The Divine Longsuffering

Well, brethren, maybe you've noticed, but we seem to be living in a world that has an increasingly short fuse. Seems like when you're out and about and you look around more and more, it's a world that is growing shorter and shorter in the virtue of patience. I don't know about you, but I know in recent times I've heard more car horns, and I don't think my driving is necessarily deteriorated that much. But in West Africa, you hear the car horns all the time, and that's how people actually communicate when they drive. But it's sort of like, meet, meet, meet, meet, you know, a little more happy. I'm getting ready to pass you, I'm over behind you. But I think in the U.S., we just have one tone of car horn, and it's usually maaah, right? Frustration coming through. So, you know, it seems like wherever we turn in the last two or three years, there's been more frustration. Frustrating for people sometimes having to wait in line, having to put up with the shortcomings of other people, having to wait on other people.

I was recently in the grocery checkout line at the store, had my groceries, and was in a line with five or six other people, and right there at the checkout was an older lady, and she was paying with cash. Maybe you've heard of that. People used to do that once upon a time. You pay with cash, and it was exact change. So, you know, we live in an age where you whip the debit card out, and you're through, like, express. But she was paying with cash, and she had one of these purses that was, you know, probably anything you could ever need was in this purse. And she wanted to give exact change. So it's like, I think I've got a dime and two pennies in here somewhere, and she's digging through, and the people in the line were just sort of, like, you know, just irritated. I got to wait an extra 15 seconds, 20 seconds. So, you know, it's not that way for everybody, but I think it has been, at least from my observation, on the increase more in recent times. I've personally witnessed outbursts of frustration towards store clerks, bankers, pharmacists, doctors, pretty much people that are simply trying to do their jobs. And it seems like some are more and more willing to go from zero to 60 seconds, or 60 in just, like, one second flat.

And over things that perhaps we would say, well, that doesn't seem worthy of such a response. What about us as God's people? You know, how long or how short is our fuse?

How patient are we? How willing are we at times to wait? Do we get angry quickly, or do we fly off the handle easily? How willing are we then to put up with inconveniences of others, to, you know, deal with the shortcomings of others at times? How patient are we to wait in a line or even give somebody the right of way? You know, I'm not in a hurry, you go ahead.

How willing are we even to give the benefit of the doubt, to put up with other people's shortcomings, to wait for other people to change? Maybe even waiting for other people to apologize to us.

You know, somebody wronged me, and I'm waiting for an apology, and until I get that apology, well, you know, you can forget about me being nice in return. You know, how is our, what is our fuse length when it comes to these things? A bigger question we could ask as well is how patiently are we waiting for the return of Jesus Christ? Because I think we do look around the world and the things that are happening in this day and age, and we can often think, okay, God, just get on with it, right? Christ should be here by now. There's a lot of things, and I would say justifiably so, that we see that we say, you know, this could just be wrapped up, and God, what are you waiting for? Why don't you just get on with it? Today I want to talk about the topic of long suffering. Long suffering. And the title of the message is the divine long suffering, the divine long suffering. And anything that is related to the divine, I think we would understand is connected to the nature of God, the character of God, and who and what he is. So let's talk about the divine long suffering. Because, brethren, we worship a God who is a God of patience and a God of long suffering. And I think if we're honest with it, we would agree we should thank God that he is. We thank him for his patience and his long suffering, and especially as it is extended towards us, right? Because we live under the shadow and the grace of his long suffering towards us.

That's part of his divine characteristic. It's a characteristic he's called us to build in our lives as well. Those who have his spirit, those who are seeking to be likened according to his character. So what is long suffering? It's important to start with a definition so we know where God is and where it is we need to be heading. And we might just say, by virtue of the sound and the pronunciation of the word, well, isn't long suffering the ability to suffer long?

