Perseverance Message

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Good Morning

In preparing for this morning’s message, I knew what I wanted to talk about. I also knew that there was a Biblical foundation and even a mandate for all Christians to follow, but I didn’t quite know where to begin. It seemed to me that there are applications everywhere. I could pull a verse from here; or a parable from here; or an exhortation from here.

Either way, it was pulling me out of my comfort zone. I’m an order person. I like calendars and schedules and procedures clearly defined. I like the big picture. I hate surprises. Tell me the punch-line first and then I’ll enjoy the joke more.

Disorganization makes me crazy. I hate to be late. I’m annoyed when my husband stops for gas on the way to an event. I feel naked without my watch. I hate to wait in line.

I am great at multi-tasking. I’ve even noticed that my favorite places to eat lunch are the ones with a drive through window, so that I don’t have to get out of the car and can continue to listen to a book on tape.

OK, I am sure by now you are thinking, “here we go, another sermon on patience.” Well it is, but it really isn’t. In my understanding, patience is about me loving the one who is disorganized. Patience says, “I’m grateful Dave is putting gas in the car and doesn’t worry about us not being the first ones there.” Patience doesn’t wear a watch.

Patience more about my response to a situation, then it is about who I am. I can’t change circumstances to make the next encounter or the next long line not happen. I can’t transform my coworkers or my pack-rat husband into the clutter-free perfect models of organization.

Patience would say, “that’s ok”.

Well, to a point. When your disorganization causes someone else harm, discomfort, or ties their hands to the point of now being unable to accomplish their job. “That’s ok” is no longer the answer.

Patience is the fruit of the spirit. We need to remember that ripe fruit is the product of nurture. It doesn’t appear suddenly. It grows. 

This morning I want to talk about the other side of the patience coin. Not the ripe fruit, but the immature/growing plant.

This morning we’re going to study perseverance.

I looked the word perseverance up in the dictionary. Webster says,

1. the action or condition or an instance of persevering

Ok, that doesn’t tell us anything.

2. steadfastness

Let me look that up: steadfast

1 a : firmly fixed in place : immovable

b : not subject to change

2 : firm in belief, determination, or adherence :

Synonyms:  loyalty, faithfulness

So, if I am persevering, I am remaining firmly fixed in place. I’m not changing my beliefs. I remain determined, loyal and faithful to God, to the call on my life, and to the work He has for me to do. I’m not giving up.

Which brings us to my favorite scripture, Philippians 1:6

 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Wow! Did you catch that? He began a good work in you. And He will complete it.

Perseverance is free gift, it’s not tied to human efforts. You don’t grow perseverance.

Think of it this way. You all know what a tomato stake is? A thin plank of wood, taller than the tomato plant, you place in the ground near the plant, and gently tie the plant to it. It’s a stabilizer. It helps the plant bear the weight of the fruit. Generally you stake a plant before it begins to bear fruit. The stake gives the plant strength against the wind and the rain. It forces the plant to grow straight.

 Perseverance does the same for us. We are works in progress. Some of us are seedlings, some are young plants, some are mature plants sprouting buds, some are fully mature bearing fruit. Regardless of the level of maturity that support stake gives the plant strength.

Turn with me to John 15

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

The vine gives support to the plant.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers;

Or continuing with our analogy of a staked plant and paraphrasing, this might read,

“ If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a fragile plant easily blown over and trampled.”

6b such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

But,

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 

We “remain in” Jesus by persevering, by remaining steadfast and being sensitive to His leading, by praying His will.

8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Why do we do this? Why do we persevere? To bring glory to God. Jesus says that we glorify God when we bear fruit. And when we bear fruit we show the world that we are his disciples. Just as the plant needs staking, we need an intimate, dependent relationship with Jesus in order to bear fruit.

So besides giving us strength to grow spiritually mature and produce ripe fruit the gift of perseverance insures that we have the tools we need to do the work that brings glory to God.

Turn with me to Ephesians 6:

 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to [persevere] stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to [persevere]. 

14 [Persevere] then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Paul is telling us to stand firm. Not to waver or let anything keep us from bearing much fruit.

Turn with me to 2 Timothy 1. Paul is encouraging Timothy to persevere.



8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 

Here’s the important part. 

10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am.

This is why Paul is persevering. This is how Paul can endure even the persecution and being jailed.

12b Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Perseverance gives us the assurance of salvation.

Jesus said in Matt 10:22

22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

How could we possibly endure all men hating us if we didn’t have the gift of perseverance? If we didn’t have that intimate relationship with Jesus that gave us the ability to remain steadfast, bear fruit and give glory to God?

John recorded it this way in John 10:28

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Perseverance comes with a promise. In Jer 32:40 we read

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

Perseverance is the fear of the Lord. It’s what keeps us pressing on irregardless of what’s going on around us.

Turn to Hebrews 12:

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Perseverance keeps us in the race. It’s the love one on the side lines cheering you on to the finish. It’s the example of those who have gone before us, and those who mentor us today. Perseverance says it can be done, it will be done. Hang in there.

When you do, not if you do, but when you do, you will be able to say, like Paul did, I have persevered. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7).

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