4. Fruit of the Spirit - Longsuffering

FRUIT OF THE SPIRITFRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

“Longsuffering”(macrothumia)

“Long” “Passion”

Galatians 5:22, 23Galatians 5:22, 23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

OFTEN IN PERSON-TO-PERSON

RELATIONSHIPS

“Because I don’t want him to decide how I am going to

act.”

Longsuffering

Patience & LongsufferingPatience & Longsuffering

• both are to be found in the Christian– Col. 1:11 “strengthened with all might,

according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy”

• “patience” (Gk. hupomone)• “longsuffering” (Gk. makrothumia)

Patience & LongsufferingPatience & Longsuffering

• both are to be found in the Christian

• not exactly equivalent to each other– “patience” primarily deals with “circumstances”

and “things” (e.g., study, debt, pressing on through roadblocks, etc.)

– “longsuffering” primarily deals with relationships (e.g., family, brethren, peers, etc.)

• Eph 4:2, “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love”

““Longsuffering” –Modeled By GodLongsuffering” –Modeled By God

• Longsuffering of God’s character highlighted throughout the Old Testament:– “And the LORD passed before him and

proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth’” (Ex. 34:6; cf. Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8 Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2)

““Longsuffering” – Modeled By GodLongsuffering” – Modeled By God

• Longsuffering of God modeled in the days of Noah– “who formerly were disobedient, when

once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Pet. 3:20)


• Longsuffering of God modeled in the days of Noah– warned the world through Enoch– named his son “Methuselah”

(Gk. Mathousala, Lk. 3:37) – “when he dies, there shall be an emission [vis., judgment, sjw]” (Strong’s 3103)

– died the year of the flood– 969 years of longsuffering!


• Longsuffering during the period of the Judges

• Longsuffering during the kingdom years with Israel and Judah

• Longsuffering when the Messiah suffered

• Longsuffering when evil persecuted the church (e.g., 1 Tim. 1:12-17)

Why is God Longsuffering?Why is God Longsuffering?

• Repentance (2 Pet. 3:9; cf. Rom. 2:4)

• Salvation (2 Pet. 3:15)

• Imitation (Matt. 18:21-35)

• Judgment – longsuffering didn’t ignore judgment but temporarily restrained it (i.e., no sinner has an excuse to chose hell today)

What About Us?What About Us?

• suffer long with people• endure difficult people• accept persecution• teach with longsuffering

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2)

What About Us?What About Us?

• Longsuffering:– in marriage???– in business meetings???– in bible discussions???– driving on the road???– neighbors

1 Thessalonians 5:14, 151 Thessalonians 5:14, 15

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient (Gk. mackrothumeo) with all.15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Longsuffering: A Fusion of Longsuffering: A Fusion of Patience and PowerPatience and Power

Longsuffering is no longer an everyday word, but it is a virtue needed more than ever when impatience, intolerance, oversensitivity and impulsive anger are so prevalent.

Those two English words are closely related, both associated with endurance.

More important and fascinating is learning about the two corresponding Greek words in the New Testament.

Longsuffering: A Fusion of Longsuffering: A Fusion of Patience and PowerPatience and Power

One Greek word— humpomonee —is translated "patience" in almost all Bible versions and implies patient endurance.

The other Greek word is even more interesting. It is makrothumia, translated "patience" in some Bible versions but more accurately as "longsuffering" in others.

Longsuffering: A Fusion of Patience Longsuffering: A Fusion of Patience and Powerand Power

The Greek word makro (which gives us the English prefix macro ) means "large" or "long."

The root word thumos means "temper." Therefore makrothumia literally means long-tempered, the opposite of short-tempered or having a short fuse.


Without makrothumia, we human beings tend to be temperamental —having an irritable temperament and bad temper.

We tend to "lose patience" and "lose our cool" and even "blow up" (like an impatiens plant).


We'll focus primarily on makrothumia since it is the word used in Galatians 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

However, please keep in mind how these two words overlap in meaning and are both important to our spiritual understanding and growth.


Longsuffering is virtually the opposite of anger, especially of "outbursts of wrath"

2 Corinthians 12:20“For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:”


Paul described the behavior of love: "Love suffers long and is kind . . . [It] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil" (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 [4] Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,[5] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;”

The New International Version renders his words this way: "Love is patient, love is kind . . . It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."


Our thoughts and attitudes are likewise important, as they are the source of our actions and words: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45



Therefore we should honestly examine our attitudes.

Each of us should ask: - “Am I motivated by love, respect,

patience and compassion, or am I motivated by resentment, contempt, intolerance and hardness of heart?”

"The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy" Psalm 145:8

That's the way He expects us to be!


Longsuffering Longsuffering is a Choiceis a Choice

All over the Bible there are stories of men and women experiencing trials and tribulations. The reactions vary from many of them. • Some grumbled against God because of lack of water (Exodus 15:24), • others worshipped God in trials and adversity (Job 1:20), • others cried out to God in despair (Psalm 18:6), and the list goes on.

What is important is that we all have a choice.

We get to decide how we are going to act when adversity hits. We can be patient and wait on God, or we can be impatient and act on our own accord. • The men and women from Exodus 15:24 above chose to grumble and be impatient. • Job and David from the other two verses mentioned above acted rightly. Job fell down and worshipped God in his afflictions. He remained steadfast and patient through his torment.

• Likewise, David did the same. “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears.” (Psalm 18:6)


So, you may be at a fork in the road right now. Whatever your problem may be, you must make a decision. Will you be patient and wait on God, or be impatient and act on your own will?


Longsuffering is a virtue that will grow with your experience of being stretched in faith especially in times of trial.

Longsuffering and eternal lifeLongsuffering and eternal life

When the Bible mentions waiting, patience, perseverance or longsuffering, it is often in connection with trusting in God to intervene for us in our need, as He assuredly will:

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" Isaiah 40:31

James 5:7-8 exhorts us: [7] Therefore be patient [literally, longsuffering ], 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 latter rain. [8] "You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." GN

Longsuffering and eternal lifeLongsuffering and eternal life

Eccl 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Col 1:10-12 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,

being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Phil 4:6,7 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayerand supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shallkeep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 1:4-8 2 Peter 1:4-8

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this,giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; Andto knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you thatye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

May we look to the Lord to help us in all areas of our Christian walk. He has called us by His grace. As we yield to God, we find that He is more than able to meet our needs and He will continue a good work on the inside of us. Our confidence must be in the Lord and we must be yielded to His leading.

Php 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”

4. Fruit of the Spirit - Longsuffering

Spiritual

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