Let this Mind be in You which was also in Christ: #16 Patience

Q: What does the Bible say about patience?

The Bible teaches that patience is a manifestation of grace and endurance, exemplified in Christ. The Bible emphasizes the importance of patience as a virtue that reflects God’s grace. In Isaiah 53:7, Christ is described as oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth, exhibiting perfect patience amid suffering. This patience under pressure is rooted in the understanding that it embodies endurance and perseverance, essential qualities for every believer. The patience that Christ demonstrated is not merely passive waiting but an active, steadfast trust in God's plan, which encourages us to follow His example in our own trials.

Q: How do we know God's grace allows us to be patient?

God's grace enables believers to embody patience, as seen in Christ's example. God’s grace is the foundation upon which our ability to endure and be patient is built. The scriptures affirm that we are chosen by grace, and in Christ, this grace encompasses every aspect of our lives, including the ability to practice patience. Romans 5:3-4 indicates that patience can be cultivated through tribulations, producing experience and hope. Therefore, when we face difficulties, God’s grace supports our journey, allowing us to mirror the patience shown by Christ, who forbear with His disciples and endured suffering for our sake.

Q: Why is patience important for Christians?

Patience is essential for Christians because it reflects Christ's character and fosters spiritual growth. For Christians, patience is crucial as it not only mirrors the character of Christ but also facilitates spiritual growth. As seen in 1 Peter 2:21, Christ suffered not in retaliation but as an example for us to follow. This attitude of patience enables us to endure trials and tribulations, reinforcing our faith and dependence on God. Furthermore, patience helps in fostering community and love within the church as it encourages believers to bear with one another, cultivating a spirit of forbearance and support consistent with Christ's teachings.

Q: How can we develop the mind of Christ in relation to patience?

We develop the mind of Christ by practicing active patience through prayer and reliance on God's grace. Developing the mind of Christ concerning patience involves a habitual reliance on God's grace through prayer and spiritual discipline. Philippians 2:5 urges us to let the mind of Christ be in us, which entails emulating His patience and endurance. This is achieved by regularly turning to God in prayer, confessing our sins, and actively seeking His assistance during times of impatience. As we cultivate a relationship with God, He equips us with the resilience needed to respond to challenges with patience, thereby reflecting Christ's character in our daily lives.

Lesson number 16 on the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in us who profess to understand the Gospel or trust the Gospel, trust Christ. Let this mind be in us which was also in our Lord Jesus Christ. I was talking to Jim Bird just a little bit ago, and I told him where I was going to be at, and he just chuckled. That's all he did. Patience. Because he knows he doesn't have patience. He knows I don't have patience. He knows we don't have patience. But we are, too. We are. This is a grace. And if we have everything in Christ, we do have this grace as well. It's very difficult.

But let us look at our Lord in this passage in Isaiah 53 to start with. Isaiah 53 and verse 7 He's speaking of Christ. Well, let's look at verse Let's look at verse starting verse 4 This is obviously speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ in prophecy before he even was born on this earth surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he, Christ, was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. There's the gospel, the declaration of who Christ is, who God is, what He suffered, for whom He suffered.

Verse 6, all we like sheep, He just died for the sheep, we know that, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His own way, that's us by nature, fallen in Adam. We walk our own way, seek our own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him, on Christ, the iniquity of us, who's us, the sheep, us all. Here's what I want to look at, verse seven. He, on the cross, before the cross, leading up to the cross, Christ was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he, Christ, was cut off out of the land, I'm sorry, I skipped a verse, verse seven.

Christ was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. This is used twice in one verse. Opened not his mouth. Opened not his mouth.

I would say that patience embodies It was embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ. His patience under pressure and this word patience means endurance. He endured the shame, the spitting. He endured those things or to preserve, to persevere. Christ persevered and came and did what he said he was going to do. He was a king. They crowned him as a king, mockingly. But He laid all those royal robes aside, oppressed, He's afflicted, and He didn't complain. He endured it because He was enduring this because of us. Our sins. Turn with me to John chapter 14. John chapter 14. Starting in verse starting in verse 8 of John 14.