You know, that would be a quick and easy definition for long suffering, right? And that is partially correct. That is an element of the definition of long suffering. But as we'll see today in the Bible, actually how God uses this term in Scripture goes even beyond just simply the ability to suffer long. The Greek word translated long suffering oftentimes in the New Testament is the word macrothemia. I'll spell it for you. It's macrothemia. M-A-K-R-O.

T-H-U-M-I-A. Macrothemia. And it's a combination of two Greek words. Macro, we might recognize that word. We spelled it a little differently. But macro, which means long or means large. And the root word thumos, which means temper. And so macrothemia literally means long-tempered.

Long-tempered. It's the short of being or the difference of being than short-tempered. That would be the opposite effect, right? We say people, you know, if they blow a gasket quickly or have a short fuse, we say they are short-tempered, right? But macrothemia essentially literally means long-tempered. The Help's Word Studies describes macrothemia in this way. It says it describes a long passion. In effect, waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. This avoids the premature use of force, the premature use of retribution that rises out of improper anger.

It says it embraces steadfastness and staying power. It says if in the English we had an adjective long-tempered as a counterpoint to short-tempered, then macrothemia could be called the quality of being long-tempered, which is a quality of God, end quote. So, again, it's not with knee-jerk reaction responding out of anger. It doesn't mean that you won't experience anger, or there won't be justifiable reasons for angry, being angry, or that you won't ever get angry, rather though it means that we have a long fuse, that we patiently forbear with whatever it is that is irritating us, not jumping to retaliate, not seeking to respond right away. And the point is, those who are long-suffering, they get angry at the appropriate time. Okay, we're talking about foreshadowing the divine long-suffering. They get angry at the appropriate time in the appropriate way and for the appropriate reasons. And I'll say they express it at the appropriate time, way, and reasons. And that is the God we worship. God is long-suffering. And again, we can be so incredibly grateful that He is, because the bulk of that long-suffering is often directed towards us for our benefit. And so, I would say, as human beings, then, in our impatience, right? Because that's sort of our carnal nature. We want things now. We want results now. We can act out in impatience, but we have to be careful, because literally our impatience could actually be found to be pushing back against the long-suffering of God at various times, even to our own detriment.

Even to our own detriment, we don't want to be found in impatience pushing back against the long-suffering of God. Let's notice a few scriptures that highlight that long-suffering of God's nature, because again, He is our guide. We look to Him, and by His Spirit, we hope to develop that same nature in us as well. Let's go to Exodus chapter 34 today as we open our Bibles, and I want us to see this expression from God Himself as He exclaims this aspect of His nature.

Exodus chapter 34, and we're going to pick it up here in verse 5. This is Moses up on Mount Sinai here. This is now the second set of tablets of stone, because you'll recall, actually Moses in his, shall we say, short fuse, and he came down and he saw Israel corrupting themselves before the golden calf broke the first set, right? So he's back up there now, and God says, I'm going to express something to you about my nature. Exodus 34 verse 5, it says, Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with Him, with Moses there, and He proclaimed the name of the Lord. He's expressing, I would assume, He's expressing to him the pronunciation, the sounding of His name, you know, and today our best assumption is generally Yahweh, but there's different thoughts on that. But here God's expressing, He's proclaiming the name of the Lord to Moses. Verse 6, And the Lord passed before Him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord, or Yahweh, the Eternal God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, long suffering, in abounding in goodness and mercy, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. We understand God is forgiving, right, upon repentance and change, as Mr. Nelson was talking about. He wants to see us turn direction and change and have a course correction. He is forgiving in that, but He says He doesn't clear the guilty as in we can't just continue to live in our sin without care and assume we have the mercy of God extended. He seeks for us to actually be conformed to this nature, that which He is, merciful and gracious and long suffering, abounding in goodness and truth. So this is His own description, God's own description of His own nature, and included in that was the characteristic of His long suffering and patience. And we would, I think, clearly understand that was certainly a blessing to Israel, right, as they came out of Egypt, as they went across the wilderness heading to the promised land, all the times that they grumbled and complained and murmured, the times that they wanted to turn and go back to Egypt, saying it was better there than where God is, you know, leading us to, at least walking through this wilderness. God's long suffering towards them was clearly on display, right? He had a long fuse. He didn't flash out in anger. He could have, and I would say even justifiably so, have wiped them out, should He chosen to, in His anger. But He didn't. He gave them time, and He gave them opportunity to repent and change. And He was long suffering along the way for the purpose of their growth. And that's an element, a key element we need to grab hold of today. God is long suffering and patient for the purpose of the growth of His people. You know, we stumble, we falter. God could become very angry and just say, I'm done with you. But the fact is, He is merciful and long suffering, patient for the purpose of our growth. He is hopeful for that.

