Sermon Insights on Patience and Faith

This world can be grown something better, what's in my head? Let your light shine, let your light shine, for all to see The start of fire in my soul There's no rest, hope can see, that it's you, that it's you that we need to spot. It's a little fate, let it start right here in this city So these old walls will never be the same Older and boys in my head See that it's you And make us know As I fret on the anxious, a little more kind, get a little less wrong, a little more on the deeper I let you in. Don't change a single thing for who you are You see every detail and you don't change your mind It's a little bit different now, it's been feels the same I hope my voice will be loud, yeah, something inside has changed I didn't know I was getting older, cause I've been set free It's too hard, I'm fine, I'm singing, testing, cause I bet this is not my home. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful, Still noticing Stand in front of the mirror, wish I could see things clearer Like who I'm supposed to be in every trial Lift me through the fire, make me tired Remind me of who I am It's not set free, the words are left to change Just don't turn anything, or we'll stay in the known your world. Turn to see the most high God and the most high God's for me. I'm the child of the most hard God and the most hard God for me. It's who I am. Oh, here's your board of hills church. Happy New Year. Let me invite you to stand. Let's start off this year in worship. Would you put your hands together with me? Sing. Place you hide this weary soul. This vagabond is, come on, I've tried to throw my money, but I just can't win the fight, I'm slowly drifting, a vagabond Just an hour and an hour, I admit I didn't know, you told me that I was gonna go I've got no choice but to believe I've got no choice but to believe 3, 2, 1 We're going to teach you a new song this morning, but I just wanted to encourage you quickly, because I know it's a new year. You probably walked in with some New Year's resolutions, some things you want to accomplish and do this year. I think God's going to bless you in all those things. but I also want to remind you that the feet of Jesus is an equal playing field it's level and there's nothing you can do there's nothing you can accomplish or achieve to make you any more worthy of the grace of Jesus and you already are as yourself stand right now. It is only because of his life, his death, his resurrection that we're worthy to be in relationship with him. It was his blood that paid the price. So that's kind of the heart of this song. We're going to sing it. I'm going to sing this chorus so you can kind of catch on. We'll jump in once again. Hallelujah, I know it wasn't love, could've only been love Hallelujah, I know it wasn't love, could've only been love Come on, let's not get loose Let's sing this together Everything changed. It's getting harder to recognize the person I was before I encountered Christ. I don't walk like I used to. I don't talk like I used to. I've been washed from... I've been washed from the inside Hallelujah Hallelujah I know it wasn't I Couldn't only be the light Hallelujah Hallelujah I know it wasn't I Couldn't only be the light I cannot explain, but nothing's more real than this The presence of God, oh what my heart experiences I'm ashamed, hit the wayside, but with my sin I can go aside. I've been washed from the inside, I've been washed from the inside. And hallelujah, hallelujah, I know it was a plan, couldn't for me bring the doubt, and hallelujah. Oh Hey, it's only wild love, it's everywhere I look Friends, let's go to prayer right now. Father God, Lord, thank you so much for all that you've done on the cross for us to have relationship with you. We come here in this space right now with our arms wide open, our arms high, our arms and our hands turned over just in surrender to you right now. Lord, as we reflect on all that you have done, your grace, your mercy. We just can't help but praise for your goodness in our lives. So we come here today to praise your goodness. Help us move through this moment as we reflect on the cross here in a moment. So we prepare to take communion together, bless these elements and what they represent. We love you. We praise you. We worship you. We ask all this in Jesus'mighty name. And everybody said, Amen. Hey friends, let's give it up for our team. So good. I want to invite you to take out your communion cups. You can grab a seat. If you've been coming around hills, you know that each and every week we dedicate a time to remember the cross. Through the partaking. of taking communion and what the cracker and the juice represent. Sometimes we do that at the end of our message, at the end of our sermon, but lately we've been doing it right in the middle of our worship time. And I think that is a great time to do this because it's the continuation as we've just worshiped God and our hearts are prepared. We get to go into this space now, and I'm going to give you a moment as you hold onto this cup to reflect on the cross and what that represents. As Jesus went to the cross, he died. And three days later, he rose again. He defeated death, right? He defeated evil. All so that we can have a new life and we can have access so that we can. experience his grace, his mercy, and experience second and third and tenth and hundredth chances in our lives so that we could be transformed and redeemed. That's what the cross represents. And so I want to give you an opportunity. We're going to give you a minute to take the cracker and the cup as you feel pleased, but go to the Lord. Spend a moment to sit with him right now, to reflect. to praise him, to come to him, to lay down any hurts or burdens that you're carrying. And then you can take the elements as you feel led. But let me leave you with this. Luke 22. Jesus gathered with his disciples and he took the bread and he had given thanks. He broke it and he gave it to them. I'm saying this is my body which is given for you. That's what the cracker represents is his body And then, likewise, he took the cup, and after they ate, he said, this cup is poured out for you and is the new covenant in my blood. And so the juice represents his blood that is poured out for us. So friends, go ahead and reflect on that. Sit with the Lord for a moment. And then we're going to go back into worship and sing loudly and praise him, his goodness, the goodness of God. So I'll let you guys do that now. If you guys would join us on your feet when you're done with this, we're partaking, and we're going to continue to respond to the Lord through this song. Oh, your mercy never failed me, and all my days I've been held in your hand. From the moment that I wake up, until I lay in bed, oh I will sing of the goodness of God. And all my life you have been faithful. And all my life you have been so, so good With every breath that I have made I will You are the strength of the goodness of God. You are the grace. You have lit within fire. In darkest times You are close like no other I know You as Father I know You as a friend And I have faith In the goodness of God So, so good, with every breath that I have. And all my life you have been faithful And all my life you have been so, so good With every breath that I am in I'll say, I'm a girl who needs a ride And all my life you is We are God, we love you. Thank you for your goodness. Thank you that you don't turn your back to us, but you come chasing after us. You pursue our hearts until we are captivated by you. Help us to remain captivated by you, our good, our great King. I sing in Jesus'name. Amen. He's good. Well, before we sit down, go ahead and greet one another and say good morning. Good morning church. Happy New Year and thank you for worshiping with us today. Whether this is your first time or you've been here for years, we are so glad you're here. I'm Josh and this is Kate. And if you're new, we want to give you a special welcome. After the service, visit our new church. new to Hills area in the lobby or a welcome tent outside. We've got a gift for you and some friendly faces to answer any questions. So do not leave today without saying hello. Also, we encourage you to stick six. Join us for the next six Sundays as we kick off a new series, this could be the year. Prioritizing worship will help you grow in your faith and you will also be able to learn so much about who we are as a church. So stick six for the next six weeks. Speaking of committing for six weeks, we've got some exciting news. Our groups are launching at the end of January and we want you to be a part of it. We're creating spaces for all stages of life. Whether you're looking to grow in your faith, build some friendships, or find community, there is a place for you. More details are coming soon, but if you're curious, visit our website or stop by the groups area in the lobby right after service. Our team would love to connect with you. Along with groups, we have another exciting opportunity for a live Bible conference and partnership with Bayside Church starting January 19th. It's a chance to dive deeper into God's word and get refreshed for the year ahead. Best part? It's free to register. If it's free, it's for me. Awesome. Ready to grow spiritually in 2025? Go on our website to sign up now or meet us in the lobby. We'll see you soon. Now we come to a moment where we worship God with our finances. When we give, we're not just meeting needs. We're writing stories of life change and transformation. Your generosity helps provide hope and community, and it's making a real impact. As you give, know that your gift is part of something eternal. Thank you for being a vital part of our mission. Giving today is so easy. You can tap your phone on the disc in front of you or give online or in person using an envelope. However you give, know that your generosity is making a true difference. I'm excited to introduce today's guest speaker, Pastor Kevin Thompson, family and marriage pastor at Bayside Church. We're kicking off a brand new series, This Could Be the Year, focusing on Galatians 5 and the fruits of the Spirit. So please join me. and giving a warm Hills Church welcome to Pastor Kevin Thompson. Hey, everybody. Thank you so much. Great to see you today. If you have your Bibles, hopefully you do. We're going to be in James chapter 5, and so you can turn there. Look up on your phones. If not, the text should be on the screen in just a little bit. Happy New Year to you. Great to see you. My wife, daughter, and mom are here today, joining us today. My daughter's about to go back to college, so they've come to the 9 o'clock service, so I am actually married. I know sometimes whenever I show up as the married life pastor without my wife, it seems like I've been catfished in some way, but the relationship does actually... uh actually exists i'm looking forward to the bible conference that we have going on in two weeks i'll be here i don't know when i i think it's probably tuesday night during one of the nights i'm going to do a breakout session uh on marriage and so great way to kind of kick off your year i know many people uh, have, have new year's resolutions of a couple of things of being more in God's word, knowing God more, uh, which is a great thing to value, but then also marriage and family and relationships. So love for you to catch that breakout whenever I'm here. I would love to see you at that point as well. I was in conversation with an older gentleman a couple of weeks ago, and he made an observant comment that whenever he first made it, I agreed with. And he said, as I look at my grandkids, I just worry that they don't have the role models in society that you had or I had when we were growing up. And I thought that's a very fair assumption. You begin to look around at what's going on in entertainment, in politics, even with religion on television in various places. within sports. Who is it that you actually want your kids to follow? And I began to reflect back on my own childhood and who were the role models of our time of my dad. I'm a kid of the 80s. And so the top musician of the day was Michael Jackson. Okay, that didn't work out so well. But I had other people I could turn to and look at. The very first video game I had was Mike Tyson. Okay. No. My governor, who became president, was Bill Clinton. Okay. That didn't work out so well. Well, my favorite sportscaster of the day, O.J. Simpson. Okay. Okay, maybe my kids'role models aren't that bad in comparison. But we have to be very careful about who we model our lives after. Because as we begin to model after people, it could be that we're modeling after people that get out. that we actually don't desire. And while we might look at them as far as money or fame or popularity, some aspect of their life, whenever we look at the totality of what's going on and where that pathway actually leads to, it may not be something that we desire. We're going to look at the book of James today, where he's actually going to give us three... role models. And they're models that you and I would actually not think about. And what I think is a very Jesus-y kind of thing, where we live in a world that it should be flipped upside down, where you and I should literally be modeling our lives after people that maybe our culture and society would overlook, that we can find values in these specific people and ways that can begin to help transform our lives. So we're going to be on James. Chapter 5 today. Hey, seriously, if you're looking at reading God's Word more this year, a great way to go about it would be take a book like the book of James, five chapters, and just whenever you get home today, read the whole thing, 15 minutes max, 15 minutes. And then tomorrow, take a good study Bible, read chapter 1. After you read chapter 1, go in and read all the study notes, and then reread chapter 1, max 15 minutes. On Tuesday, do chapter 2. Wednesday, chapter 3. Thursday, chapter 4. Friday, chapter 5. On Saturday, just reread the book of James, 15 minutes. And I assure you that by Saturday, you will have a much deeper concept of what this book is all about. It's a great way to get in the habit of reading God's Word in a very simple kind of concept, one chapter a day, but in a way that will help you with the whole context of what's going on. We're going to be James chapter 5. I'm going to start reading in verse number 7. