Bear (His) Fruit: Longsuffering
Galatians 5:22-23 New King James Version
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
I. Bethlehem Community Fellowship exists to elevate and empower sons and daughters to become the place where Heaven touches Earth. We are committed to teaching you how to connect with God, hear His voice, and walk with Him in obedience.
a. To be elevated is to be lifted out of the fallen nature of humanity and into the divine nature of Jesus Christ.
i. The Divine Nature of Christ is revealed in the Fruit of the Spirit
ii. This divine nature is how Jesus endured and overcame temptation, trials, suffering, etc…
1. This is how He intends for us to overcome as well.
b. The Fruit of the Spirit is Foundational
i. Spiritual gifts without spiritual fruit will eventually:
1. DISCREDIT a move of God
2. MISREPRESENT God
3. DESTROY You
c. “Against such there is no law.”
i. You’re never wrong when you bear (His) fruit
d. It’s (His) Fruit
i. Fruit vs Fruits
1. Citrus fruits - Clementine
2. There is overlap in many of the different sections/characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, because each characteristic is part of one fruit, the fruit of the Spirit and the divine nature of Jesus
ii. You cannot bear (His) fruit apart from Him
1. When we abide in Christ, we don’t have to work to develop these 9 characteristics, they all supernaturally, simultaneously, develop within us.
2. We don’t do the hard work. The vinedresser and the true vine do all of the work, we just abide/remain
John 15:4 New King James Version
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
iii. Abide/remain in three ways
1. Place – secret place
2. Time – five more minutes
3. Condition – Holy Spirit began the work, He will finish it
II. The Forgotten Fruit
a. So many Christians wonder why they cannot seem to lay hold of the peace, the joy, the freedom that’s available to them in Christ.
i. It’s a lack of longsuffering in their lives
Philippians 4:6-7 New King James Version
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
1. God promises peace that will guard our hearts and minds, not change our circumstances, that means we may have to patiently endure those circumstances
Psalm 30:5b New King James Version
5 … Weeping may endure for a night,
But [a]joy comes in the morning.
2. You need to endure the weeping to experience the joy sometimes
1 Peter 4:1-2 New King James Version
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered [a]for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
3. Many of us have not found freedom because instead of choosing to abide in Christ and manifest longsuffering, we choose sinful vices to escape the suffering of life.
III. Longsuffering: Arek (H750), Makrothymos (G3116), Makrothymia (G3115), Makrothymeo (G3114)
a. Arek (H750): Long pinions, slow to anger, patient
Exodus 34:6 New King James Version
6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
i. This slowness to anger is directly tied to the covering of God. His commitment to go before, and cover, His people.
1. Moses was concerned that after sinning against Him, the Lord would send the Israelites into the wilderness without His presence/protective covering.
Psalm 91:1-4 New King James Version
91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the [a]fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and [b]buckler.
2. The Lord has long pinions, its surprisingly hard to sin your way out from His covering. It must be willful decision to leave that covering.
b. Makrothymos (G3116): long to get hot
i. A patience, a long fuse, not in a rush, or hurried
Acts 26:3 New King James Version
3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
ii. God is eternal and infinite. That means it’s impossible to waste His time or resources. He is the infinite source of both.
Luke 13:7-9 New King James Version
7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it [a]use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 [b]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”
1. Even when Father God wants to bring about the time for judgement and examine His people’s fruit (He judges our works [Ephesians 2:10]), Jesus is there to intercede on our behalf and ask for more time (for God to continue in longsuffering), much like Moses did for the Israelites time and time again.
Matthew 18:21-22 New King James Version
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
2. Jesus forgives time and time again, no matter how often we get it wrong, no matter how much we sin, when we repent before Him, He forgives.
ii. We are NEVER godly, when we are in a rush
iii. If you live on assignment, walking in His will, you can walk with the same longsuffering toward others. Never in a rush, never made emotional or passionate because of delay or unmet expectations.
c. Makrothymia (G3115): constant, steadfast, enduring, persevering
Romans 2:4 New King James Version
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
i. God always shows up. He will never give up just because something becomes difficult, offensive, painful, delayed, etc...
Hebrews 13:5 New King James Version
5 … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1. This is good news for anyone dealing with addiction, pornography, same sex attraction, etc…
2. Sometimes when we believe the lie of the devil that we cannot change, we push away the people in our lives that we are afraid of letting down. God cannot and will not be pushed away.
ii. God is not easily offended…
1. Longsuffering is the undoing of the spirit of offense.
iii. You can offer the people in your life and community the same thing when you abide and remain in Christ Jesus.
1. You showing up for people DOES NOT mean you continue to give them unlimited access to yourself or your resources, it means you never stop showing up for them in the way that’s BEST for them.
2. Holy Spirit will lead you if you ask Him, and allow Him to
d. Makrothymeo (G3116): to be of a long spirit, does not lose heart.
i. God never despairs or loses hope in the face of setback, disappointment, or betrayal.
ii. He KNOWS that everyone He has begun a good work in, He will Himself completed.
Philippians 1:6 New King James Version
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
1. There is no need for despair in the body. We should be weeping over the sin, not despairing over it.
IV. God is not Slack, He Suffers Long
2 Peter 3:9 New King James Version
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward [a]us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
a. Not slack concerning His promises
i. The Lord is not slack or delayed, as some count slackness
1. God isn’t delayed due to procrastination, nor is He looking the other way. He didn’t forget to act or missed something because He slept in too late
ii. Concerning His PROMISES
1. There is a difference between His PROMISES and your PREFERENCES
b. He is longsuffering toward humanity
i. His longsuffering is our salvation
2 Peter 3:15 New King James Version
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
1. You overcome what you outlast/survive
2. His longsuffering toward us is literally what saves us
3. Our longsuffering toward others who have received His promises will bring about salvation
ii. He will cover us even when we haven’t earned it
iii. He will patiently wait for us to understand, repent, walk in His will for our lives
iv. He will continue to show up in the difficult things, never leaving nor forsaking us.
v. He will never lose heart. He knows you will be conformed to the image of His son because He predestined you to.
c. Not Willing – meaning it’s not His will…
i. That ANY should perish
1. God doesn’t want anyone to go to be apart from Him for eternity (HELL)
ii. But that ALL should come to repentance
