A Great Cloud of Witnesses: Patience

We are continuing our series, “A Great Cloud of Witnesses”. Hebrews 11 has 17 individuals, mentioned by name, that serve as witnesses or testimonies of faith. Several more are referred to by the things they experienced or endured, because of their faith. The great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11 testify about the power, love and faithfulness of God.

Hebrews 11:35–40 (NASB)

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Biblical Patience through faith...

Psalm 37:1–9 (NASB)

1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

Biblical patience described/defined:

In Hebrew:

It is the word “arek” and literally means “slow to anger” or “long suffering”. It is used 15 times in the OT and 12/15 times it is translated “slow to anger” in the NASB.

In Greek:

It is the word “makrothumeo”. It is an active verb that literally means “long tempered” or “long suffering”.

Webster’s 1828: PATIENCE, noun pa'shens.

[Latin patientia, from patior, to suffer.]

1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring... from christian submission to the divine will.

Romans 12:12 (ESV)

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Key point:

Biblical patience is, by faith, through the help of the Holy Spirit.

Patience is an essential aspect of faith.

Patience described and commanded in Psalm 37

3 Trust in the Lord ...

5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him...

7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him...

9 ...wait for the Lord...

Many witnesses in Hebrews 11 demonstrated patience by faith:

Hebrews 11:13 (NASB)

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance...

Hebrews 11:25–26 (NASB)

25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Hebrews 11:35–40 (NASB)

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Specifically by name:

Noah (He was 600 when the flood came. On the Ark 150 days)

Abraham (100 years old when the son promise was born.)

Sarah (90 years old when she had her only son)

Jacob (waited 27 years to be reunified with his son Joseph)

Moses (40 when he left Egypt. 80 at the burning bush. (40 years in the wilderness and 120 when he got to see the promise land)

Joshua (40 years in the wilderness, he was over 80 when he entered the Promised Land and 14 years to conquer/divide it.)

David (about 15 when he was anointed king but 30 when he finally reigned as king of Israel)

In contrast, some of these same witnesses, when they lacked patience, made mistakes and gave into temptation and sin and suffered the consequences, often harming others in the process.

Abraham and Sarah (Hagar and Ishmael)

Jacob (stole the birthright and the blessing)

Moses (got impatient with the people and didn’t get to enter the Promised Land)

All this to say… we need biblical patience, by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go through this today, you will learn pretty quickly that our world lacks patience and the church is often no different. And my prayer is that God will show us all our need for patience by faith and that we will learn to trust Him while we wait.

Now that we have defined patience, let’s see what it does in our lives and make some application:

Biblical patience, by faith...

Erases Fear.

(v. 1-2; 7-8)

1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.

7 ...Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 ...Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

To fret = worry, fear, doubt, being anxious, stressed...

Matthew 8:26 (ESV)

26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Fear is the opposite of faith and patience is the result of faith.

If you fret while you wait, you aren’t being patient.

Eliminates Frustration.

(v. 8) 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath...

Psalm 86:15 (NASB)

15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

Slow to Anger vs. Quick Tempered

Entails Faithfulness.

(v. 3-5) 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

One of the reasons we are impatient or grow weary is because we delight ourselves in things other that the Lord.

(v. 4) 4 Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Another reason we struggle to faithfully wait on God is that we try to do it ourselves.

5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Galatians 6:9 (NASB)

9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Exalts Jesus.

(v. 5-6) 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.

Isaiah 40:29–31 (NASB)

29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Notice in both passages who is doing the work… God!

When we have patience, by faith, it is always THROUGH the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5 The 4th aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit)

Patience exalts Jesus in our own lives but also causes us to shone brightly for Jesus, exalting Him all around us to make us a witnesses for the Lord, just like the Great Cloud of Witnesses we’ve been studying in Hebrews 11

In closing:

So let me ask you, do you struggle being patient? The solution is trusting Jesus. Patience is by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, then you need to ask Jesus to save you from your sins today before you ask for patience.

God has been patiently waiting on you.

2 Peter 3:9 (NASB)

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

For those of us that having saving faith, we still need repentance, particularly when it comes to our lack of patience. Ask God to help you with that today.

Let’s pray.

Memory Verse of the Week:

Galatians 6:9 (NASB)

9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Bible Study Questions:

What does this Scripture teach us about God?

What does this Scripture teach us about man?

Do you see any commands to obey or principles to apply?

Do you see any promises to claim or blessings to enjoy?

Do you see any truths to meditate on or Gospel messages to share?

Did anything else in the passage stick out to you?