Longsuffering : An Essential Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Well, today I'd like to discuss another one of the qualities of the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. In the past, recent past, I've spoken specifically about love, had a sermon on joy, to a lesser degree in various sermons over the last few years. Parts of that sermon have touched on peace and goodness and faithfulness and self-control.

Today I would like to discuss long-suffering, or as it's worded in some translations, patience. My wife asked me yesterday, she said, what's your sermon about? And I said, long-suffering. I said, it's related to marriage. And I guess, depending on the state of our marriage, it could be an example of long-suffering. If we were to look in a dictionary, we would see that Merriam Webster's defines long-suffering as patiently enduring a lasting offense or hardship. The dictionary.com, which you can find easily on the internet, has this as a definition for long-suffering. Enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.

So those are the dictionary definitions of long-suffering. But what about the biblical definition? What can we learn about this important quality of the Holy Spirit that the translators in English translated into the word long-suffering? Let's begin. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 19, and review quickly the works of the flesh, which we certainly want to eliminate from our lives, from our hearts and minds. And then in the later verses here, the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 19. Paul writes, now the works of the flesh are evident.

In other words, they're obvious. They're very easy to see. They're adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, which is a lack of self-discipline, selfish ambitions, trying to be first, trying to draw attention to ourselves, dissensions, splitting people up, splitting up families. A lot of church splits are guilty of this sin of causing dissension and splitting up families. And heresies, verse 21, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and of the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I have also told you in the past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Pretty dogmatic, pretty powerful statement by the Apostle Paul. Then he turns to the area that we should be working on developing to replace the works of the flesh as we grow in the mind of Christ. Verse 22, but the fruit of this spirit, and by the way, the Greek word here, fruit, is singular, not plural. I'll touch upon that and what that may mean in a minute. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long, suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. There is no law that says, you know, you cannot have self-control. You shall not be kind. There are no laws like that written in the scripture.

Verse 24, those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Are we in the process of doing that? That's the works of the flesh. Are we in the process of crucifying those works of the flesh? Getting rid of them out of our lives. Verse 25, if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.

So here this word is translated long-suffering. The particular Greek word is macrothemia, and it means forbearance or fortitude. Again, sometimes in the New Testament, the same Greek word is translated patience rather than long-suffering, depending on the context. So it says the fruit of the spirit. Again, this word fruit is the Greek word karpos, and it means a plucked fruit, something that's ripe and can be plucked. And the fruit here, this actually is a singular word, and it refers to the attitudes and characteristics of those who walk in the spirit.

Verse 16, this Greek word is singular, indicating the crop of nine qualities produced by the spirit and those who share the same spirit that dwells in the Father and Son. So technically, if we want to be technically correct, and I use the plural all the time, fruits of the spirit, but if we want to be technically correct, what the Greek is saying here through Paul's writing is that the spirit is singular, and it is referring to nine characteristics of that fruit, beginning with love and going to each and every one of those. So today I'd like to discuss two different aspects of long suffering that are important, even essential for us in order to mirror God's will.

The first is one that I'll spend most of this sermon on, and that is the need to demonstrate long suffering towards each other, towards other people who may frustrate us. Long suffering means dealing with them patiently. It also includes dealing with disappointing situations with long suffering, like a chronic health problem, or an ongoing financial struggle that may last years, or underemployment that may afflict us for a lifetime.

We need to demonstrate long suffering as we go through those extended periods in our life where we're maybe disappointed or we're discouraged. The second thing I'll focus on near the end of the sermon is long suffering is when we feel discouraged and disappointed at God's challenges in our life. We have to be careful that we don't become angry towards God because of a perceived injustice or because we pray for something and he doesn't intervene quickly or in the way that we desire. It's very easy for us to become bitter or angry, impatient with God.

But I'm going to begin by focusing on number one, and that was demonstrating long suffering towards others, human beings, and other situations that may frustrate us. Long suffering is an important quality because it is one that God possesses, and that's why it's one of the fruit of this spirit. It's the willingness to experience discomfort or uneasiness for a long, long time if necessary, if that's what's required.

