Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Romans 8:28-39

The Grace of Patience

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-01-27

Synopsis: John Weaver preaches on the necessity of patience, defining it as a grace from God. He explains that patience is learned from the sovereign God, the Scriptures, the saints, the Spirit, and the Son of God. The message emphasizes that tribulation produces patience, and believers must be patient with one another to maintain unity and glorify God.

[John Weaver] Well, let's open our Bible's day to the book of Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. And I will tell you a quick story, which is a true story. Sunday morning, of course, is very busy for us. And I try to have everything ready on Saturday evening. And this morning, of course, I was a little bit rushed, not all that much. And I took the outline that I had studied and prepared for and put it in my Bible. put my Bible in the car. So usually when I get to Douglas, I stop and let Alice drive and then I just go over my notes and I got my Bible and there were no notes in it.

[John Weaver] I said, I don't understand that. I put those notes in that Bible. And it was too late to turn around and go back home. I said, well, you know, I immediately thought of two or three other passages in the Bible that I wanted to preach from. So I turned to one of them, and I thought, well, you know, that'll work. That'll preach. And, you know, so when I got here, and I just, I went over all that, had it in my mind, had it in my heart. And when I got here, Granny Doris said, here's your notes. They fell out of the Bible between the door.

[John Weaver] I never even saw them. So I'm going to tell you, I'm not going to preach those notes. I'm going to preach what I studied on the way over here. I'll have to preach that a little bit later. All right. So Romans chapter 15, I just assumed the Lord wanted me to preach this since I couldn't find the other. So that's what I'm going to do. Romans 15 and the title of the message is the grace of patience. Notice Romans 15 verse one.

[John Weaver] We then ought, we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities that we cannot please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good edification. For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

[John Weaver] Now the God of patience and consolation grants you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherefore receive you one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. Let me stop there and I want you to go back to Romans chapter 15 and look at verse 1 because he says we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. So the message today is entitled the grace of patience. And let me just tell you very quickly, I don't like to preach this message because I can assure you that is one thing that I'm lacking in and that's patience.

[John Weaver] I can be patient with people, but I cannot be patient with anything mechanical. I tried to do something yesterday to the car just for a few moments and I told Alice, I said, hand me the hammer. And then after about 15 minutes of fuming I said, now I remember why I'm not a mechanic. And I tell people I hate trains. And the reason I hate trains is because you pull up there and you have to wait on that train and you sit there wasting time.

[John Weaver] If I had a book and I could read it, you know, it wouldn't be any problem. But if there's ever another revolution and I'm part of it, I want to be the man that blows up the train tracks. I'm just saying I understand the need of patience.

[John Weaver] Now let me give you very quickly a couple of definitions. They're very familiar. Everyone remembers the definition of grace. And grace is just simply God's unmerited favor. In other words, grace is God giving us that which we do not deserve. Mercy is God keeping us from getting what we do deserve. And in between, you have long-suffering. Interestingly enough, and we'll look at the word a little bit later, the word long-suffering literally means to be long-nostriled or long-nosed.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you why. Because when you start to get angry and upset, watch this. Here's what you do. You start breathing and those nostrils start flaring. But the bigger the nostril is and the bigger the nose, you cannot tell the flaring. So to be long nostril or to be long nose then is equivalent to being patient. In other words, you're not showing your irritation.

[John Weaver] Now as you think about patience, let me just read or quote rather some scriptures just by way of introduction. The Bible says in Luke chapter 8 and verse 15 that we are to bring forth fruit with patience. You and I both know that fruit does not immediately appear overnight when we plant a garden. We have to be patient. So he says we're to bring forth fruit with patience, not just garden fruit, but he's talking about spiritual fruit as well. The Bible tells us in 1st Timothy chapter 6 and verse 11 that we're to follow after patience. Hmm, that's something that we're to run after. And then he says in Hebrews 10 in verse 36, you have need of patience.

[John Weaver] You heard about the woman who was impatient. She realized her impatience was sin. So she went to the Lord in prayer and said, Lord, I'm impatient. I know it's sin. And I need patience. And Lord, I want it right now. Well, that's the way we are. That's why he says you have need of patience. In Hebrews 12 in verse 1, he tells us that we are to run the race with patience. Interestingly enough, look in verse 5.

[John Weaver] Let me show you something about Romans chapter 15. He says, now the God of patience, and I'm going to come back to this verse.

[John Weaver] Now the God of patience and consolation grants you to be like-minded one toward another according to Jesus Christ. Now note in verse 5, God is called the God of patience. Look if you would please now in verse 13. He says, now the God of hope. fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. Now look in verse 33. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Note if you would, in verse 5, God is called the God of patience. In verse 13, God is called the God of hope. And finally in verse 33, He's called the God of peace. Let me put it like this. You have to know God as the God of patience before you can ever know Him as the God of hope. And you have to know Him as the God of hope before you can ever know Him as the God of peace. So there is indeed a direct correlation between these names that are given us, calling God the God of patience, the God of hope, and finally the God of peace.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask this simple question. In light of this passage teaching us about patience, Why in the world would we need patience? Well, I want you to look at this. Let's begin reading with verse 5 again. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you... Someone tell me what the word grant means. It means to be given. So we're talking about the grace or the gift of patience. Now the God of patience and consolation grants you or give you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. Now, he says in verse 6, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherefore receive you one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the Father.

[John Weaver] Now let me just show you a quick outline. Here's why God tells us why we need patience. First of all, He said that we may have one mind. That is, we must think alike. I wish I had time today just to preach on this subject of one mind. You know the Bible says, let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus. The Bible tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ.

[John Weaver] We're to be like-minded. So we need patience to have one mind. And then he says, and one mouth. Do you realize when you think alike, you speak alike. When you think the same thoughts, you come out with the same words. So he says we need patience that we may have one mind and one mouth, watch this, and one motive that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.

[John Weaver] Even the father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. So why should we have one mind? Why should we have one mouth so that we may have one motive that we may glorify God, even the father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Now watch this. In verse seven, you have one ministry. Wherefore receive you one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now many years ago I preached on this verse and I told you what it meant to receive one another, but notice this, wherefore receive you one another, note as Christ also received us to the glory of God. What's that mean? That means if someone is a Christian, we must receive them in a biblical manner, no matter whether we agree with them or like them, or if they irritate us. In other words, there is a biblical doctrine of learning to receive each other in Christ. If we think alike, if we have one mind, if we have one mouth, if we have one motive, we will have one ministry. That is, we will be receiving each other.

[John Weaver] And by the way, do you not remember that passage in Matthew 25? What did our Lord say? Inasmuch as you've done it to the least of these my brethren. What? You've done it unto me. So there's the ministry then of learning to receive each other. And then he talks about one mission in verse 80 says, Now say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision. for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. So we have one mind, one mouth, one motive, one ministry that we might have one mission that we might confirm the promises made unto the fathers. In other words, that we demonstrate the reality and the truth of the word of God in our lives.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to look at Romans chapter 15 and try to answer this question To give you something to think about when it comes to patience. Where in the world would you and I ever learn patience? The Bible gives us the answer. First of all, we're to learn patience from the sovereign God. Look in verse 5. Now the God of patience and consolation. Have you ever stopped to think about God as the God of patience? If you would stop, just turn back in your Bibles very quickly to Genesis chapter 6. Let me give you an illustration. Genesis chapter 6. Notice if you would what the Bible says, just showing you God is the God of patience. Notice if you would please, Genesis 6 and verse 3.

[John Weaver] And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh, yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty. Notice verse 5, 120 years, verse 5, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of a false of his heart was only evil continually. So what does God see in Genesis chapter 6?

[John Weaver] He sees an absolute corrupt group of people. Totally, absolutely perverse. And yet, you know what God says? My spirit shall not always strive with man, for yet he also is flesh, yet his day shall be 120 years. You know what God did? God, instead of destroying those people instantly and immediately, still waited 120 years. If you go to second Peter, Noah was building that ark during that time and during that time Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Now the amazing thing to me is that God waited 120 years before he destroyed them. If you simply watch the news In this day and time, you will have enough prayer material to pray those imprecatory prayers about. And asking God to destroy the wicked. And yet, God is so absolutely amazing when it comes to patience.

[John Weaver] You don't have to turn there. But do you remember Genesis 18 and 19? What did God do? He sent his son and two angels to Abraham. And he says, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has come up to me. He said, I'm going to come down, I'm going to investigate, I'm going to destroy it. And of course, you know the story how Abraham interceded and got God down to ten righteous people. If there were ten righteous people, he would not destroy those cities. And of course there were not 10 righteous there. But the amazing thing that God put up with that trash and that filth and that wickedness and that rebellion for as long as he did. You remember the book of Jonah? What did God do? God sent Jonah.

[John Weaver] and he ran through Nineveh preaching, yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians were known for their wickedness, their cruelty. Crucifixion began with the Assyrians. Oh no, not the Roman type. King Ashurbanipal is the one who boasted of how many men that he had crucified. What they would do, they would take a pole, stick it in the ground with a sharp point.

[John Weaver] The soldiers then would strip a man naked, hold him up over that, and pull him down on the pole up through his anus, up through his guts, and let him wiggle and ride there in pain until he died. That's how they crucified. They had entire mountains of human heads that they had decapitated. The Assyrians would literally skin people alive. And Ashurbanipal boasted about this. And here Jonah is preaching in the capital of the Assyrian Empire, yet forty days of Nineveh shall be overthrown, and guess what? They repented and God spared them until another 200 years.

[John Weaver] And then he wiped them out. The amazing thing to me is that God could be so gracious and so kind and so patient to wicked, ungodly Rebellious sinners. Look in your Bible, so Genesis 15 since you're there. I want you to see this.

[John Weaver] Genesis 15 verse 13. Now God has entered into a covenant with Abraham. And here's what God tells Abraham, verse 13, and he said unto Abram, know assuredly that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. Now interestingly, God is telling Abram that he and his seed are going into Egypt for 400 years. They're going to be afflicted. They're going to be enslaved. Why? Why must Abraham and his seed go into Egypt and be slaves for 400 years? Watch verse 14. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge. God said, I'll take care of the Egyptians.

[John Weaver] And afterwards they shall come out with a great substance. Yes, they did. and thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, thou shalt be buried in a good old age." Here's why. Israel was in Egypt 400 years, but in the fourth generation, they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. What happened in 400 years? God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.

[John Weaver] He put a sword in their hand and said, kill every one of them. Now the amazing thing is that God was patient with these wicked people for 400 years. 400 years! You know, when you think of Israel, it is so amazing to me. I can read the book of Judges and I just, I put my hands on my forehead and I thought, how in the world can that be? I mean, here's a people that thumbed their nose at God, hated Him, turned against Him, fell into idolatry, and yet God would redeem them from their enemies every time they cried. God would redeem them. God would give them a little space and a little breathing room, and guess what? They'd turn around and do the same thing all over again. And you know I think, people never learn. It looks to me like, you know, God would just simply wipe some of those people off the face of the earth.

[John Weaver] But now listen to this. What about us? What about us? Do you realize that God was just as merciful toward us? What if God had smitten you down the very first time that you sinned against Him? Where would you be? What if God had slapped you down the second time you sinned against Him? Or the third time? Or the fourth time? You get the idea. You know, look in your Bibles.

[John Weaver] Turn, if you would please, to the book of Romans chapter 2. Let me show you. This is an amazing passage. Look in Romans chapter 2. Just trying to show you the absolute patience of God. Look in Romans chapter 2 and notice if you would please verse 4. Romans 2 verse 4. He says,"...or despises thou the riches of His goodness." Now what happens when you despise God's goodness?

[John Weaver] Well, He ought to slap you down. He ought to kill you, but He doesn't. He says,"...or despises thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance." In other words, when you despise God's goodness, His forbearance comes into play. That is, He forbears with you a little longer. He still does not instantly and immediately smite you down. Well, what happens when you then continue to despise not only His goodness, but His forbearance? Here's what. and His long-suffering. Then after you despise His goodness and His forbearance, then that long-suffering or that long-nose comes into play. God is long-suffering. And you don't know that the goodness of God is designed to lead you to repentance. But now watch this. If you continue to despise even the longsuffering of God, verse 5, what are you doing?

[John Weaver] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up in thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render every man according to his deeds. Note, if you would please, there is indeed a limit to God's patience. You know what we do on a daily basis? We despise the goodness of God. We despise the forbearance of God. The scripture says in Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, let me just quote it. But listen carefully, you know this passage.