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient, stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The judge is standing at the door. Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets. who spoke in the name of the Lord. And as you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion. and mercy. So we're kicking off this whole three-week series here at the Hills and then also at our Bayside locations. This could be the year. The concept is that what if this was a year of meaningful transformation? What if this was the year that some of the things that we desire, that we pursue after, that we want actually begin to define us in some way? And so during our Christmas services, and I heard y'all had wonderful Christmas services. with Pastor Ray. I was over at Granite Bay 12 different times with 30,000 of our closest friends to celebrate Christmas. And during those services, we put out a survey where you could text in of all the fruit of the Spirit, which ones are most important? Which ones do you desire the most? So Galatians chapter 5, verse number 22 says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. and self-control. And so across all the campuses, thousands of people voted of what would be the primary concepts. And over these three weeks, we're going to look at what were the top three vote getters. And so in two weeks, Pastor Kurt Harlow is going to be here the weekend of the Bible conference, and he's going to be talking about self-control. And in two, next week, Pastor Michael Metcalf is going to be back with you here at the Hills. He's going to be talking about peace. But today, I'm going to talk about this idea. of patience. And what I find interesting, somewhat unique, I don't know how to interpret it exactly, across all the locations of all the people that voted, the number one vote getter, not surprising at all, was the idea of self-control. Clearly, as we kick in to January, as we kick in New Year's resolutions, you and I generally want to have more self-control. We want to have self-control to stop eating some of the things we have been eating over these last few months, to start working out in ways that maybe we haven't. Maybe we want to dive into marriage, the family, whatever it is. We desire more self-control. Does not surprise me at all. Here's what's interesting to me. Patience was the number two pick across the board. Also not surprising because in many ways, those two are so interrelated. The idea of self-control and patience. If I have patience, chances are I do have self-control. If I have self-control, it will oftentimes express itself. And that's patience. Those are very interrelated words. Here's what surprises me. You are the only congregation that pick patience as number one. It intrigues me. I don't have any interpretation about that. Maybe it's the idea in a pastoral transition of what's going on. I don't know. But this is what you ask for the most. And so, if you don't like it, it's your own fault. This is what you've asked me. to talk about. So what is this idea of patience? Let's first think about the concept of the fruit of the Spirit. So here I have this idea. Notice this. It is not the fruits of the Spirit, right? It is singular. So the idea is the Spirit now produces one basic fruit. And that fruit now has these nine different dimensions or elements. There's various ways to look at it. And so it's not the idea of, oh, you know what? I do pretty well on love. I'm pretty good about peace, but I don't have patience. No, they are so interrelated to such an extent that you can actually begin to see how one then leads to the other. So if you and I have love, if we truly do have love, that concept of love that will produce within us now an internal kind of delight, no matter what the circumstances are, that will exude a joy. And when you and I are possessed by joy, that causes a settled spirit within us that then leads this concept of peace. And as you and I have peace, it enables us to exude now a patience to other people, to other things, to other situations and circumstances. Love, joy, peace, patience. Whenever we are patient, that causes us to be much more kind to other people. It's impatience that causes the agitation or the frustration. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. Kindness is actually a concept now of goodness that exudes a faithfulness to God that then presents itself as a kind of gentleness. And if you have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness, then you actually do possess self-control. So it's not a concept of, as I look at this nine, it's a buffet, and well, I'm going to dip a little bit of that in my bucket and dip a little bit of that into my bucket, and okay, I'm good. I got three of the nine. I'm good to go. No, no, no. They are all interrelated as one thing. And so for you and I, even as we look at this concept of patience, we need to begin to recognize that whenever you and I are impatient, we are actually unloving. When we are impatient, We're unfaithful. When we are impatient, we lack joy and peace. Whenever we are impatient, we are not exuding a goodness. We're actually leaning toward an evil. When you are impatient, we are now lacking of self-control. And so the concept now in some ways, if you and I now desire to cultivate patience, in part one way to do that is let's love more. Let's look at self-control more. Let's look at goodness more. Look at these other elements. As you and I grow in any area of these nine, we will actually begin to ripple out and grow in all of them. But here's what I love, what Paul does in Galatians chapter 5, of the fruit of the Spirit. The imagery that he's using there is a very interesting imagery. He could have said there are now nine dimensions of the Spirit. He didn't. He said fruit. Well, what is it about fruit that is so easy for us to begin to recognize? I think it's simply this, that fruit is in and of itself a byproduct. So we have these mandarin trees. Whenever we moved to California three years ago, I've never grown fruit in my entire life. I'm still not growing fruit. My wife is growing the fruit. But we have these mandarin trees that are now out there. First year we got here, right, we're new to California. We didn't know anything. And so sure enough, these trees begin to produce this fruit. It's all there. It's great, wonderful thing. Well, well. the next year comes along, everything's great. Well, last year, the tree wasn't producing fruit. Like there was nothing that was there. Well, what was our focus in that moment? Our focus in that moment was not, oh my goodness, we need more fruit. Let's produce more fruit. No, no, no. It's all right. Something's wrong with the tree. Something's wrong with the soil. You and I cannot force fruit. What can we do? We can put a tree that produces that type of fruit. and cultivate the soil that is around it. And if we can get the climate right, if we can get the right seed into the right culture and dirt and those kinds of things, give it the nutrients and the resources and the water and the sunlight, give it everything that it needs, then it begins to actually produce the fruit. Here's the problem for you and I whenever it comes to an issue like patience is we go, all right, I need more patience. And then we pursue after patience. pursuing after patience is in no way going to make you more patient. As a matter of fact, I think it will make you more impatient. You'll get frustrated with yourself at your own inability to grow patience. The concept, I think the image that Paul gives us this idea of fruit is that these are byproducts that we can now see that the only way for Jenny and I to know is this tree healthy or not is to look at the actual fruit that it is producing. The fruit now shows us whether or not the tree and the soil around it are actually in a healthy kind of nature. But we can't fixate on the fruit itself. The fruit is a byproduct of what's going on with the tree. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's the fruit. We can use those to evaluate our lives and begin to ask the question of, okay, how much is the Spirit truly leading me? For if God's presence is indwelling us, if we are now fixated with a focus on who God is and what he's all about, and we are not instead being run by what's going on in the circumstances around us, our own sinfulness that is within us, if God's spirit is growing within us, then these fruit will very naturally grow. Notice it's not only in our own individual lives, but also in our corporate communities, in our families, in our churches. I've always wanted to write a book on this. I haven't got there yet. Hopefully I'll get there eventually. But if I were to look at what is a family that is truly honoring God, what characterizes them? So whenever I think about me and Jenny and Ella and Silas, if the Spirit is leading us, if we are following after God, what should be the characteristics of our family? It should be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. that if we are living now in the fruit of God's Spirit, those are the things that are now going to define us. It's the same thing for a church. The fruit of the Spirit, we tend to think about the fruit of the Spirit primarily as an individual characteristic, but notice that. That's a secondary interpretation of the text. Almost in all cases in the New Testament, Whenever a command is given, that command is not given first and foremost to the individual. It's given first and foremost to the community. And then we can make a primary, secondary interpretation that also applies to us. And so will the Hills Church in 2025 be defined now by this fruit of the Spirit? And I think, and maybe it's oversimplification, I don't think it is. I think as you and I are living out the great commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself, as we're living out the great commandment as a church and we're pursuing after the great commission to go into all areas of the world, making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as you and I are living the great commandment and pursuing the great commission, the byproduct of that should be great character. And when you and I as a church community lack the character of God, it causes me to really wonder, are we living out the commandment of God to truly love him and the mission of God, or are we all making it about ourselves? And so the fruit now is one thing with these nine different pictures of it. And yeah, you have asked me to talk about patience today. And so let's talk very specifically now about patience. So Webster's dictionary is going to describe patience as bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, without, get this, complaint, loss of temper, or irritation. The Strong's Greek concordance is going to remind us that this idea of patience can rightly be translated as fortitude or forbearance. that it is kind of the mean between despondency and rage. So it's the middle ground between being overwhelmed in a negative way by