Sunday sermon

We are right in the middle of Colossians 3 and Paul has taught us because the church at Colossae and us that we are to put off the old man and put on the new because we are the elect, holy, and beloved.

Christ died and we died, he was risen and we were risen with him, therefore church, let us live the redemption that the Lord has so freely given to us out loud by putting on the the new man.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

What changed in your life when you surrendered? What has changed recently?

Sanctification is progressive- it means that it is happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step, it means that change occurs for the rest of our lives until the day that we are glorified and home with Jesus.

1 John 3:2 NKJV

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

It is important for us to realize that religion cannot reform the flesh, that only Christ can do that if we are in a relationship with Him and in His Word...

After all, we become who we hang out with!

We spent time on the virtues or on the garments of compassion which is tender mercies, on kindness, humility, and meekness.

Has the Lord given you opportunities over the last few weeks to exercise these?

I wanted to revisit humility church because I think that you cannot have the others without it.

Contrary to what the world thinks, humility reaps unbelievable benefits.

1. Humility results in a person coming to Christ and learning of Him. It leads to self-evaluation, an honest and courageous evaluation. When a person looks at Jesus Christ, he sees what he should be and it motivates him to become what he should be. He sees where he needs improvement and he is driven to fill in the gaps.

2. Humility results in conversion, assuring our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

3. Humility results in our being exalted by Christ in that glorious day of redemption.

4. Humility results in healthy relationships and in community and social benefits

Romans 12:16 NKJV

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Ephesians 4:1–2 NKJV

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Philippians 2:3–4 NKJV

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

1 Peter 5:6 NKJV

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Humility :

• it acknowledges and boosts others

• it leads to better relationships

• it encourages and helps others

• it motivates others to grow and do more

It is the precursor to serving others church

Christ demands that His followers walk in humility. Practicing humility demands two things.

1. Humility requires an honest evaluation of oneself. Barclay points this out (The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, p. 39). Humility comes from knowing ourselves, just who we really are. It comes from an honest appraisal of ourselves. It takes courage to look at ourselves and it takes honesty to see ourselves as we really are: basically self-centered, a bundle of self-admiration and self-love. We tend to dramatize ourselves. We tend to see ourselves unrealistically. We see ourselves …

• at the center of attention

• as the hero of some spectacular rescue

• as the great

• as the renowned sportsman

• as prince charming or cinderella

• as the great laborer

We are always at the center of the picture. Humility begins to come when we honestly face ourselves and admit our self-centeredness. Self-centeredness weakens and limits relationships and achievements. Humility reaches its height when we lose our lives in the cause of Christ and welfare of others.

2. Humility requires courage. It takes courage to be honest about our self-centeredness, and courage to convert or to change by coming to Christ as a small child. It takes courage to become Christ-centered and people-centered and to give ourselves to the cause of Christ and others.

Matthew 18:3–4 NKJV

and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Galatians 6:3 NKJV

For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Humility moves us from thinking of our selfish desires and ambitions, to that of other church. In fact, I would say that is the garment that keeps us out of ourself and places us into others.

Enough said about humility, let’s move on to the garment of longsuffering.

Does anyone know what longsuffering is??

Another word for longsuffering is being patient or having patience church.

Longsuffering- makrothumia- patience, forbearance, long before being angry, slowness in avenging wrongs, steadfastness.

This word is literally “long-tempered”

The short-tempered person speaks and acts impulsively and lacks self-control.

When a person is long-suffering, he can put up with provoking people or circumstances without retaliating.

This is the person who maintains self control.

They art not reactionary, but rather respond as the Holy Spirit leads them.

A person who exhibits longsuffering has vigor and strength.

The patient or longsuffering person does not get angry at others.

William Barclay writes, “This is the spirit which never loses its patience with its fellow-men. Their foolishness and their unteachability never drive it to cynicism or despair; their insults and their insults and their ill-treatment never drive it to bitterness or wrath”

Patience is the opposite of resentment and revenge.

It was a characteristic of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to this to Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:16 NKJV

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

2 Peter 3:14–15 NKJV

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

Did you see that? The long suffering of the Lord is salvation church!

Without the longsuffering attribute of God, no one would be saved.

The longsuffering of the Lord is salvation.

Praise God that the Lord is willing to suffer long with us, that he has great patience with us and that if we are in Christ, if we are a new creation, then we too should suffer long and be patient with others.

Remember church, grace begotten is grace bestowed!

Frank wasn't known for his patience, and he had absolutely no use for negative conversation. When he got a call from his wife during a busy day at work, she talked slowly and didn't seem very upbeat. Frank interrupted her and exhorted her to be brief and positive. She paused for a moment and then cheerfully replied, "I discovered the airbags in our new BMW work great!"

A woman rushed up to famed violinist Fritz Kreisler after a concert and cried: “I’d give my life to play as beautifully as you do.” Kreisler replied, “I did.”

Two frogs fell into a tub of cream. One looked at the high sides of the tub which were too difficult to crawl over and said, “It is hopeless.” So he resigned himself to death, relaxed, and sank to the bottom. The other one determined to keep swimming as long as he could. “Something might happen,” he said. He kept kicking and churning, and finally he found himself on a solid platform of butter and jumped to safety.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NKJV

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

The Greek word used here for patience or suffering (markrothumeo) long is a descriptive one. It figuratively means “taking a long time to boil.” Think about a pot of boiling water. What factors determine the speed at which it boils? The size of the stove? No. The pot? The utensil may have an influence, but the primary factor is the intensity of the flame. Water boils quickly when the flam is high. It boils slowly when the flame is low. Patience ‘keeps the burner down.”

When I become impatient with some person, place, thing or institution, according to this text I am not loving church. Because love is patient! Impatience is not justifiable because it extinguishes love church.

Is your burner down when things are not going your way? Or is the water boiling? Praise God that he is longsuffering!

I want to shift gears for just a moment and talk about those things that we bring into our bodies that do not help with patience.

Does too much caffeine or sugar make a person more patient?

How about waiting at stop lights church?

How about our kids, our spouses, our co-workers, neighbors, or that person that drive you nuts? How is your patience???

James 1:2–5 NKJV

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Here we see what produce patience in a believers life.

It trails church.

We do not want to be impatient people, because impatience is sin.

And we must remember church that sin, always has consequences:

Abraham and Sarah who did not wait for God to give them the son he had promised Gen 16:1-2

Esau’s impatience cost him his birthright Gen 25:30

Moses

Numbers 20:7–12 NKJV

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

4. The younger son became impatient and wanted his inheritance Luke 15:11

5. Peter went back fishing when Jesus did not show up on his time table in John 21

Church, the list goes on. But the bottom line is that when we are being impatient, we are not being loving.

Is our impatience a control mechanism in our life? Do we use this to manipulate people?

Here are a few warnings about being impatient:

Psalm 37:7 NKJV

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

The Bible teaches us the the wicked will prosper, but that we are called to wait on the Lord for ours.

Proverbs 19:2 NKJV

Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, And he sins who hastens with his feet.

When we become hasty church in anything, with anyone, we sin according to the word.

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

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

Here is the bottom bottom line church, if we are walking in the Spirit, we will suffer long, we will have patience, we will be compassionate, kind, and meek, and in order to have all of these we must have humility, for without it, none of these garments will be on our backs.

If you wonder why you can’t stand certain people, it is because your lacking love and we will talk about this when I return.

Remember church, that these virtues are the remedy for strong, thriving, loving, healthy relationships.

Let us put them on!

Prayer

Announcements

Are there any announcements?

Next week Teen Challenge will be here to share about their ministry. But better yet, there will be testimonies that will not only give your hope, but challenge your hearts. Be prepared to glorify your God who is in heaven for the work that he has done in these men.

Is there a few people that would be willing to provide drinks, chips, cookies, and cake for about 12 men on Saturday and Sunday?

There will be a brief meeting to discuss the Teen Challenge work day. If you would like to be a part, please meet on the platform 10 minutes after service.

Thank you Tom for sharing what the Lord is doing though Gideon’s International.

There is a jar as you exit that you can place a love offering in for this great ministry.

1 Peter 5:10 NKJV

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

The Lord Bless you!

Your Mission Starts Now!

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