And for Israel, He hoped they would become that model nation that He brought them out of Egypt to be. Now, sadly for them, the time came where they flat out rejected God. They came to the brink of the Promised Land and said, let's select a leader. Let's go back to Egypt. And they forsook where it was God was taking them. And God, though, as you would read the account, continued with His long suffering. There was still a penalty, okay? There was still punishment to their action. That generation wandered in the wilderness until they died, apart from Joshua and Caleb. But all during that time, God was still long suffering with them. He still worked with them. He still taught them. He still instructed them so then that next generation coming along could enter the land and fulfill the purpose of their calling. And that's the point. God is patient. God is slow to anger, always desiring and seeking growth and change. And He gives us time in His mercy. He gives us time.

Psalm 86, verse 15. Psalm 86, verse 15. Here, a psalm of David.

David was a very passionate man, and in his life he certainly had opportunities to see up close and personally the long suffering of God towards him. I just want to pull out of the middle of the context here, though, verse 15. Psalm 86 and verse 15, it says, But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion and gracious, long suffering and abundant in mercy and truth. And so David recognized this quality of God's character. You know, he was a man after God's own heart, but he too made his own number of mistakes along the way, and he recognized the blessing of being in the shadow of the long suffering of God in his patience, in his willingness to work with him as he worked out what it is he needed to work out in his life. And you know, God does the same with you and I as well. God gives us time. We should never use that as an excuse to be lax in our recovery and in our change, but God does, in fact, give us time. So we could ask the question, why is he so long suffering?

Why is he so long suffering as it is extended towards us? Why is he so patient? We can find his purpose for long suffering scattered all throughout the Bible, but how would we encapsulate it, say, in a short definition or a phrase? Why is God so long suffering towards us? The Apostle Paul reveals the answer to us in Romans chapter 2. Let's go there next. Romans chapter 2.

Think of who the Apostle Paul was and, you know, how he started out in terms of persecutor of the church. You know, Saul the destroyer, the one who then had to be struck down on the road to Damascus, he came to understand very clearly and intimately the long suffering of God towards him as well.

And he reveals to us really the key element of why this is. Psalm chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, says, "'Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are, who judge, for in whatever you judge another, and condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.'" So he's starting out here by saying, you know what, we're all sinners, and we have to be careful because it's easy to look at somebody else in their sin and to draw judgment. And it doesn't mean that we don't make judgment of what is right and wrong, so we avoid that, but he's saying, you know, don't judge other people's salvation by what you see. Just take a look at yourself, you know, because frankly, you and I are under a similar standard of judgment. Verse 2, though, he says, "'But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.'" He says, "'And do you think this, O man, you who judge these practicing such things, and doing the same thing yourself,' that's his point, "'that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long suffering?'" Okay, here's that word, long suffering, "'not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.'" The goodness of God leads you to repentance. That is, indeed, the ultimate purpose behind God's long suffering and goodness.

It is so that mankind will come to repentance. So that will change, will turn, will go on a different course aligned with that which is of the nature of God. Not that they would continue in their own sins under the assumption of grace. You know, thinking, well, and this is where the tricky part is, we can think, oh, lightning bolt didn't come out of heaven and strike me. I see no great consequence here. Maybe I can carry on in this. Maybe I'm under God's grace, even in this action.