[John Weaver] It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. Because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. You know why you were allowed to wake up this morning? God was merciful, God was compassionate, God was faithful. The reason we did not die in our sleep last night, God was merciful, God was compassionate, God was faithful. And look how many days we go without even thanking Him for life and protection and provision. Look how many days we go despising his goodness, his forbearance, and his long-suffering. Every day that we live is because of God's patience with us. Now here's the point. If God was patient and if God is patient with you and I as sinners, Can we not learn to be patient with other people who are sinners?

[John Weaver] That doesn't mean that we like their sins, put up with their sins, endorse their sins, subsidize their sins. No, no, no, no. It's not what I mean. But I'm just simply pointing out each of us have family members that are lost and they irritate the living daylights out of us. If I were to ask you, how many of you had rather be around your Christian family, your church family, than around your physical family who are lost? Which one did you rather be with? I know the answer. You'd rather be with your Christian family. Why? Because we have the one mind, the one mouth, the one motive, the one ministry, the one We think alike. Now, all I'm trying to show you is this, folks.

[John Weaver] We have to learn patience from the sovereign God. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. This will also work between Christians. There's an application not between you and I and sinners, but there's also an application between you and I as believers in Christ. Look what the Bible says, Ephesians 4, beginning there with verse 30. Ephesians 4, verse 30. The Bible says, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you're sealed in the day of your redemption. How do we not grieve the Holy Spirit of God? Here's how we do not grieve Him. We do not grieve Him by putting all these things off and putting them away.

[John Weaver] He says, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. I can assure you there's probably things about me that you don't like. There's probably things about you that I don't like. That's immaterial. We cannot be bitter and wrathful and angry and speak evil of each other. In other words, we have to learn to be patient with each other until graces are developed in each one's life.

[John Weaver] You know, kids will always tell on you. We had a Christian school, and every year when school started, we had all the parents and the students there at orientation. And I always told the parents this. I'll make a deal with you. If you don't believe everything your child tells you about us, we will not believe everything your child tells us about you. Because they will tell. I was preaching in Alabama. Listen now.

[John Weaver] And the pastor and I were invited to have dinner with this family. And so the pastor and his wife and myself were sitting there at the table. And here was the husband and wife and their two kids. And this lady had her hair all done up on her head and came down in ringlets, you know, like the antebellum women. And I've always been a sucker for that. I've always liked that. And so we were sitting at the table and I said, ma'am, I really like your hair, you know, giving her an honest compliment.

[John Weaver] And by the time I said that, her little boy said, it ain't hers. Well, she flushed red. And I said, now, son, whether she bought it or whether she grew it, it is hers, you know, just trying to He says, you should have seen the fight she had with Daddy to get it. She says, now, now Johnny, she said, Mom and Daddy don't fight. Now sometimes they have words but they don't really fight. Ha! I've seen you slap at him and try to scratch him before.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this, folks. You know, and I've said this before, it is amazing, and it's true. We can be patient with other folks and more impatient with our families. I can put up things probably from some of you folks more than I could from Alice, and she could do the same with me. I'm just simply saying, we need to learn patience from the Sovereign God. God has been patient with sinners.

[John Weaver] How many of us are perfect? None. So if God, the Sovereign God, was patient with us, we can be patient with each other. I want you to go back to Romans 15. Here's the second place you're to learn patience. Romans chapter 15, notice if you would please verse 4. Verse 5 tells us that we're to learn patience from the sovereign God. Secondly, in verse 4, we're to learn patience from the scriptures of God. He says, for whatsoever things were written aforetime, that is in the Old Testament, were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. So the scriptures then are designed basically to teach us patience. Everything that happened in the Old Testament, if we understand it, has an application to each of us today. Paul took what happened to Old Testament Israel and applied it to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Look back in your Bibles, Romans chapter 5, I'm just showing you that we should learn patience from not only the sovereign God, but the scriptures of God.

[John Weaver] Romans chapter five. Let's begin reading there with verse one. Look at it. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace where we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Now note, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and we rejoice. By the way, the word rejoice literally means to exult. It means to jump up and down in. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace where we stand and we rejoice, we exalt, we jump up and down in hope of the glory of God.

[John Weaver] In other words, man, we could preach on God's eternal deliverance and his eternal glory and all the gifts that he's given us. And it's enough to jump up and down in. But look in verse three. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also. Knowing that tribulation works with patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope make it not a shame because the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost which is given in us. Now I want you to go back to verse three and not only so but we glory. Would you like to know what the word glory is in the Greek? It's the exact same word that is translated to rejoice in verse two. Here it is. And not only so, but we exalt, we jump up and down and we glory in tribulation also. Why? Knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope make you not ashamed. Why? Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.

[John Weaver] All these bad things that come our way that we interpret as bad, they're not really bad. They're for our good. They're to teach us patience, give us experience, give us hope, make us not ashamed, so that the love of God would be shed abroad in our hearts. Look in your Bibles to the book of James, chapter 1, if you would. James, chapter 1. Notice here it is. James, chapter 1. It is so plain. James 1 verse 2. Look what James says.

[John Weaver] My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, that is different kinds of tests, different kinds of tribulations. Why? Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience Have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, that is mature and complete, wanting nothing. What? My brethren counted all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations.

[John Weaver] Now I've got to admit, folks, it's very difficult for me to say, thank God I've got to sit here and wait on this train for 30 minutes. You know? It is difficult for me to say, thank God I'm $500 short this month. I mean, you know. Or thank God I'm having this complication and that complication. But look what he said. Count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations. Why?

[John Weaver] Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh what? Patience. And let patience have her what? Her perfect work. What is God doing to us through tribulation, through trials? He's maturing us. That we may be mature and complete, wanting or lacking absolutely nothing. You know, I'm not a blacksmith. But I've watched men who are blacksmiths. And they will take that metal that you could not bend for the life of you. It is so tough. But they will put that piece of metal in the fire.

[John Weaver] And get it red hot. And then they can take some forceps and make pretzels out of it if they want. It's the tribulation, it's the heat of the trouble that makes us malleable and bendable. If you want patience, you need to expect tribulations. Because it's only through tribulations that we get patience. That's why he said, my brethren, Count it all joy." So hard. So difficult. And yet, that's what Scripture teaches.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Romans 12 and verse 12. Romans 12, verse 12. Here it is. Rejoicing in hope, in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, patient in tribulation. You know, you think of those brethren that have been wrongly and wickedly and unjustly convicted. and are spending 3 and 4 and 5 and 10 years in prison for doing nothing wrong. Look at the life of Joseph. From the pit, to the prison, finally to the palace. Look how long he was in prison for doing nothing. And yet the Bible says, tribulation. Look in Romans chapter 15 again verse 2.

[John Weaver] Here's the third place that we're to learn patience. We're not only to learn patience from the sovereign God and the scriptures of God, but he says in verse 2, let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. Now God didn't say do whatever your neighbor wants, or whatever pleases your neighbor. No, he says, let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. In other words, we please him by doing that which is edifying, which is biblical, which is godly.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to James chapter 5. Here is a wonderful passage that will show you how we're to learn patience from the saints of God. Look at James chapter five, if you would please, beginning there with verse seven. James chapter five, verse seven. Look what he says. Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Whoa, that's a long time to be patient, isn't it? Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waited for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it, that's God the Father, until he received the early and the latter rain. Now look at this command. Be also patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge standeth before the door. Now watch verse 10. Take, my brethren, the prophets who've spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure.

[John Weaver] You've heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. Now notice how many times he tells us in this passage to be patient. And then notice if you would, verse nine, he says, grudge not one against another brethren, lest you be condemned. What in the world does it mean to grudge? Have you ever thought about that? How in the world can grudging be related to patience? Grudge not.

[John Weaver] Well, let me give you an illustration. I think you can identify with it, or at least some of you can. When I was a boy raised on a farm, We had hogs. And outside our back door was a slop bucket. What you didn't eat for breakfast went in that slop bucket. What you didn't eat for dinner went in that slop bucket. What you didn't eat for supper went in that slop bucket.

[John Weaver] And by the next morning, it was full. Five-gallon bucket. And daddy would say, son, go out and slop the hogs. What did that mean? That meant you took that bucket out there and you poured it in the trough and all those big old hogs and those old sows would come up, they'd stick their snout down in that trough and go, kind of like the way Ron drinks his coffee, you know, but, you know, just pulls and swigs that stuff down and all of a sudden, One of those big old sows hits an ear of corn in all that slop. You know what she does?

[John Weaver] She grunts and turns and runs. Guess what the other hogs do? Do they stay there and continue to drink their slop until they find their piece of corn? No, no, no, no. They run after her, hitting her and knocking her and trying to take away that which she had. They're grudging the fact that she had something that they didn't. You know, you could have 15 dogs out here and have 15 T-bone steaks and you say to those dogs, now boys, sit still, I've got a steak for each one of you. And you throw the first one out. Guess what? One's going to get it and he's going to run. Where are the other 14? Are they sitting there wagging, waiting for their steak? No, no. They're chasing him down trying to take his steak away from him. They're grudging because he had it.

[John Weaver] Now I want to show you, I want to show you how grudging is related to patience. I can give you several illustrations. Here's a young couple, just got married. And they think, well, mother and daddy have a nice house. We want a nice house too. And so they go in debt and get a fine house. They say, Mom and Daddy have nice furniture. We want to have nice furniture too. So they go out and go in more debt and fill their house with furniture.

[John Weaver] Not content with a refrigerator and stove and a bed and a table. No, no. They go in debt for it. Mom and Daddy drive a new car. I don't see one where we can't drive a new car. And they go in debt for that. Anything they want, they go in debt for. Well, mom and daddy have it, why can't we have it? And it never dawns on them to think, yes, mom and daddy have some of those things, but it took them 40 years to get it. And they're begrudging the fact that their parents have something that they don't. And they're refusing to be patient and work for it and earn it and pay cash for it. I don't like so and so, he knows more than I do. What? He's probably studied more than you have, that's why he knows more than you do.

[John Weaver] I told you, I told you about the missionary that came to our church in Jessup. He was a concert pianist. He sat down at the piano, not one note of music in front of him, and he played for an hour. It looked like his fingers were just running up and down that piano. It looked like music was coming out of his fingertips. I couldn't believe it. After an hour, he stopped and I said, brother, I'd give anything to be able to play the piano like that. Really, he said. I said, yes, sir, I'd give anything to play the piano like that. Really, he said, well, I practice eight hours a day, six days a week. You know, all of a sudden I didn't want to be a concert pianist anymore. That's why he could play the piano like that and I couldn't. He had the patience to do it, I didn't. But I can begrudge him the fact that he can do that, but look what he paid to be able to do that. I'm just simply saying, folks, we're to learn patience from the saints.

[John Weaver] I could go through the Bible. Look at Job. He's mentioned here, look at Isaiah, look at Jeremiah. You know, every young preacher, boy, he wants a big ministry. Well, I tell you what, follow Isaiah, follow Jeremiah. They never had a big ministry. In fact, they were hated, despised. The people that they loved hated them. They were thrown into a dungeon. How about swapping places with Noah? Noah preached 120 years and never had one convert.

[John Weaver] Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma. He was in Burma for 15 years without one convert.

[John Weaver] Finally, a lady wrote him. Asked him, is there anything that he needed over there that he couldn't get over there that she could send him from England? He wrote her back, said, yes, send me a communion set. He never even had one convert! But by the time the set arrived, he had plenty of converts after 15 years. Look in your Bibles. Look at Hebrews chapter 11. You're talking about something that ought to convict us. We're talking about learning patience from the saints. Look at Hebrews chapter 11.

[John Weaver] Let's begin reading there verse 32. Notice, and what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of the lions, quenched the vials of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to fly at the armies of the aliens.

[John Weaver] Watch, women received their dead, raised to life again, and others were tortured. not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yeam over bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sewn asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword. They wandered about in sheepskin and goatskin, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains and dens and caves of the earth.

[John Weaver] And these all having obtained a good report through faith, Receive not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Note what these people went through. And we complain when our air conditioning system goes down for a day. I'm just simply saying, folks, polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle. If I'm not mistaken, he was in his nineties when he is being put to death by the Emperor.

[John Weaver] He was called upon to renounce Christ. If he renounced Christ, his life would be spared. Polycarp said, Lo, these eighty and six years have I served Him, and He's done me no wrong. Must I then now at the last be called upon to deny my Lord and my Savior? I cannot, and I will not. And he was put to death. None of us have had to endure things like Hebrews 11.

