So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—”

This is why Paul lists the fruits (or acts) of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 and states, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

I Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

I Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.”

What does Paul mean?

ILLUSTRATION: Trenton and the Crisco

Paul tells us we have free Will and can do whatever we want. However, not everything is good for us or others. If we choose to be obligated to our sinful flesh, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. We MUST keep in step with the Spirit, walking in the Spirit of God.

As followers of Christ Jesus, we stay in step with the Spirit and do not engage in acts of immorality or other desires of the sinful flesh because we do not want to exclude ourselves from the Kingdom or cause another to fall because of our immoral lifestyle.

II. THE PURPOSE OF MAN

a. Our purpose is to fulfill the Will of God.

i. We are called to fulfill the Will of God (lead people to repentance and salvation)

b. Our Calling is “how” we fulfill God’s Will.

i. We must examine ourselves, search the Word, and discover our calling.

ii. This is where we find out where we belong in the Body of Christ.

iii. This is where we discover what Spiritual Gifts we have been endowed with from the Holy Spirit, which enables us to uniquely serve the Body of Christ in a way only we were called to do.

c. We operate as a Body of Christ. Apart from the Body we are ineffective

i. How effective is your foot if you cut it off and allow it to be on its own?

ii. What about your finger?

iii. If you plucked out your eye, how well is it now serving the body?

iv. We are followers of Christ when we are part of the Body of Christ

1. We are lost sheep when we separate ourselves from the Body

Jesus says in John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

III. THE FRUIT OF PATIENCE

a. It’s not about waiting for what you want

i. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that the Lord is patient with people, not bringing Judgment Day yet, because He wants them to repent.

ii. We, too, should be patient with sinners who have not yet understood the Truth.

iii. We must give them time and have patience with them (showing God’s Grace)

iv. Being slow to speak and slow to anger

b. Patience in the scripture

i. The scripture gives us an example.

ii. Romans 15:1 “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.”

iii. 2 Timothy 4:2 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching.”

iv. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 “It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. Yet for this reason I was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all His patience as an example for those who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life.”

v. I Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient…”

c. What patience accomplishes

i. Patience allows the sinner Grace to come to an understanding.

ii. Patience is an act of love toward others who may not be as strong spiritually as we are, and we can encourage and lift them as they grow.

iii. Patience draws others to the Spirit of God in us and allows us to share the Good News, which will bring others to repentance and inclusion in the Kingdom of God.

CONCLUSION

Romans 2:4

“…do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”