FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
PATIENCE
DR. JIM DIXON
HEBREWS 6:9-15, JAMES 5:7-11, GALATIONS 5:22
DECEMBER 6, 1992
On a wooden platform more than 550 feet above the city of Washington, D.C., six men braced themselves against strong winds. It was today, December 6, 1884. Those six men were placing an aluminum tip on the top of an obelisk called the Washington Monument. Down below, crowds cheered, bands played, flags waved. The Washington Monument was finally completed. People had waited for a long, long time They had waited for 101 years for the completion of that monument. You see, the decision had been made in 1783 to building a monument to George Washington, the first President of our United States. George Washington himself agreed to the building of this monument but it took a long time for them to figure out what to build. It was not until the 1840’s that they decided the nature of the monument to be constructed. Finally, on July 4, 1848, they laid the cornerstone of the Washington Monument. It took thirty-six additional years to build that monument—a long, long time. The nation waited. The family and descendants of George Washington waited.
I think that is what most people think of when they think of patience. They think of waiting. They think of waiting a long, long time. But, you see, patience is not simply waiting a long time. You can wait a long time because you have no choice. You can wait a long time with a really bad attitude. You can wait a long time with no patience whatsoever. So this morning I would like us to discuss and examine the biblical meaning of the word patience.
Biblically, this word has two meanings. First of all, the word patience means “perseverance.” God wants you to know that if you have patience, you are willing to persevere. Sir Winston Churchill flunked eighth grade. In fact, Winston Churchill flunked eighth grade twice. He had to take eighth grade three times. It took him three years just to complete the eighth grade. This was because it was very hard for Winston Churchill to learn the English language.
Ironically, and perhaps even humorously, years later when Winston Churchill was renowned, he was actually invited to give the commencement address at Oxford University. Of course, Churchill came with his normal props. He came with his cigar and with his top hat and with his cane. These things always accompanied him. As he approach the podium, the crowd rose in appreciation and applause. Winston Churchill came to the podium. He calmed the crowd. He stood with confidence. He took his cigar and top hat and placed them on the podium. He steadied himself with his cane. He shouted, “Never give up!” He waited a number of seconds, stood on his tiptoes and shouted again “Never give up!”
The words just echoed throughout the hall The people were silent. Then Churchill reached for his cigar and his top hat. He turned, steadying himself with his cane and walked off the stage. His commencement address was over. It is said to be the shortest commencement address in the history of the world, but not a bad one. It was a good commencement address, a great message, “Never give up!”
That is what God wants of each and every one of us—that we would not ever give up. That is behind this word patience that is used in the fruit of the spirit perseverance. Do not despair. Do not give up. People, individually and corporately, must have patience. Nations need patience. Certainly, Russia needs patience today. Russia has gone through a radical transformation in these recent years a from totalitarianism to democracy, from a command economy to a free-market economy, from a multinational empire to a single nation state. All these changes from a historical perspective have occurred in a mere moment in time.
These changes, these transformations, are dangerous. It is a time of economic stress in Russia today. According to this week’s issue of Time Magazine, the Russian economy needs $2 trillion to rescue it—more than donor nations could ever provide. The relationship between supply and demand is critical in Russia. There are rumors of social upheaval. Unemployment is growing. There is fear of hyperinflation. The means of production and distribution need to be upgraded. The industrial technology is behind the times. It is a critical situation.
Some people in Russia are saying they need to return to totalitarian controls. You see, if democracy and free market economy are to flourish or even survive in Russia, the people of Russia are going to have to have perseverance. They are going to have to have patience. They cannot give up. Even with contributions and help from other nations, it is going to take a long time. It is going to take a people with patience, a people with perseverance. Without patience, Russia’s going to fall back into the darkness and the world is going to be a more dangerous place. Now what is true of Russia is true of each and every one of us. We all need patience.
Without patience, danger waits. Without patience we could never be the people, the men and women, that God wants us to be. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and you have received Him as your Savior from sin, God calls you to perseverance in your Christian walk, in your Christian faith. You know how the Apostle Paul was on the Damascus Road which Jesus Christ 1ed him on a radical transformation. Christ appeared as a blinding light. The Apostle Paul saw the truth and gave his heart, his life, pledged his soul to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ called Paul into the ministry that he might take the gospel to the nations. Jesus Christ said to Paul “I will show you what you must suffer for my name’s sake and Paul persevered.
