Last Man Standing

Last Man Standing

A Message about Endurance

Introduction: I titled this message 'Last Man Standing' because when your faith is completely shaken and trials are chasing your peace away and tribulations are pressing your hope into despair. When all your friends have walked away, when your family abandons you. If everyone you know as a Christian were to suddenly abandon the faith could you still say "Thou none go with me, I STILL WILL FOLLOW!" Are you determined that if all others fall that you would be the last man standing?

I wonder how many here would walk through a plague, or disaster, or gun fire, or an angry mob to get here this morning? How many would stay if many hundreds of people lined up outside the windows to scream at you? Or if they were able to infiltrate the church to disrupt our service who among you would be determined to stand up and praise God anyway? If everyone gave up would you be determined to be the last man standing?

The reason I say this is because I believe that type of determination is going to be needed in the days and months ahead. We know that the word promises us that there will be a great falling away, but I don't believe so many will fall as to leave only one but if more people have the determination to be that last one then fewer people would fall away.

Its been said many times that we are either coming out of a storm, in the middle of a storm, or are about to go through a storm. This message is for those that are going through a storm or are about to go through a great storm.

I only have two points that I want to make today. That come out of Revelation 2:10

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of Life."

I. Do not be Afraid

Text: Revelation 2:10 - "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. ..."

Jesus is comforting the church of Smyrna who was being persecuted and he knew that they needed to be encouraged. The Lord knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

I said a couple of weeks ago that I sensed a great spirit of fear in the church. They see the images of death and destruction and they are afraid. I can understand sadness but not fear. I can understand hurt, but not fear. I can even understand anger, but never fear! If we were unbelievers and like them had no divine reinforcement. It would be fitting to be afraid.

If all we had to live for was what this world provided I could understand fear.

Listen to what Paul said to encourage the Christians in Romans 8:36 "As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaugher." Real encouraging huh? but wait in the next verse ... "No, in all these things (persecution unto death) WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM THAT LOVED US." -Romans 8:37 Paul shares the same sentiment as Christ, that even though he knew intense persecution was ahead for his listeners that there is no need to be afraid because it was the Christians and not their persecutors who were more than Conquerors. They may conquer the body but they can not conquer the spirit. Christ conquered death and like their savior they would too. Job said thou he slay me yet will I trust him. He couldn't understand why he was going through what he was going through but he was determined to trust God anyway. Perhaps it was because of the same reason the apostle told Christ when he said "you don't want to leave me too do you?" and Peter said "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Where else can I go? You love me above all else. You desire the best for me more than all others. You know me more than I know myself. You know my situation more than I know it myself. So how could I possibly leave you? There is no one else to turn to.

We own the Lords heart no matter what we decide to do with it. We can bend it and break it and throw it or do whatever we want with it but it will forever belong to us and we can never do anything to change that. That love should be enough to humble us and realize that as believers it is literally impossible for him to forsake us. If it is impossible for you to forget a loved one, imagine the impossibility of our creator who is Love to forget about us. He says to the church in Smyrna "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer."