Part 2

Introduction: As far as the first three elements of the fruit were, they were mild in regards to getting to the level of convicting us of sin in our lives or immaturity.  I have read lots of material and used ideas from many of them.  Most of the time when people think of the fruit of the Spirit, they think of grapes.  But you could think of bananas.  Since I dearly hate bananas, it is hard for me to use that reference.  But they do illustrate the fruit of the Spirit very well.  So even though it pains me to use this fruit, I will do so because it fits this so well.

      Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose; and that combined with fiber gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.  Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.  But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions.  Such conditions as:

Depression: natural mood enhancer

PMS

Anemia

Blood Pressure

Gives Brain Power

Constipation

Morning Sickness

Nerves

Ulcers

Stress

      It may be bananas that are the reason monkeys are so seem to be happy all the time! 

      Here is an interesting fact about banana trees.  The banana tree is sturdy and resilient even if it looks weak.  Unbelievable as it seems to be, no fire or typhoon can completely kill it.  Even if one cuts its body into a thousand pieces, it still can survive.  The only way by which a banana tree can be prevented from growing again is to uproot it completely.  This should remain us of the truth that Jesus told the disciples in that last table talk before He was arrest.

                                                John 15:4-5

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

      This is not our effort that causes the fruit to be produced in our lives but the work of the Holy Ghost.  It starts on the day we were saved.  This process is complete when we get to heaven.  Between those two days is a long hard process.  Life is tough.  In fact, I am not sure how lost people cope at all.  No wonder suicides occur.  They have no helper.  The blessed Holy Spirit is our comforter.  The Lord Jesus in John fourteen calls the Holy Spirit another comforter.  The Greek word means one that is called along side.  This is similar to word “help meet” found in the Garden of Eden.  Without the Holy Spirit, I am not sure how “stable” I would be.  I could be in jail or in hell without Him.

      No one in his or her right mind really wants to suffer long or have longsuffering in his or her life. But the reality is there.  What did Jesus say?

                                                John 15:20

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” 

      Last time we saw the difference between patience and longsuffering.  You can be patient but not have longsuffering in your mind.  I neglected to say this but these three elements- longsuffering, gentleness and goodness, are manward.  They may see your love, joy and peace but it will mean more to the lost world if they see these next three elements in your life.  Patience is basically a matter of circumstances whereas longsuffering is a matter of people.

      I want us to look at a few more thoughts in regards to longsuffering that I want us to be more Christ like in every area of our lives. 

I.  LONGSUFFERING AND ITS WORD MEANING

         A. The word meaning is found in the Greek.  It is made up of two words.  They basically mean “slow” “thunder”.

         B. It is manifests itself in these areas.

               1. Patience towards others;

              2. Self-restraint in the face of provocation;

              3. Not hasty to retaliate or punish;

               4. Forbearance under ill treatment; without wrath or thought of revenge.

             5. Patient endurance. It is specifically patience with people who are afflicting or provoking you.

      If you want to see a real manifestation of longsuffering, take a long look at the last twenty-four hours of the life of our Lord Jesus.

         C. It is made clear in this thought.  Longsuffering is not succumbing to anger due to the mistakes, failures, shortcomings or deliberate provocation of others. It means that I must be SLOW to cast judgment upon someone who is provoking me to anger.

            Is there someone that seems to go out of his or her way to provoke you?  I have seen lots of people in my life that did just happened to try this very thing.  Some of them claimed even to be saved but yet they deliberately try to provoke me.  Some of them have succeeded too.  I said rash things or did rash deeds.  This shows the need for this element of the fruit of the Spirit to be produced in my life. 

II.  LONGSUFFERING AND ITS WALK

                                                Colossians 1:10-11

“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”

      We are supposed to walk worthy of the calling of God in our lives.  Many Christians do not want to be fruitful in this attribute called longsuffering.  It is one of those virtues that will cost us to obtain it.  What is cost is the most precious commodity we possess:  time.  However, it has sweet rewards.  What are these rewards?

