Choose Perseverance Series

Revelation

Week 6

“Choose Perseverance”

Welcome:

Everyone

Guests (We are honored)

Online & Podcasting

Turkey’s & Baptism

11/23-Teen Challenge will be with us

11/30-#Struggles -Following Jesus In A Selfie Centered World.

12/24-Christmas Eve Service

Connect:

Speaking of Christmas, Ange, the Kids, The Pedrick’s & I all took a trip to Boston to go to the Boston Christmas Festival. It’s this crazy huge craft, food, creative artisan deal at the World Trade Center in Boston.

I know if you know this about me, crowds give me anxiety, and there are several THOUSAND people in this place. So my stress level is a little high :) It was a lot of fun but my stress level was up a little. Kids breakable things….you get the picture.

Anyway, Maddox quickly became bored & hungry. So every time we stopped, he would lean against me, like full on, flop. If I squatted down to take so pressure off my back, he would just sit on me.

Shoulder slumped, jaw hung, the “Are we almost done” “I’m hungry” “Can we go now” He was counting down the isles, until we reached the middle isle where they were giving away food samples :)

But once we turned the corner he was back to the “suffering child” mode.

Parents have you been there?

Tension:

I think sometimes we feel like that. Life gets tough, we get into situations & circumstances, and we are trying to countdown the isles until it ends, but sometimes we can’t see the end.

We feel overwhelmed, weighed down, and we get discouraged & want to give up.

Have you been there?

And you think to yourself, I don’t think I’m gonna make it, I don’t know how much longer I can hold on, how much longer I can keep going….

You feel like you have reached a breaking point & you don’t think you can go on.

Can anyone relate to what I’m talking about?

Well if that’s where you are at, I’m glad you are here today because I believe God wants to encourage you.

Truth:

So our 6th Church is the church at Philadelphia, and Jesus said to them..

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me… “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you…” Revelation 3:8-10

Notice anything here? Jesus doesn’t have anything against them. He doesn’t offer any correction.

He says, like He has before, “I know all the things you do” but not in terms of “You’re busted”

He says, I know ALL the things you do, and I have opened a door that no one can close. That means Jesus opened an opportunity for them. He cleared a path for them, and no one could close that door on them.

But Jesus did say, “you have little strength” “You’re tired” “You’re worn down, you have limitations” but you OBEYED!! That’s huge!

We tend to look at our limitations or our lack of strength & find excuses why we can’t get something down. mWe live in the land of our limitations. We will say, “Well if I had….(fill in the blank) then I could….” We focus on why we can’t get something done or why we fail.

But the believers in Philadelphia stepped out of the comfort zone, out of what they felt they were resourced to do & simply OBEYED and if the face of difficulty they didn’t deny Jesus. They didn’t take the easy way out. In the face of pain they didn’t fold.

So Jesus said to them, “Because you obeyed & persevered, I WILL PROTECT YOU!”

He said, you have more that carried your weight, you have more than done your part, so I’VE GOT YOUR BACK!

So what is the lesson for us? What can we learn from Philadelphia?

So glad you asked…

Application:

The church in Philadelphia didn’t receive any correction. They received encouragement & instruction.

And for us I think there is a VERY POWERFUL LESSON HERE.

They had been through difficulty and they had persevered in the face of it. They stood strong & OBEYED Jesus!

We all face hard times, challenges, difficulties, but in the face of these things we need to CHOOSE PERSEVERANCE

That’s the choice, that’s the place we need to go. Choose Perseverance.

But here is the real application & the scary truth…We CAN choose to preserve but we will NEVER preserve on our own.

Philadelphia, anyone know what it means? Brotherly Love!

In the name of this church is the key to the success in being able to endure, to being able to CHOOSE PERSEVERANCE… Community! WHY?

WE CAN’T DO LIFE ALONE

None of these believer would have been able to do what they did alone. They wouldn’t have made it. They would have come up short. They would have given up. Lost heart! But TOGETHER they can ENDURE & OBEY!