Tonight, I invite you to turn with me for background reading to Matthew 18, beginning at verse 21, reading the parable of the unmerciful servant. We read this in connection with our consideration tonight of that aspect of the fruit of the Spirit called patience. In a moment, we'll turn to Colossians 3, verses 12 and 13. Matthew 18, beginning at verse 21. Hear now God's Word. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt, and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me, he demanded. This fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, be patient with me, and I will pay you back. But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in, You wicked servant, he said, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. And turning over to Colossians chapter 3, we'll read a few verses, beginning of verse 12. Oftentimes we consider this portion of Scripture in our consideration of the law in our morning service. And the verses just prior to verse 12, Paul is saying, in giving rules for holy living, he says what to put off. Put to death the deeds of the old man, he says, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. And then beginning at verse 12, Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace and be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Verse 12 again, Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, Clothe yourselves with patience is our focus tonight. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, indeed, we consider the teaching of God's Word tonight concerning that godly virtue called patience. And as we consider that, I must confess that there is a danger tonight. And the danger is that this sermon may only be necessary for one person here tonight. And maybe not for anyone else. But I know that it's necessary for at least one person because that person is me. I am often impatient with those who do not agree with me. With those who argue with me. With those who do not live up to my expectations. with those who disappoint me, with those who despise me, with those who are impatient with me. I am often impatient when I am in a hurry and the line is moving slowly or I am impatient when others inconvenience me or when things are not going smoothly or my way. At times, I am impatient with my wife and my children more often than I care to admit. Well, maybe you struggle with some of these situations as well. Someone in this congregation loaned me their notes from a Bible study on the fruit of the Spirit. And in those notes with regard to patience, there is what I found what's called a patience test coming from a magazine called The Family Circle back in 1984. Just a couple of the questions that I will place before you, part of this patience test. Number one is, hurry up, one of your most used phrases. Another one, do you get equally upset by a lost glove as your son's flunking English? Or do you avoid eye contact for fear that acting too interested will encourage someone to take more of your precious time? And there's a lot more questions like that on that patience test. Well, beloved, the truth about patience, of course, you know, is that it doesn't come easily. It takes time to acquire and develop. It often has to be learned the hard way and definitely not in a hurry. It often has to be learned in situations where it is required. There is the saying, you may recall, that says, be careful what you ask for. For example, if you ask for patience, be careful because you might find yourself in a situation where you need it. Another truth with regard to patience is that there are many opportunities to practice patience. Not only because of the sin and weakness of others, which we would like to blame it on, but especially because of our own sin and selfishness and weaknesses and unreasonable expectations which we would like to overlook. Yet, beloved, like all the other expressions of the fruit of the Spirit, patience is a Christian virtue. It is a godly virtue. It is a part of the fabric of the clothing of the new self by which the believer in Christ by faith is to be recognized. It is a part of that Christian clothing that is to set you and myself apart. To be recognized just as Joseph's coat of many colors made him recognizable. And therefore, God commands His people to be patient. It's a command. Paul commands, clothe yourselves. Put on, he says. It's not just a suggestion that we may take or leave as we desire. It's not just, well, do your best and, well, however the outcome is, that'll be fine. Put on. Be patient. It is a characteristic of the new light and it is to be practiced, first of all, because of its compelling reason. And that compelling reason, beloved, is God Himself. It is a God-like virtue. God is patient. And because He is, those who are in Christ Jesus by faith are compelled, even driven, to imitate His patience. His patience seen in His patience to the world. His patience seen to the world in the very beginning. We know that when man sinned, God did not throw up his hands as it were and say, that's it, I gave them a chance. No more, I'm wiping them out. I'm getting rid of all that I have made. When man sinned, He did not wipe out man immediately. Yes, we know that sin brought with it disastrous results. But God was patient because of His plan through the seed of the woman to rescue and save a people for Himself. And His patience is seen throughout time, throughout history. Paul says in Romans 9, verse 22, God bore with great patience the objects of His wrath. He has put up with this wicked world. Peter in 1 Peter 3.20 says, God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. We can think of God's patience with Pharaoh during the time of all of the