our emotions or actually being emotionless. Instead, it's this ability to feel and to understand and yet to act and to apply in a proper way. Matter of fact, I would describe patience and define patience within the fruit of the spirit as a whole now as a loving restraint that that love now compels us so without love we would live in an unrestrained way and so we would fire back we would fight back we'd be irritated and agitated and frustrated and maybe act out in a kind of rage, and yet love now kind of brings us in. It's very easy to say that the book of James now is the New Testament combination of the book of Proverbs and Jesus'words on the Sermon on the Mount. So there's going to be this very practical application of what's going on. And you can say in some ways that patient now is related to the beatitude of blessed are the meek. What is this concept of meekness? Meekness now is this strength. It's this power that is now under control. So it's not a weakness. It's not a lack of energy. It's not a lack of effort. But at the same time, it is not an unrestrained agitation or frustration or overwhelming strength. Instead, it is now a properly applied concept. So Webster's is going to say it's the ability to experience misfortune without frustration or anger. I'm going to say it's this loving restraint. One little girl said, patience is what mama has when there's too many witnesses. But we have this concept now of feeling, of recognizing, not living in denial now of the frustrations and the annoyances of this world, but now being ruled by something other than our actual present circumstances. And so in the book of James, this book now written by Jesus'half-brother, to this group of primarily of Jewish Christians who are suffering in many ways, persecution, who are living in a very difficult culture where they had very little say or power now. Under the power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, James writes to them, and he's going to encourage them now to have patience. And in order to develop that patience, he's going to point out three different role models that they need to have. Now, one is that of now the prophets. And so the prophets are a role model in that, even as they were suffering. They kept on going about doing what it is that God had told them to do, even though they weren't experiencing the outcome that they thought that they desired. I can only imagine what it was like to be called as a prophet. I haven't felt that call within my life. I felt a call to preach, no question. But imagine if whenever I was feeling a call to preach, whenever I was in junior high, if God had given me a call similar to that of Isaiah, okay, Kevin, I want you to spend the rest of your life preaching to a group of people, the very words of God, knowing that that nobody would ever respond. Well, I probably would have said, no thanks. I'll become a banker. Like, why would I want to do that? And yet the prophets, many of them, were compelled to speak the words of God, knowing that they would experience extreme opposition to that. And James now says, look to the prophet about what your life is supposed to be. Do what is right, no matter the outcome or the circumstances in response to you. Have a higher calling than just the situation that is around you. And then he says, look at Job. Job, who also suffered in unimaginable, unbearable ways. And yet he had this ability to endure. in the midst of the hardship. So we have the prophets, this idea of perseverance. We have Job, this idea of endurance. But then the text begins with this very kind of surprising concept in verse number 7. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land. And so what James says is if you're looking now for a role model in life, look to that of the farmer. What our culture very easily kind of overlooks, what that culture, they probably would have overlooked it in that culture because everybody was probably a farmer to some extent. And yet James says, no, this begins to show you the path of how to experience a patience that you're going to now appreciate. Well, what is it about the farmer? Well, let's just take the next 14 minutes and 39 seconds to make some general reflections of. all right, what is it about the farmer that we can begin to emulate in some way? So reflection number one. One thing that a farmer has this ability to do is to live in the proper season. So a farmer is always going to live in the proper season. In a far too overly simplistic way, you think about the life of a farmer, there are at least four very distinct seasons in the same way that we have. seasons as well. They have to plant, they have to grow, they have to harvest, and then there is this time of rest. Now, plant, grow, harvest, and rest. All of those describe different skills. They require different abilities and skills from us. My guess is that there are some seasons that are more fun than others. Again, not a farming expert here, but I would think the harvest season is a lot of fun, especially if you have a great crop. Now you're seeing the fruit of all your labor, and now you get the opportunity to harvest all that in. You now know that you're going to go and sell that, and so maybe your resources have been depleted in some way, but now you're going to have some things, and you need to make some trades. You can make some trades. You're going to have some money that is about you. My guess is that the harvest season is a whole lot of fun. But if all you can do is harvest and you don't have the ability to plant or the perseverance to grow, or for some, if you're never able to rest, because even as you rest, the land is resting as well. But if you don't have that ability, then as the seasons begin to go by, then your own physical ability is going to begin to slowly deteriorate to where you're not going to be able to engage your own personal resources. in a way that you actually need to. There is a metaphorical reality, I think, for all of us, that an aspect of patience is an embracing of the season that we're actually in. I wonder today, what is your season? We can look at what is your season just within the year. That January plays a very important part. So we just obviously finished up Christmas and all those things, but in those few days there at the end of the year, Jenny owns her own advertising company, and so she's wrapping up all her financials. And at that time, I always take just a couple of days in which I'm looking at kind of our own personal financials. This is a moment which I want to make sure that we're giving to the church in proper ways, that we're saving in proper ways. This is just a week I take every single year to... to dive into our own finances a whole lot more. I don't want to be thinking about money all the time, but this is a season where I say, all right, we got to make some choices here. Let's make sure that we're doing right. If I lived every week this same way I lived this last week, it would be foolishness, but I have to live it in just the right way in this moment. January is a time to kind of pursue after new things, to make new skills. I don't know about you. Some people are anti-resolutions. I think any of you that have made resolutions, I think that's a beautiful thing. I'm praying that you can maintain them, that you can hold on to them. How could it ever be bad to make plans to be better, to do greater things? That's a beautiful thing. But January is different than June. It's different than December. A year has a rhythm to it. Our weeks are supposed to have rhythms to it. This is a season. Today is a season in which you're supposed to be in church. And I applaud you for doing that. For those who might be watching online, there's a pattern that we're supposed to live in. But beyond that, what's your general season of life right now? I remember when we first moved here three years ago, I was new, and so I was going to speak to all these different groups to kind of introduce myself. And the Mops group, the mothers of preschoolers, asked me to come speak to them. I'm like, oh, absolutely. I got two kids. I know exactly what y'all are going through. I'll show them to speak, not a problem. And I remember walking over and thinking to myself, like, these are my people, right? And I walk in, and it just hit me. No, these were my people 10 years ago. But I mean, now my kids are 19 and 16. So three years ago, they were 16 and 13. Yes, the guy from Arkansas can do a little math. But the idea of a season had passed, I didn't even know it until it was just confronted right in front of my face. Our seasons change very quickly and sometimes we don't even recognize it. I wonder, what is 2025 to you in comparison to five years ago, to 10 years ago? 70 is not 62. It's not. There's a lot in common, but there's a lot of things that need to begin to change as the seasons progress. There's a huge difference. On my time hop this morning was a picture from eight years ago. Think about it. Eight years ago, when I had now an 11-year-old, right, and an 8-year-old, these tiny little pictures. They're in radically different places now. If I parent them today the same way I did eight years ago, that would be sheer foolishness. And yet what happens is the seasons change on us so subtly that sometimes we don't recognize it. And when you and I are trying to live in a season that no longer exists, then we are actually living outside the design of God. And for some in a congregation of this size, you're actually living in a season in which you're supposed to be empowering the next generation of leaders. But you still think you're living in a season where you're supposed to be the leader. It's a national phenomenon right now, actually, with the whole boomer generation. I mean, I'm not getting political at all, but just look at our last political election. Two people were running of an age that literally they should be empowering the next generation of leadership, but instead they were... holding on to it. It's a failure to see what season they're in. Have you ever been in the mall? Remember when we used to have malls? Have you ever been in the mall and you just see this little girl who's just not dressed for her age, the makeup's on a little too soon, the skirt is a little bit too short for the age in which she's in? Have you ever seen that and just thought to yourself, all right, there's a time for that later. but not yet. It's just not right. That's what it is when you and I do not live in our proper season. And it's very easy. The farmer cannot exist unless he knows very specifically, this is the season to plant. And so I have to be all about the planting. I have to be all about cultivating the soil, making sure it has all the resources that literally this is going to set the direction for everything else that is going to take place. But if the months pass, And now it's time for harvesting, and the farmer's still thinking about planting. All his work is going to be useless. What is your season today? And an aspect of patience is recognizing, here's what today holds. Here's what God has given me. How can I now steward this to the absolute best of my ability? At 47, I am in a far different season than I was at 27, and a far different season than I will be if God grants me 67. So what does God need from me today? What does my family need from me? What does my church need from me? I was always the youngest guy on staff until I came here. My employee, the people that worked for me were always older. And I came to Bayside not recognizing seasons had changed. And now it is my call many times with what our staff is. Colton was here last week. Colton, one of our great, I mean, just great staff guys, great preacher, going to be a tremendous pastor. one day as a lead pastor. He's a great student pastor right now. My job with Colton and others in part is just to be a friend who's been down the road a little bit further than he has. And how can I give him opportunities? How can I help him? How can I assist him? How can I encourage him? But he's in the season where he really needs to lead. And I have the ability, I could either see him as a competition, which that would be foolishness because he would win, but I could see him as competition. Or I can see, hey, I'm a little bit, I'm an older brother here. How can I assist him? I wonder, who is it that God is placing in your life that you're just a couple more steps down the road than them? And you're looking at them thinking y'all are peers, you're not peers. You actually could be a mentor to them. Where are you now? Are you preparing for your next season? What about your next season of marriage? So this Friday, Silas takes his driver's test. And assuming he has a very kind instructor, he