And this is indeed where we have to be careful not to take advantage of God's long suffering. The time of accountability and judgment does indeed come with God, but it comes in His timing. God is patient. God is long suffering, but His ultimate desire is for all to change apart from having to come to that point of judgment. Right? The Bible says if you would judge yourselves, you would not be judged. And so He gives us time to do those things patiently. Long suffering, generously giving more time as He patiently awaits man's repentance.

Carrying on in verse 4, or I'll repeat it, and we'll go forward from there, He says, or do you despise the riches of His long goodness, forbearance, long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? He says, but in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourselves wrath and the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. He's writing to the church and those who are actually in sin and pointing the finger at other people in sin and making judgment, He says, you be careful yourself, and you use this time well. Verse 6, who will render to each one according to His deeds, eternal life to those who by patient continuance. That would, I would say, indicate long suffering on our end towards the goal, right? Patient continuance and doing good. Seek for glory, honor, and immortality, but those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil. Of the Jew first, also of the Greek, He says, but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there is no partiality with God.

So, you know, we come to understand that there's a difference here. There's a difference here between God's long suffering and the mercy He extends unto grace, and we have to understand that distinction because it's important. There's a difference between God's long suffering and His mercy unto grace. Don't confuse God's long suffering with tolerance towards sin.

Again, the punishment didn't come or the consequences didn't come. God must be okay with it.

Don't confuse His long suffering as tolerance towards sin. Don't confuse God's long suffering with His forgiveness and grace. Although long suffering is indeed an element of His mercy, we should not assume that we've been extended forgiveness by God in our sin if we haven't come to repentance. Again, He's giving us time. The goodness of God leads you to repentance, and He gives us time for that, and He extends it to us as a part of His grace, but we must not take time as license to live in continual sin. That's what Paul is warning the church about, because he says, in the end, we'll come judgment to those who would take God's timing and His patience as license for sin. Again, understand, repentance is the end goal of God's long suffering towards us, and He gives us the time to get there. But there does come a time when there is no more time, and God will not bear with unrepentant sin forever.

So when I say we can thank God He is long suffering, it's because that is directed towards us for our ultimate good, and He says, I give you time for the good. Use it well. And that's the message over and over. Use it well. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 1. 2 Peter 3 verse 1. Let's bring this forward now. Peter is actually talking history, and he's talking prophecy now in this passage, and we can bring it forward to a time that's still now even forward looking for us. So let's consider God's long suffering, even as it would apply to the end of the age. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 1. Beloved, now I write to you this second epistle, in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder that you may be mindful of the words which are spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior. Verse 3, knowing this first, he says, the scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. You know, he's saying, these scoffers are going to come along and they're actually going to mock the long suffering of God.

I'm going to say, what are you being faithful for? What are you looking for? Do you really think He's coming? You really think Jesus Christ is returning? Things have gone on now since they have since the beginning of time. So what are you putting your hope in? In fact, we understand by God's word, the Lord has not delayed His coming. And it's where we come to understand the timetable of the long suffering of God. God is patient and He has a purpose. But the scoffers will just simply try to turn people aside to use this time God has given us in vain. Verse 5, he says, for this they willfully forget that by the Word of God the heavens were avolved in the earth standing out of water and in the water. He says they forget that God spoke and it was so. Right? The creation came into existence by the Word of God. Verse 5, by which the world thus then existed perished, being flooded with water. And so God has reasons for doing the things that He does, but don't ever assume His long suffering to be forgetfulness or neglect or simply He's lost interest. God has a plan and a purpose and it will be fulfilled according to His timing, just as it has been all along. You can go back in history and see the time and purpose and understand that exists still according to God's will. Forward-looking. Verse 7, he says, but the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same Word are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. He says, they're simply waiting for God to speak and say, now.

