Patient in Tribulation

Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 602 Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

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Summary

The Christian should ask themselves if they are “fervent in spirit” and learn to look at their total view of life in this world as Christian people. There is nothing so fatal for the Christian than to misunderstand his or her life in this present world. “The only way a Christian can rejoice is in the life of this hope [Christ].” How are they then to live in this present world? “We must never allow tribulation to do us any harm at all.” In this sermon on Romans 12:12 titled “Patient in Tribulation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks, “Is your reaction one of grumbling or of patient endurance in the midst of tribulation?” The Christian ought to expect trouble to come their way. Nothing teaches the believer better than tribulations: weakness, pride, and selfishness is brought out in trials. Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that these trials yield the fruit of righteousness. Prayer results from tribulation and one ought to quickly seek this refuge. Christians are in the fight of faith; not against the things of this world, but against the spiritual matters. Do not continue in ignorance and self-confidence that pervades common humanity. Rejoice in knowing that truly nothing can separate the believer from the love of Christ, not even the hardest of trials or tribulation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Now, we come once more to a consideration of the 12th verse in the 12th chapter of Paul's
0:07.2	Epistle to the Romans, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.
0:16.0	Let me just remind you of the context.
0:18.9	Let love be without dissimulation.
0:21.9	Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.
0:26.7	Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another.
0:32.5	Not flowful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
0:42.3	Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer. In other words, we are looking here at three of these separate
0:48.6	injunctions which the Apostle gives at this point to these Roman Christians. And as you most of you will remember,
0:58.0	we are dealing with this second section, this last section in this chapter, beginning
1:04.0	at verse 9, where I began to read now, where the apostle is rarely dealing with our general relationship to other people.
1:14.2	He's already dealt in the previous part with the way in which Christians regard and use
1:20.6	the gifts that they're given separately by the Holy Spirit. There was the Christian functioning
1:27.3	in the life of the church. But now,
1:29.7	he's dealing more generally with our relationship to one another. The two great principles
1:34.0	are those he lays down in verse 9. We must be governed by love, and we must hate evil and cleave
1:40.9	to that which is good. That covers the whole of our conduct. People, everything
1:45.8	else. Love to God, love to our neighbor. Hatred of evil, being glued to that which is good.
1:54.5	Then he tells us that in our brotherly love as Christians we must be kindly affection to one
1:59.0	and in honor prefer one another. Then when he came to look at us, we must be kindly affection to one another, and in honour prefer one another. Then
2:02.4	when he came to look at us, we are confronted
2:04.6	by this Christian life and living
	...

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