This is his disciples. These are those whom he hand-selected, who he picked out. We say we're chosen from before the foundation of the world. That means we are selected out, out of humanity. Nothing in us, there's no reason in us that he chose us, that he bled and suffered and died for us. We are his wicked or even more so than anybody else, but for some reason found only in His sovereign purpose, purpose of grace, He chose us. And in Christ, He sent Christ His Son to die, and the Holy Spirit quickens those.

Look at verse 8, Philip, one of the disciples, said unto him, Lord, to Jesus, show us the Father, and it suffices us. Look at, and this is what Jesus said, patience. Jesus said unto him, have I been so long time with you, and you have not yet known me, Philip?

He that has seen me has seen the Father, and how sayest thou, show us the Father? Show us the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but of the Father that dwelleth in me. He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very work's sake.

It's like when you have a conversation with somebody that you've known for a long time and then they bring up something that they never knew about you in your life. We've been friends forever and you don't know this, specifically show us the Father. This Christ He's been such a long time with Philip. So this Christ-like patience is also coupled with long-suffering and forbearance. Long-suffering, he suffers long with us. He's patient. He's not like us. He just, you know, I can't get aggravated and just cut somebody off.

And also forbearance. Turn with me, if you would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. You'll see this, 1 Corinthians 4, and verse 12, Paul writing to the Corinthians, labor working with your own hands, being reviled, we bless. We don't get even. Being persecuted, we suffer. We suffer, we're patient. I know we want justice, but we need to be patient.

And look at 2 Corinthians 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 1. This is the mind of Christ. Open not his mouth. He forbear and was long-suffering towards even Philip, even his brethren. 2 Corinthians 11, verse 1, would to God you, Paul says, you bear with me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me. Be patient with me.

And I covered, as a pastor, I covered your prayers because I'm a sinner preaching to sinners. I'm nothing. As they say, the ground is level at the cross. I'm saved the same way you are. You're saved the same way I am. We're saved the same way the apostles are. We all make mistakes. We all get ahead of ourselves. We all get selfish. We all get impatient. Turn to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. Verses 1-7, Mark 16, 1-7.

And when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had brought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him after his burial. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun, and they said among themselves, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

When they had looked, they saw that the stone was already rolled away, for it was very great. And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment. They were frightened. And he said unto them, be not afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell the disciples and Peter, And Peter, why would he say that? Because Peter had just denied Him three times. Just denied the Lord three times. I don't know Him. Matter of fact, he changed his language. He started cussing.

And isn't that what we do? We have the fear of man over the fear of God. We want to make sure we keep our friends, instead of making our friends mad. They need to be made mad. They need to hear the gospel. That's how the Lord sheep begets sheep. He's going to use us to tell somebody, and then they may come and, as 1 John says, have fellowship with us. That's our desire. I was talking to Jim, he says, people come and go, but we desire our friends to be saved.

You're not doing them any good by withholding stuff and joining in with them. Evil communications corrupt good manners. The best thing to do is to lay it out and leave it with the Lord. Leave it with the Lord. Go tell Peter, go up before you in Galilee, there you shall see him as he said unto you. Go tell Peter. Tell Peter. After Peter, in shame, refused to be identified with Christ and His people.

So we see in our Lord Jesus Christ how gentle and meek and wonderfully longsuffering He has been towards us, His people, even His creation, and especially His church. Patience. Patience. How often, even now, we are slow of faith, weak in love, cold in worship, slack in attendance, and often too worldly for our own good, yet Christ still forbears with us. He still forbears with us. He still We'll have patience have her perfect work in us. I like that example somebody used years ago and you go down to Silver Dollar City and you see this all the time.

There's people whittling. And when you walk in the gate, they just got a stick. You don't know what they're doing. And if you're there all day, when you come back, you can tell it's starting to shape up. That's what the Lord is doing. He's whittling. He's taking care of the flesh. It's always going to be with us. But he's whittling away. Why? Because he's patient. And he loves us, and he cares for us, and he's concerned for us. Well, now let's look at ourselves. As in Christ, and then now the believer.

Turn to Lamentations. I'm going to have you turn to several passages. Lamentations chapter 3. Lamentations chapter 3. Lamentations chapter 3 and verses 25 and 26 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeks him verse 26 it is good that a man a woman a boy a girl should both hope and Quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

We want we're impatient. We want fast-food salvation that way this country is It's great. I love it. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. But boy, you talk about selfish, impatient. We go through McDonald's. And do you get aggravated when they tell you to move up? No. Move over to that. I ordered the food. I want it now. No. It's good.

It's good for a man, for a boy, a girl, a woman. to bear the yoke, it's good that they both quietly hope and wait for the salvation of the Lord. Salvation, if you're waiting, salvation will come. Salvation will come. Our God is merciful. Turn to Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40 and verse 31. The last verse in Isaiah 40. Here's the promise for patience. Here's the promise to you who the Lord has given His patience, His grace, His mercy. Verse 31, but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be wearied. They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 38, turn back a few chapters. Isaiah 38, verse 14. like a crane or a swallow, so I did chatter, I did mourn as a dove, mine eyes fail with looking upward, O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me." Looking upward. That's you're waiting for the showers, you're waiting for the blessing, you're waiting for the time of the latter rain, you're looking up. You're waiting. That's patience, dependence and patience like these doves. I did mourn as a dove. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 verses 3 and 4. Let's start in verse 1.

Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. by whom also we have access by faith into his grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works patience. Patience, experience, experience, hope. I don't want to go through trials and tribulations. Well, He's going to take you. If you're one of His, He's going to take you. But He will supply all your needs in Christ Jesus, no matter what the situation is. No matter what the situation is.

Luke chapter 21. Luke chapter 21, verse 19. Luke 21, 19, in your patience or impatience, possess ye your souls. Well, what's going on? We'll look at a couple verses. Verses 16, Christ says, you shall be betrayed both by parents, brethren, kinsfolk, friends. Some shall say of you, shall they cause you to be put to death? And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish in impatience.

Endure it. Endure it. We are to conduct ourselves as people who are bought with the precious blood of Christ. We're not our own. Really, we're not our own. And 1 Peter chapter 2. This is one of my favorites. However, I seem like I failed at every job I ever had. But it's such a precious...

Christ is our example. Christ is our instructor, our God, our creator, our redeemer. 1 Peter 2, starting in verse 21, For even here unto where you call, because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow His steps. Christ 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 judges righteously. That has done me good over many years, and yet I still failed. But I'm thankful that even our failures, he will get the glory out of. He will get the glory out of. Well, that word committed is surrendered, surrendered. reviled, reviled, not again when he suffered he threatened that, but committed, he surrendered himself to him that judges righteously." Basically, well the margin says, but committed himself, committed his cause, committed Christ's cause to his father.

That's what we ought to do. I know when we're young we think we can handle on our own. Patience. Patience, which includes long-suffering, forbearing, all these endurance, endurance. And the thing is, is that we can't do any of this on our own. We know we can't, but that's the beauty of it. We, when we go through these things, you go to him quicker.

The only illustration I can remember is when I used to wrestle, you didn't want to wind up on your back. You did not want to wind up on your back. Cause if you're on your back, you're looking up at the lights and you're not, you're not, you're about ready to get pinned. But when you're in that situation, you're looking up. And that's an illustration, I guess, a poor one.

But when we're on our back, we're looking up at him. And we're doing a lot quicker because he's having patience have its perfect work. So when I close, I say this, may we have a habitual, may it be a habit forming. To go to Him right away. We're losing our patience, we're getting into a rope, whatever you want to say, go to Him right away. Confess your sins. He's faithful just to forgive us our sins. May we have a habitual, calm, God-honoring walk while we're here.

And that would be in patience, because that's the mind of Christ. How can I do this? What can I do? Or do I need to just stand still and see the salvation of the Lord? Whatever I do, show me how to glorify you in this. And by His grace, He will. He'll make a way to escape. Always does. Always does. Or He'll take you home. Take you home. Nathan, would you close us, please?

Let this Mind be in You which was also in Christ: #16 Patience

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about patience?

How do we know God's grace allows us to be patient?

Why is patience important for Christians?

How can we develop the mind of Christ in relation to patience?

Sermon Transcript

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Let this Mind be in You which was also in Christ: #16 Patience

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about patience?

How do we know God's grace allows us to be patient?

Why is patience important for Christians?

How can we develop the mind of Christ in relation to patience?

Sermon Transcript

About Drew Dietz

Comments

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