How can you read the writings of Paul and deny that man persevered? You know that passage in 2 Corinthians. I am sure it is familiar to most of you where Paul said, “Is anyone a servant of Jesus Christ? Well I serve him more, though I am speaking like a madman. But I have had far greater labors, far more imprisonments with constant beatings and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked. A day and a night adrift at sea. On frequent journeys, danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from the Gentiles, danger from my own people, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea. In toil and hardship through many a sleepless night, I have been hungry and thirsty, oftentimes without food in cold and exposure. In addition to all this, I have the anxiety of my daily concern for all the churches. Who is weak and I do not feel their weakness? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?”
There is the heart, there is the mind, there is the soul of the Apostle Paul. Perseverance. Perseverance to the call of God in his life. I do not know what the call of God is in your life. I do not know what He has called you to do. I know He wants you to persevere at whatever He has called you to do. I know what the call of God is in your life in terms of what He’s called you to be. He is called you to be like His Son. He is called you to be conformed to the very image of His Son. You see, that takes patience and perseverance too.
Last week we spoke about sanctification, how it is the will of God that you might be sanctified, that you might be conformed to the image of the Son of God how God is like a sculptor, a master sculptor, and He wants to mold you and transform you into the image of His Son how God will not give up. He will not lay down His tools. He will begin a good work in you and will bring it to completion. Well, you see, God does not want you to give up either. He does not want you to quit or grow in this process of sanctification. I think it is so hard to be a faithful Christian in this world and in this fallen culture. It is hard to live obediently to the Bible. It is hard to live a life obedient to the word of God. The temptations in this fallen culture are so great. It is hard to be salt in a world that is decaying. It is hard to be light in a world of darkness. The persecutions are great.
I must say I believe with all my heart that for us, as Christians, as the time proceeds, as time passes, the temptations are going to get greater and the persecutions greater. Here, then, is a call to perseverance. God is calling His people to perseverance in the faith. The will of God is at the end of your life. You might be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished the race and there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord has prepared for me.” That is His will for you and for me, patience, perseverance.
However, this word patience does not simply mean perseverance. It has another meaning, and I must say with particular focus upon the Greek word used in this list in the fruit of the spirit, there is a more primary focus. You see, the word that is used in the fruit of the spirit for patience is a word that primarily means forbearance. So when you think of patience, you should not just think of perseverance, but you should think of forbearing. In fact the word that is used in the fruit of the spirit list is the word “macrothumia.”
This word “macrothumia” is an unusual word. You will not find it at all in classical Greek. It is not there. Never used. The word “macrothumia” is rarely used in later Greek. I mean, they knew of the word, but they virtually never used it. The word “macrothumia” is almost and exclusively a biblical word. And why is that? Why did the Greek world not use this word “macrothumia?” They did not use it because they did not value it. They did not view forbearance as a virtue. You see, the word “macrothumia” literally means “long-suffering,” “to be willing to suffer long with people without retaliating,” “to forebear people.”
The Greeks considered that weakness. They did not consider that strength. They did not consider that a virtue. You say, “Didn’t they believe in perseverance?” Yes. They did believe in perseverance, persevering in circumstances but they did not usually use the word “macrothumia” to describe that. They used the word “hupomone.” The word “macrothumia” was simply not used because they knew its primary reference was to forbearance, to be willing to suffer long with somebody without retaliating and they did not consider that a virtue.
On their great list of virtues was the word “megalosuchia.” Aristotle, Plato, they thought of this word “megalosuchia” as a virtue. Its rough meaning is, “Don’t get angry. Get even.” I mean, that is what the Greeks valued—getting even. That seemed strong to them. But, you see, “macrothumia,” long-suffering, that seemed weak.
I tell you, when Jesus Christ brought this message to the world when He called His people to forbearance, those who believe in His name when He called us to forbearance, He was saying something radical the world had never heard before. You know in the Sermon on the Plain, in Luke, chapter 6, Jesus said “I say to all who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you Bless thou who curse you Pray for those that abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other as well. From him who takes away your coat, do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs of you. From him who takes away your goods, do not ask for them again for as you would have men do to you, do so to them for if you love those who love you what credit is that to you Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much again. But I say to you, love your enemy. Do good. Lend, expecting nothing in return and your reward shall be great. You shall be called children of the Most High, for He is kind even to the ungrateful and the selfish. So be merciful even as your Father in heaven is merciful. Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you.”