[John Weaver] And yeah, we can learn patience from the saints of God. You know, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter since we're right there. Look what the Bible says. We're talking about the grace of patience. Look in 2 Peter chapter 1. Let's begin reading with verse 4. He says, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[John Weaver] Besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, so you're already saved, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance, what are you to add? Patience and to patience, godliness and to godliness, brotherly kindness and a brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're responsible to add to our faith. Patience.

[John Weaver] Now let me explain something to you. You did not get the knowledge that you have overnight. Why in the world would you expect someone who does not have your background, who has never had your time to study, or the materials to study, to know instantly that which you know? It's impossible. It's impossible. All I'm trying to show you is this, as the saints have been patient down through the years, even through all that suffering, we can be patient with each other in teaching each other, in learning from each other, in sharing with each other. We must understand that we're to learn patience from the sovereign God, the Scriptures of God, the Saints of God. I'm going to give you a fourth one. It's not found in Romans 15, but I'll explain it. We're to learn patience from the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you a question. Think about this. How many of you repented the very first time the Holy Spirit of God ever convicted you. Don't raise your hand. Because you don't even know the very first time God, the Holy Spirit convicted you. The Bible says in the book of Job, God speaketh once, yea, twice, and man perceiveth it not. How many of you remember When you were being convicted by the Holy Spirit, you didn't like it. You didn't want it. You were miserable.

[John Weaver] You wanted to get away from it. You wanted to get out of there. Let me ask you, what if the Holy Spirit said, well, if that's the way you're going to do, you can go. I don't care. Where would you be if when you fought and resisted The convicting power of the Holy Spirit that He gave up and let you go your way. The truth is, the Holy Spirit worked on you and convicted you until you were of all men most miserable, until you wanted to die.

[John Weaver] And when you reached the end of your rope, He opened your eyes, illuminated your mind, and showed you the beauty and the wonder and the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. You know, I've got news for you. If the Holy Spirit had only stopped with half His work, if He had just stopped when He had convicted you and showed you what a wicked, miserable, low-down, ungodly, filthy sinner you were, you really wouldn't want to live.

[John Weaver] But He didn't stop there. He showed you the grace of God in Jesus Christ. So we can learn patience from the Spirit of God. Then if you will go back in your Bibles, Romans 15, let me show you verse 3. Here's the fifth place where to learn patience, and that's from the Son of God, our Savior. Notice in verse 3, for even Christ, pleased not himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. Notice, for even Christ pleased not himself.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn to 1 Peter chapter 2 and then to Matthew 27. Okay? 1 Peter chapter 2 and then we're going to Matthew 27. Okay? We're going to 1 Peter chapter 2 first. And then we'll turn back to Matthew 27. Okay? Look, if you would, in 1 Peter chapter 2, at what the Bible says, beginning there with verse 21. 1 Peter 2 verse 21, For even hereunto were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, note, that you should follow His steps. Notice Christ is our example. We're to follow His steps. Verse 22, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Watch now.

[John Weaver] Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judges righteously. who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live under righteousness by whose stripes you're healed. For you were a sheep going astray, but now you return to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

[John Weaver] Now I want to call your attention to the fact that Christ is called our example. We should follow his steps. Who when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not. Now watch this. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27. Look in verse 24, Matthew 27, verse 24. When Pilate saw that he could prevail, nothing but rather tumult was made. He took water and washed his hands before the multitude saying, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. See you to it. Then answered all the people and said, his blood be on us and on our children.

[John Weaver] Then released Heber Abbas unto them. And when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus to the common hall and gathered him and the whole band of soldiers.

[John Weaver] Now watch what they did. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had planted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand. And they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying, hail, king of the Jews. And they spit upon him and they took the reed and smote him on his head.

[John Weaver] You know, it seems to me just about that time, his holy soul would have been filled with absolute revulsion. And he could have prayed, Lord, just kill them all. Father, slay them now. Let me ask you, if he had prayed that prayer, would that prayer have been answered? You better believe it would have. So here he is, hated, rejected. Watch verse 31. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him and put his own raiment on him and led him away to crucify him.

[John Weaver] And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear the cross. And when they were coming to a place called Golgotha, that is to say a place of the skull, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall. And when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets. They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they did cast lots."

[John Weaver] Now watch,"...and sitting down they watched him there, and set up over his head this accusation, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then there were two thieves crucified with him, the one on the right hand, the other on the left, And they that pass by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Watch.

[John Weaver] Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, and the scribes and elders said, He saved others. Himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we'll believe him. He trusted in God. Let him deliver him now that you'll have him. For he said, I am the son of God. The thieves also who were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you a question. Could our Lord have come off that cross had he wanted to?

[John Weaver] Have you ever wondered how he could put up with such blasphemy and such rejection and such hatred. To me, it seems as if the holy, sinless Son of God at this point could have said, I've had it up to here with you wicked reprobates. Send those angels, Father. Kill them all. But He didn't. I want to show you why. I want you to turn to your Bibles, to Hebrews chapter 12, and I'll let the Scripture tell you why our Lord stayed patiently, enduring the blasphemy, the pain, the wickedness, and the rebellion of sinners. Look in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2.

[John Weaver] Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Are you looking? Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God. Now let me ask you, what was the joy that was set before Christ? That of saving His people. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, saving you and I, endured the cross, despising the shame. He patiently endured that He might save His people.

[John Weaver] No wonder Scripture tells us you have need of patience. And if we really want to learn patience, We need to study the Sovereign God, the Scriptures of God, the Saints of God, the Spirit of God, and the Son of God. For they teach patience and grace and mercy. We ought to want to be more like Christ. Let's pray. Father, we do ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would forgive us for our impatience. And we acknowledge and confess, Lord, impatience is sin.

[John Weaver] And we've complained and belly ached about our own tribulations. Lord, each one of us have plenty of them. And we've not understood, Lord, it's been for our good and for Your glory. And in that tribulation, Your teaching is patience. and patience will give us experience, and experience will give us hope, and hope makes us not ashamed, because thou dost shed the love of God abroad in our hearts. And Lord, if we want the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we can't get it without being ashamed, and we can't get without being ashamed without having hope. We can't have hope without experience, and we can't have experience without tribulation. Lord, I pray that you would indeed make us more like unto thyself. Thank you for your marvelous, wonderful patience with each of us. Thank you, Lord, for letting us live. Thank you, Father, that it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.

[John Weaver] Because thy compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. and we give thee praise in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Grace of Patience

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	BSfR65VKgbE
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Romans 8:28-39
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-01-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 132: Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit — Chapter 11
Source Timed Segments	87

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Need for Patience

Weaver shares a personal story about losing his sermon notes and deciding to preach on patience instead, acknowledging his own struggles with impatience.

Well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. And I will tell you a quick story, which is a true story. Sunday morning, of course, is very busy for us. And I try to have everything ready on Saturday evening. And this morning, of course, I was a little bit rushed, not all that much. And I took the outline that I had studied and prepared for and put it in my Bible, put my Bible in the car. So usually when I get to Douglas, I stop and let Alice drive and then I just go over my notes. And I got my Bible and there were no notes in it.

I said, I don't understand that. I put those notes in that Bible. And it was too late to turn around and go back home. I said, well, you know, I immediately thought of two or three other passages in the Bible that I wanted to preach from. So I turned to one of them, and I thought, well, you know, that'll work. That'll preach. And, you know, so when I got here, and I just, I went over all that, had it in my mind, had it in my heart. And when I got here, Granny Doris said, here's your notes. They fell out of the Bible between the door.

I never even saw them. So I'm going to tell you, I'm not going to preach those notes. I'm going to preach what I studied on the way over here. I'll have to preach that a little bit later. All right. So Romans chapter 15, I just assumed the Lord wanted me to preach this since I couldn't find the other. So that's what I'm going to do. Romans 15 and the title of the message is "The Grace of Patience." Notice Romans 15 verse one.

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:1-8

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."

Let me stop there and I want you to go back to Romans chapter 15 and look at verse 1 because he says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:1-8

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

So the message today is entitled "The Grace of Patience." And let me just tell you very quickly, I don't like to preach this message because I can assure you that is one thing that I'm lacking in and that's patience.

I can be patient with people, but I cannot be patient with anything mechanical. I tried to do something yesterday to the car just for a few moments and I told Alice, I said, "Hand me the hammer." And then after about 15 minutes of fuming I said, "Now I remember why I'm not a mechanic." And I tell people I hate trains. And the reason I hate trains is because you pull up there and you have to wait on that train and you sit there wasting time. If I had a book and I could read it, you know, it wouldn't be any problem. But if there's ever another revolution and I'm part of it, I want to be the man that blows up the train tracks. I'm just saying I understand the need of patience.

Definitions: Grace, Mercy, and Longsuffering

Grace is unmerited favor; mercy is not getting what we deserve; longsuffering (patience) is being 'long-nostriled'—not showing irritation.

Now let me give you very quickly a couple of definitions. They're very familiar. Everyone remembers the definition of grace. And grace is just simply God's unmerited favor. In other words, grace is God giving us that which we do not deserve. Mercy is God keeping us from getting what we do deserve. And in between, you have longsuffering. Interestingly enough, and we'll look at the word a little bit later, the word longsuffering literally means to be long-nostriled or long-nosed.

Let me tell you why. Because when you start to get angry and upset, watch this. Here's what you do. You start breathing and those nostrils start flaring. But the bigger the nostril is and the bigger the nose, you cannot tell the flaring. So to be long-nostriled or to be long-nosed then is equivalent to being patient. In other words, you're not showing your irritation.

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:15

Now as you think about patience, let me just read or quote rather some scriptures just by way of introduction. The Bible says in Luke chapter 8 and verse 15 that we are to bring forth fruit with patience. You and I both know that fruit does not immediately appear overnight when we plant a garden. We have to be patient. So he says we're to bring forth fruit with patience, not just garden fruit, but he's talking about spiritual fruit as well. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 11 that we're to follow after patience. Hmm, that's something that we're to run after. And then he says in Hebrews 10 and verse 36, "Ye have need of patience."

Why We Need Patience: Unity in the Body

From Romans 15:5-8, patience is needed to have one mind, one mouth, one motive (glorifying God), one ministry (receiving one another), and one mission (confirming God's promises).

Now let me ask this simple question. In light of this passage teaching us about patience, why in the world would we need patience? Well, I want you to look at this. Let's begin reading with verse 5 again. "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you..." Someone tell me what the word grant means. It means to be given. So we're talking about the grace or the gift of patience. "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus." Now, he says in verse 6, "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."

Now let me just show you a quick outline. Here's why God tells us why we need patience. First of all, He said that we may have one mind. That is, we must think alike. I wish I had time today just to preach on this subject of one mind. You know the Bible says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." The Bible tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ. We're to be likeminded. So we need patience to have one mind. And then he says, "and one mouth." Do you realize when you think alike, you speak alike. When you think the same thoughts, you come out with the same words. So he says we need patience that we may have one mind and one mouth, watch this, and one motive "that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God."

"Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." So why should we have one mind? Why should we have one mouth? So that we may have one motive that we may glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now watch this. In verse 7, you have one ministry. "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God." Now many years ago I preached on this verse and I told you what it meant to receive one another, but notice this, "Wherefore receive ye one another," note "as Christ also received us to the glory of God." What's that mean? That means if someone is a Christian, we must receive them in a biblical manner, no matter whether we agree with them or like them, or if they irritate us. In other words, there is a biblical doctrine of learning to receive each other in Christ. If we think alike, if we have one mind, if we have one mouth, if we have one motive, we will have one ministry. That is, we will be receiving each other.

And by the way, do you not remember that passage in Matthew 25? What did our Lord say? "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." So there's the ministry then of learning to receive each other. And then he talks about one mission in verse 8, he says, "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." So we have one mind, one mouth, one motive, one ministry that we might have one mission that we might confirm the promises made unto the fathers. In other words, that we demonstrate the reality and the truth of the word of God in our lives.

Now, I want to look at Romans chapter 15 and try to answer this question: To give you something to think about when it comes to patience. Where in the world would you and I ever learn patience? The Bible gives us the answer. First of all, we're to learn patience from the sovereign God. Look in verse 5. "Now the God of patience and consolation." Have you ever stopped to think about God as the God of patience? If you would stop, just turn back in your Bibles very quickly to Genesis chapter 6. Let me give you an illustration. Genesis chapter 6. Notice if you would what the Bible says, just showing you God is the God of patience. Notice if you would please, Genesis 6 and verse 3.

Learning Patience from the Sovereign God

God's patience is seen in Genesis 6 (120 years before the flood), Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, and the 400 years of Amorite iniquity. God's patience with us should teach us patience with others.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:3, 5

"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."

