Patient Endurance

2 Peter 1:5–7 “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”

Patient Endurance or Perseverance

Perseverance- continued steady belief or efforts, withstanding discouragement or difficulty; persistence

Perseverance is a quality characterized by continued effort and persistence in the face of difficulties, failures, or opposition.

Genesis 37:2 “This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.” ,Genesis 37:3 “Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.” ,Genesis 37:4 “But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.” ,Genesis 37:5 “One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.” ,Genesis 37:9 “Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”” ,Genesis 37:21 “But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.” ,Genesis 37:22 ““Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.” ,Genesis 37:23 “So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.” ,Genesis 37:24 “Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.” ,Genesis 37:28 “So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.”

Genesis 39:6 “So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,” ,Genesis 39:7 “and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.” ,Genesis 39:8 “But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.” ,Genesis 39:9 “No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”” ,Genesis 39:10 “She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.” ,Genesis 39:11 “One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work.” ,Genesis 39:12 “She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.” ,Genesis 39:21 “But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” ,Genesis 39:22 “Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison.” ,Genesis 39:23 “The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.”

Romans 5:3 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”

James 1:3–4 “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

So What does that look like?

Genesis 45:1–8 “Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace. “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you!

Maturing is having grace for yourself and grace for each others.

2 ways that can help us while we are developing our perseverance.

1 Corinthians 13:7 “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

Love God Love Others Love yourself

Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”

Our confident hope in what? Jesus Christ

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Matthew 10:22 “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”

Mark 13:13 “And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

James 1:12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

The walk won’t be easy, well have struggles but with the help of the Lord we will persevere.