Again, as He spoke and it was created, He will speak. And again, what He has, purpose, that will come, indeed will come in that day. Verse 8, but beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. And so, there is indeed a coming day of judgment and God's long suffering has not canceled that, but we need to understand as human beings that our scale of time is not the same as God's.

And for God, He has the time to take His time and to do what it is He purposed from the beginning.

Verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness, but is, notice the word, long suffering towards us. Long suffering towards us. Why are we waiting for the return of Christ? Shouldn't He have been here by now? He is long suffering towards us, not slack concerning His promises. Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Again, this is the purpose of God's long suffering and His patience. It is for us.

Okay, Peter's writing this to the church. Long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but all would come to repentance. Executing wrath and judgment is not God's first, short-fused response. When they're sin, God doesn't say, all right, I'm done. Bang!

Right? There does come a time when there is no more time, but He is patient.

He is forbearing with us, and His first response is to call, to mourn, to preach, to shout a message of repentance and reconciliation, and then to give us time and opportunity to respond. The Bible shows there comes a time when there is no more time, but the timing of that is up to God in His purpose and in His plan, but He is long-tempered. He is long-fused. He is patient, and He desires to forgive those who will take the opportunity to turn and change.

And so again, in our zeal, and I would say at some element our impatience, we could almost be found pushing back against the long-suffering of God, saying, okay God, get it over with, right?

Send Christ now. And we are instructed to pray Thy kingdom come and to eagerly look for that time. So we do pray that, but it's according to God's purpose, because who knows, oh man, if His long-suffering is not for you or for me? Maybe He's not willing that Paul Moody would perish but would come to repentance. You know, we all have things we're working out in our life, and God gives us time, and He is patient, and we must use this time well. Verse 9, The Lord again is not slack, concerning His promise that some count slackness, but is long-suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. So the time of God's judgment will come. God knows all that that will entail, and He knows, at least for a window of time, the grief, the suffering, the agony that will be on the earth. It will lead to a glorious day when His Son returns and His kingdom's established.

But He knows what all this day will entail, and I would just ask, what timetable would we put on God for this to take place? You know, we pray Thy kingdom come, but do we try to push a timetable on God? He is long-suffering, and He has a purpose. You know, whose repentance would we have Him cut short in order to get on with the show right now? You know, mine perhaps? Would that be my prayer? Again, God is long-suffering for His purpose. We must be careful that our impatience does not push back against that, even to our own detriment. God is doing a work unto salvation. Okay, this is another word we need to take from this sermon. We have repentance tied to long-suffering, but the ultimate end is salvation, and God is doing a work unto salvation, and it is a work that requires a divine degree of long-suffering. Because it's the divine long-suffering, it's not what you and I have by our carnal nature. It is what is to be instilled in us by the work of God. Verse 11, Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner a person ought you to be in holy conduct in godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.

He says, Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for a new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, in light of these things, in response to these things, therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him, in peace, without spot and blameless. Okay, that's the work then you and I are given to do in this time.

Well, God is long-suffering, be found by him in peace, without spot and blameless, and consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. That's an important phrase to never forget. Consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. When scoffers arise, and scoffers come and say, you know, what's the promise of his coming, the end of the age?

He must be sleeping. He must have forgotten.

The Lord is long-suffering, and it's unto salvation.

Carrying on verse 15 is also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him as written to you. And so Peter says, you know what? Paul's written to you about this long-suffering of God and its purpose. Now, I'm writing to you about this long-suffering of God and its purpose.

The long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, and that's so important for us to recognize, brethren, that the outcome God intends by his patience towards us is our salvation.

And he's giving us the time that we need to get our lives in order right now.

And the message for the church from Paul, from Peter, as we'll see later from James, the message to the church is use this time well. Use the long-suffering of God as an opportunity to grab hold even more securely to the salvation he extends to us. Use the time to build your relationship with him more so. Use the time to build your relationship with one another more so.

Use the time to overcome, to grow, to turn in the change, and to put on that very same divine nature of God. He is giving you the time. The time will come when there is no more time.