So let's begin. In the Old Testament, which I like to do in most of my sermons, I like to begin in the Old Testament, finish up in the New Testament to show a connection there. So if you will turn with me to the book of Exodus chapter 34. I'll make a comment here.

Again, Exodus chapter 34. We're going to go to the Old Testament. Now obviously, I'm going to look at a different Hebrew word. I just mentioned the Greek word used in Galatians 5, and we'll get back to that. But I'd like to mention a Hebrew word here that's going to be used in this verse. And obviously, it's translated by the translators into the English long-suffering if you have a New King James version. So Exodus chapter 34 and verse 4. We'll pick it up here.

This was the second set of stones with the Ten Commandments on them that Moses made. He, out of anger, broke the first set. He said, So he cut two tablets of stone, like the first ones, and Moses rose early in the morning, and he went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. Now the Lord descended on the mount and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

And the Lord, all capital letters, YHVH, will use the term Yahweh, passed before him, and proclaimed the Lord Yahweh, the Yahweh God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Now the word, the Hebrew word that's translated here, long-suffering, is the couple of Hebrew words, and it's arak-apeyim. Arak-apeyim.

Arak meaning long, and apayim meaning nose, or nostrils. Now that's the original of the Hebrew. I'm going to read just a little sentence here from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on the article long-suffering. Quote, the word arak-apeyim, translated long-suffering, means literally long of nose, or long of breathing, and as anger was indicated by rapid, violent breathing through the nostrils, long of anger or slow to wrath. This adjective is applied to God in Exodus chapter 34 and verse 6, and we just read that. So what the translators are saying here is most of us, when we become angry, our heart races.

Right? We get frustrated. And in contrast to that, what it was saying about God is God is more like... In other words, hold it in. Hold it back. Control yourself. God has long of nostril, long of wind, unlike human beings who again get agitated and get excited, and their eyes dilate and they start breathing more rapidly, the angrier they get. So that's where that word comes from. My point here is that whatever language is used, Greek or Hebrew, God himself is long-suffering or patient towards us, and it's a godly characteristic.

And that's why it is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, because it is a godly quality. Here in these verses we just read, God personally tells Moses that these are my personal characteristics. They include merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth. So what is God so long-suffering about? He's long-suffering about us. He's long-suffering about humanity. He is long-suffering towards our sins and our faults. He is patient and very slow to anger towards us as individuals and humanity as a whole.

Think about all the human sin committed each and every day for the last 6,000 years, continually. We're still here. In spite of that, human race still exists. Getting larger each day, the population of the earth increasing each day, the sun still shines. Well, it doesn't shine in Cleveland today, but in other areas of the world, the sun still shines, the rain still comes down, crops still grow, people still live out their full lives. Why? In spite of all of that sin each and every day for 6,000 years? Because God is long-suffering towards us and towards humanity. Think about how long-suffering He is towards you and me and the things that we've demonstrated in our lives and the sins that we've committed in our own lives and the mistakes that we have made in our own lives.

How long-suffering God has held it back and slowed down because He is merciful, He is kind, and He is gracious. Psalm 86, verse 12. Let's see where this same Hebrew word was translated again into the English word long-suffering. Psalm 86, verse 12. Very similar phraseology to just what we read in Exodus chapter 34. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart. And hopefully that's what we're doing here on this Sabbath day when we have the opportunity during hymns to stand and sing praises to God.

I will glorify your name forevermore, for great is your mercy toward me, and you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life. David went through episodes in his life where this is exactly what happened, and have not set you before them. Verse 15, but you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion and gracious, extending grace, long-suffering and abundant in mercy and truth. So here the great psalmist praises God with similar qualities that we just read about in Exodus 34. In addition, the word compassion is used here in Psalm chapter 86.

So with that kind of a background, we can see the Hebrew orientation of it, and the origin of that Hebrew word, which means long of nose, or long of nostril, and what that meant in demonstrating God's forbearance, his long-suffering for us. Now let's go to the New Testament, and we'll go back to that Greek word, rathamea, that we saw earlier that was in the book of Galatians, and see what we can learn about long-suffering. Romans chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. We don't have time to look at every place where this word is used in the New Testament today.

Mr. Dillingham wouldn't allow me to take that much time. So we won't survey all the times that word is used in the New Testament, but we will take a look at a number of them, mostly used by the Apostle Paul, and some used by the Apostle Peter. Romans chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. Here is what Paul wrote. Therefore, and this is a caution about us being very careful regarding judging each other, particularly regarding judging the brethren. Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man, whomever you are who judge, for whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge, practice the same things.

So Paul is correcting us, and he's saying, look, before you point out to another, this person is a gossip. This person is selfish. This person is that. Paul's saying, you're probably a gossip, you're probably selfish, and you're probably the same thing that you're accusing that other person of. You just don't see it in yourself. But being human, it's very easy for us to see it in other people. Verse 2.

So he's saying here in this verse, when God judges, since he's God, he can read the heart, it's truthful. It's right, because God has those capabilities. Verse 3.

So again, he's saying there are two problems here. Problem number one is judging your brother. You haven't walked in their shoes. You don't know what they're going through in life. And number two, compounding on that hypocrisy, because you're probably guilty of the exact same thing that you're judging your brother or your sister in doing. And Paul's saying that's obviously not a good thing. Let's pick it up here again in verse 3. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? You know, we put ourselves at risk of being judged by God if we're pointing the finger at other people. And we don't want that to happen. We don't want to be in the judgment of God. Verse 4.

Isn't God long-suffering towards you? So therefore shouldn't we extend that long-suffering towards our brothers and sisters who are struggling with issues, struggling with problems just like we're struggling with issues and we're struggling with problems? And knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

It's that long-suffering God gives human beings enough time that they can come to the point of repentance. And then He gives them more time so that they can begin making those changes in their lives, so they can begin getting rid of the works of the flesh and replacing those works, filling those voids with something beautiful and wonderful, and that is the fruit of His Spirit. So Paul implies that when we judge others and have done the same thing that we're accusing others, have we're hypocrites?

And we despise God's long-suffering towards us. God wants us to have the same degree of long-suffering towards others that He demonstrates towards us each and every day. You know, none of us get what we deserve from God. God gives us His grace. He gives us His love in spite of the way that we often think. In spite of our conduct, He never gives us what we deserve because of His long-suffering, because of His patience, His forbearance for us.

I'm going to read verses 1 through 4 through another translation, the New Century version, which I think translates it very well. Quote, If you think you can judge others, you are wrong. When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty because you do the same things they do. Verse 2, God judges those who do wrong things, and we know that His judging is right. You judge those who do wrong, but you do wrong yourselves.

Do you think you'll be able to escape the judgment of God? Verse 4, He has been very kind and patient, waiting for you to change, but you think nothing of His kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so that you will change your hearts and lives. God is willing to give us more time, long suffering in spite of the way that we are, so that we can continue to change our hearts and lives. God is patient with us so that we have the time to make those changes, to go through those life experiences, to say, hmm, that hurt, that doesn't work.

I think I'm going to crack open the Bible and find out the right way to do this, find out the right answer, find out the right lifestyle that I should be living.

So are we patient with others so that they also have the time needed for themselves to grow and change? Are we too quick to judge, to criticize, to point out the faults and the flaws in other people? I think that's a fair question. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 13 and verse 1, known as the love chapter.

1 Corinthians 13, beginning in verse 1. The love chapter is very important for us because, first of all, it's the love chapter. Remember what the first of those nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit is? Love! And there's a reason for that. So 1 Corinthians 13, beginning in verse 1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love, I become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. You said I could speak all the languages in the world.

