My portion tonight is on the subject of Perseverance. The text is from verse 23 which continues from verse 22 by stating “IF you continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel…
As you read your 1200 page love letter from God, you will find many verses about perseverance and here are four brief examples:
· Watch your life and doctrine closely, persevere in them…
· You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what was promised.
· Perseverance must finish its work…
· Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial…
What is perseverance?
· Perseverance relates to the continual and patient dependence upon God.
· It is an evidence of reconciliation with God.
· It is an evidence of belonging to Christ.
· It is a characteristic of the Saints, as was evidenced by their Super Bowl win this year!
Perseverance is manifested or made plain in:
· Seeking God
· Waiting upon God
· Prayer
· Well-doing
· Continuing in the faith
· Holding fast hope
It is maintained through:
· The power of God
· The power of Christ
· The intercession of Christ
· The fear of God
· And Faith
But what does Perseverance LOOK like?
In the interest of brevity, we will be looking through a camera viewfinder as it were and not a picture window. If I was to give you the camera, you may choose to point it at a different object than I have chosen for the purpose of example tonight. Beginning at a global level and working our way down to a personal level, here are five targets:
1. On our planet, we have war. In World War II, there was an evil man, bent on evil. The failure to act quickly and decisively in the face of injustice had world-wide consequences. When men of character led countries with character, the evil was broken but with a horrible aftermath. In world affairs Perseverance acts early. Perseverance stays behind at the end to bring physical and spiritual healing. Perseverance administers justice against evil and does not listen to the voices that are loud simply because they are loud. In his biography of Winston Churchill, William Manchester states “If anyone is able to rally England to this moment it is going to have to be someone who is ruthless to the good; willing to match Hitler’s ferocity for evil with an even greater ferocity for freedom. Perseverance is ferocious! Perseverance in world affairs? The verse says…"continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."
2. In our United States, we are not very united. We fight about ideologies, methods, power, and of course, “change.” We see those in power using words as though they were riding a unicycle on a tightrope while juggling torches, but their actions facilitate the destruction of the innocent. Child sacrifice is legal (we sanitize the practice and call it abortion). Gay marriage is being discussed with legitimacy. Policies are created to subdue the speech of those who are not in power. Perseverance says: Jail me if you must, but I will not be silent! You may call a pre-born child whatever you wish in order to destroy it but I will not be deceived by your fine-sounding words! Perseverance says: Let me explain to you why marriage between one man and one woman is the God-ordained building block of good society. Let me graciously and carefully draw homosexual men and women to what is True! Let me protect you from disease and destruction! Let me love you into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ! But if you fight against truth, I will not silently allow you to engage my children and neighbors with lies that could destroy them! Perseverance in the United States? The verse says: "continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."
3. Our state of California has voted that an embryo would be a great place to find stem cells for research. The promise of money to be made, the international fame that could come from leading in this arena, these are the motivations sold to the people in our state to create an environment where this research could flourish. Lost in the noise is the reality that an embryo is fully and distinctly human. It is just small. And vulnerable. California is also home of the infamous 9th Circuit Court. And who could overlook the presence of Hollywood. Such wise and beautiful people! Perseverance looks at the odds and is not dismayed! Perseverance says: I will not give up even if I lose every battle I fight until the day I die. Perseverance educates and engages California culture to fight for the side of good. Perseverance does not decide whether or not to vote based on the chances of success. Perseverance in California? The verse says: “continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel!”
4. Our Families are in pain. Our Children are being actively seduced by this Godless culture. Our entertainment and communication devices are broken windows exposing us to the cold night. Our entertainments promise gorgeous images of sexual freedom without consequence. The real consequence of this sexual freedom has led to a state of epidemic disease where 1 in 4 High School kids will have a sexually transmitted disease by the time they graduate. Hooking-up on College campuses, that loveless and emotionless engaging in physical union with anyone at any time, is common and expected. Perseverance says: You will never take me, and you will not take my children without a fight. I will prepare them with truth and training. I will speak and listen. I will pray to my God for wisdom and for protection. What I do not know, I will learn and study and equip myself for the fight. I will not laugh and wink at a dirty movie on Saturday night and sit in church with my pretty outfit and matching bible on Sunday. I will help my kids fight the culture – to engage the culture – to win over those being destroyed by the lies of the culture. Perseverance in our families? The verse says: “continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel!”
5. And finally we come to marriage, that beautiful picture of our risen Christ and us, his church. Is it really true that Christian couples divorce at about the same rate as non-Christian couples? Is it true that it is better to divorce than to subject children to constant bickering in the home? Is it true that the children of divorce are perfectly resilient? Perseverance says – I will honor the commitment I made to you when I said “until death do us part.” It says I will love you even when you are unlovable. When opportunities to choose pornography, or secret conversations, or private lunches with attractive associates arise, perseverance says NO. I choose you. I chose you before God and witnesses and I choose you now. I choose to protect my thoughts. I choose to protect my eyes. I choose to engage you in conversation, in life and in love. Marriage was chosen by God to be a picture illustrating his relationship with us. Through marriage, we begin to understand what it truly means to be in relationship with God. Perseverance in marriage? The verse says: “continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”
Colossians closes with these words to Archippus: “see to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord”
What work has God asked ME to complete? What is the work YOU have received in the Lord? Persevere in it! If you persevere, we can have strong marriages, well adjusted and wise children, able to effect the culture in our state, invested in the return to a biblical worldview in our country, allowing for a powerful national tool, useable in the hands of Almighty God in our world.
"...continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."