will get his driver's license. Well, the moment your youngest gets their driver's license, You are empty nesters. Now you're not, they're still there, but they're not. They are, but they're not. And if you don't prepare, your marriage is different when the primary focus now is the two of you and the kids are kind of around out there somewhere. That's different than whenever the kids are little and they're running your whole schedule. But if you don't prepare for what is the next season, you might be squandering the skills in that moment. which is why y'all need to come see me at the Bible conference. I think it's on Tuesday night is where we're going to go. All right, just reflection number two. A farmer has to have faith in the unseen. Faith in the unseen. So they can't be driven by whatever they see in the moment. They have to have this faith. Imagine they plant the seed, and they come the next morning, and they look, and there's no growth whatsoever. They can't now just looking by the eye going, well, I guess it didn't work. I'm going to dig that up. If every single day they planted a seed, woke up the next morning, saw no growth whatsoever, and then dug it back up, they would spend their entire lives just repeating the same circumstance over and over and over again with no growth or fruit whatsoever. It'd be absolute foolishness. And yet that's the very thing me and you often do. So we'll start something new. All right, we're going to eat better. this coming year. Okay, so man, January 1st. No, no, no, that's not gonna work. January 2nd, we eat better. We wake up January 3rd, look at the scale. It's no lower. All right, that didn't work. We're gonna start working out. All right, January 2nd, man, we're pumping iron, we're running, we're walking, we're doing whatever. On the 3rd, we don't necessarily feel any better. All right, that didn't work. And we live in this constant state of judging things. by how we feel in the moment or how things appear in the moments. Not understanding that growth often takes time, energy, efforts. I wonder what would it look like if you created a habit this year, just reading a chapter a day of scripture, and make no judgment over whether or not that is working or not until a year from now. Is there anybody in the room that questions or doubts whether or not if they did that, their lives would be better? Nobody. And yet you and I don't have faith in the unseen. If we don't see the immediate results, I've always said, I don't think weight would be a problem for anybody. If the moment you ate a hot dog, you immediately just gained 10 pounds. But it doesn't work that way. And the fact that we can't immediately see it lulls us into these bad actions and behaviors. What James is telling the people now is, look, your circumstances around you, I get it, they're struggling, but you need to now have faith in the unseen, that God is on the move, that he's up to something, that he's at work. And whenever you have faith that God's at work, it empowers you now to stay in it, to stick with it, to keep on obeying, to keep on doing what you're supposed to do, because you have this tremendous faith now that God is gonna be faithful in the midst of the process. The farmer has faith in the unseen. You and I need to do the same, to believe that God's kingdom is on the move, not only around the world, around the globe. God's kingdom is on the move right here in Eldorado Hills. If nothing else, the kingdoms of the world are actually moving to Eldorado Hills so that you can give them the kingdom of God. If you will stay faithful in the midst of all the chaos that's going on in culture, in society, in the uncertainty, that's going on, maybe even within your own self. If you will just stay faithful and trust the unseen, you will never regret it. You know, as a pastor, I've never had somebody come into my office and tell me about a time in which they obeyed God and they now regret it. Never had that time. So what is it about the farmer? Well, the farmer now knows the seasons. He has faith in the unseen. The farmer must also thirdly accept what he does not control. He has to accept it. And so here the text says, watch the farmer as he patiently waits for the autumn and spring rains. The farmer knows having planted the seed that now I need some rain to now cultivate this crop. Without the rain, this is never going to grow. And yet the farmer can't control the rains. He has to just accept that's out of my control. And so much of our impatience is an unwillingness to accept the things that we do not control. So whenever we have frustration, agitation, fits of anger, a very fair question to ask in those moments would be, What is it that I'm not accepting right now that is actually outside of my control? And the other side of that very same coin, what could be our reflection number four, even as the farmer accepts what he doesn't control, he must also fully possess what he does control. I love this idea here. Notice how the farmer waits for the rains. You and I hear that and we can get this picture of, okay, then what that means is he's just kind of kicking back going, all right. Let's see what happens. But you and I both know this is not how a farmer lives. A farmer oftentimes are the most hard-working people that we possibly know. So now you have this wedding together of extremely hard work with this great patience and understanding of the things that we do not actually control. I think that becomes a beautiful picture of what the Christian life is actually supposed to be. For you and I, if we're waiting on God, if we're waiting on God to act, we're waiting on God to change a circumstance that you and I do not control, if we're waiting on him, waiting is not this passive, apathetic approach to life. Waiting is this extremely aggressive activity. Now, with what we do actually control, my own attitude, my own inputs, my own work, my own effort, where I place myself, all those things. And the farmer has this tremendous ability to recognize, what is it that I actually do control? All right, I'm gonna work my heart out to those things while accepting that in the end, the results are actually up to God and I'm gonna have a full trust in him. If you and I want more patience this year, we can't just pursue after patience. That's not gonna work. What you and I have to do is see that as a byproduct of what we desire and the byproduct will be a proof now that we have positioned ourself in the right culture and climate, and we have cultivated the right soil around us so that patience, along with all the other attributes, are actually growing within us. But I want to conclude with this very final thought whenever it comes to patience. You and I so often think about this idea of patience, and we're not very careful. It just makes us feel immediately guilty. I have no right to preach this sermon whatsoever. If the only thing that would give me authority to preach is that I possess what I'm talking about today. Because I don't. I mean, I do in some ways. I'm very impatient with injustice when it's to my benefit. I'm very impatient with my own sin. I'm very impatient with my own faults. I'm very impatient with my own struggles. I'm very patient about some things I should be impatient about. But notice the big picture with this. Patience more than anything. is actually a characteristic of God himself. God is patient towards you, toward us. And I recognize his patience is not absence. The fact that he has withheld judgment from this world at this time has caused some to conclude that God doesn't exist. That's a foolish conclusion. But his patience is also not apathy. It's not that God doesn't care. He very much does care. It's that as we see in the Old Testament, as he's proven in the New Testament, God does have this very long-suffering nature for his people. He's patient towards you, even in the midst of your own impatience. And so here we are again on another Sunday, after a week in which you've screwed it up in some way. You have, I know, because you're just as messed up as I am. And yet God has welcomed you into this place, once again wanted to communicate his love for you and to you, to invite you into a way of life and say, hey Kevin, this is a far better way to live than the impatient way that you are living. So recognize your season, Kevin. This could be a season to repent. Have faith now in the unseen. Don't judge your life by all the immediate circumstances. Accept those things that actually do belong to him or belong to others and trust that he will work those out. And then take firm possession of what you actually do control. And give all your effort to those things. All the while living in appreciation of the love of God. loving kindness that God has shown to you through his son, Jesus. And as you and I live in that very specific soil, the fruit of patience will begin to grow. Would you bow your heads in prayer with me? I want to point out something to those who are in the room that maybe do not believe in Jesus at this moment. Every head bowed, every eye closed. My guess is a message on patience isn't... Isn't something anybody would object to. It takes somebody who doesn't even know Jesus and they would say, yeah, man, I want to be more patient. But let me ask you this, why? Why would you want to be more patient if you don't know God? Is it possible it's because that there is an echo, an imprint planted upon you, that when God himself created you, he gave you this desire to recognize that patience is actually good? Because apart from God, it's not. The only reason it is good is because it is of God. So I wonder today that even as you might hear and listen and think, yeah, I would like to be more patient, if maybe God isn't inviting you into something even greater than just patience, but it's actually a relationship with Him. And in His kindness, He has waited for you to come to this place. If that's you today, then as you leave this place, there are some kind volunteers out in the foyer who'd love to speak with you, talk with you. You can just ask them, what does this even mean? But for the rest of us who are in the room at this moment who have followed Jesus, I don't think there's anybody who doubts that patience would make our year better. Well, guess what? This could be the year. Don't pursue after it. Pursue after him. Be indwelt by his spirit. Begin to cultivate that relationship, that mindset, that understanding, and just sit back and wait. Patience will begin to grow. Most gracious Heavenly Father, it is in part overwhelming, the kindness that you have shown to us, the long-suffering nature that you have. And yet, whenever we look at your patient nature, there's none of us in this room that think to ourselves, oh man, that's a drag. Instead, we know that's such a better way to live. What would it be like if this year the news didn't agitate me? It might cause me to mourn, but it didn't irritate. What if I had compassion and grace on... my co-workers, on people in culture, my neighbors who don't know you and are showing that they don't know you. What if you gave me a loving restraint so that my tongue didn't say things that I would later regret, so that my agitation didn't rule me, but instead I was able to live in a continual understanding and reflection to who you are. Father, my life would be better. Our lives would be better. Empower that to happen in us today. It's in Jesus'name that we pray. Amen. Let's give it up for Pastor Kevin. Yes. Thank you. Such a great reminder. Hey, French, as we get ready to dismiss, just a reminder for you, we're gonna continue in this series next week. We'll unpack, continue to unpack the fruit of the spirit. Pastor Michael Metcalf will be here. You don't wanna miss. that. In addition to that, make sure you stop by our groups area and register for the Bible Conference. Get information on joining a group which kicks off later this month. Don't leave here without stopping by there. talk to some of our awesome volunteers. It's going to be a great year as we kick off through this sermon series and our groups and the Bible conference that's coming. Hey, with that said, why don't you go ahead and stand with me? I'll pray a blessing over you as we dismiss. And then you guys can have a great rest of your Sunday. If you feel comfortable, you can hold your hands open like this. We close. This is how we close each and every week here at Hills Church. I'm going to pray a blessing, which comes out of Scripture. May the Lord bless you. May he keep you and may he cause his face to shine upon you. And may he give you peace. I pray this in Jesus'name. And everybody said, amen. All right, guys, God bless you. I'll see you out in the lobby. Happy Sunday.