Notice verse 5, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." So what does God see in Genesis chapter 6? He sees an absolute corrupt group of people. Totally, absolutely perverse. And yet, you know what God says?

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:3, 5

"My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."

You know what God did? God, instead of destroying those people instantly and immediately, still waited 120 years. If you go to 2 Peter, Noah was building that ark during that time and during that time Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Now the amazing thing to me is that God waited 120 years before he destroyed them. If you simply watch the news in this day and time, you will have enough prayer material to pray those imprecatory prayers about, and asking God to destroy the wicked. And yet, God is so absolutely amazing when it comes to patience.

You don't have to turn there. But do you remember Genesis 18 and 19? What did God do? He sent his Son and two angels to Abraham. And he says, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grievous." He said, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it." And of course, you know the story how Abraham interceded and got God down to ten righteous people. If there were ten righteous people, he would not destroy those cities. And of course there were not ten righteous there. But the amazing thing that God put up with that trash and that filth and that wickedness and that rebellion for as long as he did. You remember the book of Jonah? What did God do? God sent Jonah.

and he ran through Nineveh preaching, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians were known for their wickedness, their cruelty. Crucifixion began with the Assyrians. Oh no, not the Roman type. King Ashurbanipal is the one who boasted of how many men that he had crucified. What they would do, they would take a pole, stick it in the ground with a sharp point. The soldiers then would strip a man naked, hold him up over that, and pull him down on the pole up through his anus, up through his guts, and let him wiggle and ride there in pain until he died. That's how they crucified. They had entire mountains of human heads that they had decapitated. The Assyrians would literally skin people alive. And Ashurbanipal boasted about this. And here Jonah is preaching in the capital of the Assyrian Empire, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown," and guess what? They repented and God spared them until another 200 years.

And then he wiped them out. The amazing thing to me is that God could be so gracious and so kind and so patient to wicked, ungodly, rebellious sinners. Look in your Bible, so Genesis 15 since you're there. I want you to see this.

Genesis 15 verse 13. Now God has entered into a covenant with Abraham. And here's what God tells Abraham, verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 15:13-16

"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years."

Now interestingly, God is telling Abram that he and his seed are going into Egypt for 400 years. They're going to be afflicted. They're going to be enslaved. Why? Why must Abraham and his seed go into Egypt and be slaves for 400 years? Watch verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 15:13-16

"And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge."

God said, "I'll take care of the Egyptians."

"And afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age." Here's why. Israel was in Egypt 400 years, "but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." What happened in 400 years? God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. He put a sword in their hand and said, "Kill every one of them." Now the amazing thing is that God was patient with these wicked people for 400 years. 400 years! You know, when you think of Israel, it is so amazing to me. I can read the book of Judges and I just, I put my hands on my forehead and I thought, how in the world can that be? I mean, here's a people that thumbed their nose at God, hated Him, turned against Him, fell into idolatry, and yet God would redeem them from their enemies every time they cried. God would redeem them. God would give them a little space and a little breathing room, and guess what? They'd turn around and do the same thing all over again. And you know I think, people never learn. It looks to me like, you know, God would just simply wipe some of those people off the face of the earth.

But now listen to this. What about us? What about us? Do you realize that God was just as merciful toward us? What if God had smitten you down the very first time that you sinned against Him? Where would you be? What if God had slapped you down the second time you sinned against Him? Or the third time? Or the fourth time? You get the idea. You know, look in your Bibles.

Turn, if you would please, to the book of Romans chapter 2. Let me show you. This is an amazing passage. Look in Romans chapter 2. Just trying to show you the absolute patience of God. Look in Romans chapter 2 and notice if you would please verse 4. Romans 2 verse 4. He says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 2:4-5

"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness?"

Now what happens when you despise God's goodness?

Well, He ought to slap you down. He ought to kill you, but He doesn't. He says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance?" In other words, when you despise God's goodness, His forbearance comes into play. That is, He forbears with you a little longer. He still does not instantly and immediately smite you down. Well, what happens when you then continue to despise not only His goodness, but His forbearance? Here's what. "and longsuffering." Then after you despise His goodness and His forbearance, then that longsuffering or that long-nose comes into play. God is longsuffering. And you don't know that the goodness of God is designed to lead you to repentance. But now watch this. If you continue to despise even the longsuffering of God, verse 5, what are you doing?

"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds." Note, if you would please, there is indeed a limit to God's patience. You know what we do on a daily basis? We despise the goodness of God. We despise the forbearance of God. The scripture says in Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, let me just quote it. But listen carefully, you know this passage.

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:22-23

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

You know why you were allowed to wake up this morning? God was merciful, God was compassionate, God was faithful. The reason we did not die in our sleep last night, God was merciful, God was compassionate, God was faithful. And look how many days we go without even thanking Him for life and protection and provision. Look how many days we go despising his goodness, his forbearance, and his longsuffering. Every day that we live is because of God's patience with us. Now here's the point. If God was patient and if God is patient with you and I as sinners, can we not learn to be patient with other people who are sinners?

That doesn't mean that we like their sins, put up with their sins, endorse their sins, subsidize their sins. No, no, no, no. It's not what I mean. But I'm just simply pointing out each of us have family members that are lost and they irritate the living daylights out of us. If I were to ask you, how many of you had rather be around your Christian family, your church family, than around your physical family who are lost? Which one did you rather be with? I know the answer. You'd rather be with your Christian family. Why? Because we have the one mind, the one mouth, the one motive, the one ministry, the one mission. We think alike. Now, all I'm trying to show you is this, folks.

We have to learn patience from the sovereign God. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. This will also work between Christians. There's an application not between you and I and sinners, but there's also an application between you and I as believers in Christ. Look what the Bible says, Ephesians 4, beginning there with verse 30. Ephesians 4, verse 30. The Bible says, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." How do we not grieve the Holy Spirit of God? Here's how we do not grieve Him. We do not grieve Him by putting all these things off and putting them away.

Learning Patience from the Scriptures of God

Romans 15:4 says Scriptures were written for our learning to produce patience. Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4 show that tribulation works patience, leading to maturity.

Romans chapter five. Let's begin reading there with verse one. Look at it. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Now note, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and we rejoice. By the way, the word rejoice literally means to exult. It means to jump up and down in. "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice," we exalt, we jump up and down "in hope of the glory of God."

In other words, man, we could preach on God's eternal deliverance and his eternal glory and all the gifts that he's given us. And it's enough to jump up and down in. But look in verse three. "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Now I want you to go back to verse three, "And not only so, but we glory." Would you like to know what the word glory is in the Greek? It's the exact same word that is translated "rejoice" in verse two. Here it is. "And not only so, but we exalt, we jump up and down and we glory in tribulation also." Why? "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

All these bad things that come our way that we interpret as bad, they're not really bad. They're for our good. They're to teach us patience, give us experience, give us hope, make us not ashamed, so that the love of God would be shed abroad in our hearts. Look in your Bibles to the book of James, chapter 1, if you would. James, chapter 1. Notice here it is. James, chapter 1. It is so plain. James 1 verse 2. Look what James says.

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," that is different kinds of tests, different kinds of tribulations. Why? "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire," that is mature and complete, "wanting nothing." What? "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."

Now I've got to admit, folks, it's very difficult for me to say, "Thank God I've got to sit here and wait on this train for 30 minutes." You know? It is difficult for me to say, "Thank God I'm $500 short this month." I mean, you know. Or "Thank God I'm having this complication and that complication." But look what he said. "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Why? "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh" what? "Patience. And let patience have her" what? "Her perfect work." What is God doing to us through tribulation, through trials? He's maturing us. That we may be mature and complete, wanting or lacking absolutely nothing. You know, I'm not a blacksmith. But I've watched men who are blacksmiths. And they will take that metal that you could not bend for the life of you. It is so tough. But they will put that piece of metal in the fire.

And get it red hot. And then they can take some forceps and make pretzels out of it if they want. It's the tribulation, it's the heat of the trouble that makes us malleable and bendable. If you want patience, you need to expect tribulations. Because it's only through tribulations that we get patience. That's why he said, "My brethren, count it all joy." So hard. So difficult. And yet, that's what Scripture teaches.

Learning Patience from the Saints of God

James 5:7-11 points to the prophets and Job as examples of patience. Hebrews 11 lists saints who endured suffering. We must not begrudge others but learn patience from their examples.

Now, I want you to turn to James chapter 5. Here is a wonderful passage that will show you how we're to learn patience from the saints of God. Look at James chapter five, if you would please, beginning there with verse seven. James chapter five, verse seven. Look what he says. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." Whoa, that's a long time to be patient, isn't it? "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it," that's God the Father, "until he receive the early and latter rain." Now look at this command. "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door." Now watch verse 10. "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure."

"Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." Now notice how many times he tells us in this passage to be patient. And then notice if you would, verse nine, he says, "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned." What in the world does it mean to grudge? Have you ever thought about that? How in the world can grudging be related to patience? "Grudge not." Well, let me give you an illustration. I think you can identify with it, or at least some of you can. When I was a boy raised on a farm, we had hogs. And outside our back door was a slop bucket. What you didn't eat for breakfast went in that slop bucket. What you didn't eat for dinner went in that slop bucket. What you didn't eat for supper went in that slop bucket.

And by the next morning, it was full. Five-gallon bucket. And daddy would say, "Son, go out and slop the hogs." What did that mean? That meant you took that bucket out there and you poured it in the trough and all those big old hogs and those old sows would come up, they'd stick their snout down in that trough and go, kind of like the way Ron drinks his coffee, you know, but, you know, just pulls and swigs that stuff down and all of a sudden, one of those big old sows hits an ear of corn in all that slop. You know what she does? She grunts and turns and runs. Guess what the other hogs do? Do they stay there and continue to drink their slop until they find their piece of corn? No, no, no, no. They run after her, hitting her and knocking her and trying to take away that which she had. They're grudging the fact that she had something that they didn't. You know, you could have 15 dogs out here and have 15 T-bone steaks and you say to those dogs, "Now boys, sit still, I've got a steak for each one of you." And you throw the first one out. Guess what? One's going to get it and he's going to run. Where are the other 14? Are they sitting there wagging, waiting for their steak? No, no. They're chasing him down trying to take his steak away from him. They're grudging because he had it.

Now I want to show you, I want to show you how grudging is related to patience. I can give you several illustrations. Here's a young couple, just got married. And they think, well, mother and daddy have a nice house. We want a nice house too. And so they go in debt and get a fine house. They say, "Mom and Daddy have nice furniture. We want to have nice furniture too." So they go out and go in more debt and fill their house with furniture.

Not content with a refrigerator and stove and a bed and a table. No, no. They go in debt for it. "Mom and Daddy drive a new car. I don't see why we can't drive a new car." And they go in debt for that. Anything they want, they go in debt for. Well, mom and daddy have it, why can't we have it? And it never dawns on them to think, yes, mom and daddy have some of those things, but it took them 40 years to get it. And they're begrudging the fact that their parents have something that they don't. And they're refusing to be patient and work for it and earn it and pay cash for it. "I don't like so and so, he knows more than I do." What? He's probably studied more than you have, that's why he knows more than you do.

I told you, I told you about the missionary that came to our church in Jessup. He was a concert pianist. He sat down at the piano, not one note of music in front of him, and he played for an hour. It looked like his fingers were just running up and down that piano. It looked like music was coming out of his fingertips. I couldn't believe it. After an hour, he stopped and I said, "Brother, I'd give anything to be able to play the piano like that." "Really?" he said. I said, "Yes, sir, I'd give anything to play the piano like that." "Really?" he said, "Well, I practice eight hours a day, six days a week." You know, all of a sudden I didn't want to be a concert pianist anymore. That's why he could play the piano like that and I couldn't. He had the patience to do it, I didn't. But I can begrudge him the fact that he can do that, but look what he paid to be able to do that. I'm just simply saying, folks, we're to learn patience from the saints.

I could go through the Bible. Look at Job. He's mentioned here, look at Isaiah, look at Jeremiah. You know, every young preacher, boy, he wants a big ministry. Well, I tell you what, follow Isaiah, follow Jeremiah. They never had a big ministry. In fact, they were hated, despised. The people that they loved hated them. They were thrown into a dungeon. How about swapping places with Noah? Noah preached 120 years and never had one convert.

Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma. He was in Burma for 15 years without one convert. Finally, a lady wrote him. Asked him, is there anything that he needed over there that he couldn't get over there that she could send him from England? He wrote her back, said, "Yes, send me a communion set." He never even had one convert! But by the time the set arrived, he had plenty of converts after 15 years. Look in your Bibles. Look at Hebrews chapter 11. You're talking about something that ought to convict us. We're talking about learning patience from the saints. Look at Hebrews chapter 11.