A. Longsuffering increases our knowledge of God.  Longsuffering gives us insight to the mind of God.  We begin to see things His way instead of wandering through life with tunnel vision.  We begin to love the lost just a little more.  It causes us to love with more depth and purity.  Why is this?  It is because we must give of our time.  We cannot be longsuffering and quick to condemn in one motion. 

         B.   Longsuffering makes us fruitful in every work.  Another thing it does to us is it causes us not to exert all our time and energies in one virtue.  Paul told us to be fruitful in every good work.  If we, for example, spent all our time and efforts in loving, very soon we would carry this concept to the extreme.  Once it reached that position, it ceased to be love, and instead becomes cowardice.  Anyone that has ever manifested true love is acutely aware that love must be tough.  Love must act righteously and thoroughly.

            Longsuffering is another virtue that carried to the extreme is trying one's patience.  What this means is the person already suffered tribulation and obtained patience.  Now someone wants to take this virtue and twist it causing the person more grief and woe than is necessary.  The Holy Spirit will not carry long-suffering to the extreme. 

            For these and other reasons we are not to spend all our efforts in one area but be fruitful in all good works.  If we are fruitful in every good work, we present a clear picture to the lost of the virtues of living a godly life.  We are balanced Christians, not having highs and lows.   Proverbs 11:1 

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”

            This is why it is called fruit of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit wants us to be balanced.

C.   Strengthened to all patience and longsuffering with joy.  That is all types of patience, the patience to bear our troubles as well as the patience to wait.  Also, we are strengthened to bear that trouble not only for a while, but also for as long as God intends us to have it. 

III. LONGSUFFERING AND ITS WEALTH

      Its wealth is found in its ability forgive.  Forgiveness is one of the great attributes of our Lord Jesus.  We call ourselves Christians.  The name itself means Christlike.  If we are Christlike, then we ought to forgive like the Lord Jesus did and does.  Longsuffering is a virtue that is impossible to really possess without the love of God living within us. 

      So how is this seen as wealth?  We are more like our Lord when we have longsuffering, as part of our living that is available from the Holy Ghost.  Longsuffering is seen in our forbearance one to another. Colossians 3:12-13

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

      What is forbearing?  It is bear with something or someone.  Since most of the Bible deals with people and not things, it can only meaning bearing with someone.  I know that I am not always to easiest person to have dealings.  I can be overbearing but when I have a bad day, I am not easier to have around.  This is where forbearance comes in.  You will have to suffer long if you forbear me at times.  It is the Holy Spirit that gives us this virtue of longsuffering and forbearance for us difficult people.  It is a sign of great wealth from the Holy Spirit. 

IV. LONGSUFFERING AND ITS WAIT

      There are three truths that we need to remember when it comes to longsuffering.  These may not ease the pain of the offense, the ridicule that we may be facing, the practical “jokes” that may come seem funny to some or to be enduring bullying or even the downright malicious wrongs that come.  But these are nevertheless true and are timeless in nature.

A. The Lord remembers all that happens to His children.  Time would not be permitted to see this played out throughout the Word of God.  But He remembers.  Something came up the other day in regards to diabetes.  I quoted my “diabetes” verse to that person.

                          James 4:17

                        “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

      I told them that I will have to answer to God for many things but I did not want that to be one of them.  How does this relate to the Lord remembers.  It is because it leads us to the second truth.

         B. The Lord will repay.  This is played out very well in that it is not our job to replay our adversaries.   Romans 12:17-21

               “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

                           Let me give some real living 101.  This is not easy.  Why?  It seems to part of our human nature to want to give revenge.  We want to bust them in the chops.  That is the truth of the matter, isn’t it?  But we are different because it is our Lord that said He would repay.  It is not our concern that justice is served.  Our Lord Jesus was not interested in revenge upon those that crucified Him.

                                             1^st Peter 2:21-23

      “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” 

            Why is this so important?  It makes us like our Lord.  Think about the first Christian martyr, Stephen.  Did he seek for revenge?