Turn to see the most high God and the most high God's for me. I'm the child of the most hard God and the most hard God for me. It's who I am. Oh, here's your board of hills church. Happy New Year.

Let me invite you to stand. Let's start off this year in worship. Would you put your hands together with me? Sing.

Place you hide this weary soul. This vagabond is, come on, I've tried to throw my money, but I just can't win the fight, I'm slowly drifting, a vagabond Just an hour and an hour, I admit I didn't know, you told me that I was gonna go I've got no choice but to believe I've got no choice but to believe 3, 2, 1 We're going to teach you a new song this morning, but I just wanted to encourage you quickly, because I know it's a new year. You probably walked in with some New Year's resolutions, some things you want to accomplish and do this year.

I think God's going to bless you in all those things. but I also want to remind you that the feet of Jesus is an equal playing field it's level and there's nothing you can do there's nothing you can accomplish or achieve to make you any more worthy of the grace of Jesus and you already are as yourself stand right now. It is only because of his life, his death, his resurrection that we're worthy to be in relationship with him.

It was his blood that paid the price. So that's kind of the heart of this song. We're going to sing it. I'm going to sing this chorus so you can kind of catch on. We'll jump in once again.

Hallelujah, I know it wasn't love, could've only been love Hallelujah, I know it wasn't love, could've only been love Come on, let's not get loose Let's sing this together Everything changed. It's getting harder to recognize the person I was before I encountered Christ. I don't walk like I used to. I don't talk like I used to. I've been washed from...

I've been washed from the inside Hallelujah Hallelujah I know it wasn't I Couldn't only be the light Hallelujah Hallelujah I know it wasn't I Couldn't only be the light I cannot explain, but nothing's more real than this The presence of God, oh what my heart experiences I'm ashamed, hit the wayside, but with my sin I can go aside. I've been washed from the inside, I've been washed from the inside. And hallelujah, hallelujah, I know it was a plan, couldn't for me bring the doubt, and hallelujah. Oh Hey, it's only wild love, it's everywhere I look Friends, let's go to prayer right now. Father God, Lord, thank you so much for all that you've done on the cross for us to have relationship with you.

We come here in this space right now with our arms wide open, our arms high, our arms and our hands turned over just in surrender to you right now. Lord, as we reflect on all that you have done, your grace, your mercy. We just can't help but praise for your goodness in our lives. So we come here today to praise your goodness.

Help us move through this moment as we reflect on the cross here in a moment. So we prepare to take communion together, bless these elements and what they represent. We love you. We praise you.

We worship you. We ask all this in Jesus'mighty name. And everybody said, Amen. Hey friends, let's give it up for our team.

So good. I want to invite you to take out your communion cups. You can grab a seat.

If you've been coming around hills, you know that each and every week we dedicate a time to remember the cross. Through the partaking. of taking communion and what the cracker and the juice represent. Sometimes we do that at the end of our message, at the end of our sermon, but lately we've been doing it right in the middle of our worship time.

And I think that is a great time to do this because it's the continuation as we've just worshiped God and our hearts are prepared. We get to go into this space now, and I'm going to give you a moment as you hold onto this cup to reflect on the cross and what that represents. As Jesus went to the cross, he died. And three days later, he rose again. He defeated death, right?

He defeated evil. All so that we can have a new life and we can have access so that we can. experience his grace, his mercy, and experience second and third and tenth and hundredth chances in our lives so that we could be transformed and redeemed. That's what the cross represents. And so I want to give you an opportunity.

We're going to give you a minute to take the cracker and the cup as you feel pleased, but go to the Lord. Spend a moment to sit with him right now, to reflect. to praise him, to come to him, to lay down any hurts or burdens that you're carrying.

And then you can take the elements as you feel led. But let me leave you with this. Luke 22. Jesus gathered with his disciples and he took the bread and he had given thanks.

He broke it and he gave it to them. I'm saying this is my body which is given for you. That's what the cracker represents is his body And then, likewise, he took the cup, and after they ate, he said, this cup is poured out for you and is the new covenant in my blood.

And so the juice represents his blood that is poured out for us. So friends, go ahead and reflect on that. Sit with the Lord for a moment. And then we're going to go back into worship and sing loudly and praise him, his goodness, the goodness of God.

So I'll let you guys do that now. If you guys would join us on your feet when you're done with this, we're partaking, and we're going to continue to respond to the Lord through this song. Oh, your mercy never failed me, and all my days I've been held in your hand.

From the moment that I wake up, until I lay in bed, oh I will sing of the goodness of God. And all my life you have been faithful. And all my life you have been so, so good With every breath that I have made I will You are the strength of the goodness of God. You are the grace. You have lit within fire.

In darkest times You are close like no other I know You as Father I know You as a friend And I have faith In the goodness of God So, so good, with every breath that I have. And all my life you have been faithful And all my life you have been so, so good With every breath that I am in I'll say, I'm a girl who needs a ride And all my life you is We are God, we love you. Thank you for your goodness. Thank you that you don't turn your back to us, but you come chasing after us. You pursue our hearts until we are captivated by you.

Help us to remain captivated by you, our good, our great King. I sing in Jesus'name. Amen.

He's good. Well, before we sit down, go ahead and greet one another and say good morning. Good morning church. Happy New Year and thank you for worshiping with us today.

Whether this is your first time or you've been here for years, we are so glad you're here. I'm Josh and this is Kate. And if you're new, we want to give you a special welcome.

After the service, visit our new church. new to Hills area in the lobby or a welcome tent outside. We've got a gift for you and some friendly faces to answer any questions.

So do not leave today without saying hello. Also, we encourage you to stick six. Join us for the next six Sundays as we kick off a new series, this could be the year.

Prioritizing worship will help you grow in your faith and you will also be able to learn so much about who we are as a church. So stick six for the next six weeks. Speaking of committing for six weeks, we've got some exciting news. Our groups are launching at the end of January and we want you to be a part of it.

We're creating spaces for all stages of life. Whether you're looking to grow in your faith, build some friendships, or find community, there is a place for you. More details are coming soon, but if you're curious, visit our website or stop by the groups area in the lobby right after service.

Our team would love to connect with you. Along with groups, we have another exciting opportunity for a live Bible conference and partnership with Bayside Church starting January 19th. It's a chance to dive deeper into God's word and get refreshed for the year ahead. Best part? It's free to register.

If it's free, it's for me. Awesome. Ready to grow spiritually in 2025? Go on our website to sign up now or meet us in the lobby.

We'll see you soon. Now we come to a moment where we worship God with our finances. When we give, we're not just meeting needs.

We're writing stories of life change and transformation. Your generosity helps provide hope and community, and it's making a real impact. As you give, know that your gift is part of something eternal. Thank you for being a vital part of our mission. Giving today is so easy.

You can tap your phone on the disc in front of you or give online or in person using an envelope. However you give, know that your generosity is making a true difference. I'm excited to introduce today's guest speaker, Pastor Kevin Thompson, family and marriage pastor at Bayside Church.

We're kicking off a brand new series, This Could Be the Year, focusing on Galatians 5 and the fruits of the Spirit. So please join me. and giving a warm Hills Church welcome to Pastor Kevin Thompson. Hey, everybody. Thank you so much.

Great to see you today. If you have your Bibles, hopefully you do. We're going to be in James chapter 5, and so you can turn there.

Look up on your phones. If not, the text should be on the screen in just a little bit. Happy New Year to you. Great to see you. My wife, daughter, and mom are here today, joining us today.

My daughter's about to go back to college, so they've come to the 9 o'clock service, so I am actually married. I know sometimes whenever I show up as the married life pastor without my wife, it seems like I've been catfished in some way, but the relationship does actually... uh actually exists i'm looking forward to the bible conference that we have going on in two weeks i'll be here i don't know when i i think it's probably tuesday night during one of the nights i'm going to do a breakout session uh on marriage and so great way to kind of kick off your year i know many people uh, have, have new year's resolutions of a couple of things of being more in God's word, knowing God more, uh, which is a great thing to value, but then also marriage and family and relationships.

So love for you to catch that breakout whenever I'm here. I would love to see you at that point as well. I was in conversation with an older gentleman a couple of weeks ago, and he made an observant comment that whenever he first made it, I agreed with. And he said, as I look at my grandkids, I just worry that they don't have the role models in society that you had or I had when we were growing up.

And I thought that's a very fair assumption. You begin to look around at what's going on in entertainment, in politics, even with religion on television in various places. within sports.

Who is it that you actually want your kids to follow? And I began to reflect back on my own childhood and who were the role models of our time of my dad. I'm a kid of the 80s.

And so the top musician of the day was Michael Jackson. Okay, that didn't work out so well. But I had other people I could turn to and look at.

The very first video game I had was Mike Tyson. Okay. No. My governor, who became president, was Bill Clinton.

Okay. That didn't work out so well. Well, my favorite sportscaster of the day, O.J. Simpson. Okay.

Okay, maybe my kids'role models aren't that bad in comparison. But we have to be very careful about who we model our lives after. Because as we begin to model after people, it could be that we're modeling after people that get out.

that we actually don't desire. And while we might look at them as far as money or fame or popularity, some aspect of their life, whenever we look at the totality of what's going on and where that pathway actually leads to, it may not be something that we desire. We're going to look at the book of James today, where he's actually going to give us three...

role models. And they're models that you and I would actually not think about. And what I think is a very Jesus-y kind of thing, where we live in a world that it should be flipped upside down, where you and I should literally be modeling our lives after people that maybe our culture and society would overlook, that we can find values in these specific people and ways that can begin to help transform our lives.

So we're going to be on James. Chapter 5 today. Hey, seriously, if you're looking at reading God's Word more this year, a great way to go about it would be take a book like the book of James, five chapters, and just whenever you get home today, read the whole thing, 15 minutes max, 15 minutes.

And then tomorrow, take a good study Bible, read chapter 1. After you read chapter 1, go in and read all the study notes, and then reread chapter 1, max 15 minutes. On Tuesday, do chapter 2. Wednesday, chapter 3. Thursday, chapter 4. Friday, chapter 5. On Saturday, just reread the book of James, 15 minutes. And I assure you that by Saturday, you will have a much deeper concept of what this book is all about.

It's a great way to get in the habit of reading God's Word in a very simple kind of concept, one chapter a day, but in a way that will help you with the whole context of what's going on. We're going to be James chapter 5. I'm going to start reading in verse number 7. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

You too, be patient, stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The judge is standing at the door. Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets.

who spoke in the name of the Lord. And as you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.

The Lord is full of compassion. and mercy. So we're kicking off this whole three-week series here at the Hills and then also at our Bayside locations. This could be the year. The concept is that what if this was a year of meaningful transformation?

What if this was the year that some of the things that we desire, that we pursue after, that we want actually begin to define us in some way? And so during our Christmas services, and I heard y'all had wonderful Christmas services. with Pastor Ray. I was over at Granite Bay 12 different times with 30,000 of our closest friends to celebrate Christmas. And during those services, we put out a survey where you could text in of all the fruit of the Spirit, which ones are most important?

Which ones do you desire the most? So Galatians chapter 5, verse number 22 says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. and self-control.

And so across all the campuses, thousands of people voted of what would be the primary concepts. And over these three weeks, we're going to look at what were the top three vote getters. And so in two weeks, Pastor Kurt Harlow is going to be here the weekend of the Bible conference, and he's going to be talking about self-control.

And in two, next week, Pastor Michael Metcalf is going to be back with you here at the Hills. He's going to be talking about peace. But today, I'm going to talk about this idea. of patience. And what I find interesting, somewhat unique, I don't know how to interpret it exactly, across all the locations of all the people that voted, the number one vote getter, not surprising at all, was the idea of self-control.

Clearly, as we kick in to January, as we kick in New Year's resolutions, you and I generally want to have more self-control. We want to have self-control to stop eating some of the things we have been eating over these last few months, to start working out in ways that maybe we haven't. Maybe we want to dive into marriage, the family, whatever it is. We desire more self-control.

Does not surprise me at all. Here's what's interesting to me. Patience was the number two pick across the board. Also not surprising because in many ways, those two are so interrelated. The idea of self-control and patience.

If I have patience, chances are I do have self-control. If I have self-control, it will oftentimes express itself. And that's patience. Those are very interrelated words.

Here's what surprises me. You are the only congregation that pick patience as number one. It intrigues me.

I don't have any interpretation about that. Maybe it's the idea in a pastoral transition of what's going on. I don't know. But this is what you ask for the most. And so, if you don't like it, it's your own fault.

This is what you've asked me. to talk about. So what is this idea of patience? Let's first think about the concept of the fruit of the Spirit.

So here I have this idea. Notice this. It is not the fruits of the Spirit, right? It is singular. So the idea is the Spirit now produces one basic fruit.

And that fruit now has these nine different dimensions or elements. There's various ways to look at it. And so it's not the idea of, oh, you know what?

I do pretty well on love. I'm pretty good about peace, but I don't have patience. No, they are so interrelated to such an extent that you can actually begin to see how one then leads to the other. So if you and I have love, if we truly do have love, that concept of love that will produce within us now an internal kind of delight, no matter what the circumstances are, that will exude a joy. And when you and I are possessed by joy, that causes a settled spirit within us that then leads this concept of peace.

And as you and I have peace, it enables us to exude now a patience to other people, to other things, to other situations and circumstances. Love, joy, peace, patience. Whenever we are patient, that causes us to be much more kind to other people.

It's impatience that causes the agitation or the frustration. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. Kindness is actually a concept now of goodness that exudes a faithfulness to God that then presents itself as a kind of gentleness. And if you have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness, then you actually do possess self-control. So it's not a concept of, as I look at this nine, it's a buffet, and well, I'm going to dip a little bit of that in my bucket and dip a little bit of that into my bucket, and okay, I'm good.

I got three of the nine. I'm good to go. No, no, no.

They are all interrelated as one thing. And so for you and I, even as we look at this concept of patience, we need to begin to recognize that whenever you and I are impatient, we are actually unloving. When we are impatient, We're unfaithful. When we are impatient, we lack joy and peace. Whenever we are impatient, we are not exuding a goodness.

We're actually leaning toward an evil. When you are impatient, we are now lacking of self-control. And so the concept now in some ways, if you and I now desire to cultivate patience, in part one way to do that is let's love more. Let's look at self-control more. Let's look at goodness more.

Look at these other elements. As you and I grow in any area of these nine, we will actually begin to ripple out and grow in all of them. But here's what I love, what Paul does in Galatians chapter 5, of the fruit of the Spirit. The imagery that he's using there is a very interesting imagery. He could have said there are now nine dimensions of the Spirit.

He didn't. He said fruit. Well, what is it about fruit that is so easy for us to begin to recognize?

I think it's simply this, that fruit is in and of itself a byproduct. So we have these mandarin trees. Whenever we moved to California three years ago, I've never grown fruit in my entire life.

I'm still not growing fruit. My wife is growing the fruit. But we have these mandarin trees that are now out there. First year we got here, right, we're new to California. We didn't know anything.

And so sure enough, these trees begin to produce this fruit. It's all there. It's great, wonderful thing. Well, well. the next year comes along, everything's great.

Well, last year, the tree wasn't producing fruit. Like there was nothing that was there. Well, what was our focus in that moment?

Our focus in that moment was not, oh my goodness, we need more fruit. Let's produce more fruit. No, no, no. It's all right.

Something's wrong with the tree. Something's wrong with the soil. You and I cannot force fruit. What can we do?

We can put a tree that produces that type of fruit. and cultivate the soil that is around it. And if we can get the climate right, if we can get the right seed into the right culture and dirt and those kinds of things, give it the nutrients and the resources and the water and the sunlight, give it everything that it needs, then it begins to actually produce the fruit.

Here's the problem for you and I whenever it comes to an issue like patience is we go, all right, I need more patience. And then we pursue after patience. pursuing after patience is in no way going to make you more patient. As a matter of fact, I think it will make you more impatient.

You'll get frustrated with yourself at your own inability to grow patience. The concept, I think the image that Paul gives us this idea of fruit is that these are byproducts that we can now see that the only way for Jenny and I to know is this tree healthy or not is to look at the actual fruit that it is producing. The fruit now shows us whether or not the tree and the soil around it are actually in a healthy kind of nature.

But we can't fixate on the fruit itself. The fruit is a byproduct of what's going on with the tree. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's the fruit. We can use those to evaluate our lives and begin to ask the question of, okay, how much is the Spirit truly leading me?

For if God's presence is indwelling us, if we are now fixated with a focus on who God is and what he's all about, and we are not instead being run by what's going on in the circumstances around us, our own sinfulness that is within us, if God's spirit is growing within us, then these fruit will very naturally grow. Notice it's not only in our own individual lives, but also in our corporate communities, in our families, in our churches. I've always wanted to write a book on this. I haven't got there yet.

Hopefully I'll get there eventually. But if I were to look at what is a family that is truly honoring God, what characterizes them? So whenever I think about me and Jenny and Ella and Silas, if the Spirit is leading us, if we are following after God, what should be the characteristics of our family? It should be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

that if we are living now in the fruit of God's Spirit, those are the things that are now going to define us. It's the same thing for a church. The fruit of the Spirit, we tend to think about the fruit of the Spirit primarily as an individual characteristic, but notice that.

That's a secondary interpretation of the text. Almost in all cases in the New Testament, Whenever a command is given, that command is not given first and foremost to the individual. It's given first and foremost to the community. And then we can make a primary, secondary interpretation that also applies to us.

And so will the Hills Church in 2025 be defined now by this fruit of the Spirit? And I think, and maybe it's oversimplification, I don't think it is. I think as you and I are living out the great commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself, as we're living out the great commandment as a church and we're pursuing after the great commission to go into all areas of the world, making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as you and I are living the great commandment and pursuing the great commission, the byproduct of that should be great character. And when you and I as a church community lack the character of God, it causes me to really wonder, are we living out the commandment of God to truly love him and the mission of God, or are we all making it about ourselves?

And so the fruit now is one thing with these nine different pictures of it. And yeah, you have asked me to talk about patience today. And so let's talk very specifically now about patience. So Webster's dictionary is going to describe patience as bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, without, get this, complaint, loss of temper, or irritation. The Strong's Greek concordance is going to remind us that this idea of patience can rightly be translated as fortitude or forbearance.

that it is kind of the mean between despondency and rage. So it's the middle ground between being overwhelmed in a negative way by our emotions or actually being emotionless. Instead, it's this ability to feel and to understand and yet to act and to apply in a proper way.