Let's begin reading there verse 32. Notice, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Watch, "Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Note what these people went through. And we complain when our air conditioning system goes down for a day. I'm just simply saying, folks, Polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle. If I'm not mistaken, he was in his nineties when he is being put to death by the Emperor. He was called upon to renounce Christ. If he renounced Christ, his life would be spared. Polycarp said, "Lo, these eighty and six years have I served Him, and He's done me no wrong. Must I then now at the last be called upon to deny my Lord and my Saviour? I cannot, and I will not." And he was put to death. None of us have had to endure things like Hebrews 11.

And yeah, we can learn patience from the saints of God. You know, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter since we're right there. Look what the Bible says. We're talking about the grace of patience. Look in 2 Peter chapter 1. Let's begin reading with verse 4. He says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

Learning Patience from the Spirit and the Son of God

The Holy Spirit patiently convicts us. Christ is our ultimate example: He endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), not reviling when He suffered (1 Peter 2:21-23).

Let me ask you a question. Think about this. How many of you repented the very first time the Holy Spirit of God ever convicted you. Don't raise your hand. Because you don't even know the very first time God, the Holy Spirit convicted you. The Bible says in the book of Job, "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not." How many of you remember when you were being convicted by the Holy Spirit, you didn't like it. You didn't want it. You were miserable.

You wanted to get away from it. You wanted to get out of there. Let me ask you, what if the Holy Spirit said, "Well, if that's the way you're going to do, you can go. I don't care." Where would you be if when you fought and resisted the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that He gave up and let you go your way. The truth is, the Holy Spirit worked on you and convicted you until you were of all men most miserable, until you wanted to die. And when you reached the end of your rope, He opened your eyes, illuminated your mind, and showed you the beauty and the wonder and the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. You know, I've got news for you. If the Holy Spirit had only stopped with half His work, if He had just stopped when He had convicted you and showed you what a wicked, miserable, low-down, ungodly, filthy sinner you were, you really wouldn't want to live.

But He didn't stop there. He showed you the grace of God in Jesus Christ. So we can learn patience from the Spirit of God. Then if you will go back in your Bibles, Romans 15, let me show you verse 3. Here's the fifth place where to learn patience, and that's from the Son of God, our Savior. Notice in verse 3, "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." Notice, "For even Christ pleased not himself."

Now I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn to 1 Peter chapter 2 and then to Matthew 27. Okay? 1 Peter chapter 2 and then we're going to Matthew 27. Okay? We're going to 1 Peter chapter 2 first. And then we'll turn back to Matthew 27. Okay? Look, if you would, in 1 Peter chapter 2, at what the Bible says, beginning there with verse 21. 1 Peter 2 verse 21, "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." Notice Christ is our example. We're to follow His steps. Verse 22, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Watch now.

"Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." Now I want to call your attention to the fact that Christ is called our example. We should follow his steps. "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." Now watch this. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27. Look in verse 24, Matthew 27, verse 24. "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children."

"Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers." Now watch what they did. "And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head." You know, it seems to me just about that time, his holy soul would have been filled with absolute revulsion. And he could have prayed, "Lord, just kill them all. Father, slay them now." Let me ask you, if he had prayed that prayer, would that prayer have been answered? You better believe it would have. So here he is, hated, rejected. Watch verse 31. "And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him."

"And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots." Now watch, "And sitting down they watched him there; and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." Watch.

"Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." Let me ask you a question. Could our Lord have come off that cross had he wanted to?

Have you ever wondered how he could put up with such blasphemy and such rejection and such hatred. To me, it seems as if the holy, sinless Son of God at this point could have said, "I've had it up to here with you wicked reprobates. Send those angels, Father. Kill them all." But He didn't. I want to show you why. I want you to turn to your Bibles, to Hebrews chapter 12, and I'll let the Scripture tell you why our Lord stayed patiently, enduring the blasphemy, the pain, the wickedness, and the rebellion of sinners. Look in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2.

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;" Are you looking? "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Now let me ask you, what was the joy that was set before Christ? That of saving His people. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him," saving you and I, "endured the cross, despising the shame." He patiently endured that He might save His people. No wonder Scripture tells us you have need of patience. And if we really want to learn patience, we need to study the Sovereign God, the Scriptures of God, the Saints of God, the Spirit of God, and the Son of God. For they teach patience and grace and mercy. We ought to want to be more like Christ. Let's pray. Father, we do ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would forgive us for our impatience. And we acknowledge and confess, Lord, impatience is sin.

Conclusion: Prayer for Patience

Weaver prays for forgiveness of impatience, acknowledging that tribulation is for our good and God's glory, and asks God to make us more like Christ.

And we've complained and bellyached about our own tribulations. Lord, each one of us have plenty of them. And we've not understood, Lord, it's been for our good and for Your glory. And in that tribulation, You're teaching us patience. And patience will give us experience, and experience will give us hope, and hope makes us not ashamed, because Thou dost shed the love of God abroad in our hearts. And Lord, if we want the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we can't get it without being ashamed, and we can't get without being ashamed without having hope. We can't have hope without experience, and we can't have experience without tribulation. Lord, I pray that you would indeed make us more like unto Thyself. Thank you for your marvelous, wonderful patience with each of us. Thank you, Lord, for letting us live. Thank you, Father, that it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.

Because Thy compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. And we give Thee praise in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Patience as a Divine Grace

Summary: Patience is a gift from God, rooted in His character as the 'God of patience.' Believers must rely on God's grace to develop patience.

Evidence: Verse 5: 'Now the God of patience and consolation grant you...' The word 'grant' means to be given, so patience is a grace.

Tribulation Produces Patience

Summary: Trials and tribulations are God's instruments to work patience in believers, leading to experience, hope, and the love of God.

Evidence: Romans 5:3-5: 'tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.' James 1:2-4: 'the trying of your faith worketh patience.'

Unity Through Patience

Summary: Patience is essential for maintaining unity in the church—having one mind, one mouth, and one motive to glorify God.

Evidence: Romans 15:5-6: 'grant you to be likeminded... that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.'

Christ as the Supreme Example of Patience

Summary: Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy set before Him. He did not revile when reviled, providing the ultimate model of patience.

Evidence: 1 Peter 2:21-23; Hebrews 12:2; Matthew 27:27-44.

Learning Patience from Scripture and Saints

Summary: The Old Testament was written for our learning to produce patience. The examples of Job, the prophets, and the heroes of faith teach endurance.

Evidence: Romans 15:4; James 5:10-11; Hebrews 11:32-40.

Key Arguments

God's patience with sinners should teach us patience with others.

Summary: If God was patient with wicked people for centuries and with us daily, we can be patient with fellow sinners, both lost and saved.

Evidence: Genesis 6:3 (120 years); Genesis 15:13-16 (400 years for Amorites); Romans 2:4-5 (goodness, forbearance, longsuffering).

Impatience is sin and must be confessed.

Summary: Weaver admits his own impatience and states that impatience is sin, calling for confession and reliance on God's grace.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I can assure you that is one thing that I'm lacking in and that's patience.' Later: 'impatience is sin.'

Patience is developed through adding to faith.

Summary: 2 Peter 1:5-7 commands believers to add to their faith patience, showing it is a virtue to be actively cultivated.

Evidence: 2 Peter 1:5-7: 'add to your faith virtue... to temperance patience.'

Grudging is a form of impatience.

Summary: James 5:9 warns against grudging, which stems from impatience with God's timing and provision, illustrated by hogs and dogs fighting over food.

Evidence: James 5:9: 'Grudge not one against another, brethren.' Weaver's illustration of hogs and dogs.

Scripture References

Romans 15:1-8

Context: Primary text: the strong should bear the weak; Christ is our example; Scriptures give patience and hope.

Luke 8:15

Context: We are to bring forth fruit with patience.

1 Timothy 6:11

Context: We are to follow after patience.

Hebrews 10:36

Context: Ye have need of patience.

Hebrews 12:1

Context: Run the race with patience.

Romans 15:5, 13, 33

Context: God is called the God of patience, hope, and peace; sequence shows patience leads to hope and peace.

Genesis 6:3, 5

Context: God's patience: 120 years before the flood despite man's wickedness.

Genesis 18-19

Context: God's patience with Sodom and Gomorrah, willing to spare for ten righteous.

Jonah 3-4

Context: God spared Nineveh after repentance, showing patience with cruel Assyrians.

Genesis 15:13-16

Context: God waited 400 years for Amorite iniquity to be full before judging.

Romans 2:4-5

Context: God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering lead to repentance; despising them stores up wrath.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Context: It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed; His compassions are new every morning.

Ephesians 4:30-32

Context: Put away bitterness and anger; be kind and forgiving as God forgave us.

Romans 5:1-5

Context: Tribulation works patience, experience, hope; hope does not make ashamed.

James 1:2-4

Context: Count it all joy when you fall into trials; testing of faith produces patience and maturity.

Romans 12:12

Context: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

James 5:7-11

Context: Be patient until the Lord's coming; take the prophets as examples of suffering and patience; Job's patience.

Hebrews 11:32-40

Context: Heroes of faith endured torture, mocking, imprisonment, not receiving the promise, yet commended for faith.

2 Peter 1:4-8

Context: Add to your faith patience; these qualities make you fruitful.

1 Peter 2:21-25

Context: Christ suffered as an example; when reviled, He did not revile; He bore our sins.

Historical References

Assyrian Empire and Nineveh

Context: Assyrians were known for extreme cruelty, including crucifixion by impalement and skinning people alive. God showed patience by sparing Nineveh after Jonah's preaching.

Polycarp, disciple of John

Context: Polycarp, in his nineties, refused to renounce Christ, saying, 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong.' He was martyred.

Adoniram Judson, missionary to Burma

Context: Judson labored 15 years without a single convert before seeing fruit; he requested a communion set in faith.

Important Quotes

I can be patient with people, but I cannot be patient with anything mechanical.

Significance: Weaver's personal confession of impatience, setting the tone for the message.

Grace is just simply God's unmerited favor. In other words, grace is God giving us that which we do not deserve. Mercy is God keeping us from getting what we do deserve.

Significance: Clear definition of grace and mercy, foundational to understanding patience as a gift.

You have to know God as the God of patience before you can ever know Him as the God of hope. And you have to know Him as the God of hope before you can ever know Him as the God of peace.

Significance: Shows the sequential relationship between patience, hope, and peace in the believer's life.

Every day that we live is because of God's patience with us.

Significance: Emphasizes that our very existence depends on God's continual patience.

Lo, these eighty and six years have I served Him, and He's done me no wrong. Must I then now at the last be called upon to deny my Lord and my Saviour? I cannot, and I will not.

Significance: Polycarp's famous words exemplifying patient endurance unto death.

Discussion Questions

In what areas of your life do you struggle most with impatience, and how does recognizing impatience as sin change your approach?

Context: Weaver admits his impatience with mechanical things and trains, calling impatience sin.

How does understanding God as the 'God of patience' affect your view of His dealings with you and with the world?

Context: Romans 15:5 calls God the God of patience; examples from Genesis and Jonah show His longsuffering.

Why is it often easier to be patient with strangers than with family members or fellow church members?

Context: Weaver notes we can be more impatient with our families and shares the story of the child exposing family secrets.

How can we practically 'count it all joy' when facing trials, and what role does patience play in that process?

Context: James 1:2-4 commands joy in trials because they produce patience and maturity.

What does it mean to 'grudge not' against others, and how is grudging related to impatience?

Context: James 5:9; Weaver's illustration of hogs and dogs fighting over food shows grudging as impatience with God's provision.

How does Christ's example of enduring the cross without retaliation challenge your response to mistreatment?

Context: 1 Peter 2:21-23 and Matthew 27 show Jesus not reviling when reviled.

Applications

Confess impatience as sin and seek God's grace.

Summary: Acknowledge that impatience is sin and ask God for forgiveness and the grace of patience.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'impatience is sin' and prays for forgiveness at the end.

View tribulations as opportunities for growth.

Summary: Instead of complaining, count trials as joy because they produce patience, experience, and hope.

Evidence: James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5.

Be patient with fellow believers to maintain unity.

Summary: Bear with the weaknesses of others, avoid grudging, and receive one another as Christ received us.

Evidence: Romans 15:1, 7; James 5:9.

Learn patience from Scripture and the examples of saints.

Summary: Study the Old Testament and the lives of Job, the prophets, and Hebrews 11 heroes to gain endurance.