plagues. Every time Pharaoh hardened his heart. God's patience has been seen all throughout time and history. And still today, as He gathers His church, He demonstrates His patience with the wicked world as a whole because, as he describes himself in Exodus 34, he is slow to anger, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Many places throughout the Old Testament and New, we find that he is slow to anger. And Paul says in Romans 2.4, he speaks of the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience. That's not to say, though, beloved, that God's patience is without limit. It's not to say that it goes on forever. think of the flood think of Israel's captivity think of the wicked nations that were destroyed whom He commanded His people to destroy in the Old Testament think of the many who have died in unbelief and one day Jesus Christ will come again and put all of His enemies away forever God's patience is not without limit yet God is and has been extremely patient with this wicked world and we are compelled to imitate His patience. Especially, even more so, as we remember God's patience to us. God's patience to us in Christ. As those who have provoked Him to anger and offended Him with our whole being, we are a part of the non-righteous that Paul speaks of in Romans 3. Yet God has saved us by His grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. And His patience to us continues throughout our Christian life as we still struggle with sin, as we still sin each and every day. Yet He is patient toward us. Forgiving. He will not change His mind about us, nor will He revoke Christ's work done for us this is the compelling reason for the believer's patience god's patience with his forgiveness of us and as new creatures beloved that is to motivate us toward patience with others which includes secondly its comprehensive nature when when is patience to be exercised how is it to be exercised. Indeed, it's comprehensive. There are a number of words in the New Testament that describe, we might say, different aspects of patience. But all together, if you put them all together, they describe a godly reaction to a variety of situations. It's a good definition to think of with regard to patience. A godly reaction to a variety of situations. Situations which require godly patience. Situations that include patience towards others, but also patience in situations themselves. Paul says in Colossians 1, verse 11, "...being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, so that you may have great endurance." That's a word for patience. Talking about having patience in the midst of difficult circumstances or situations, great endurance and patience. And that word is talking about patience with regard to others. And there are a number of words in the various translations that are translated from the word patience. Long-suffering, forbearance, or we might think of it as a calm response, self-restraint, tolerance, endurance, perseverance. And all of these in the sense of a godly reaction, especially when facing negative treatment from others. In Colossians 3, verse 12, in our text, the word patience there has the meaning long-suffering. Long-suffering is a biblical response to suffering at the hands of others, such as suffering abuse, all kinds of abuse. And then, patience is the ability to suffer a long time under the mistreatment and the antagonism of another without growing bitter and resentful and without striking back in revenge and getting even. Oh, how we need patience, don't we? Of course, when we're talking about something like sexual abuse, it doesn't mean that one would continue to put up with it. but indeed without striking back in revenge as you understand. And there are countless different occasions, countless different ways in which this abuse might come from another. It might be in the form of insults or persecution or needling another, picking on them constantly, ridicule or unfair treatment or maybe downright meanness, whether physical or emotional, whether with a fist or the words. And we find it at home. We find it at work. We find it in the neighborhood. We really find it among brothers and sisters, don't we? Young ones. They seem to have a lack of patience with one another, with the most tiny things. But simply, any kind of abuse from another that you cannot stop because you cannot control them or their actions, what I mean is, it's going to come upon you. And we are called to be long-suffering. In the face of that, God calls for love which binds all these virtues together as Paul says in verse 14. Love is patient as 1 Corinthians 13 says. As we think about the different aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, we see, I hope, that more and more how they intertwine, how they support one another, how they go together. For example, peace and joy, we might say promote patience. Patience results in peace. And you see, this garment including patience was so important that Paul calls for this long-suffering in Galatians, in Ephesians, in Colossians, in Thessalonians, in Timothy, and in Romans 12, verse 12, he says, Be patient in affliction. All the time praying for God's mercy on the abuser. which is more important to the child of God than revenge. God's mercy upon the abuser is more important to the child of God than revenge. Why? Because of our peace with God. Trusting in the faithfulness of God to care for us. Beloved, negative treatment that requires long-suffering in abuse also includes long-suffering when being provoked. we are easily provoked. You make me so mad! Have you ever said that to anyone? Has anyone ever said that to you? You see, beloved, being provoked means that we often allow the actions of others to arouse our anger, to drive us to words and actions that are loveless, to say the least. Again, abuse by others is often beyond our control. We cannot stop it. And we are called to be long-suffering. But being provoked by those abusers kind of brings it to our side. It leaves us in a position to do something about it. And sadly, so often we are provoked to do what we ought not to do. We are provoked indeed by abuse or by taunting or by a child refusing to listen, whether to a parent or to a teacher. We are often provoked when it seems like others constantly want us for something or they want something from us. This provocation might be deliberate, it might not be. Again, we cannot control abuse that comes from others, but we are to control our reaction to it. And patience here has the idea of being slow to anger, again, as God describes Himself in Exodus 34. And Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 says, love is not easily angered. And in the face of this negative treatment through abuse or provocation, the Holy Spirit aids His people by helping us to remember and to reflect on and to rejoice in God's patience with us as seen in the parable. In a certain way, as we think about that parable, the King, the Master is representing God and the unmerciful servant with the unpayable debt represents us. With our unpayable debt of sin. And the Master, the unmerciful servant, was forgiven of that unpayable debt. That's what we have been forgiven of. Yet, the parable goes on, the unmerciful servant forgets what he has received immediately. And instead of being slow to anger, he is fast to anger. One commentator says, we are like the unmerciful servant when we lose our patience under provocation. We ignore God's extreme patience with us. We discipline our children out of anger while God disciplines us out of love. We are eager to punish the person who provokes us while God is eager to forgive. We are eager to exercise our authority while God is eager to exercise His love. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Our patience, beloved, is to seek to respond in a godly manner. As Solomon in Proverbs says, a soft answer turns away wrath. And along with long-suffering, the comprehensive nature of patience also means practicing tolerance towards others. Long-suffering towards abuse and negative treatment, but also practicing tolerance when the others don't even know that we need to be tolerant of them. Tolerance of others' faults and shortcomings and idiosyncrasies. Those things about another that irritate and annoy us and things that may not even be directly directed at us. Yet things like habits or inconsistencies or inconsiderateness or the selfishness of others or how they talk or how they wear their hair or how they laugh or what they wear. Things that simply bug us. How do you respond? How are we to respond? Jesus gave us the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And Paul points us in that direction here when he says in verse 13, bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. We could say, bear, and then backing up to what he says before, bear compassionately, bear kindly, bear humbly, bear gently, bear patiently. The word there is a word that is sometimes translated as forbearance. The idea is to put up with. Not in the negative sense of putting up with grudgingly, with lots of complaints, but it's talking about a gracious tolerance of another's faults, overlooking them in love. As Peter says, love covers a multitude of sins. We might say love covers a multitude of irritating habits. And as Paul says, love preserves the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And Paul is talking here about petty things. Grievances is referring to petty things. In the English Standard Version, it simply says, whatever complained. Talking about minor things. Again, as we think about the unmerciful servant and his relationship to his fellow servant, the unmerciful servant was owed peanuts, we might say, by his fellow servant. It was nothing. It was no big deal. Nothing to become anxious or impatient about. And beloved, we are to remember that God bears with us patiently every day with failures that are so much more serious than anything anyone can or will or has ever done against you and me. John Calvin says with regard to verse 13 here, that we embrace each other indulgently and forgive also where any offense has been given. And he goes on, As, however, it is a thing that is hard and difficult, he, that is Paul, confirms this doctrine by the example of Christ and teaches that the same thing is required from us, that as we who have so frequently and so grievously offended have nevertheless been received into favor, we should manifest the same kindness towards our neighbors by forgiving whatever offense they have committed against us. Tolerance. Comprehensive nature of patience includes that it is long-suffering toward the abuses and trouble and negative circumstances of others. It includes being tolerant of things in others that really are not a big deal. and most important, it waits patiently for God. It waits patiently for God. You see, when we're facing hardships and difficult circumstances of life, God does not always answer our prayers as we want or when we want. God's people are called to wait with patient endurance. Endurance and perseverance again. Two words that are included in this idea of patience. To wait with endurance. The idea being to stand up under it. Not rolling up in a ball and crawling in a corner. But standing up under it in spite of it. Standing up with hope. And along with that then, waiting with perseverance. The idea being progressing. Moving forward