Matter of fact, I would describe patience and define patience within the fruit of the spirit as a whole now as a loving restraint that that love now compels us so without love we would live in an unrestrained way and so we would fire back we would fight back we'd be irritated and agitated and frustrated and maybe act out in a kind of rage, and yet love now kind of brings us in. It's very easy to say that the book of James now is the New Testament combination of the book of Proverbs and Jesus'words on the Sermon on the Mount. So there's going to be this very practical application of what's going on. And you can say in some ways that patient now is related to the beatitude of blessed are the meek. What is this concept of meekness?

Meekness now is this strength. It's this power that is now under control. So it's not a weakness.

It's not a lack of energy. It's not a lack of effort. But at the same time, it is not an unrestrained agitation or frustration or overwhelming strength.

Instead, it is now a properly applied concept. So Webster's is going to say it's the ability to experience misfortune without frustration or anger. I'm going to say it's this loving restraint. One little girl said, patience is what mama has when there's too many witnesses. But we have this concept now of feeling, of recognizing, not living in denial now of the frustrations and the annoyances of this world, but now being ruled by something other than our actual present circumstances.

And so in the book of James, this book now written by Jesus'half-brother, to this group of primarily of Jewish Christians who are suffering in many ways, persecution, who are living in a very difficult culture where they had very little say or power now. Under the power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, James writes to them, and he's going to encourage them now to have patience. And in order to develop that patience, he's going to point out three different role models that they need to have.

Now, one is that of now the prophets. And so the prophets are a role model in that, even as they were suffering. They kept on going about doing what it is that God had told them to do, even though they weren't experiencing the outcome that they thought that they desired. I can only imagine what it was like to be called as a prophet. I haven't felt that call within my life.

I felt a call to preach, no question. But imagine if whenever I was feeling a call to preach, whenever I was in junior high, if God had given me a call similar to that of Isaiah, okay, Kevin, I want you to spend the rest of your life preaching to a group of people, the very words of God, knowing that that nobody would ever respond. Well, I probably would have said, no thanks. I'll become a banker.

Like, why would I want to do that? And yet the prophets, many of them, were compelled to speak the words of God, knowing that they would experience extreme opposition to that. And James now says, look to the prophet about what your life is supposed to be. Do what is right, no matter the outcome or the circumstances in response to you. Have a higher calling than just the situation that is around you.

And then he says, look at Job. Job, who also suffered in unimaginable, unbearable ways. And yet he had this ability to endure.

in the midst of the hardship. So we have the prophets, this idea of perseverance. We have Job, this idea of endurance. But then the text begins with this very kind of surprising concept in verse number 7. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land.

And so what James says is if you're looking now for a role model in life, look to that of the farmer. What our culture very easily kind of overlooks, what that culture, they probably would have overlooked it in that culture because everybody was probably a farmer to some extent. And yet James says, no, this begins to show you the path of how to experience a patience that you're going to now appreciate. Well, what is it about the farmer?

Well, let's just take the next 14 minutes and 39 seconds to make some general reflections of. all right, what is it about the farmer that we can begin to emulate in some way? So reflection number one. One thing that a farmer has this ability to do is to live in the proper season.

So a farmer is always going to live in the proper season. In a far too overly simplistic way, you think about the life of a farmer, there are at least four very distinct seasons in the same way that we have. seasons as well.

They have to plant, they have to grow, they have to harvest, and then there is this time of rest. Now, plant, grow, harvest, and rest. All of those describe different skills.

They require different abilities and skills from us. My guess is that there are some seasons that are more fun than others. Again, not a farming expert here, but I would think the harvest season is a lot of fun, especially if you have a great crop. Now you're seeing the fruit of all your labor, and now you get the opportunity to harvest all that in. You now know that you're going to go and sell that, and so maybe your resources have been depleted in some way, but now you're going to have some things, and you need to make some trades.

You can make some trades. You're going to have some money that is about you. My guess is that the harvest season is a whole lot of fun.

But if all you can do is harvest and you don't have the ability to plant or the perseverance to grow, or for some, if you're never able to rest, because even as you rest, the land is resting as well. But if you don't have that ability, then as the seasons begin to go by, then your own physical ability is going to begin to slowly deteriorate to where you're not going to be able to engage your own personal resources. in a way that you actually need to. There is a metaphorical reality, I think, for all of us, that an aspect of patience is an embracing of the season that we're actually in. I wonder today, what is your season?

We can look at what is your season just within the year. That January plays a very important part. So we just obviously finished up Christmas and all those things, but in those few days there at the end of the year, Jenny owns her own advertising company, and so she's wrapping up all her financials. And at that time, I always take just a couple of days in which I'm looking at kind of our own personal financials. This is a moment which I want to make sure that we're giving to the church in proper ways, that we're saving in proper ways.

This is just a week I take every single year to... to dive into our own finances a whole lot more. I don't want to be thinking about money all the time, but this is a season where I say, all right, we got to make some choices here. Let's make sure that we're doing right. If I lived every week this same way I lived this last week, it would be foolishness, but I have to live it in just the right way in this moment.

January is a time to kind of pursue after new things, to make new skills. I don't know about you. Some people are anti-resolutions. I think any of you that have made resolutions, I think that's a beautiful thing.

I'm praying that you can maintain them, that you can hold on to them. How could it ever be bad to make plans to be better, to do greater things? That's a beautiful thing.

But January is different than June. It's different than December. A year has a rhythm to it.

Our weeks are supposed to have rhythms to it. This is a season. Today is a season in which you're supposed to be in church. And I applaud you for doing that. For those who might be watching online, there's a pattern that we're supposed to live in.

But beyond that, what's your general season of life right now? I remember when we first moved here three years ago, I was new, and so I was going to speak to all these different groups to kind of introduce myself. And the Mops group, the mothers of preschoolers, asked me to come speak to them. I'm like, oh, absolutely. I got two kids.

I know exactly what y'all are going through. I'll show them to speak, not a problem. And I remember walking over and thinking to myself, like, these are my people, right?

And I walk in, and it just hit me. No, these were my people 10 years ago. But I mean, now my kids are 19 and 16. So three years ago, they were 16 and 13. Yes, the guy from Arkansas can do a little math.

But the idea of a season had passed, I didn't even know it until it was just confronted right in front of my face. Our seasons change very quickly and sometimes we don't even recognize it. I wonder, what is 2025 to you in comparison to five years ago, to 10 years ago?

70 is not 62. It's not. There's a lot in common, but there's a lot of things that need to begin to change as the seasons progress. There's a huge difference. On my time hop this morning was a picture from eight years ago. Think about it.

Eight years ago, when I had now an 11-year-old, right, and an 8-year-old, these tiny little pictures. They're in radically different places now. If I parent them today the same way I did eight years ago, that would be sheer foolishness. And yet what happens is the seasons change on us so subtly that sometimes we don't recognize it. And when you and I are trying to live in a season that no longer exists, then we are actually living outside the design of God.

And for some in a congregation of this size, you're actually living in a season in which you're supposed to be empowering the next generation of leaders. But you still think you're living in a season where you're supposed to be the leader. It's a national phenomenon right now, actually, with the whole boomer generation.

I mean, I'm not getting political at all, but just look at our last political election. Two people were running of an age that literally they should be empowering the next generation of leadership, but instead they were... holding on to it. It's a failure to see what season they're in.

Have you ever been in the mall? Remember when we used to have malls? Have you ever been in the mall and you just see this little girl who's just not dressed for her age, the makeup's on a little too soon, the skirt is a little bit too short for the age in which she's in?

Have you ever seen that and just thought to yourself, all right, there's a time for that later. but not yet. It's just not right.

That's what it is when you and I do not live in our proper season. And it's very easy. The farmer cannot exist unless he knows very specifically, this is the season to plant. And so I have to be all about the planting. I have to be all about cultivating the soil, making sure it has all the resources that literally this is going to set the direction for everything else that is going to take place.

But if the months pass, And now it's time for harvesting, and the farmer's still thinking about planting. All his work is going to be useless. What is your season today? And an aspect of patience is recognizing, here's what today holds.

Here's what God has given me. How can I now steward this to the absolute best of my ability? At 47, I am in a far different season than I was at 27, and a far different season than I will be if God grants me 67. So what does God need from me today?

What does my family need from me? What does my church need from me? I was always the youngest guy on staff until I came here. My employee, the people that worked for me were always older. And I came to Bayside not recognizing seasons had changed.

And now it is my call many times with what our staff is. Colton was here last week. Colton, one of our great, I mean, just great staff guys, great preacher, going to be a tremendous pastor. one day as a lead pastor. He's a great student pastor right now.

My job with Colton and others in part is just to be a friend who's been down the road a little bit further than he has. And how can I give him opportunities? How can I help him? How can I assist him?

How can I encourage him? But he's in the season where he really needs to lead. And I have the ability, I could either see him as a competition, which that would be foolishness because he would win, but I could see him as competition. Or I can see, hey, I'm a little bit, I'm an older brother here.

How can I assist him? I wonder, who is it that God is placing in your life that you're just a couple more steps down the road than them? And you're looking at them thinking y'all are peers, you're not peers.

You actually could be a mentor to them. Where are you now? Are you preparing for your next season? What about your next season of marriage?

So this Friday, Silas takes his driver's test. And assuming he has a very kind instructor, he will get his driver's license. Well, the moment your youngest gets their driver's license, You are empty nesters. Now you're not, they're still there, but they're not.

They are, but they're not. And if you don't prepare, your marriage is different when the primary focus now is the two of you and the kids are kind of around out there somewhere. That's different than whenever the kids are little and they're running your whole schedule.

But if you don't prepare for what is the next season, you might be squandering the skills in that moment. which is why y'all need to come see me at the Bible conference. I think it's on Tuesday night is where we're going to go.

