Sermons and Studies

Persist

If you don't have a hard-copy Bible available or an app on your phone, Bible.com is a fantastic, free resource with multiple versions in numerous languages available. (I'm not trying to promote one site over another, I just know and trust this one.)

Before we begin, why not start with some praise and worship music that hits you right in the spirit, and spend some time worshiping the God who created you? If you're limited on time, play the music while you pray. Don't forget to ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to learn and understand from this lesson!

Also, you'll get a lot more out of reading this if you read the verses that are in the boldfaced type. Call them 'inside information'. 😉

Let's start with Hebrews 12:1-3. Have you ever gotten bogged down by life? Of course you have; everybody does, at some point! We feel discouraged and bogged down as everyday life presses in. Jobs, chores at home, relationships; they all need work and when we get behind on one or another, it gets overwhelming and we just . . . give up on stuff- or people. How many marriages end in divorce, simply because the couple stopped trying? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way.)

Not turn to Luke 11:5-8. Most people would never have gone to ask. Still others would leave after the first answer. According to statistics, most runners quit with only 20% (give or take) of the race left to finish. A marathon of 26.6 miles sees most runners drop out after the twenty-mile mark! So, how do we get the motivation to slog through and just 'keep going'?

Let's look at Hebrews 12:2 again. Paul urges us to ignore distractions and focus on Jesus. Why? He starts and ends our race! Jesus is the race official with the starter pistol AND the stopwatch! Pleasing Him is our utmost aim, so it's good to keep Him in our sights.

Now, look at verse 3 again. Not only is Jesus the race official, He's also our coach! Since Jesus was able to attain His goal despite impossible odds and unbearable hurdles, He is the best One to coach us through. Paul reminds us to keep His example before us so we don't get discouraged. If Jesus can overcome all that, we can bear up under this little bit, Paul says.

Romans 2:6-7 continues. Lots of times, racers are coached to run with the finish line in mind. Keep your eyes on the prize. Here, Paul says, those who persist in righteousness will be rewarded with eternal life.

II Thessalonians 3:13 encourages us on. In the movie 'Finding Nemo', there's a character that is portrayed as mentally challenged. At one point, she annoys the main character by mindlessly chanting, 'just keep swimming, just keep swimming . . .' That's exactly what this verse is saying! The only way out of the bog is one step at a time. The only way to keep going is to not stop! The question is, where does that energy come from to do that, when the muck weighs at our feet and our strength to go on is fading?

Read Ephesians 3:16-21. The answer is simply this: if we ask, it comes from God.

Now turn to James 5:15-16. Verse 15 certainly describes someone who feels overwhelmed by life. Suffering, sick with, and sick of! Now look at verse 16. This means that we go to our group of gathered Believers and say, 'hey, I'm really struggling with (this area of my life.) Will you please pray that the Lord will help me to change my ways?' The flip side of this is that you consistently pray for others who also ask for help.

Now head over to Hebrews 10:23-25. According to this, in order to hold each other up and encourage each other, we actually have to get together! I hear a lot of people lately say that they worship just fine at home, that they don't need to go to church. There are so many problems with the mainstream churches, they say. While they are not wrong, churches are where Christians gather and Christians are human beings, none of whom are perfect.

Any time a group of imperfect people get together, there are bound to be problems! The thing is, I don't see the word 'church' anywhere in that passage! It just says, 'meeting together' or 'assembling'. Prayer meeting and small group studies count!

If you do not have a group of Christians to pray and worship with, I urge you to find one. Matthew 18:20 tells us that two or three people count! If that's all you can come up with, then that's fine. Meet with them regularly, pray together, worship, read and discuss Scripture. That's a church in the most basic sense of the word!

Heavenly Father, thank You for lifting us, that though we fall, You do not leave us cast down but lift us up with Your Hand. Lord, we can't do this in our own strength! None of it! Grant us the strength, the energy, the determination to keep going with what You've asked us to do, even when we want to give up. Lord, we know that a favorite strategy of the enemy is to convince us to give up when the fight is almost won. Take away the flag, Lord! Help us to keep fighting! We love You and we thank You for Your mighty provision in Jesus Name, amen.