Evidence: Romans 15:4; James 5:10-11; Hebrews 11.

Follow Christ's example of patient endurance.

Summary: When mistreated, do not retaliate but entrust yourself to God, looking to the joy set before you.

Evidence: 1 Peter 2:21-23; Hebrews 12:2.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:53:12Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:40:01Z

Clean Transcript

The Grace of Patience

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. And I will tell you a quick story, which is a true story. Sunday morning, of course, is very busy for us. And I try to have everything ready on Saturday evening. And this morning, of course, I was a little bit rushed, not all that much. And I took the outline that I had studied and prepared for and put it in my Bible, put my Bible in the car. So usually when I get to Douglas, I stop and let Alice drive and then I just go over my notes. And I got my Bible and there were no notes in it.
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I said, I don't understand that. I put those notes in that Bible. And it was too late to turn around and go back home. I said, well, you know, I immediately thought of two or three other passages in the Bible that I wanted to preach from. So I turned to one of them, and I thought, well, you know, that'll work. That'll preach. And, you know, so when I got here, and I just, I went over all that, had it in my mind, had it in my heart. And when I got here, Granny Doris said, here's your notes. They fell out of the Bible between the door.
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I never even saw them. So I'm going to tell you, I'm not going to preach those notes. I'm going to preach what I studied on the way over here. I'll have to preach that a little bit later. All right. So Romans chapter 15, I just assumed the Lord wanted me to preach this since I couldn't find the other. So that's what I'm going to do. Romans 15 and the title of the message is "The Grace of Patience." Notice Romans 15 verse one.
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"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."
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"Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." Let me stop there and I want you to go back to Romans chapter 15 and look at verse 1 because he says, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." So the message today is entitled "The Grace of Patience." And let me just tell you very quickly, I don't like to preach this message because I can assure you that is one thing that I'm lacking in and that's patience.
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I can be patient with people, but I cannot be patient with anything mechanical. I tried to do something yesterday to the car just for a few moments and I told Alice, I said, "Hand me the hammer." And then after about 15 minutes of fuming I said, "Now I remember why I'm not a mechanic." And I tell people I hate trains. And the reason I hate trains is because you pull up there and you have to wait on that train and you sit there wasting time.
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If I had a book and I could read it, you know, it wouldn't be any problem. But if there's ever another revolution and I'm part of it, I want to be the man that blows up the train tracks. I'm just saying I understand the need of patience.
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Now let me give you very quickly a couple of definitions. They're very familiar. Everyone remembers the definition of grace. And grace is just simply God's unmerited favor. In other words, grace is God giving us that which we do not deserve. Mercy is God keeping us from getting what we do deserve. And in between, you have longsuffering. Interestingly enough, and we'll look at the word a little bit later, the word longsuffering literally means to be long-nostriled or long-nosed.
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Let me tell you why. Because when you start to get angry and upset, watch this. Here's what you do. You start breathing and those nostrils start flaring. But the bigger the nostril is and the bigger the nose, you cannot tell the flaring. So to be long-nostriled or to be long-nosed then is equivalent to being patient. In other words, you're not showing your irritation.
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Now as you think about patience, let me just read or quote rather some scriptures just by way of introduction. The Bible says in Luke chapter 8 and verse 15 that we are to bring forth fruit with patience. You and I both know that fruit does not immediately appear overnight when we plant a garden. We have to be patient. So he says we're to bring forth fruit with patience, not just garden fruit, but he's talking about spiritual fruit as well. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 11 that we're to follow after patience. Hmm, that's something that we're to run after. And then he says in Hebrews 10 and verse 36, "Ye have need of patience."
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You heard about the woman who was impatient. She realized her impatience was sin. So she went to the Lord in prayer and said, "Lord, I'm impatient. I know it's sin. And I need patience. And Lord, I want it right now." Well, that's the way we are. That's why he says you have need of patience. In Hebrews 12 and verse 1, he tells us that we are to run the race with patience. Interestingly enough, look in verse 5.
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Let me show you something about Romans chapter 15. He says, "Now the God of patience," and I'm going to come back to this verse.
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"Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus." Now note in verse 5, God is called the God of patience. Look if you would please now in verse 13. He says, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Now look in verse 33. "Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen." Note if you would, in verse 5, God is called the God of patience. In verse 13, God is called the God of hope. And finally in verse 33, He's called the God of peace. Let me put it like this. You have to know God as the God of patience before you can ever know Him as the God of hope. And you have to know Him as the God of hope before you can ever know Him as the God of peace. So there is indeed a direct correlation between these names that are given us, calling God the God of patience, the God of hope, and finally the God of peace.
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Now let me ask this simple question. In light of this passage teaching us about patience, why in the world would we need patience? Well, I want you to look at this. Let's begin reading with verse 5 again. "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you..." Someone tell me what the word grant means. It means to be given. So we're talking about the grace or the gift of patience. "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus." Now, he says in verse 6, "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."
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Now let me just show you a quick outline. Here's why God tells us why we need patience. First of all, He said that we may have one mind. That is, we must think alike. I wish I had time today just to preach on this subject of one mind. You know the Bible says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." The Bible tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ.
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We're to be likeminded. So we need patience to have one mind. And then he says, "and one mouth." Do you realize when you think alike, you speak alike. When you think the same thoughts, you come out with the same words. So he says we need patience that we may have one mind and one mouth, watch this, and one motive "that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God."
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"Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." So why should we have one mind? Why should we have one mouth? So that we may have one motive that we may glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now watch this. In verse 7, you have one ministry. "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God." Now many years ago I preached on this verse and I told you what it meant to receive one another, but notice this, "Wherefore receive ye one another," note "as Christ also received us to the glory of God." What's that mean? That means if someone is a Christian, we must receive them in a biblical manner, no matter whether we agree with them or like them, or if they irritate us. In other words, there is a biblical doctrine of learning to receive each other in Christ. If we think alike, if we have one mind, if we have one mouth, if we have one motive, we will have one ministry. That is, we will be receiving each other.
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And by the way, do you not remember that passage in Matthew 25? What did our Lord say? "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." So there's the ministry then of learning to receive each other. And then he talks about one mission in verse 8, he says, "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." So we have one mind, one mouth, one motive, one ministry that we might have one mission that we might confirm the promises made unto the fathers. In other words, that we demonstrate the reality and the truth of the word of God in our lives.
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Now, I want to look at Romans chapter 15 and try to answer this question: To give you something to think about when it comes to patience. Where in the world would you and I ever learn patience? The Bible gives us the answer. First of all, we're to learn patience from the sovereign God. Look in verse 5. "Now the God of patience and consolation." Have you ever stopped to think about God as the God of patience? If you would stop, just turn back in your Bibles very quickly to Genesis chapter 6. Let me give you an illustration. Genesis chapter 6. Notice if you would what the Bible says, just showing you God is the God of patience. Notice if you would please, Genesis 6 and verse 3.
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"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Notice verse 5, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." So what does God see in Genesis chapter 6?
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He sees an absolute corrupt group of people. Totally, absolutely perverse. And yet, you know what God says? "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." You know what God did? God, instead of destroying those people instantly and immediately, still waited 120 years. If you go to 2 Peter, Noah was building that ark during that time and during that time Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Now the amazing thing to me is that God waited 120 years before he destroyed them. If you simply watch the news in this day and time, you will have enough prayer material to pray those imprecatory prayers about, and asking God to destroy the wicked. And yet, God is so absolutely amazing when it comes to patience.
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You don't have to turn there. But do you remember Genesis 18 and 19? What did God do? He sent his Son and two angels to Abraham. And he says, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grievous." He said, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it." And of course, you know the story how Abraham interceded and got God down to ten righteous people. If there were ten righteous people, he would not destroy those cities. And of course there were not ten righteous there. But the amazing thing that God put up with that trash and that filth and that wickedness and that rebellion for as long as he did. You remember the book of Jonah? What did God do? God sent Jonah.
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and he ran through Nineveh preaching, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians were known for their wickedness, their cruelty. Crucifixion began with the Assyrians. Oh no, not the Roman type. King Ashurbanipal is the one who boasted of how many men that he had crucified. What they would do, they would take a pole, stick it in the ground with a sharp point.
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The soldiers then would strip a man naked, hold him up over that, and pull him down on the pole up through his anus, up through his guts, and let him wiggle and ride there in pain until he died. That's how they crucified. They had entire mountains of human heads that they had decapitated. The Assyrians would literally skin people alive. And Ashurbanipal boasted about this. And here Jonah is preaching in the capital of the Assyrian Empire, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown," and guess what? They repented and God spared them until another 200 years.
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And then he wiped them out. The amazing thing to me is that God could be so gracious and so kind and so patient to wicked, ungodly, rebellious sinners. Look in your Bible, so Genesis 15 since you're there. I want you to see this.
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Genesis 15 verse 13. Now God has entered into a covenant with Abraham. And here's what God tells Abraham, verse 13, "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years." Now interestingly, God is telling Abram that he and his seed are going into Egypt for 400 years. They're going to be afflicted. They're going to be enslaved. Why? Why must Abraham and his seed go into Egypt and be slaves for 400 years? Watch verse 14. "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge." God said, "I'll take care of the Egyptians."
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"And afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age." Here's why. Israel was in Egypt 400 years, "but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." What happened in 400 years? God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.
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He put a sword in their hand and said, "Kill every one of them." Now the amazing thing is that God was patient with these wicked people for 400 years. 400 years! You know, when you think of Israel, it is so amazing to me. I can read the book of Judges and I just, I put my hands on my forehead and I thought, how in the world can that be? I mean, here's a people that thumbed their nose at God, hated Him, turned against Him, fell into idolatry, and yet God would redeem them from their enemies every time they cried. God would redeem them. God would give them a little space and a little breathing room, and guess what? They'd turn around and do the same thing all over again. And you know I think, people never learn. It looks to me like, you know, God would just simply wipe some of those people off the face of the earth.
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But now listen to this. What about us? What about us? Do you realize that God was just as merciful toward us? What if God had smitten you down the very first time that you sinned against Him? Where would you be? What if God had slapped you down the second time you sinned against Him? Or the third time? Or the fourth time? You get the idea. You know, look in your Bibles.
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Turn, if you would please, to the book of Romans chapter 2. Let me show you. This is an amazing passage. Look in Romans chapter 2. Just trying to show you the absolute patience of God. Look in Romans chapter 2 and notice if you would please verse 4. Romans 2 verse 4. He says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness?" Now what happens when you despise God's goodness?
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Well, He ought to slap you down. He ought to kill you, but He doesn't. He says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance?" In other words, when you despise God's goodness, His forbearance comes into play. That is, He forbears with you a little longer. He still does not instantly and immediately smite you down. Well, what happens when you then continue to despise not only His goodness, but His forbearance? Here's what. "and longsuffering." Then after you despise His goodness and His forbearance, then that longsuffering or that long-nose comes into play. God is longsuffering. And you don't know that the goodness of God is designed to lead you to repentance. But now watch this. If you continue to despise even the longsuffering of God, verse 5, what are you doing?
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"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds." Note, if you would please, there is indeed a limit to God's patience. You know what we do on a daily basis? We despise the goodness of God. We despise the forbearance of God. The scripture says in Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22 and 23, let me just quote it. But listen carefully, you know this passage.
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"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." You know why you were allowed to wake up this morning? God was merciful, God was compassionate, God was faithful. The reason we did not die in our sleep last night, God was merciful, God was compassionate, God was faithful. And look how many days we go without even thanking Him for life and protection and provision. Look how many days we go despising his goodness, his forbearance, and his longsuffering. Every day that we live is because of God's patience with us. Now here's the point. If God was patient and if God is patient with you and I as sinners, can we not learn to be patient with other people who are sinners?
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That doesn't mean that we like their sins, put up with their sins, endorse their sins, subsidize their sins. No, no, no, no. It's not what I mean. But I'm just simply pointing out each of us have family members that are lost and they irritate the living daylights out of us. If I were to ask you, how many of you had rather be around your Christian family, your church family, than around your physical family who are lost? Which one did you rather be with? I know the answer. You'd rather be with your Christian family. Why? Because we have the one mind, the one mouth, the one motive, the one ministry, the one mission. We think alike. Now, all I'm trying to show you is this, folks.
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We have to learn patience from the sovereign God. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. This will also work between Christians. There's an application not between you and I and sinners, but there's also an application between you and I as believers in Christ. Look what the Bible says, Ephesians 4, beginning there with verse 30. Ephesians 4, verse 30. The Bible says, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." How do we not grieve the Holy Spirit of God? Here's how we do not grieve Him. We do not grieve Him by putting all these things off and putting them away.
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He says, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." I can assure you there's probably things about me that you don't like. There's probably things about you that I don't like. That's immaterial. We cannot be bitter and wrathful and angry and speak evil of each other. In other words, we have to learn to be patient with each other until graces are developed in each one's life.
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You know, kids will always tell on you. We had a Christian school, and every year when school started, we had all the parents and the students there at orientation. And I always told the parents this. I'll make a deal with you. If you don't believe everything your child tells you about us, we will not believe everything your child tells us about you. Because they will tell. I was preaching in Alabama. Listen now.
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And the pastor and I were invited to have dinner with this family. And so the pastor and his wife and myself were sitting there at the table. And here was the husband and wife and their two kids. And this lady had her hair all done up on her head and came down in ringlets, you know, like the antebellum women. And I've always been a sucker for that. I've always liked that. And so we were sitting at the table and I said, "Ma'am, I really like your hair," you know, giving her an honest compliment.
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And by the time I said that, her little boy said, "It ain't hers." Well, she flushed red. And I said, "Now, son, whether she bought it or whether she grew it, it is hers," you know, just trying to... He says, "You should have seen the fight she had with Daddy to get it." She says, "Now, now Johnny," she said, "Mom and Daddy don't fight. Now sometimes they have words but they don't really fight." "Ha! I've seen you slap at him and try to scratch him before."
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this, folks. You know, and I've said this before, it is amazing, and it's true. We can be patient with other folks and more impatient with our families. I can put up things probably from some of you folks more than I could from Alice, and she could do the same with me. I'm just simply saying, we need to learn patience from the Sovereign God. God has been patient with sinners.
