A Life of
Nobility: Attaining Perseverance
Intro: Animals may lack
perseverance, but man can attain it.
I.
Why is perseverance important?
A.
To pass the test of trials. (Jas 1:2f)
1.
There are various trials in life. (Jb 14:1)
2.
Even the father of faith failed during times of trials.
(Ge13:10)
3.
God wants to train us to have perseverance in
order to pass trials. (2Ki 17:7f)
B.
To avoid giving up while waiting.
1.
Perseverance must finish its work. (Jas 1:4a)
2.
We shall persevere like a farmer waiting for his
crops. (Jas 5:7)
3.
God heard the prayer of Daniel on Day 1 of his
prayer. Help arrived 21 days later. Daniel did not know what was going on in
the spiritual realm. (Da 11:12f)
4.
Waiting can cause pain and heartache. (Pr13:12).
Saul did not wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifice. (1Sa13:8f)
5.
Those who were successful in the Bible had great
perseverance in waiting for God’s time.
a.
How long did it take to make Joseph’s dreams come true?
b.
How long did it take for David’s anointment from
Samuel to come true?
c.
How long did it take for Jacob to marry Rachel?
C.
To make things complete and lack nothing. (Jas
1:4b)
1.
“Iron sharpens iron” (Pr 27:17) It takes time to
make an iron a needle. Perseverance can do it.
2.
God told Abraham that God is almighty and man
needs to be perfect. (Ge17:1)
3.
Job said that after success in trial, he would be
like gold refined. (Jb23:10)
II.
Do we persevere in everything?
A.
We shall not persevere in seeking for
evil.(2Sa13:22)
1.
Absalom persevered to kill his brother.
2.
Absalom persevered to kill his father.
3.
He persevered in his hairs; he persevered in his
life.
B.
We shall not persevere in seeking for self-gain.
(2Ki )
1.
Man shall not rely on money for it will be like
eagles flying. (1Ti6:9f)
2.
God made the donkey talk in order to stop Balaam
from pursuing personal gain; Balaam persevered in pursuing money. (Nu22:28)(Nu31:16,8)
C.
We shall not persevere in relying on our own
flesh. (1Sa14:24)(Eec7:17)
III.
Where do we find perseverance?
A.
Strong love. (1Co 13:8)
1.
Moses’ mother persevered by not giving up on
love for the baby Moses.
2.
Jesus persevered in carrying the cross for
mankind.
3.
One of the mighty men of David protected a lentil
field. (2Sa23:11)
4.
The difference between Gehazi
and Elisha was that one persevered in love, while the other did not. (2Ki4:34).
Strong love caused Elisha to persevere in healing the boy.
B.
Strong faith. (1Co )
1.
By faith Abraham
offered his only beloved son. Abraham
did not tell this event to his wife. Abraham
did not tell this event to his child. He kept this knowledge to himself and acted
with perseverance. This was done because of his strong faith. (Heb11:17-19)
2.
By faith, a woman with twelve years of bleeding came
to Jesus and touched the edge of His garment. She was cured immediately.
C.
Strong hope. (1Co13:13)
1.
Jesus persevered in his suffering because he
looked forward to joy and the seat at the right hand of God. (Heb 12:2)
2.
A mighty man of David fought till the sword stuck
to his hand. (2Sa23:10) It only takes 5 more minutes to decide who is a hero.
D.
Strong support in power. (Phi3:16)
1.
To persevere, one needs power from God. One
needs help from others. (Exo 17:12)
2.
Jesus prayed three times and the angel came to give
him strength. (Lk22:43)
3.
We need to intercede for one another to persevere
in life.
