Longsuffering

Ezekiel 14:12-23

What Is Longsuffering?

• Patience

• Steadfastness

• Bearing up under

• Ability to “stick with it”

Text

• Three great men– All were longsuffering

– From each we learn something

Job: How To Acquire It

• Loss of his prosperity– Wife and friends discourage him (2:9)

– Spoke to his friends after seven days (2:13)

– Two grand verses (13:15; 28:10)

Job: How To Acquire It

• Longsuffering is learned– Job’s teacher was tribulation

– Consider these passages (Romans 5:3; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6, 7)

Job: How To Acquire It

• Are we developing longsuffering?– Have we begun to suffer like Job?

(Hebrews 12:4)

– We need to learn to endure

Noah: Longsuffering In Obedience

• Merriment all around him– He went to work (Genesis 6:1-8; 7:1-5)

– Did they try to discourage him?

– Mocking

– Despised him (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah: Longsuffering In Obedience

• Need to be longsuffering– Assemble even if others do no

(Hebrews 10:25)

– Teach the lost without compromise (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

– Restore the fallen (Romans 15:1; Galatians 6:1)

Noah: Longsuffering In Obedience

• Are we longsuffering?– Our friends will make fun of us

(1 Peter 4:4)

– We need to “man up” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

Daniel: Remaining Faithful

• Lived and worked in a palace– Brought praise from the enemies (1:8)

– Didn’t compromise for seventy years

– Unpopular with some (6:4-25)

Daniel: Remaining Faithful

• We need this in our lives– Our faith

(Colossians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 3:22)

– Our prayer (Romans 8:31; Ephesians 6:18)

– In opposing evil (Galatians 1:10; Ephesians 6:10-12)

Daniel: Remaining Faithful

• What measure do you have?– Do we resist Satan (James 4:7)

– God has restrained him (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Conclusion

• They had one thing in common- hope

• We must be longsuffering