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Patience Towards the Promises of God

Patience• Psalm 27:14-Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let

your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.• One of the fruits of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22

Gal 5:22 (NASB)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Patience• Psalm 27:14-Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let

your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.• One of the fruits of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22 – NIV “forbearance”– KJV/ASV “longsuffering”

James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

• 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Context of Patience in Scriptures:• James 1 provides a connection between patience and

faith during trials. (James 1:2-4)– Patience in God equals trust towards God. – The context of when this word is used is often during difficult

situations.

• Patience isn’t just waiting for promises and blessings but waiting for these things in the midst of difficulty! (Ps. 27)– Patience is nec. During the storms of life.

God’s Promises to Abraham:An observation of Patience

• The Blessing is given (Gen. 12:1-4)– Many blessings promised– 75 years old (vs. 4)– Many of these things don’t happen right away (vs. 7)

God’s Promises to Abraham:An observation of Patience

• The Blessing is given (Gen. 12:1-4)• Question considering the Blessing (Gen. 15:1-6)– Abraham is still childless – God gives further promise and reassurance (vs. 4-5)– God makes a covenant that looks to the exodus (vs. 13-

15)

God’s Promises to Abraham:An observation of Patience

• The Blessing is given (Gen. 12:1-4)• Question considering the Blessing (Gen. 15:1-6)• Taking things into his own hands (Gen. 16:1-3)– Ten years have passed and the promise has not come– Hagar is pregnant with Ishmael and many problems occur

(vs. 5-6)– Ishmael is born when Abram is 86 years old (vs. 16)

God’s promises to Abraham:An observation of Patience

• The Blessing is given (Gen. 12:1-4)• Question considering the Blessing (Gen. 15:1-6)• Taking things into his own hands (Gen. 16:1-3)• Covenant confirmed and a promise is given of Isaac

(Gen. 17:1-7, 21). – Abraham is 99 years old!!!– The fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-5)

Some Points to Consider about Promises and Patience

• God’s promises may take time.– Many promises are fulfilled in a relatively short time

period.– Some promises take a long time (25 years for before Isaac

is born).– We must practice great patience! (10 years was not

enough!!!)• How do we compare?

Things that will help us with Patience• Remember these truths about God:– God cannot lie (Heb. 6:13-19)– God is not slack or slow concerning his promises…

(2 Pet. 3:9)

Hebrews 6:13-18 (NKJV)13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” 15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Things that will help us with Patience• Remember these truths about God:– God cannot lie (Heb. 6:13-19)– God is not slack or slow concerning his promises…

(2 Pet. 3:9)

• Considering The examples given to us– Consider the promises that we have already attained– Consider the examples who have attained God’s promises

Some Points to Consider about Promises and Patience

• God’s promises may take time.• What happens when we act outside of God’s promises– When we act outside of godliness to “help” the fulfillment of

God’s promises, we can expect trouble. – God does not need our help fulfilling His promises, he needs

our patience and trust!

Some Points to Consider about Promises and Patience

• God’s promises may take time.• What happens when we act outside of God’s promises.• The greatest promises don’t come in this life.– It was Generation before the fulfilment of the nation promise– It was Hundreds of years before the fulfillment of the land

promise– It was Millennia before the fulfillment of the seed promise