The central meaning of this word in Greek: makrothumia is 'good temper'.
As the attitude to people, which never loses patience with them, however unlovely and unteachable they may be.

One commentator says of this word: as the attitude to people, which never loses patience with them, however unlovely and unteachable they may be.
Archbishop Trench: "A long holding out of the mind before it gives room to action or to passion, the self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong".
Moffatt : "The tenacity with which faith holds out".

Good temper must not, however to be confused with apathy.  Early Church, the group called the Stoics made indifference a virtued: "Nothing is worth suffering for, so build a wall around your heart and keep out all sense of feeling".
The early Christian did not share that view, however, for Christian care – and because they cared, they suffered. Through the ministry of the Spirit in their lives, they found poise and good temper amidst their sufferings. The more we care, the more sensitive we will be to things that tend to block our goal of caring-that is why the quality of patience is so essential. 

II. THE REDEMPTIVE AND RETALIATORY NATURE OF TEMPER.
Good or Bad Temper Determine Constructive or Destructive Effect from the life of Jesus.

An evangelist addressing a meeting was subjected to persistent ridicule. Unfortunately, he lost his temper-and also his audience. They saw he had little to offer except words.

Did Jesus ever lose His temper? Mark 3:5 tells us "He looked round at them in anger". For some Christian they quote this incident and defend their temper by saying: If Jesus could not control His temper when faced with the scorn of the Pharisees in Mark 3, why should I be condemned for my inability to control mine?

Did the behaviour of Jesus on this occasion result from a loss of temper? Of course not. One phrase in that passage lights up the story and put the matter in its proper perspective: "being grieved by the hardness of their hearts" v.5.  The reason why Jesus looked around at them with anger was because He was grieved by the hardness of their hearts. The cause of his anger was grief, not loss of temper-grief at their insensibility to human need. It was grief at what was happening to someone else, not personally irritated at what was happening to Him.

Whenever we get angry, it is usually because our ego has been wounded and hits back, not in redemption but in retaliation. There is a temper that is redemptive and there is a temper that is retaliatory. The redemptive temper burns with the steady fire of redemptive intention; the retaliatory temper simply burns you up. Patience, the fruit of the spirit works in us-if we let it- to temper our purposes to the Kingdom and to kingdom purpose alone.

III. IMPORTANT OF THE ROLE OF TENSION (a state if moderate stress) IN OUR LIFE

Jesus behaviour when He looked around at the Pharisees "with anger" was not the result of a bad temper but the fulfilling of a redemptive purpose.  The cutting was not to hurt, but to heal.  When we display anger, it is usually for purposes of destruction rather than construction.
Although Jesus was free from bad temper, however, He was not free from tension, that is: "a state of moderate stress" Jesus say in Luke 12: 50 that "I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed".

Moffatt, in fact, translates our text as what tension I suffered, till it is over! A certain amount of tension is a necessary part of life. Jesus experienced it, and so will we. And it is not necessarily a bad thing. The violin string that is free from tension is incapable of music, but when tightened gives forth a sound that delights the ear. The tension that Jesus felt was a tension that was harnessed to the interests of others. He was on His way to a cross and the tension was not to be loosed until He pronounced the words: "It is finished."

The tension however did not leave Him frustrated and bad tempered; it left Him calm and composed, with a prayer for the forgiveness of His enemies upon His lips. It drove Him, not to pieces, but to peace –the peace of achievement and victory. This was so because the tension was harnessed to God's perfect will-hence it was a constructive urge. Unfortunately, many of our tension drive us, not toward God' will but toward our own will. We are more concerned for ourselves than for the divine interests. This kind of driving will succeed only in driving us nuts.

From what we have said we can conclude that temper can turn to bad or good according to what is behind it. Remember that the word "temper" simply means 'a disposition of mind' and really requires the words 'good' or 'bad' to be prefixed to it if it is to be clearly identified.

IV. WHAT HAPPEN WHEN WE LOSE OUR TEMPER ?

Dr. Stanley Jones says that there are two ways to honk a horn- the Christian way and the non-Christian way.  The Christian way call attention to a situation; non-Christian way not only calls attention to the situation but it also calls attention to what the honker feels about it.

Whenever we lose our temper and take it out on people around us we do the utmost harm, not to them, but to ourselves. The one who is out of sorts with someone else is usually out of sorts with himself. He projects his inner problems on to others and fails to see that the cause and remedy are in himself.

A Sunday School superintendent loses his temper in a committee meeting, and when reprimanded by another for his bad spirit said: I have to lose my temper in order to get anything done around here. James 1:20 contradict that view. Listen to what it said in the Philips translation: "For man's temper is never the means of achieving God's goodness" Wrong means lead to wrong ends-inevitably.

V. THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TURNING BAD TEMPER TO GOOD TEMPER

The greatest single influence in turning a bad temper to a good temper is to be indwelt by the Sprit of God. Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us to "…be filled with the Spirit… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything…" When the Spirit is allowed to dwell in us, He influences our reactions so that we respond to life's situation with praise rather than with irritation.

Illustration.

Welsh Revival.