All right, just reflection number two. A farmer has to have faith in the unseen. Faith in the unseen.

So they can't be driven by whatever they see in the moment. They have to have this faith. Imagine they plant the seed, and they come the next morning, and they look, and there's no growth whatsoever.

They can't now just looking by the eye going, well, I guess it didn't work. I'm going to dig that up. If every single day they planted a seed, woke up the next morning, saw no growth whatsoever, and then dug it back up, they would spend their entire lives just repeating the same circumstance over and over and over again with no growth or fruit whatsoever.

It'd be absolute foolishness. And yet that's the very thing me and you often do. So we'll start something new.

All right, we're going to eat better. this coming year. Okay, so man, January 1st.

No, no, no, that's not gonna work. January 2nd, we eat better. We wake up January 3rd, look at the scale. It's no lower.

All right, that didn't work. We're gonna start working out. All right, January 2nd, man, we're pumping iron, we're running, we're walking, we're doing whatever. On the 3rd, we don't necessarily feel any better.

All right, that didn't work. And we live in this constant state of judging things. by how we feel in the moment or how things appear in the moments.

Not understanding that growth often takes time, energy, efforts. I wonder what would it look like if you created a habit this year, just reading a chapter a day of scripture, and make no judgment over whether or not that is working or not until a year from now. Is there anybody in the room that questions or doubts whether or not if they did that, their lives would be better? Nobody.

And yet you and I don't have faith in the unseen. If we don't see the immediate results, I've always said, I don't think weight would be a problem for anybody. If the moment you ate a hot dog, you immediately just gained 10 pounds. But it doesn't work that way.

And the fact that we can't immediately see it lulls us into these bad actions and behaviors. What James is telling the people now is, look, your circumstances around you, I get it, they're struggling, but you need to now have faith in the unseen, that God is on the move, that he's up to something, that he's at work. And whenever you have faith that God's at work, it empowers you now to stay in it, to stick with it, to keep on obeying, to keep on doing what you're supposed to do, because you have this tremendous faith now that God is gonna be faithful in the midst of the process.

The farmer has faith in the unseen. You and I need to do the same, to believe that God's kingdom is on the move, not only around the world, around the globe. God's kingdom is on the move right here in Eldorado Hills.

If nothing else, the kingdoms of the world are actually moving to Eldorado Hills so that you can give them the kingdom of God. If you will stay faithful in the midst of all the chaos that's going on in culture, in society, in the uncertainty, that's going on, maybe even within your own self. If you will just stay faithful and trust the unseen, you will never regret it. You know, as a pastor, I've never had somebody come into my office and tell me about a time in which they obeyed God and they now regret it.

Never had that time. So what is it about the farmer? Well, the farmer now knows the seasons.

He has faith in the unseen. The farmer must also thirdly accept what he does not control. He has to accept it.

And so here the text says, watch the farmer as he patiently waits for the autumn and spring rains. The farmer knows having planted the seed that now I need some rain to now cultivate this crop. Without the rain, this is never going to grow.

And yet the farmer can't control the rains. He has to just accept that's out of my control. And so much of our impatience is an unwillingness to accept the things that we do not control.

So whenever we have frustration, agitation, fits of anger, a very fair question to ask in those moments would be, What is it that I'm not accepting right now that is actually outside of my control? And the other side of that very same coin, what could be our reflection number four, even as the farmer accepts what he doesn't control, he must also fully possess what he does control. I love this idea here. Notice how the farmer waits for the rains.

You and I hear that and we can get this picture of, okay, then what that means is he's just kind of kicking back going, all right. Let's see what happens. But you and I both know this is not how a farmer lives. A farmer oftentimes are the most hard-working people that we possibly know.

So now you have this wedding together of extremely hard work with this great patience and understanding of the things that we do not actually control. I think that becomes a beautiful picture of what the Christian life is actually supposed to be. For you and I, if we're waiting on God, if we're waiting on God to act, we're waiting on God to change a circumstance that you and I do not control, if we're waiting on him, waiting is not this passive, apathetic approach to life.

Waiting is this extremely aggressive activity. Now, with what we do actually control, my own attitude, my own inputs, my own work, my own effort, where I place myself, all those things. And the farmer has this tremendous ability to recognize, what is it that I actually do control?

All right, I'm gonna work my heart out to those things while accepting that in the end, the results are actually up to God and I'm gonna have a full trust in him. If you and I want more patience this year, we can't just pursue after patience. That's not gonna work.

What you and I have to do is see that as a byproduct of what we desire and the byproduct will be a proof now that we have positioned ourself in the right culture and climate, and we have cultivated the right soil around us so that patience, along with all the other attributes, are actually growing within us. But I want to conclude with this very final thought whenever it comes to patience. You and I so often think about this idea of patience, and we're not very careful. It just makes us feel immediately guilty.

I have no right to preach this sermon whatsoever. If the only thing that would give me authority to preach is that I possess what I'm talking about today. Because I don't. I mean, I do in some ways. I'm very impatient with injustice when it's to my benefit.

I'm very impatient with my own sin. I'm very impatient with my own faults. I'm very impatient with my own struggles. I'm very patient about some things I should be impatient about.

But notice the big picture with this. Patience more than anything. is actually a characteristic of God himself. God is patient towards you, toward us.

And I recognize his patience is not absence. The fact that he has withheld judgment from this world at this time has caused some to conclude that God doesn't exist. That's a foolish conclusion.

But his patience is also not apathy. It's not that God doesn't care. He very much does care. It's that as we see in the Old Testament, as he's proven in the New Testament, God does have this very long-suffering nature for his people.

He's patient towards you, even in the midst of your own impatience. And so here we are again on another Sunday, after a week in which you've screwed it up in some way. You have, I know, because you're just as messed up as I am. And yet God has welcomed you into this place, once again wanted to communicate his love for you and to you, to invite you into a way of life and say, hey Kevin, this is a far better way to live than the impatient way that you are living.

So recognize your season, Kevin. This could be a season to repent. Have faith now in the unseen.

Don't judge your life by all the immediate circumstances. Accept those things that actually do belong to him or belong to others and trust that he will work those out. And then take firm possession of what you actually do control. And give all your effort to those things.

All the while living in appreciation of the love of God. loving kindness that God has shown to you through his son, Jesus. And as you and I live in that very specific soil, the fruit of patience will begin to grow.

Would you bow your heads in prayer with me? I want to point out something to those who are in the room that maybe do not believe in Jesus at this moment. Every head bowed, every eye closed. My guess is a message on patience isn't... Isn't something anybody would object to.

It takes somebody who doesn't even know Jesus and they would say, yeah, man, I want to be more patient. But let me ask you this, why? Why would you want to be more patient if you don't know God? Is it possible it's because that there is an echo, an imprint planted upon you, that when God himself created you, he gave you this desire to recognize that patience is actually good?

Because apart from God, it's not. The only reason it is good is because it is of God. So I wonder today that even as you might hear and listen and think, yeah, I would like to be more patient, if maybe God isn't inviting you into something even greater than just patience, but it's actually a relationship with Him.

And in His kindness, He has waited for you to come to this place. If that's you today, then as you leave this place, there are some kind volunteers out in the foyer who'd love to speak with you, talk with you. You can just ask them, what does this even mean?

But for the rest of us who are in the room at this moment who have followed Jesus, I don't think there's anybody who doubts that patience would make our year better. Well, guess what? This could be the year.

Don't pursue after it. Pursue after him. Be indwelt by his spirit. Begin to cultivate that relationship, that mindset, that understanding, and just sit back and wait. Patience will begin to grow.

Most gracious Heavenly Father, it is in part overwhelming, the kindness that you have shown to us, the long-suffering nature that you have. And yet, whenever we look at your patient nature, there's none of us in this room that think to ourselves, oh man, that's a drag. Instead, we know that's such a better way to live. What would it be like if this year the news didn't agitate me? It might cause me to mourn, but it didn't irritate.

What if I had compassion and grace on... my co-workers, on people in culture, my neighbors who don't know you and are showing that they don't know you. What if you gave me a loving restraint so that my tongue didn't say things that I would later regret, so that my agitation didn't rule me, but instead I was able to live in a continual understanding and reflection to who you are.

Father, my life would be better. Our lives would be better. Empower that to happen in us today. It's in Jesus'name that we pray.

Amen. Let's give it up for Pastor Kevin. Yes. Thank you.

Such a great reminder. Hey, French, as we get ready to dismiss, just a reminder for you, we're gonna continue in this series next week. We'll unpack, continue to unpack the fruit of the spirit.

Pastor Michael Metcalf will be here. You don't wanna miss. that. In addition to that, make sure you stop by our groups area and register for the Bible Conference. Get information on joining a group which kicks off later this month.

Don't leave here without stopping by there. talk to some of our awesome volunteers. It's going to be a great year as we kick off through this sermon series and our groups and the Bible conference that's coming.

Hey, with that said, why don't you go ahead and stand with me? I'll pray a blessing over you as we dismiss. And then you guys can have a great rest of your Sunday. If you feel comfortable, you can hold your hands open like this. We close.

This is how we close each and every week here at Hills Church. I'm going to pray a blessing, which comes out of Scripture. May the Lord bless you.

May he keep you and may he cause his face to shine upon you. And may he give you peace. I pray this in Jesus'name. And everybody said, amen. All right, guys, God bless you.

I'll see you out in the lobby. Happy Sunday.

Transcript for:Sermon Insights on Patience and Faith

Transcript for:
Sermon Insights on Patience and Faith