Month 3



Month 6

Week 2

A Composite of Peculiar Patience

Have you ever known a serene person who never passed judgment on others? How often do the failures, emotions, or outright sins of someone else ruin your peace of mind? What would it be like if you refused to allow the behavior of others to spoil your day? This week we will study the commodity called patience, a characteristic of the fruit the Spirit desires to bear in your life. Patience is inspired by mercy, devoid of condemnation, and evidence of the presence and power of our Holy God..

“This month we will study a distinctive form of patience called makrothumia. Mercy drives this patience. Because God has mercy on us, He shows us incredible patience. Because we are becoming like Him, we reflect His patience to others.

Principle Questions

Week 1: Exactly what “inspired” the endurance of the Thessalonians?

Week 2: What was God’s promised to Noah, and what was the proof God gave to

seal the covenant?

Week 3: What was David’s attitude toward judgment after his sin of pride in 2

Samuel 24:14?

Week 4: How does God create ministry from misery?

Week 5: What percentage of our sin does God forgive?

[pic] Today’s Treasure – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Week 2 – Be Still, Be Filled

We learned about two Greek words translated into the English word patience: hupomone and makrothumia. We devoted the previous day’s study to cultivating an understanding of hupomone.

( From the definition you learn on day 1, please fill in the following blanks: Hupomone means “to _________________, remain ________________________, __________________ ________ under. [It] refers to that quality of character which does not allow one to ________________________ to _______________ or succumb under trial. HUPOMONE is ________________________ in relation to things or circumstances.”

We also found that the word hupomone is often translated in various forms of the words “endurance” and “perseverance” in the New International Version. One of the most important characteristics we learned about hupomone is that it is inspired by _____________________.

This review will help you as we consider the distinction between hupomone which is biblical perseverance or endurance, and makrothumia which is a quality of the fruit of the Spirit. The remainer of this unit will concentrate on the study of this second word.

According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, makrothumia means “to be long-suffering.” It means “forbearance…self-restraint before proceeding to action.” It is “the quality of a person who is able to avenge himself yet refrains from doing so. Makrothumia is patience in respect to persons while hupomone, endurance, is putting up with things or circumstances.”

While both Greek words are crucial to the understanding and obedience of the believer, they describe different qualities. In 2 Timothy 3:10 and Colossians 1:10-12, notice the way God uses the words together while making an obvious distinction between the two. Read each reference and consider the following: in both cases, the Greek word makrothumia is translated into the English word “patience,” and the Greek word hupomone is translated into the English word “endurance.” By using both of these words, Paul emphasized the importance of being patience in respect to persons and enduring in respect to situations or circumstances. Another very important distinction distinguishes hupomone and makrothumia. Hupomone is inspired by hope and makrothumia, or the fruit of the Spirit called “patience,” is inspired by mercy.

Everywhere you discover the word makrothumia, you find some form of mercy. The Greek word for the kind of “mercy” present in makrothumia is eleos. The word means “mercy, compassion, active pity, with the sense of goodness in general, especially piety.” Scripture uses eleos to describe God.

Now you’re about to see why this kind of “patience” is a quality of the fruit of the Spirit. When it comes to prioritizing between circumstances and people, God is obviously going to choose people. How we respond to circumstances (hupomone) is important, but how we respond to others (makrothumia) is critical.

Wouldn’t you agree that to be patient with circumstances is far easier than with people? Consider why this might be true: We need to respond with hupomone when some circumstance or situation is trying us. We need makrothumia when someone is trying us. With hupomone we have no one to blame! When it comes to dealing with trying people, we have to someone to blame, so we need all the help we can get! Amen?

Hebrews 10:36 tells us we need hupomone, (or “hope which inspires perseverance”) which qualifies it as something for which to pray. In other words, we should actively petition God for endurance in our circumstances, but makrothumia is not merely the answer to prayer. Patience is the release of the fruit of the Spirit; it is the supernational outcome of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Makrothumia is impossible except when expressed by God through us.

Many of us have suffered great frustration as we have tried to practice makrothumia in our own strength. I pray that through this study we will learn and practice allowing the Holy Spirit to express His patience through us.

1. Look up and read 1 Peter 3:20. What example is this Scripture giving for the expression of God’s makrothumia toward people? ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

2. Read all of Genesis 6. What did God “see” (v.5)? ___________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Can you even imagine the condition described in Genesis 6? If you are like me, you seek repentance for more thoughts than actions. I struggle far more with internals than externals. I experience days when my mind is consumed with thoughts less than “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy” (Phil. 4:8). I become so frustrated with myself. The area of personal victory I pursue most consistently is a mind held captive to Christ. Yet, as much as I struggle, I can joyfully say that “every inclination of the thoughts” of my heart have never been “only evil all the time.” If you are born again, neither has yours. Consider what a state the world was in: the people’s minds were filled with evil all the time.

3. How does Genesis 6:11 describe the thoughts of humans at this time? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How did God respond to their evil inclinations (v.6)? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Hebrew word for grieved is nacham and it embodies the expression of drawing breath and groaning as one would do while sobbing in grief. Imagine God expressing such grief. It was as if the sorrow of God took on a physical form, much like ours does when we cry. The Word of god tells us that this grief cut straight to the heart of god—and He hurt.

( Considering Genesis 1:27, 31, why must this observation have caused God such pain?

5. How does Genesis 6:9 describe Noah? _______________________________________________

In contrast with his culture, Noah was a righteous man. Sometimes we use our society’s depravity as an excuse for our bouts of unrighteousness: “If I didn’t have to work in this godforsaken place…”; “If I didn’t have to live with this awful man…”; “If we didn’t have to live in this horrible city…”’ “If I hadn’t come from such a godless family…”; “If all that hadn’t happened to me…”; “But Noah…”

6. What does Noah’s example teach? _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

7. How long would God strive with this evil generation (v.3)?

8. In addition to building the ark, what other obvious responsibility had God given Noah during those 120 years (2 Peter 2:5)? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Without a single convert. How often we base success and favor on visible evidence. Now read Genesis 8:15 through 9:17. this is the account of what scholars refer to as the “Noahic Covenant.”

( In simple terms, what was God’s promise to Noah, and what was the proof God gave to seal the covenant? _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why did God wait 120 years while Noah preached righteousness? What prompted God’s promise to never again flood the earth? First Peter 3:20 gives the answer: the makrothumia, or the PATIENCE of God! Now, the answer to this next question is crucial. God’s promise was prompted out of patience, but what prompted His patience?

9. Read 2 Peter 3:9 and fill in the blanks.

a. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his ________________, as some understand slowness. He is _____________________ with you, not wanting any one to ____________________, but everyone to come to _____________________.”

10. Read 2 Peter 3:15 and fill in the following blanks:

a. “Bear in mind that our Lord’s ______________________________ means ________________________________”!

I am saved because mercy prompted God’s patience. You are saved because mercy prompted God’s patience. God’s patience means salvation…to us and to everyone who ever believes!

Let’s conclude our study today with one final assignment. Set your alarm for just before dawn tomorrow morning. Then GET UP. (I included those three words because it occurred to me that the alarm going off is not synonymous with the body getting up!) Take a chair and your Bible to the backyard (or the front if you dare!) and position yourself toward the East. Lift up the day’s needs as the light begins to dawn and the sun rises. Then read Genesis 8:22, Lamentations 3:22-23, and Psalm 30:5. Meditate on the truth from god’s Word that the same patience of God that ushers in the dawn every morning of your life also meant your salvation.

11. While the three Scriptures from above abide in your heart, write your prayer of response to God as the Sun of Righteousness rises. As the morning breaks, simply record your thoughts toward Him. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How does God want you to respond to what He showed you today?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BIBLE STUDY INFORMATION

Today’s Date is: _____________________________

This weeks Bible Study was held at ___________________________________ house.

Our teacher for tonight was _____________________________.

The subject for tonight was ___________________________________________.

The Total Attendance tonight was ______________________.

Who was absent? ________________________________________________________________________

Next Week’s Bible Study will be held at ___________________________________ house.

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