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How many of us are perfect? None. So if God, the Sovereign God, was patient with us, we can be patient with each other. I want you to go back to Romans 15. Here's the second place you're to learn patience. Romans chapter 15, notice if you would please verse 4. Verse 5 tells us that we're to learn patience from the sovereign God. Secondly, in verse 4, we're to learn patience from the scriptures of God. He says, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." So the scriptures then are designed basically to teach us patience. Everything that happened in the Old Testament, if we understand it, has an application to each of us today. Paul took what happened to Old Testament Israel and applied it to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Look back in your Bibles, Romans chapter 5, I'm just showing you that we should learn patience from not only the sovereign God, but the scriptures of God.
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Romans chapter five. Let's begin reading there with verse one. Look at it. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Now note, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and we rejoice. By the way, the word rejoice literally means to exult. It means to jump up and down in. "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice," we exalt, we jump up and down "in hope of the glory of God."
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In other words, man, we could preach on God's eternal deliverance and his eternal glory and all the gifts that he's given us. And it's enough to jump up and down in. But look in verse three. "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Now I want you to go back to verse three, "And not only so, but we glory." Would you like to know what the word glory is in the Greek? It's the exact same word that is translated "rejoice" in verse two. Here it is. "And not only so, but we exalt, we jump up and down and we glory in tribulation also." Why? "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
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All these bad things that come our way that we interpret as bad, they're not really bad. They're for our good. They're to teach us patience, give us experience, give us hope, make us not ashamed, so that the love of God would be shed abroad in our hearts. Look in your Bibles to the book of James, chapter 1, if you would. James, chapter 1. Notice here it is. James, chapter 1. It is so plain. James 1 verse 2. Look what James says.
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"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," that is different kinds of tests, different kinds of tribulations. Why? "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire," that is mature and complete, "wanting nothing." What? "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
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Now I've got to admit, folks, it's very difficult for me to say, "Thank God I've got to sit here and wait on this train for 30 minutes." You know? It is difficult for me to say, "Thank God I'm $500 short this month." I mean, you know. Or "Thank God I'm having this complication and that complication." But look what he said. "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Why?
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"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh" what? "Patience. And let patience have her" what? "Her perfect work." What is God doing to us through tribulation, through trials? He's maturing us. That we may be mature and complete, wanting or lacking absolutely nothing. You know, I'm not a blacksmith. But I've watched men who are blacksmiths. And they will take that metal that you could not bend for the life of you. It is so tough. But they will put that piece of metal in the fire.
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And get it red hot. And then they can take some forceps and make pretzels out of it if they want. It's the tribulation, it's the heat of the trouble that makes us malleable and bendable. If you want patience, you need to expect tribulations. Because it's only through tribulations that we get patience. That's why he said, "My brethren, count it all joy." So hard. So difficult. And yet, that's what Scripture teaches.
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Look in your Bibles to Romans 12 and verse 12. Romans 12, verse 12. Here it is. "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." You know, you think of those brethren that have been wrongly and wickedly and unjustly convicted and are spending 3 and 4 and 5 and 10 years in prison for doing nothing wrong. Look at the life of Joseph. From the pit, to the prison, finally to the palace. Look how long he was in prison for doing nothing. And yet the Bible says, "tribulation." Look in Romans chapter 15 again verse 2.
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Here's the third place that we're to learn patience. We're not only to learn patience from the sovereign God and the scriptures of God, but he says in verse 2, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification." Now God didn't say do whatever your neighbor wants, or whatever pleases your neighbor. No, he says, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification." In other words, we please him by doing that which is edifying, which is biblical, which is godly.
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Now, I want you to turn to James chapter 5. Here is a wonderful passage that will show you how we're to learn patience from the saints of God. Look at James chapter five, if you would please, beginning there with verse seven. James chapter five, verse seven. Look what he says. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." Whoa, that's a long time to be patient, isn't it? "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it," that's God the Father, "until he receive the early and latter rain." Now look at this command. "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door." Now watch verse 10. "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure."
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"Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." Now notice how many times he tells us in this passage to be patient. And then notice if you would, verse nine, he says, "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned." What in the world does it mean to grudge? Have you ever thought about that? How in the world can grudging be related to patience? "Grudge not."
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Well, let me give you an illustration. I think you can identify with it, or at least some of you can. When I was a boy raised on a farm, we had hogs. And outside our back door was a slop bucket. What you didn't eat for breakfast went in that slop bucket. What you didn't eat for dinner went in that slop bucket. What you didn't eat for supper went in that slop bucket.
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And by the next morning, it was full. Five-gallon bucket. And daddy would say, "Son, go out and slop the hogs." What did that mean? That meant you took that bucket out there and you poured it in the trough and all those big old hogs and those old sows would come up, they'd stick their snout down in that trough and go, kind of like the way Ron drinks his coffee, you know, but, you know, just pulls and swigs that stuff down and all of a sudden, one of those big old sows hits an ear of corn in all that slop. You know what she does?
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She grunts and turns and runs. Guess what the other hogs do? Do they stay there and continue to drink their slop until they find their piece of corn? No, no, no, no. They run after her, hitting her and knocking her and trying to take away that which she had. They're grudging the fact that she had something that they didn't. You know, you could have 15 dogs out here and have 15 T-bone steaks and you say to those dogs, "Now boys, sit still, I've got a steak for each one of you." And you throw the first one out. Guess what? One's going to get it and he's going to run. Where are the other 14? Are they sitting there wagging, waiting for their steak? No, no. They're chasing him down trying to take his steak away from him. They're grudging because he had it.
#55 | 43:02 to 43:54 | cleaned
Now I want to show you, I want to show you how grudging is related to patience. I can give you several illustrations. Here's a young couple, just got married. And they think, well, mother and daddy have a nice house. We want a nice house too. And so they go in debt and get a fine house. They say, "Mom and Daddy have nice furniture. We want to have nice furniture too." So they go out and go in more debt and fill their house with furniture.
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Not content with a refrigerator and stove and a bed and a table. No, no. They go in debt for it. "Mom and Daddy drive a new car. I don't see why we can't drive a new car." And they go in debt for that. Anything they want, they go in debt for. Well, mom and daddy have it, why can't we have it? And it never dawns on them to think, yes, mom and daddy have some of those things, but it took them 40 years to get it. And they're begrudging the fact that their parents have something that they don't. And they're refusing to be patient and work for it and earn it and pay cash for it. "I don't like so and so, he knows more than I do." What? He's probably studied more than you have, that's why he knows more than you do.
#57 | 44:43 to 45:42 | cleaned
I told you, I told you about the missionary that came to our church in Jessup. He was a concert pianist. He sat down at the piano, not one note of music in front of him, and he played for an hour. It looked like his fingers were just running up and down that piano. It looked like music was coming out of his fingertips. I couldn't believe it. After an hour, he stopped and I said, "Brother, I'd give anything to be able to play the piano like that." "Really?" he said. I said, "Yes, sir, I'd give anything to play the piano like that." "Really?" he said, "Well, I practice eight hours a day, six days a week." You know, all of a sudden I didn't want to be a concert pianist anymore. That's why he could play the piano like that and I couldn't. He had the patience to do it, I didn't. But I can begrudge him the fact that he can do that, but look what he paid to be able to do that. I'm just simply saying, folks, we're to learn patience from the saints.
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I could go through the Bible. Look at Job. He's mentioned here, look at Isaiah, look at Jeremiah. You know, every young preacher, boy, he wants a big ministry. Well, I tell you what, follow Isaiah, follow Jeremiah. They never had a big ministry. In fact, they were hated, despised. The people that they loved hated them. They were thrown into a dungeon. How about swapping places with Noah? Noah preached 120 years and never had one convert.
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Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma. He was in Burma for 15 years without one convert.
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Finally, a lady wrote him. Asked him, is there anything that he needed over there that he couldn't get over there that she could send him from England? He wrote her back, said, "Yes, send me a communion set." He never even had one convert! But by the time the set arrived, he had plenty of converts after 15 years. Look in your Bibles. Look at Hebrews chapter 11. You're talking about something that ought to convict us. We're talking about learning patience from the saints. Look at Hebrews chapter 11.
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Let's begin reading there verse 32. Notice, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."
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Watch, "Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."
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"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Note what these people went through. And we complain when our air conditioning system goes down for a day. I'm just simply saying, folks, Polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle. If I'm not mistaken, he was in his nineties when he is being put to death by the Emperor.
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He was called upon to renounce Christ. If he renounced Christ, his life would be spared. Polycarp said, "Lo, these eighty and six years have I served Him, and He's done me no wrong. Must I then now at the last be called upon to deny my Lord and my Saviour? I cannot, and I will not." And he was put to death. None of us have had to endure things like Hebrews 11.
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And yeah, we can learn patience from the saints of God. You know, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter since we're right there. Look what the Bible says. We're talking about the grace of patience. Look in 2 Peter chapter 1. Let's begin reading with verse 4. He says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
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"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance" what are you to add? "patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." We're responsible to add to our faith patience.
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Now let me explain something to you. You did not get the knowledge that you have overnight. Why in the world would you expect someone who does not have your background, who has never had your time to study, or the materials to study, to know instantly that which you know? It's impossible. It's impossible. All I'm trying to show you is this, as the saints have been patient down through the years, even through all that suffering, we can be patient with each other in teaching each other, in learning from each other, in sharing with each other. We must understand that we're to learn patience from the sovereign God, the Scriptures of God, the Saints of God. I'm going to give you a fourth one. It's not found in Romans 15, but I'll explain it. We're to learn patience from the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God.
#68 | 52:46 to 54:07 | cleaned
Let me ask you a question. Think about this. How many of you repented the very first time the Holy Spirit of God ever convicted you. Don't raise your hand. Because you don't even know the very first time God, the Holy Spirit convicted you. The Bible says in the book of Job, "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not." How many of you remember when you were being convicted by the Holy Spirit, you didn't like it. You didn't want it. You were miserable.
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You wanted to get away from it. You wanted to get out of there. Let me ask you, what if the Holy Spirit said, "Well, if that's the way you're going to do, you can go. I don't care." Where would you be if when you fought and resisted the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that He gave up and let you go your way. The truth is, the Holy Spirit worked on you and convicted you until you were of all men most miserable, until you wanted to die.
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And when you reached the end of your rope, He opened your eyes, illuminated your mind, and showed you the beauty and the wonder and the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. You know, I've got news for you. If the Holy Spirit had only stopped with half His work, if He had just stopped when He had convicted you and showed you what a wicked, miserable, low-down, ungodly, filthy sinner you were, you really wouldn't want to live.
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But He didn't stop there. He showed you the grace of God in Jesus Christ. So we can learn patience from the Spirit of God. Then if you will go back in your Bibles, Romans 15, let me show you verse 3. Here's the fifth place where to learn patience, and that's from the Son of God, our Savior. Notice in verse 3, "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." Notice, "For even Christ pleased not himself."
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Now I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn to 1 Peter chapter 2 and then to Matthew 27. Okay? 1 Peter chapter 2 and then we're going to Matthew 27. Okay? We're going to 1 Peter chapter 2 first. And then we'll turn back to Matthew 27. Okay? Look, if you would, in 1 Peter chapter 2, at what the Bible says, beginning there with verse 21. 1 Peter 2 verse 21, "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." Notice Christ is our example. We're to follow His steps. Verse 22, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Watch now.
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"Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."
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Now I want to call your attention to the fact that Christ is called our example. We should follow his steps. "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." Now watch this. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27. Look in verse 24, Matthew 27, verse 24. "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children."
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"Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers."
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Now watch what they did. "And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head."
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You know, it seems to me just about that time, his holy soul would have been filled with absolute revulsion. And he could have prayed, "Lord, just kill them all. Father, slay them now." Let me ask you, if he had prayed that prayer, would that prayer have been answered? You better believe it would have. So here he is, hated, rejected. Watch verse 31. "And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him."
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"And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots."
#79 | 1:00:17 to 1:00:41 | cleaned
Now watch, "And sitting down they watched him there; and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." Watch.
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"Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth."
#81 | 1:01:10 to 1:01:32 | cleaned
Let me ask you a question. Could our Lord have come off that cross had he wanted to?
#82 | 1:01:32 to 1:01:40 | cleaned
Have you ever wondered how he could put up with such blasphemy and such rejection and such hatred. To me, it seems as if the holy, sinless Son of God at this point could have said, "I've had it up to here with you wicked reprobates. Send those angels, Father. Kill them all." But He didn't. I want to show you why. I want you to turn to your Bibles, to Hebrews chapter 12, and I'll let the Scripture tell you why our Lord stayed patiently, enduring the blasphemy, the pain, the wickedness, and the rebellion of sinners. Look in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2.
#83 | 1:01:50 to 1:03:03 | cleaned
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;" Are you looking? "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Now let me ask you, what was the joy that was set before Christ? That of saving His people. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him," saving you and I, "endured the cross, despising the shame." He patiently endured that He might save His people.
#84 | 1:03:03 to 1:04:09 | cleaned
No wonder Scripture tells us you have need of patience. And if we really want to learn patience, we need to study the Sovereign God, the Scriptures of God, the Saints of God, the Spirit of God, and the Son of God. For they teach patience and grace and mercy. We ought to want to be more like Christ. Let's pray. Father, we do ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would forgive us for our impatience. And we acknowledge and confess, Lord, impatience is sin.
#85 | 1:04:12 to 1:05:06 | cleaned
And we've complained and bellyached about our own tribulations. Lord, each one of us have plenty of them. And we've not understood, Lord, it's been for our good and for Your glory. And in that tribulation, You're teaching us patience. And patience will give us experience, and experience will give us hope, and hope makes us not ashamed, because Thou dost shed the love of God abroad in our hearts. And Lord, if we want the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we can't get it without being ashamed, and we can't get without being ashamed without having hope. We can't have hope without experience, and we can't have experience without tribulation. Lord, I pray that you would indeed make us more like unto Thyself. Thank you for your marvelous, wonderful patience with each of us. Thank you, Lord, for letting us live. Thank you, Father, that it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.
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Because Thy compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. And we give Thee praise in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:53:12Z