Use the time well. It is indeed the blessing of the long-suffering, the divine long-suffering, of God. Verse 17, dropping down, he says, you therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, he says, beware, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked. Don't let this passing a time let you get swept up with the scoffers and everyone else that's running the other direction. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

So these are our marching orders for as long as we're under the long-suffering guidance of God.

Again, the instruction over and over in His Word, use the time well. Use the blessing of the long-suffering of God well. The end of the age isn't the first time, as we look forward, that God's long-suffering has been extended for an opportunity of salvation in the world on the brink of destruction. You know, this isn't the first time this has happened. We can actually go back and look at an example where at time the world was slated for destruction and the long-suffering of God extended out for the purpose of salvation, even if the end result was just a few. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 3 in verse 18. 1 Peter 3 and verse 18. As we were in 2 Peter, we read quickly across the verse that talked about the world, then that was flooded. Okay, so God sent the flood upon the earth, but it was a time as well when God was extending long-suffering for the sake of those whom He would save. 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 18 says, For Christ also suffered once for sins, just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient. I don't have time to necessarily delve into that today. We'll save it for another message. But there was a time when the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ preached to the demons who were restrained on earth back before the time of the flood of Noah. Okay, he preached to the spirits who were formerly disobedient. But here's the timing. When once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. And so there was a period of time just before the flood when God's long-suffering was extended for the purpose of salvation, for the purpose of the saving of men's souls. Genesis chapter 6 describes a world that was full of wickedness, right, where the thought and the intent of man's heart was only evil continually, and God was sorry that he had made man on the earth. So what was his response? Was it, again, a short fuse? Was it a knee-jerk reaction of destruction? No, God was patient for a time. God was long-suffering. There came a time when there was no more time, but he exercised this. Again, verse 20, again, when once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few that is eight souls were saved through water. And so in the midst of that corrupt society, Noah found favor in the sight of God. He was given instructions to build the ark, which was then that vehicle that would preserve life through the flood. Noah was given the task, and 120 years remained for the people of that day. And during that time, and during those years that Noah constructed the ark, he preached, and he warned, and he cried out to that generation that the calamity was coming.

Noah preached the gospel in his day. Okay, repent, turn from your sins, and be saved.

It's called the Everlasting Gospel. It goes from Genesis to Revelation, and Noah preached the relevant portion of it in his day. 2 Peter 2, verse 5, calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. And so a part of his work was to show the people of his day their sins, to warn them that God's coming judgment would be upon them, and that they too could be saved. Turn, repent, use the long suffering in the time that God has given you well. And in his patience, God gave them that process of time. But as we know the story, sadly only eight people were on the ark when the door was sealed and the floods came. Everyone else was washed away. Salvation was the end result of those who responded properly to the long suffering of God. The end of this age is described by Jesus Christ as being like in the days of Noah. And just like those days, God holds out his long suffering and patience for a time, and it's for a purpose. It's for the purpose of repentance leading unto salvation. And I think it's clear, you know, God's judgment, he could bring it on the world at any time he chose. He has just cause based upon the condition of man, but God is long suffering. He has a plan. He has a purpose. And indeed, on this specific day and time, we could be assured he has given it some time. At least one more day today, right? He is giving us time. How many will take advantage of the patience of God remains to be seen. Again, only eight got on the boat despite the pleading, despite the cry and the preaching and the message that went out.

The call of repentance, though, in spite of that, still had to be sounded. The gospel still had to be preached. And the patience of the divine long suffering was still extended in that day. And brethren, so it is today, as in the days of Noah. So it is indeed in our time, now leading up from here to the end of the age. You and I are called to develop during this time the same kind of long suffering that God himself possesses. Okay? And if we possess this long suffering, we'll actually have the view that God has towards this world, and even why he may hold back or for a time allow the things that he allows. It's part of his divine nature and his divine long suffering, and is indeed part of the character we are to grow in as those who possess his spirit. Let's go to Galatians 5 and verse 22 and just see briefly what it is here that we are to be producing by the spirit.

Galatians 5 and verse 22, the apostle Paul writing, and he's gone through all the works of the flesh.

That's the fruit of carnality we're to put off, but the fruit of the spirit is what we're to have by God's indwelling presence. The fruit of the spirit, verse 22, is love, agape. It is joy.

It is peace. Christ was coming right up to the crucifixion, and he said to his disciples, my peace, I leave with you. And it's a peace that transcends the conditions on the ground around us, because it's based on the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Also, the fruit of this spirit is long suffering. Long suffering. The Greek word translated here, long suffering, again, is that same word we looked at earlier, macrothemia. Macrothemia. It is the fruit that is to be abundant and expressed in the life of you and I today. And again, it's long passion.

It's waiting sufficient time before expressing anger. It's avoiding premature use of force, of retribution that arises out of improper anger. It's embracing the steadfastness and the staying power in our lives. You know, it is steadfast and even steadfast through a trial. You know, I don't want to dismiss the part of the definition that is simply the ability to suffer long, because there are people who have suffered long through many trials. Okay, but God has a purpose that He is working out, and frankly, sometimes the fruit that is produced by our own suffering may not even be for us. It could be for somebody else who has helped by interacting with us, by being encouraged by our example, by watching our steadfastness in the face of a trial. You know, don't consider that maybe your trial won't save or cause someone else to turn to God.

That certainly can be a part of this. So we need to exercise this fruit of long suffering, and just imagine the impact it would have if it was practiced in our marriages, long fuses, slow to anger, right? Quick to hear, slow to anger, slow to speak. If we practice it in our relationships in the church, if we practice it in our working relationships, in our relationships with the world around us today, our carnal nature can be very short-fused at times, and we can be impatient very quickly, and we can strike out against the fences, against hurts and wrongs.

Somebody stepped on our toes. But if we have the long suffering of God and our fuse is long, indeed we will wait for any form of retribution. We will simply wait for the restoration of the relationship. And indeed, the miracle and the blessing is now you have not cut short something that indeed can be reconciled in the end. God says the time comes where there is no more time, but I don't want to cut short something that I'm seeking to reconcile between me and the people I call in this world.

Go back in your mind however far you go back in church history. You know, some people have been around the church 50, 60, 70 years or better. Okay, think of the history of the church. When I was a kid growing up in the worldwide church of God, we went to the feast in the Feast of Tabernacles, St. Petersburg, Florida, 11,000 people at the feast. One feast site. Consider all the people that God has extended a calling to, planted a seed in their life.

And people we know personally who are good friends, deep friends, and we think, where are they today? They're doing something else. They're someplace else, and yet the divine long suffering continues to wait. And the message continues to go out, and so I would say as long as there's breath, there's hope, and God's timetable is allowing time for repentance. So continue to pray for one another. Continue to be the example that you can be and reach out when you have opportunity to reach out. It is a blessing, the long suffering that God extends, and indeed it must be what we extend for the salvaging and preservation of our relationships as well.

I'm going to cut a few things a little bit short here. Ephesians 4, let's go there.

Ephesians 4, again, just to remind ourselves what it is we must be developing. This is the divine long suffering of God now growing in us. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Okay, if you're calling yourself a Christian and you're walking in the way of God's calling, there's a way you conduct yourself that is worthy of that name, that spirit, and that calling. Verse 2, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Long suffering, brethren, is an attitude that allows us to deal patiently with one another in love, and ultimately the unity of the body is what is preserved through the people of God, yielding to that fruit of the spirit in our interactions with each other. Long suffering will preserve the unity of the spirit, along with these other fruits among us. Proverbs chapter 19 verse 11 says, the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. Again, it doesn't mean we're tolerant to sin and we're indifferent to sin, but you know what it means? If somebody offended me or stepped on my toes in some way, it's okay. Get over it. It's not worth the destruction of a relationship. Long suffering, such as God extends to us, keeps us from being ashes under his feet, and we ought to extend that same grace and mercy to each other as well. Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12. Let's go there.

Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12, therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies kindness humility meekness and long suffering again macrothemia long suffering bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another even as Christ forgave you you also must do but above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you are called in one body and be thankful again this is about actually extending to others what has been extended to us God has extended long suffering you extend it God has extended mercy and grace you extend it God has extended a relationship that is loving and unified and peaceful you extend that to one another as well and it will be a blessing among the people of God the Bible has so much to say about our need to wait on God as well so so the point is this long suffering goes both ways we don't receive the long suffering of God and push back with impatience no we receive the long suffering God and we respond in kind towards God with long suffering as well and the Bible calls it waiting on God and I'll just leave you to do your homework in that if you would like a study go through all the scriptures you can find that talk about waiting upon God or waiting upon the Lord give you an example Isaiah 40 31 says but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount out with eagle with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint if you're pushing back with impatience you're going to grow weary you're going to stumble you're going to falter but if you wait upon the Lord with the same kind of divine long suffering He is extended indeed will be a blessing to you and finally I want to wrap up today with this concept of long suffering as it pertains to the return of Jesus Christ as I mentioned earlier we can become impatient especially as we look at the world around us wanting God to act now wanting God to send His Son back now and frankly again we pray thy kingdom come so that's that's not a wrong desire it's not wrong to be eager for the return of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God but we also have to understand God is a plan and He has timing and patience and He's working it out according to His perfect purpose Hebrew chapter 9 verse 28 says to those who eagerly wait for Him again we're talking about waiting extend that patience out but it's an eager waiting those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation that's Hebrews 9 verse 28 again salvation is the end result of all of this and so we do wait we wait eagerly we wait earnestly but with that coupled together we wait patiently let's conclude today in the book of James chapter 5 verse 7 James chapter 5 and verse 7 James says therefore be patient brethren do you think that word is well I wasn't positive so I looked it up in the Greek it's very close okay it's not quite macrothemia it's macro thymio definition in nearly the same be patient again extended now back out towards God literally long suffering therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and the latter rain you know the farmer doesn't go out and drill the seed in the ground one day and go out the next day expecting to harvest the fruit of the crop do they it doesn't work that way it takes time takes patience it takes the right season and cycle the early and the latter rain and frankly awaiting the return of Jesus Christ it takes the same verse 8 you also be patient he says establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand and do not grumble against one another brethren unless you be condemned behold the judge is standing at the door my brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience indeed we count them blessed to endure you have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful and I would just say as you and I wait upon the Lord we too we must be able to recognize clearly the end intended by the Lord that he is indeed compassionate and merciful and that is what he will bring in that day and that is a blessing and we will indeed rejoice in that day brethren let you and I live our lives as those who have embraced this godly attribute of long suffering the world around us may be growing more and more impatient but that does not mean you and I have to in fact it means we must not we must be lights that stand out as different from the way and the flow of society we must be working in this calling from God he is on his throne Christ said I work and my father works and they are working to this day he is not forgotten he is not turned aside and he is working in our life and he's working in the world today and he hasn't lost track of the schedule just as the divine long suffering waited in the days of Noah God is patiently waiting for his good purpose today you be patient too may be patient too and you know what sometimes it's hard and sometimes there's struggle and there's things we yearn for when that day comes but we must be patient as well allow the divine long suffering of God to be a part of your very nature as you yield to his purpose and his calling and then let us exercise that same divine long suffering towards one another to those around the world today that we have connection with for family our friends those in the workplace let us extend the same long suffering of God that he has extended towards us and indeed if we do so it will be a blessing not only in our lives but in the lives of others we pray God kingdom come we pray for his mercy and indeed he is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness but he is long suffering towards us what a gift not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance