2 Thess 1:3, Love is Patient.
length: 69:12 - taught on Jun, 15 2023
Class Outline:
Thursday June 15, 2023
We’ve looked at what love is not. Now let’s look at what love is.
Consider the condition of the heart of a person of whom God’s love has ruled.
know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
In the preceding chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul has striven to suppress the envy, vanity, and discord which had resulted from the abuse of spiritual gifts with which the Corinthian church was heavily endowed. He explained that the spiritual gifts were for the edification of the church and not the glorification of the individual. What they should covet, says Paul, is not what one another has, but the best gifts.
But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
But he already said, “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’” And:
God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
So why?
But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
Don’t stop seeking the greater gifts, providing you understand what constitutes the “greatest.”
The greatest are not those that minister to status or to self, but those which serve the good of others and build the community. Just as Jesus said, “the greatest of you shall be your servant.”
Now, says Paul, I show you an even greater way still.
And I show you a still more excellent way.
And we quickly find out what this surpassing or more excellent way is - agape love.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient,
We have looked at what agape is not, now for what it is.
Love is patient, kind, bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.
Patient - makrothumeo = wait patiently in reference to people.
Makros means long in time or space, and thumos may denote either passionate longing or wrath. So the older English of KJV or AV has it “suffereth long.” We could define it as long tempered, but that seems to me to allow an outburst of anger at some later point.
We must think about the right timing that makes for the best possible outcome of another person.
Love, says Paul, waits patiently. Love deals patiently with another person, even an enemy, and it also recognizes that:
The right timing plays a huge part in securing the welfare of another.
Makrothumeo is used in the Septuagint (translation of he’erik aph - to be slow to anger).
A man's discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.
The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.
And, who could forget:
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
In James’ closing he begins by exhorting them to patience. Using the prophets as an example and as encouragement, the coming of the Lord (this won’t last forever and you are going to be judged for your deeds soon enough.)
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
And whenever you start thinking that the Lord is taking too long to return, remember that He is patient with the world for a very important reason, of which reason you yourself have benefited greatly.
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
In a similar way, this point is taken up by the writer of Hebrews.
When you are being patient with others you are always looking to the Lord’s promise and hold on to hope.
The writer of Hebrews uses Abraham as an example.
For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." 15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
We wait patiently for God’s timing. What will the Lord do with those with whom we are patient, and when? We have hope. Not calculating ahead of time. Not protecting our pride, not protecting self but giving in love while we wait for God to do what He will and loving, just loving being God’s faithful steward in it all. God’s love matured in us makes us faithful servants of the Lord, which servants do things God’s way. God can put us into the service of His purposes rather than have to get around us.
And yes, even when that other owes you or has hurt you or is your affirmed enemy…
“So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'”
The Lord apparently waits patiently to fulfill our desires. Prayer apparently speeds up the process. There is a grating against our rational, doctrinal, systematically theological minds as we see what the Lord plainly taught about persistence in prayer and not losing heart.
Your persistence in prayer will shorten the Lord’s patient timing.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 "There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 "For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'"
Don’t overthink this. Just do it. Too many rationalize it away and do not persist in prayer. I can think of a few reasons why the Lord has chosen to do things this way with us, but I cannot confirm them. I can only say, “Okay Lord, You told me to cry out to the Father night and day about the same need, well, I’m going to do it and let You fulfill Your own words.”
And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said [“She’s wearing me out!”]; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.
Our own persistence in prayer is akin to patience with God. It is very difficult (at least for me) to understand the real reason for our persistence. For many, unanswered prayer causes them to quit on the practice. But imagine if they did get everything they asked for and in a timely fashion. Why would they be praying at all? I suspect for the same reason they quit when they don’t receive them. They’re only praying to get their own desires.
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