I can be this bright, articulate, erudite intellectual. But if I don't have love, all I am is an obnoxious, irritating, rude person. That's what Paul says. Verse 2. And though I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, if I have all of those qualities, I'm a scholar, and I can explain every parable in the Bible, and I can explain every prophecy from cover to cover of this book, and I have all faith, and I have all of those qualities, but I don't have love, I'm a zero in God's eyes. An absolute nada, worthless, zero, a nothing.

Think about the power behind that statement that Paul makes. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, I've become the ultimate sacrifice. Give everything I have to feed the poor. Remember the young rich man who came to Jesus, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, well, you can start off by giving everything you have to the poor. Well, that didn't sound so good to the young man, and it wouldn't sound very good to most of us, but even if we did that, and on top of that, we allowed ourselves to be a living martyr, and we allowed ourselves to become a living sacrifice by someone who hates our faith and burns our body at the stake or whatever it is. He says, but if I don't have love, all of that was nothing. It was just superficial. It'd be forgotten in history. It'll mean absolutely nothing regarding eternity. So why is love so important? Notice he keeps getting back to, I've got to have love. It's the same reason it's listed first in the nine fruitful qualities of the Holy Spirit. For it, and all other spiritual qualities, radiate from love. It's number one, because all the eight follow and are connected. They radiate. They emanate from that first quality that's listed in the fruit of the Spirit, and that is love. They all begin on the foundation of love, including long suffering. In a similar way, when Jesus was asked by a lawyer, the lawyer said, what's the great commandment in the law? This was in Matthew, Chapter 22. When Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the great commandment, he said. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Then he says, on these two commandments hang all of the law and the prophets. He says it's very simple. You love God, you love your neighbor, everything else is commentary. Everything else between cover to cover is regarding demonstrating love towards God or love towards your neighbor. It's just that simple. Everything else emanates from love, God or our brother. And it is the same true principle with the fruit of the Spirit and the fact that it begins with love. Verse 4, love suffers long, and again this is that Greek word, macrothomia, love suffers long, long suffering and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, it's not always seeking attention. Look at me, everybody. It's not puffed up, it's not arrogant, it's not egotistical. It does not behave rudely. It does not seek its own. It doesn't have to have everything its way all the time. It's not provoked. It thinks no evil. It does not rejoice in iniquity. Oh goody, goody. So and so is getting what's coming to them. It's about time.

But rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. That certainly ties in with long suffering. Endures all things. Love never fails, but whether there are prophecies, they will fail. Just ask Jonah if you don't believe that statement is true. He'll tell you, yeah, you know what? Prophecies can fail. God can change his mind. Absolutely. Whether there be tongues, they will cease. As I mentioned before in an earlier sermon, certain number of languages in the human race die out each and every day. They become obsolete, and the languages literally die. And that happens on somewhere on earth each and every day. And whether there be knowledge, it will vanish away, because you'll receive greater knowledge, understand things in a greater degree, that will supplant and replace the knowledge that you think you had. Well, genuine godly love is willing to suffer a long time. That's why it says love suffers long. And it doesn't dwell in bitterness. It doesn't dwell with envy. But it says it suffers long and is kind. So how are we measuring up to being willing to suffer long? And if we are suffering, are we still kind? Are we taking out our disappointment on everyone around us, family members, church members, the person across the street, virtually anyone that we come in contact with? Are we long suffering with kindness? Or, again, are we lashing out? And are we trying to take it out on other people? Ephesians 4 and verse 1. Ephesians 4 and verse 1. How are we measuring up?

I therefore, the brethren of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. It's a high calling. We should walk that calling with dignity and with love towards God and love towards our neighbor. With all lowliness and gentleness, being humble, not trying to parade ourselves or not trying to make ourselves prominent, or not being aggressive, not being arrogant, but being a gentle person, lowliness and gentleness with long suffering, that same Greek word, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

So God is long suffering with us. He demonstrates grace towards us. None of us get what we deserve. God doesn't immediately lay harsh judgment on us. He's long suffering. He gives us time. He realizes we need that time to grow and change. Are we extending that courtesy to other people, to our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we extending that same courtesy to our family members, to people who are not in the faith, who are in the world? This one type of long suffering is so important for us as God's people, and that is long suffering for each other.