Welsh revival – miner- swear and hit their ponies. Got converted in one of revival meeting and had a mighty encounter with the Spirit of God. Next day his horse step on his foot. The man with him waited for him to explode. But nothing happen. His friend asks him "Are you sick?" "No why do you ask?". The man replies "I know how quickly you get upset about things, and when the horse stepped on your foot and you didn't lose your temper, I though you must be unwell. I'm not unwell said the miner. I got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit last night."

Life of Saul in 1Sam 10:27

"But some rebels said, How can this man save us? So they despise him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace". Had Saul maintained the same spirit, he would have been a great man.

Mary's testimony.

Mary writes of the change that the Holy Spirit wrought in her after conversion: "I went out to shut the chickens up for the night and found that the boys had closed the door and turned out the light, and all the chickens were outside. Chicken can't see in the dark, and if you shine a light on them, it blinds them. Three years ago I would have given the boys a good spanking. I went to turn the light on and found that the bulb was burned out. Instead of being disgusted, as I would have been Before Christ, I just got a new bulb and got those chickens in with such tenderness that I even surprised myself.  When the last chicken was in, I thanked my Father for helping me get them all in so easily by controlling, not the chicken, but me, What the Spirit did for Mary, He can do for me."

Woman' conversion fine a great persecution.

Another women after finding Christ went through a time of great persecution from her family. She said" I used to have a violent temper and my family used to be careful how they talked to me and my family used to be careful how they talked to me. It was a goal of mine always to have the last word. Following my conversion, my family used to test me by saying all the things they knew used to annoy me. If it had not been for the presence of the Spirit in my life, I know I would not have had the patience to handle their remarks. I still have the last word-but the last word is silence.

VI. BAD TEMPER TEMPERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT - BAD TEMPER PRODUCES HUMOR.

A surprising thing takes place in those whose temper is tempered by the Holy Spirit-bad temper is replaced by a growing sense of humor. God has given us the power of humor, not only to laugh at things, but also to laugh off things. Not using laughter to deny realities, but humor often reduce things to their proper size.

A preacher once says: There is no good in a movement or a person where there is no good humor, for goodness has laughter as a conclusion. There is something basically wrong with a person, who, at appropriate times, cannot break out into hearty laughter.

Illustration.

Just no reason to smile.

A member of the Irish Republican Army who was wonderfully converted, he spent the first month after his conversion in the home of a minister who said of him. It was two weeks before I saw him smile, when I spoke to him about this he said "I have been in the grim business, plotting against people and the way I was living, there was just no reason to smile.

How tragic – just no reason to smile. Depend on it where you cannot smile, you cannot live- you just exist. Depend on it where you cannot smile, you cannot live- you just exist. When you are tied up with fears, guilts and apprehension you need to get them up and out. When you do, laughter begins. You will grow progressively happier and are ready to laugh at anything- themselves included. A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones Proverb 17:22.

VII. CONCLUSION: WHY, WHAT HOW, WHEN REGARDING PERSERVERANCE

1.The ability to overcome the various tests and trials that wilt inevitably expose any weak and undisciplined areas of our personality. Romans 5:3, John 16:33 "you will have tribulation".

2. This pinpoints one major reason why some Christian never progress beyond a certain stage of spiritual development. 2 Tim 2:3 "you must endure hardships a good soldier of Jesus Christ".

3. Perseverance is the ability to continue in the faith and resist the pressures of the world system Heb l2: 1-2 "Let us run with endurance the race that it set before us, looking unto Jesus...".

4. How is endurance sustained? Isa 40:31, Matthew 4:4, Isa 41:5-6.

¨ The word of God remind us to look unto Jesus. Means, to look away from one to another. Satan loves to get our visible attention. Peter and the wave. We need to look at Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith. Phil 1:6 carries it to completion. Why does God want to complete the work he had begun.  Because the race we run is the race that is set before us has been designed for us by God. For us to finish the race we must not lose our perspective.  When we lose perspective se become weary and discouraged – the word used of runner who might give up. We lose perspective when we do not consider Him.

¨ Eph 6:18 "Praying, watching, with perseverance".

5. Mark 4:17 "had no root in themselves and therefore only endured for a time'.

6. Heb 6:15 "Abraham, had patiently endured obtained the reward".

7. 1 Cor 13:7 " bears, believes, hopes and endures alt things".

8. Col 1:11b "For all patience and Longsuffering with joy".

a. Patience has reference to people. 'Longsuffering' has reference to circumstances.

b. Strength provided by knowledge of God's Word allows the believer to endure "trials" joyously. Acts 16:25. 1 Cor 1:18 The cross is the power of God.

c. A revengeful spirit is a hindrance to everything that is godly.

d. True godliness is usually accompanied by some form of affliction or difficulty. 2 Tim 3:12.

e. Our attitude toward this affliction is most critical for personal lives. Phil 1:28, 3:10.

f. Matt 5:10-12. Joy should be displayed in everything we do for Christ.

g. Joyously giving "thanks" in everything we do. Psa 100:2 "serve the Lord with gladness".

h. The ungrateful heart is where backsliding begins. Rom 1:21 "Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful". The first step in getting away from the Lord is ingratitude. When we adopt a spirit of complaining, discontent, griping, backbiting, grumbling murmuring, we lose our thankfulness and have already taken the first step toward backsliding. Thankfulness is the opposite of backsliding.