in obedient service to God. Moving forward in one's God-given task. In spite of every hardship or trial, as Hebrews 12 says, Run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us. Refusing to give in to despair as David refused in Psalm 40, I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned and heard my cry. He lifted me from the slimy pit, from the mud and the mire. We are called to wait upon the Lord who helps us to be patient, to endure and persevere, to move forward in affliction, especially when surrounded by a wicked world. waiting for the Lord with endurance and perseverance, with confidence because of God's promises, trusting the results to Him. Knowing that He is in control. As the saying goes, we don't know who holds tomorrow, but we know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. Beloved, God commands His people to be patient. He is the compelling reason because of His patience with us. He calls us to be patient with a comprehensive patience. But notice also, finally, it's guaranteed accomplishment. The believer will exercise patience. Not perfectly and not even all the time. But the believer will exercise patience. Not because of us, not in our own strength, not because of our own resolve, in spite of our sinful inclinations. And indeed, there's more progress in some with regard to patience, with regard to the entire fruit of the Spirit. There's more progress in some than in others because some are simply further along in their sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the new man in Christ, no matter how new, is not stagnant. He will not stand still. Some degree of patience will be present. It will be practiced. How do we know? Because it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is His work which He will accomplish. The Holy Spirit given to those in Christ Jesus. To those who are the recipients of the grace of God's patience towards us. In Christ, our God who punished Jesus Christ for all of our sins and who Himself endured it patiently as Isaiah 53 said He would. He did not open His mouth. He was silent. And Peter confirms this in 1 Peter 2, verse 23 when he says, When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. Beloved, the Holy Spirit will not fail. He will do and accomplish this work in God's people. The more we hear the gospel message, the more we understand that no one can hurt or offend us more than we have already offended God and still do. Yet, our blessed assurance is that He does not even hold our sinful impatience of today against us. The Holy Spirit will accomplish His fruit, which includes patience in us. maybe not as quickly as we would like. But indeed, equipped and enabled by Him, we are called to put it into practice. We are called to think before we speak and act and react. We are called to work, to exercise patience. He will accomplish it through communication with God's Word. constant communication which continually and clearly reminds us again of how we have offended God and what we truly deserve, yet how God has been patient and withheld that from us for Jesus' sake. And beloved, as we truly remember God's forgiveness of us, His patience toward us, then being unforgiving and intolerant of others is really unthinkable. Don't you think? Through His Word, by His Spirit, He leads His people to acknowledge Him in all of our ways, as Proverbs 3 says, including acknowledging God in how we respond to situations of life. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, even when you and I react, even when we respond, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him. We are called to pray for patience because it's not natural in us. And our prayer for patience is itself a confession that our help comes only from the Lord. The believer's patience in a particular way we know is tied to our security in Jesus Christ, recognizing and confessing it, knowing that apart from Him, God's patience will run out and His wrath will be poured out upon those who reject Him. But for those who are in Christ Jesus, for all who look to Him in faith, forsaking themselves, seeking God's blessing in Christ Jesus, God's strength and perseverance. Jesus Christ Himself is the guarantee of God's patience and forgiveness. He is the guarantee of God's eternal pleasure towards those who believe. And He is the one for whom we wait eagerly, expectantly, and patiently. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, as we come before You at the close of this service of worship, we hardly dare to ask for patience, O Lord, because then we might indeed find ourselves in situations where it is required. But we do pray, Father, that when You visit us with situations that require it, that You would teach us patience. That indeed, when we face hardships and difficulties of life, when we face abusive persons, or those whom we think to be troublesome to us, oh Father, that You would cause us to remember in an instant how we have offended You and Your patience and forgiveness of us in Christ Jesus. We pray for the work of the Holy Spirit, that work begun in the hearts and lives of each of Your believers. That Holy Spirit of God, You would continue to be busy and active as You have promised, more and more day by day, even if it's little by little, working that fruit of the Spirit in our hearts and lives in greater abundance. O Father, may it be that we would truly be recognized by others as wearing that clothing that You call us to put on, to demonstrate that we belong to You. We praise Your name for Your goodness and love to us. Help us more and more to be those who imitate that love to others. Hear our prayer, Heavenly Father, for Jesus' sake. And in His name we pray. Amen.