All of us bring our own past baggage into the Church of God when we come in. Some of us bring in a knapsack. Others of us arrive with a carry-on bag. Others arrive dragging an oversized storage trunk. We're all different. And we all bring in our past dysfunctions, and the effects of the way that we were raised, and a lifetime of thinking, and all of those things that we have experienced, we bring into the Church of God when we are called here.

We're all at different places. We are all at different spiritual levels in our walk with God. And just like physical growth, in a physical growth, some kids grow faster than others. They're, quote, tall for their age, or they're short for their age. And the same is true spiritually. Some people grow quickly, while other people grow very slowly. What's really important we need to focus on is that there's growth. Not necessarily how fast it is or how slow it is, but the goal is constant growth. We need to be long-suffering towards each other. We need to cut people some slack, and realize that we come in here with issues and problems and dynamics.

We have dynamics going on in our life that other people aren't aware of and don't understand. We haven't walked a life in their shoes. And when people make a mistake, when they say things they shouldn't say, when they act in ways we shouldn't act, we need to demonstrate patience and long-suffering with kindness. Why? Because that is the way that God deals with you and I each and every day.

He bears with us long-suffering and gives us His kindness. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 9. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 9. We're going to add another element to this. Not just love suffers long as in kind, but we're going to see something else that's very important that we connect with long-suffering. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 9. Paul wrote, For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Beautiful verse here. Paul prays for the congregation that they are filled totally with knowledge and understanding so that they can know the will of God. Verse 10. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work that is demonstrating those characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthening with all might according to His glorious power for all patience and long-suffering with joy.

Alright, this time, Mr. Thomas, you blew my mind. I could barely get the kindness thing, but you're telling me that I am supposed to be joyful while I'm struggling with something that's not easy, while I'm struggling with something that's not comfortable, while I'm dealing with this health issue that I've had for 30 years, that I continue to deal with the fact that I can't get a good-paying job. You're asking me now to suffer long with joy?

I absolutely am, because this is what Paul says we need to be doing. And how can we do that? Because joy is something we generate on the inside. It can transcend what we're going through. I think I told you in the past about going to see in the last few moments of her life a woman in North Carolina who was dying. She knew she was dying. Her family's all gathered around her, and I walked in, actually to anoint her. It was like two o'clock in the morning, and she had a huge smile on her face.

She knew she was going to die. She had cancer. It was terminal. But from the inside, she transcended what was going on in her life. All the other discouraging things that you could think about. She was happy. Her family was there. Everyone was there to show their love for her. She had run her race. She was ready to fall asleep. She was ready because her mission was complete. She demonstrated patience and long suffering with joy.

Verse 12, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and conveyed unto us the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we, having redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. So again, what does it mean to have long suffering with joy? It means that inside of ourselves, we radiate and we feel, and it shows in our countenance in our life, that we also are joyful, knowing what God's promises are for us. Knowing that in this physical flesh, this was only intended to be temporary anyway.

So anything that we experience in this physical life, we're lucky enough to live a hundred years, like walking out to the Atlantic Ocean, representing eternal life, and putting an eye dropper and dropping one drop of water in the ocean. That's what a hundred years of this physical lifetime are like compared to eternity. And when we understand that, when we appreciate that, then we know that there's a reason that we suffer, and we transcend that suffering with joy.

Because we know what God has promised. We know that God loves us. We know that God is merciful, and compassionate, and kind. So again, knowing joy is generated from the inside is another fruit of the Holy Spirit. We reflect joy in spite of our suffering. What does it mean to have long suffering with joy? It means we refuse to play the martyr, a part of a martyr. We don't try to seek people's sympathy. Now, if they give it to us, that's wonderful, and we appreciate it. But we don't go through life, oh, woe is me.