That message was radical. The world had never heard that before. Radical All through that message of the Sermon on the Plain and then in Matthew 6 in the Sermon on the Mount… All through those messages you see forbearance, the admonition to be willing to suffer long with people and not retaliate, forbearance. And this does not mean that, as a Christian, you can never defend yourself. It does not mean that at all. Indeed, the Bible says that “It is the will of God that governments bear not the sword in vain but that governments use the sword to deter evil.” It does not mean that in businesses, employers cannot discipline their employees or even fire them if necessary. It simply means that if you are a Christian, if you really believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, in your personal relationships, the will of God is this: that you forebear one another. That you be willing to suffer long with each other.
You cannot have a good marriage unless there is this kind of patience, “macrothumia,” unless there’s long-suffering. You cannot have a good marriage without long-suffering. It is not possible. You are not going to stay long in your job probably unless you have some capacity for long-suffering, forbearance. You are certainly not going to be able to drive a car without forbearance. I must confess. I have a weakness here. That is why I do not ever put an ichthus on my car or some kind of Christian label because I know I have a problem. I feel like I ‘m doing better.
Have you ever been driving your car, and somebody just cuts you off? I have had that happen to me a lot where somebody just cuts you off, cuts right in front. You honk your horn and maybe it is not even because you are angry or mad maybe it is but maybe you are just concerned that you are going to collide, so you honk your horn, and the person turns around and flips you the bird. Have you had that happen? I must confess. In moments like that do not you feel just a little bit like you wish your car were equipped with a missile launcher. I mean just a little bit? I mean it is hard to drive and yet, you know, the Lord, if we are Christians, wants to teach us forbearance with people, to suffer with people. That is something He’s trying to teach us. You cannot rear children without forbearance, without being long-suffering.
I love the old story about the dad who was in the supermarket. He was pushing the cart up the aisle. He had his little baby. A little baby was in the cart, sitting there. The baby was screaming and crying and out of control The dad was pushing this cart and the dad kept saying “Keep calm Albert. Keep calm Albert. Keep calm Albert.” A woman was watching all this. Finally she came up to this dad and she said “You know, I’ve got to tell you. I really admire your patience with the baby Albert.” The dad said “Well, Ma’am, you don’t understand. I’m Albert.”
Certainly it takes patience, it takes long-suffering, to be a mom or a dad. There has to be times when you are willing to forebear. There has to be. I think most children would say it takes forbearance and patience sometimes to get along with mom and dad. I mean throughout our lives, any relationship that’s worthwhile takes forbearance. Christ has called us to relationship, you see, and He has called us to forbearance. God would remind us that this word “macrothumia” is a divine word. By that, I mean it is a word the Bible uses to describe the character and nature of God. God is forbearing. God is patient with people. God is forbearing towards you and towards me and we should be grateful for that. I mean the big question people ask in this world is how can a good God tolerate, al low so much suffering.
But I would say, theologically, the more appropriate question is, “How can God allow and tolerate so much sin in this world?” I mean why aren’t we under water like the world of Noah’s day? Why hasn’t the American culture been reduced to ashes like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? The answer is that we have a patient God, forbearing. We know in the Bible that God will not forebear forever. There comes a point of judgement, but we can all thank God for His mercy and His grace that He is patient, and He is forbearing towards us. Understand this You see, if you are called by His name and you believe in Him as Lord and Savior, He’s called you to be forbearing too. Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful
You know, this quality of patience, whether it is perseverance or forbearance, this quality is a gift of the Holy Spirit. You might say “Well, how can I get the Holy Spirit to give me more of this?” I would say pray, but I would also say this. I know this to be true on the basis of the authority of the word of God. The Holy Spirit will not release this quality of patience either in the form of perseverance or forbearance into our lives unless our longing, our longing, is to be like Jesus Christ.
You see, the Bible says we all, as Christians, “with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed, transformed, from one degree of glory to another.” All of this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. But it is only as we behold the glory of the Lord. It is only as we long to be like Him that the power of the Spirit is released in my life, in your life, for transformation. Let us close with a word of prayer.