                              Acts 7:60

“And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

            Why did he do that? It is that no child of God really would want even his worst enemy to go to hell. Why?  Hell hath no end. 

            This brings us to the third truth.

                  C. The Lord will repair. 1^st Peter 4:19

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

      The Lord does not allow us to suffer and we are in debt to Him.  When we stand for the Lord, He will stand up for us.  A good illustration is the life of Joseph.  It took twenty years but the time came when Joseph's tormentors and agitators were at his feet pleading for compassion and consideration.

      We are to bear up under your tormentors and the day will come when they will plead with you for forgiveness for their ill treatment of you.  There is no need to get bitter or sour or unforgiving or resentful.  We must give the Lord some time to defend you.  It is our job to make sure you are doing what is right.  I used Brother Harold Vaughan’s quote many times in the past years but once again it fits here.  “Do the right ever time until the right thing becomes the normal thing.”

      God can repair the damages. He did it for Joseph.  Think about it.  Joseph went from being the prized son to the pit, and from the pit to the prison and then from the prison to palace.  So you feel like you are in a pit or a prison.

      God has a palace for you if you will be patient and give Him some time.  Trust God to bring some good out of your pit and prison. He did Joseph.  The Lord is not a respecter of persons. 

      Joseph saw God’s good hand in all that when on in his life.  Here is Joseph’s response to the way he was treated. Genesis 50:20 

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

      It maybe God has some good in mind with the pit you are in.  So we don't need to spoil it for ourselves.   

Conclusion: How should we respond to those that get our goat or under our skin or that torment, irritate, abuse, hound or never let up on us.  We are respond with longsuffering.  We can react in one of two ways.

1. With restraint is the first way.  We must be thankful, be very thankful, this is the way God is.

                                                Exodus 34:7 

“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”  

      According to this, God is merciful; that is, He does not do to us what we so richly deserve.  He is Longsuffering.  Thank God is longsuffering.

      The world we live is full of mortals, children of Adam, who defy God's right to say what goes and what does not go, who ignore or show contempt for God's laws.

      Paul gives plain scripture in regards to these folks.

                                    Romans 2:4

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

      The Lord is Longsuffering to us contemptuous, immoral, defiant, self-willed specs of dust.  We have plenty of reasons to shout all the way to glory for a holy God who is that way.  The world doesn't even care that God is patient with them. How so true and on target the good Word of God is when it says we mortals sit in darkness.

                                    Luke 1:79 

“To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

      How good and gracious the Lord is. Be glad! Be very glad!  We must realize that around us, near relatives and distant relatives (are we not ALL descendants of DADDY ADAM?) are those who stretch us to the absolute end of our rope of endurance.

      How like us mortals! God graciously forgives us this huge debt of sin, which we could never pay, not in all of eternity could we pay and yet often we hold the feet of others to the fire until they pay the last farthing they owe.  How unlike the Lord we are at times!  How then are we to respond to our tormentors and agitators?  The answer is with restraint.

2. The second way is with repentance.  Many among us with a sharp tongue, quick wit, short fuse and quick temper, who have little patience with other members of Adam's race simply need to confess that the problem is nothing more than a sinful habit.

                                                Exodus 34:6 

“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”

                  That's God; ought it not be YOU and ME?

                                                James 1:19 

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”

                  We seem to be always working on this.  What does the Bible say about this?

                                                Proverbs 24:16 

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”

      Saved people keep on keeping on; they don't give up on the Christian struggle. They make mistakes, say and do things they ought not but they keep getting up and going on.  We ought to be like the energizer bunny.  We are to keep on going and going.   We should not wallow in self-pity.  We should not give in to the world or to the flesh.  We should not call it quits and say it's too hard.  We should not resign from the high calling in Christ Jesus.  We should not quit on God.  The Word of God says we should stand up and go on.

                                    Isaiah 40:31

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

      We will have to suffer long sometimes but God Knows.