Everybody feels sorry for me. We don't go through life trying to draw attention to ourselves, because we're going through suffering. Because the reality is, is most everyone in this room in some way is enduring long suffering over something we have going on in our lives. Virtually every one of us, in one way or another. So it's so important that we have patience and long suffering with joy. So let's go now to the third chapter of Colossians, Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12.

Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12. Therefore, as the elective God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. So when someone offends us, when someone does something that we know isn't biblical or doesn't conform to our doctrines or teachings, are we just quick to judge them? Or are we bearing with one another and forgiving one another, even of the mistakes that we make? How about in our own families? How about in our marriages? How about things that our children may do? Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. You know what overcomes all those hurts and aggravations and so on? Genuinely having love for people, loving people and loving other human beings. It's like a glue. It holds everything together. It's a bonding agent that helps us to overlook and to live with long suffering, with people who may be irritating or people who may have personality quirks or whatever going on in their lives that are a trial, are a test for us. The bond of perfection. Verse 15.

So the need for long suffering and bearing with each other's weaknesses is so important. Paul mentioned the need to bear with one another in two different letters, that he wrote two different congregations. So this was obviously a challenge going on in his churches, just like it's a challenge going on in our congregation today. Christ forgives us. Christ has long suffering for us. He expects us to do the same things towards our spiritual family as he does for us each and every day.

2 Peter chapter 3. Turn there with me. See how Peter used this exact Greek word. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 13. Chapter 3 and verse 13. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth. We all long for the kingdom of God, and we pray for it, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, and we shouldn't be living in the past, we shouldn't be frozen thinking in the past, we should always be looking forward.

Be diligent to be found by him in peace without spot and blameless, and consider that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. I'm going to read verse 15 from the New Century version, because I think the New King James version is a little cryptic with their phrase, long suffering of the Lord is salvation.

This is the New Century version, verse 15. Remember that we are saved because our Lord is patient. Our dear brother Paul told you the same thing when he wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him. Again, God gives us the needed time to make the changes that we need to make in our life. Why do we have that time? Why are we given that time? Because God is long suffering. His long suffering patience is what gives us the opportunity for repentance.

And then beyond that gives us the added time we need to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord. He's not quick to judge us. He's not vengeful. He's not quick to execute judgment. He's long suffering. All of that was related to the first point that I brought out. I'd like to now discuss the second aspect of long suffering. I only have a couple of scriptures that were very close to the end of the sermon today.

But you may remember the second aspect was long suffering when we feel discouraged with life's disappointment and challenges. We have to be on guard that we don't become angry towards God because of a perceived injustice or because he doesn't intervene like we would desire for him to intervene. We're already in 2 Peter, so let's take a look here at chapter 3 and beginning in verse 1.

Read a few verses. So again, we're talking about the aspect of making sure that we don't become frustrated through our perception and angry towards God. Beloved, I now write to you the second epistle, in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of remember, that you may be mindful of the words that were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lust, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fall asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Now that's a mindset. That's an attitude. I have a particular news feed that I read on my tablet. It's called Something 360. I can't think of the full name, but I really like it because it'll have the titles of six articles with a graphic at any given time, and you can swipe it.

And as you work with this, if you find a magazine you don't like, you can tell it, Don't send anything from that magazine again. If you find a subject you don't like that makes you uncomfortable, you can say, Don't send me anything related to that subject again. So it learns, and as you go along, it can learn what your habits are, what you want to read, and what you really don't want to read.

I was just amazed during this Christmas season because one of the things that I read is called religion. So obviously it had articles filtered in from all over, magazines from the world filtered into this. And this year I was just amazed at the number of scoffers towards Christmas. You may think that people would not want to keep Christmas because of its pagan origins, and that's what we believe and others do. But I was amazed at some articles that were written by atheists and so on that said, Why would you observe Christmas as a fantasy?

Jesus wasn't born to a virgin. Are you kidding? Virgin? Religion stuff is all a myth. There were no wise men. There was no star. There was no virgin birth. This man was never born. They're scoffers, you see. They say, Look, life's been going on like this for, you know, they'll say 100,000 years. People are born, people are die, religions rise up, religions fall. These have no meaning. These things have, these celebrations have no value.

