Dave spoke this morning from Gal 5:22-23, reminding us that patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit. At Christmas, we often receive multiple presents and inevitably prefer some to other, and we can have that same attitude towards the fruit of the Spirit, preferring love, joy and peace to the more ‘mundane’ and less glamorous gift of patience. Nonetheless, patience (often translated as forbearance or long-suffering) is necessary for us and we looked at three questions relating to it this morning.

1. What Is Patience?

We often have a negative view of patience because we call other things by that name. Indifference, laziness and co-dependence are not patience, however. Patience is really restraint, holding back from judgment or jumping to conclusions, developing stickability and perseverance and therefore not rushing for quick fixes all the time.

2. Why Does Patience Matter?

Patience matters because it makes relationships work. So often, we harm relationships through hurtful words and temper, but patience holds us back from saying and doing things we regret. Prov 14:29 reminds us that a patience man has great understanding.

Patience matters also because it helps us to overcome the power of sin. 1 Jn 5:3 reminds us that God’s commands are not burdensome, and patience helps us to look beyond the lure of the ‘now’ of sin. It also helps us during times of testing and trial (Js 1:2-3) and prevents us from quitting. In this way, it helps us to cooperate with God’s purpose for our lives, resisting the urge to do it ourselves (as Abram and Sarai did with Ishmael.) God is patient and long-suffering with us and therefore it matters that we develop this quality, because we are called to be like God.

3. How Do We Get Patience?

The Bible rarely talks about how we get patience in our lives, simply telling us to be patient or to clothe ourselves with patience (see Col 3:12, 1 Thess 5:14, Eph 4:2). But in order to grow in patience, we must:

• value patience (often, we have mixed feelings about even wanting this fruit, preferring to be a ‘go-getter’ than someone who displays patience.)

• ask for it. As we abide in Christ, fruit grows, including patience. (John 15:5)

• actively seek to be patient. When facing difficult situations, we must see this as an opportunity to become more like Christ.

God is patient with us and this knowledge helps us to be patient with others. Waiting for Him to fulfil promises is not a waste of time, nor are difficult times and trials. We may feel very frustrated and impatient at the present time, but we need to be reliably patient, for that is how God is with us.

The benevolence or goodness of God lies at the heart of the Christian faith. The longer I journey with God, the more I see that who He is and what He is like must inform my thinking and living, otherwise I am in danger of idolatry. If I worship a god made in my own mage, fashioned and crafted after human traits and thoughts, I am guilty of idolatry.

Ps 119:68 is one of the most important verses in the Bible and should be known by every disciple: ‘You are good and what You do is good.’

The goodness of God will protect us from error, which is usually to focus on the power of God divorced from His love or to focus on the love of God divorced from His power. People ask, ‘If God is good, why does He allow evil to happen?’ and decide He is either good and weak (i.e. He is unable to prevent evil) or powerful and malevolent (i.e. able to prevent evil but malicious towards people, enjoying their suffering and misery.) Both extremes are profoundly wrong.

St Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century theologian, said that, ‘God is so powerful that He can direct any evil to a good end’, a view which echoes Paul’s confident assertion that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). (This is another verse every disciple ought to learn by heart.) We do not know why God allows evil to remain (and flourish at times), but we do know that His love, goodness and power are not at odds with each other and that He is working in all things for good. This may seem trite because we have trivialised this truth, but if we allow the truth of God’s goodness to penetrate our thining and emotions, we will be able to beat any trial with hope and faith.

Evil may seem to triumph for a while, but God promises an end to evil, suffering, pain and sorrow and the destruction of ‘Gog and Magog’ (Ezek 38-39), identified as the world under Satan’s rule (Rev 19:11-20:10). The end result is already known: God wins! As Eugene Peterson puts it, ‘Evil is not inexhaustible. It is not infinite. It is not worthy of a lifetime of attention.’ Instead, we should fix our eyes on God’s goodness rather than on the prevalence, propinquity and presence of evil, and will then find hope stirring, faith flourishing and courage blossoming. God is on our side and will lead us into victory.

The news that a church service in Islington was stopped yesterday by police[1] raises interesting questions about the legality of lockdown and the moral issues it raises during these difficult times. The Angel Church’s pastor, Regan King, spoke about his need to prioritise his responsibility to God, his congregation and community and the church’s need to serve its community as part of its Christian mission. He went on to say, “The spiritual needs of people are as essential as the physical. The supermarkets are open for the body, but what about that food for the soul that’s found in Christ alone?”[2]

These are valid questions, and this present lockdown has seen much disquiet over the Government’s definition of “essential” and “non-essential.” With so many outlets allowed to remain open, it is hard to fathom a coherent rationale based on science behind the regulations, particularly when businesses and places of worship have taken regulations regarding social distancing and hygiene extremely seriously. Although churches can continue to meet online, it is profoundly disturbing to have governments decide when and how we can worship, and the need for “meaningful human interaction” remains an essential feature of corporate worship.

Not everyone will agree with Regan King’s decision, but I believe it is vital that we protect our legal right to gather together and are willing to put our responsibility to God above our desire for social acceptance and comfort. The apostles were clear that obedience to God could mean disobedience to civil authority at times (Acts 5:29), and without wishing for one moment to be reckless with regard to people’s health, a “greater good” may indeed exist which is not in line with the Government’s policies on handling this present crisis. I personally believe that the restrictions on normal family contact and on meeting together to worship are extremely harmful and set a very dangerous precedent, and believe that we should pray not only for an end to the pandemic but for an end to restrictions which criminalise that which is not wrong, let alone criminal.

[1] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/angel-church-baptism-lockdown-north-london-b70911.html

[2] https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/why-i-ve-decided-to-break-the-law-and-open-my-church-during-lockdown

Stephen spoke tonight on the theme ‘Signed, Sealed and Delivered.’ This idiom refers to a legal deed, which to be valid had to be signed by the seller, sealed with a wax seal, and delivered to the new owner. It’s often used in contracts (e.g. to buy a house or a car), but could also be said to refer to what God has done for each believer.

John 6:35 reminds us that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Faith in Jesus is the starting point for our spiritual journey. The centurion’s encounter with Jesus demonstrated a faith Jesus had rarely seen in Israel (Matt 8:8-10), and faith is the starting point for us, akin to signing a contract and promising to follow Jesus all our lives.

For us to grow, we need to be contented in Christ, and this comes as we digest God’s word, taking it in and allowing it to direct our lives, giving meaning and focus to all that we do. God’s word shines light into every situation and is our total guarantee for life. It seals us and guarantees that all God’s promises can be fulfilled in our lives. We find in this book all the answers to our burdens and woes and receive the guidance we need as we learn to absorb God’s word into every area of our lives.

Christ is our Deliverer and our Redeemer; He starts His good work in us and will complete that work. (Phil 1:6) 2 Cor 1:10 reminds us that God has delivered us from peril in the past and will continue to deliver us. 1 Cor 1:30 reminds us that Christ has become for us wisdom, holiness and righteousness. We know that we are sealed with God’s Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14) and 2 Cor 5:1-10 reminds us that God has not left us on our own. He has given us His Spirit and His word to lead us through life. Life may seem to beat us down at times, but we do not have to fear, for the deal has been finalised and we can trust God to deliver all He has promised us.

This morning, we looked at the big question ‘Who Is God?’ It matters enormously who God is and what He is like, so we spent time exploring this issue, looking at:

1. God as Creator

God is the Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Ps 121:2, Ps 134:3, Ps 146:6) The very first words of the Bible affirm this: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ (Gen 1:1) We see God speaking and things happening: light being separated from darkness, sky and land appearing, vegetation coming, sun and moon and stars being created, living creatures coming into being and finally man being created. (Gen 1:1-28) Elsewhere in the Bible, we see the Holy Spirit involved in creation (Gen 2:1) and Jesus (John 1:3, Col 1:16), and we also see that God is not only the creator but the sustainer of the universe. (Heb 1:3) The fact that God is Creator means He is powerful and also that He is personally involved with His creation.

2. God as Almighty (‘El-Shaddai’)

God revealed Himself to Abraham and to Jacob as ‘El-Shaddai’, the Almighty One (see Gen 17:1, Gen 35:11). Jeremiah reminds us that nothing is too hard for Him (Jer 32:17), and this power – so great that it raised Jesus from the dead (Eph 1:19-21) – is available to us too. We serve a mighty God, and, like the psalmists, we need to proclaim this regularly. He is our mighty rock (Ps 62:2) ‘Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.’ (Ps 89:8) Who is God? He is the all-powerful One.

3. God our Father

Jesus taught His disciples to pray using the words ‘our Father in heaven’ (Matt 6:9) and one of the most powerful stories He told looked at a father with two sons and how he dealt with each of them. (Luke 15:11-32) In that, we see how much God loves us and longs for us to return to Him. Even if we have not experienced the love and stability of an earthly father, God is able to be a ‘father to the fatherless’ (Ps 68:5), demonstrating a love and care for us that shows His kindness and grace. (Matt 7:9-11) Even God’s discipline of us is for our own good (Heb 12:10) and is a sign we are His children and heirs.

4. God is relational

One of the most amazing truths in the Bible is that we serve one God in Three Persons. The very essence of God is relational and He wants to be in a relationship with us. We see the Trinity perhaps most clearly at certain moments in Jesus’s life on earth, such as His baptism (Mark 1:10-11) Relationship is therefore at the heart of the Godhead, as is unity – which is why Jesus placed such emphasis on relationship and unity in the church, for we are meant to reflect who God is.

5. God is our Saviour

Because God wants to be in a relationship with us, He gave His only Son to die for us so that we can be rescued from sin and brought close to Him. (John 3:16, Col 1:13, Eph 2:1-6) We can be restored to fellowship with God and can be born again into His family. Knowing God is the key to eternal life (John 17:3) and so it matters enormously that we have a rescuer or Saviour in Jesus Christ.

6. God is love

Perhaps the most astounding truth in the Bible is that God is love. (1 John 4:8, 16) As A. W. Tozer put it, “Nothing God ever does, or ever did, or ever will do, is separate from the love of God.” God’s love is unfailing, unchanging and ever-constant.His display of love is the purest and truest there is. He loves perfectly, completely, with a love that never fails. (1 Cor 13:8) And because we are made in God’s image, we can love. Love isn’t something that is derived from within us. It is radical. It is supernatural. The kind of love that God calls us to–the love that loves our neighbour as much as we love ourselves– must come from Him. We love, John tells us, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Even though we are not able to be involved directly in community outreach with our youth club and Parent & Toddler group, we are still keen to connect with our local community as much as possible. This is why, alongside Dearne Churches Together, we are involved with the Advent gift bag scheme, giving out goodies to local families on Saturday 28th November. Please contact Julie if you wish to book a time slot to collect a gift bag.

In addition, with Dearne Churches Together, we are sponsoring 4FrontTheatre’s Christmas pantomime ‘A Very Merry Covid-Cancelled Christmas’, which will be shown at Goldthorpe Primary School, Sacred Heart Primary School, Lacewood Primary School and Carrfield Primary Academy on 30th November and 1st December. This will be a pre-recorded performance, but we’re sure it will be exciting to watch and will help children to understand that whatever is going on around us, Christmas really can’t be cancelled!

Please continue to pray for our community outreach, and for God to give us inspiration in how to reach out more and more to those who do not yet know Him.