Verses 4-7  "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."

Those things, which were written aforetime, are the Old Testament scriptures.  Below are other scriptures, which show forth the significance of the Old Testament scriptures for us: 

1.   1 Cor. 10:6 "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 

2.  John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." 

3.  2 Tim. 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 

From the above we can conclude that the Old Testament scriptures teach us patience, gives us comfort, enables us to hope, testifies to us of Christ, are our examples, and along with the New Testament scriptures teaches us doctrine, reproves us, corrects us, and instructs us in righteousness in order that we may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.        

In the Old, Testament, we have many examples of where people prayed for God's deliverances according to his promises, waiting for those deliverances (patience) and then experienced those deliverances at God's appointed time.  A few examples are listed below: 

1.  Gen 20:17 "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children." 

2.  1 Sam 1:27 "For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:" 

3.  2 Ki 6:17 "And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." 

4.  2 Ki 6:18 "And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha." 

5.  2 Chr. 20:18 "For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one 19 That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. 20 And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people." 

In addition, the Old Testament scriptures comfort us because of our sins according to that which God has promised: 

1.  Is. 40:1 "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." 

2.  Gen. 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." 

3.  2 Sam. 23:5 "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. 6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: 7 But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place." 

4.  Is. 53:1 "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." 

5.  Is. 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." 

6.  Is. 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." 

7.  Isa 25:9 "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."         

Moreover, we find hope in the covenant promise of the resurrection in the Old Testament:                  

1.  Job 19:25 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me."         

2.  Ps. 16:9 "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." 

3.  Dan. 12:1 "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." 

"Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:" Plainly, this teaches us that patience and comfort comes from God.  We would not have patience and we would not be comforted unless God give us patience and comfort.  Since he is the God of patience and comfort and he has given patience and comfort to each of his children, therefore, we should be likeminded one toward another.  That is we should have the same earnest desire and love for the well-being of one another as Christ Jesus has had toward us.  We should seek one another's well-being and their growth unselfishly as Christ Jesus gave himself for us unselfishly.           

"That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."  The members of the church are admonished to be of one mind and with one mouth.  They can only be of one mind and speak the same thing if they are agreed.  Amos asked the question: Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"  The only way that we can truly have agreement and be walking together in the faith is that we are agreed on the teachings of the fundamentals of God's word.  Through the leadership of the Spirit, we pray that God will guide each of us into an understanding of those fundamental principles taught in His word.         

"Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."  We are to receive one another in love and in fellowship of the truth of God's word.  We are not to exalt ourselves as being above another, but we are to be of the same mind and of the same mouth, speaking the same thing.  The brother that is weak in the faith we receive and encourage his growth in the knowledge and understanding of God's word.  We receive one another in humility.