That's what they believe. And in our very secular society, they're becoming more and more of them and they're becoming bolder and bolder. And now they're writing articles about those things. And if we're not careful, we too can begin to buy into that. Brother, in our enemies, Satan the devil can begin to play with us if we're not careful.

Some of us have been dealing with illnesses for 20, 30, 40 years, chronic illnesses that frankly are not going to go away in our lifetimes. It could be very easy to begin to blame God. I've prayed about this, Mr. Thomas, a thousand times, and I still have the problem.

I've asked other people to pray about this. I still have it. It became very easy to become skeptical. Some have prayed for things and the answer has been no or not right now for years and years and years. And they struggle with the same physical or emotional challenges. Some of us have been praying for God's kingdom to come to earth for 50 years or more. I have a thing in my prayers. I probably should change it because God is probably getting tired of me saying it.

But I have a little phrase in my prayer that I say, Father, please give this world the greatest gift ever. That is the gift of your kingdom. Send your son, Jesus Christ, here today. Thy kingdom come. I've said that so many times. I could just repeat it in memorization. Some of us had that prayer for half of a, I won't say a millennium. Some of you are almost that old, but... Century. That's the word I was looking for. For half a century. And you know what? The kingdom's not here yet, is it? We're still making that prayer.

It hasn't happened yet. Many cynics in the world say it'll never happen. Religion is the opiate of the people. Some say there's no God. Some say there's no meaning to life. Some say there's no purpose to existence. And they become very skeptical and cynical. And again, they're growing in numbers because the taboo against doing that is now gone in our secular world. And people are becoming bolder and bolder in what they write and what they say. Not just on the Internet, but in magazine articles and certainly in our media today.

If we are not patient and realize that the reason the answer for prayers is no, the reason God hasn't heard my prayer in 50 years is because God is working out something here far greater than I can perceive in my limited human intelligence. God hasn't returned yet because God is not eager, the poor, the great tribulation, and the day of the Lord on the human race.

He is long suffering. He wants more people to respond to the gospel message, which is REPENT! The reason some of us have been struggling with physical illnesses for decades and decades and decades is because God has a personal development plan for you. That's different than the one that He has for me or the person sitting next to you. And whatever you're enduring today is for an eternal purpose. And we may not know what that is yet, but God knows because when He looks at your life and He looks at your suffering and He looks at all that you're going through, He sees it from the prism of eternity.

We're only capable of seeing it from the prism of what I want right now to make me happy. And there's a vast difference between those two prisms. Let's go to chapter 3, dropping down here to verse 9. We have to be very careful that we don't allow the skepticism of this world to make us impatient towards God, or become bitter towards God, to begin questioning God and what God is doing. Verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering towards us.

He says if there is a delay that God's promises haven't been fulfilled, Peter's saying there's a good reason for that delay. Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. I'm going to read this from God's word for today. The Lord isn't slow to do what He promised, as some people think. Rather, He is patient for your sake. He doesn't want to destroy anyone, but wants all people to have the opportunity to turn to Him and change the way they think and act.

God knows prophecy. He understands and knows the great tribulation in the day of the Lord will result in massive destruction and loss of life. The long-suffering God that we worship, His long-suffering isn't due to Him being slow or Him being a failure in His promises, but it all has to do with His love. He desires that all would respond to the gospel message of repentance, that they would come to repentance, and that their lives and hearts could be changed.

And for that reason, He has long-suffering. God is not excited. God is not gleeful about punishing humanity in the future. Contrary to what some so-called religious people think about God, some sanctimonious religious people, God is not goody-goody. I just can't wait to come crashing down like a hammer on the human race and wipe out a billion people. Human beings may think that way.

God doesn't think that way. So today, we've looked at another essential fruit of the Holy Spirit called long-suffering. I hope we can all use the power of God's Spirit to develop and demonstrate the quality of long-suffering to a much greater degree in our lives and in our very own congregation. Have a wonderful Sabbath day.