The Grace of Patience

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver preaches on the necessity of patience, defining it as a grace from God. He explains that patience is learned from the sovereign God, the Scriptures, the saints, the Spirit, and the Son of God. The message emphasizes that tribulation produces patience, and believers must be patient with one another to maintain unity and glorify God.

Introduction: The Need for Patience

Weaver shares a personal story about losing his sermon notes and deciding to preach on patience instead, acknowledging his own struggles with impatience.

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:1-8

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."

Let me stop there and I want you to go back to Romans chapter 15 and look at verse 1 because he says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 15:1-8

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

Definitions: Grace, Mercy, and Longsuffering

Grace is unmerited favor; mercy is not getting what we deserve; longsuffering (patience) is being 'long-nostriled'—not showing irritation.

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:15

Now as you think about patience, let me just read or quote rather some scriptures just by way of introduction. The Bible says in Luke chapter 8 and verse 15 that we are to bring forth fruit with patience. You and I both know that fruit does not immediately appear overnight when we plant a garden. We have to be patient. So he says we're to bring forth fruit with patience, not just garden fruit, but he's talking about spiritual fruit as well. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 11 that we're to follow after patience. Hmm, that's something that we're to run after. And then he says in Hebrews 10 and verse 36, "Ye have need of patience."

Why We Need Patience: Unity in the Body

From Romans 15:5-8, patience is needed to have one mind, one mouth, one motive (glorifying God), one ministry (receiving one another), and one mission (confirming God's promises).

Learning Patience from the Sovereign God

God's patience is seen in Genesis 6 (120 years before the flood), Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, and the 400 years of Amorite iniquity. God's patience with us should teach us patience with others.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:3, 5

"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 6:3, 5

"My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."

Genesis 15 verse 13. Now God has entered into a covenant with Abraham. And here's what God tells Abraham, verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 15:13-16

"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 15:13-16

"And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge."

God said, "I'll take care of the Egyptians."

Scripture Reading — Romans 2:4-5

"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness?"

Now what happens when you despise God's goodness?

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:22-23

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Learning Patience from the Scriptures of God

Romans 15:4 says Scriptures were written for our learning to produce patience. Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4 show that tribulation works patience, leading to maturity.

Learning Patience from the Saints of God

James 5:7-11 points to the prophets and Job as examples of patience. Hebrews 11 lists saints who endured suffering. We must not begrudge others but learn patience from their examples.

Learning Patience from the Spirit and the Son of God

The Holy Spirit patiently convicts us. Christ is our ultimate example: He endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), not reviling when He suffered (1 Peter 2:21-23).

Conclusion: Prayer for Patience

Weaver prays for forgiveness of impatience, acknowledging that tribulation is for our good and God's glory, and asks God to make us more like Christ.

Because Thy compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. And we give Thee praise in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Grace of Patience

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	BSfR65VKgbE
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Romans 8:28-39
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-01-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 132: Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit — Chapter 11
Source Timed Segments	87

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Need for Patience: Weaver shares a personal story about losing his sermon notes and deciding to preach on patience instead, acknowledging his own struggles with impatience.
Definitions: Grace, Mercy, and Longsuffering: Grace is unmerited favor; mercy is not getting what we deserve; longsuffering (patience) is being 'long-nostriled'—not showing irritation.
Why We Need Patience: Unity in the Body: From Romans 15:5-8, patience is needed to have one mind, one mouth, one motive (glorifying God), one ministry (receiving one another), and one mission (confirming God's promises).
Learning Patience from the Sovereign God: God's patience is seen in Genesis 6 (120 years before the flood), Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, and the 400 years of Amorite iniquity. God's patience with us should teach us patience with others.
Learning Patience from the Scriptures of God: Romans 15:4 says Scriptures were written for our learning to produce patience. Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4 show that tribulation works patience, leading to maturity.
Learning Patience from the Saints of God: James 5:7-11 points to the prophets and Job as examples of patience. Hebrews 11 lists saints who endured suffering. We must not begrudge others but learn patience from their examples.
Learning Patience from the Spirit and the Son of God: The Holy Spirit patiently convicts us. Christ is our ultimate example: He endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), not reviling when He suffered (1 Peter 2:21-23).
Conclusion: Prayer for Patience: Weaver prays for forgiveness of impatience, acknowledging that tribulation is for our good and God's glory, and asks God to make us more like Christ.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's patience with sinners should teach us patience with others.

If God was patient with wicked people for centuries and with us daily, we can be patient with fellow sinners, both lost and saved.

Genesis 6:3 (120 years); Genesis 15:13-16 (400 years for Amorites); Romans 2:4-5 (goodness, forbearance, longsuffering).

Impatience is sin and must be confessed.

Weaver admits his own impatience and states that impatience is sin, calling for confession and reliance on God's grace.

Weaver says, 'I can assure you that is one thing that I'm lacking in and that's patience.' Later: 'impatience is sin.'

Patience is developed through adding to faith.

2 Peter 1:5-7 commands believers to add to their faith patience, showing it is a virtue to be actively cultivated.

2 Peter 1:5-7: 'add to your faith virtue... to temperance patience.'

Grudging is a form of impatience.

James 5:9 warns against grudging, which stems from impatience with God's timing and provision, illustrated by hogs and dogs fighting over food.

James 5:9: 'Grudge not one against another, brethren.' Weaver's illustration of hogs and dogs.

Scripture References

Romans 15:1-8: Primary text: the strong should bear the weak; Christ is our example; Scriptures give patience and hope.
Luke 8:15: We are to bring forth fruit with patience.
1 Timothy 6:11: We are to follow after patience.
Hebrews 10:36: Ye have need of patience.
Hebrews 12:1: Run the race with patience.
Romans 15:5, 13, 33: God is called the God of patience, hope, and peace; sequence shows patience leads to hope and peace.
Genesis 6:3, 5: God's patience: 120 years before the flood despite man's wickedness.
Genesis 18-19: God's patience with Sodom and Gomorrah, willing to spare for ten righteous.
Jonah 3-4: God spared Nineveh after repentance, showing patience with cruel Assyrians.
Genesis 15:13-16: God waited 400 years for Amorite iniquity to be full before judging.
Romans 2:4-5: God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering lead to repentance; despising them stores up wrath.
Lamentations 3:22-23: It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed; His compassions are new every morning.
Ephesians 4:30-32: Put away bitterness and anger; be kind and forgiving as God forgave us.
Romans 5:1-5: Tribulation works patience, experience, hope; hope does not make ashamed.
James 1:2-4: Count it all joy when you fall into trials; testing of faith produces patience and maturity.
Romans 12:12: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
James 5:7-11: Be patient until the Lord's coming; take the prophets as examples of suffering and patience; Job's patience.
Hebrews 11:32-40: Heroes of faith endured torture, mocking, imprisonment, not receiving the promise, yet commended for faith.
2 Peter 1:4-8: Add to your faith patience; these qualities make you fruitful.
1 Peter 2:21-25: Christ suffered as an example; when reviled, He did not revile; He bore our sins.

Historical References

Assyrian Empire and Nineveh: Assyrians were known for extreme cruelty, including crucifixion by impalement and skinning people alive. God showed patience by sparing Nineveh after Jonah's preaching.
Polycarp, disciple of John: Polycarp, in his nineties, refused to renounce Christ, saying, 'Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong.' He was martyred.
Adoniram Judson, missionary to Burma: Judson labored 15 years without a single convert before seeing fruit; he requested a communion set in faith.

Important Quotes

I can be patient with people, but I cannot be patient with anything mechanical.

Weaver's personal confession of impatience, setting the tone for the message.

Grace is just simply God's unmerited favor. In other words, grace is God giving us that which we do not deserve. Mercy is God keeping us from getting what we do deserve.

Clear definition of grace and mercy, foundational to understanding patience as a gift.

You have to know God as the God of patience before you can ever know Him as the God of hope. And you have to know Him as the God of hope before you can ever know Him as the God of peace.

Shows the sequential relationship between patience, hope, and peace in the believer's life.

Every day that we live is because of God's patience with us.

Emphasizes that our very existence depends on God's continual patience.

Lo, these eighty and six years have I served Him, and He's done me no wrong. Must I then now at the last be called upon to deny my Lord and my Saviour? I cannot, and I will not.

Polycarp's famous words exemplifying patient endurance unto death.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what areas of your life do you struggle most with impatience, and how does recognizing impatience as sin change your approach?

[Context]

Weaver admits his impatience with mechanical things and trains, calling impatience sin.

[Question]

How does understanding God as the 'God of patience' affect your view of His dealings with you and with the world?

[Context]

Romans 15:5 calls God the God of patience; examples from Genesis and Jonah show His longsuffering.

[Question]

Why is it often easier to be patient with strangers than with family members or fellow church members?

[Context]

Weaver notes we can be more impatient with our families and shares the story of the child exposing family secrets.

[Question]

How can we practically 'count it all joy' when facing trials, and what role does patience play in that process?

[Context]

James 1:2-4 commands joy in trials because they produce patience and maturity.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'grudge not' against others, and how is grudging related to impatience?

[Context]

James 5:9; Weaver's illustration of hogs and dogs fighting over food shows grudging as impatience with God's provision.

[Question]

How does Christ's example of enduring the cross without retaliation challenge your response to mistreatment?

[Context]

1 Peter 2:21-23 and Matthew 27 show Jesus not reviling when reviled.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:40:01Z