The next four weeks we will be discussing one of the greatest qualities of the most notable people in history. We’ve named the message series: Tenacity. The definition of the word is: the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly; the quality or fact of being very determined; the quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence.
Who is the most tenacious person you know? Why do they keep going after the goal when others quit?
<Personal example>
No great achievement is possible without persistent work. – Bertrand Russell
Tenacity is probably one of the most admirable characters a person can possess. It’s the ability to be determined to do, or achieve something regardless of any setbacks.
Many have the capacity to and plan and set goals toward success, yet only few succeed, because only few stick to work on their goals and plans until it is accomplished. It’s the reason new year resolutions succeed less than 10% of the time. The majority stop before they even start or they quit in the middle of their journey. Oftentimes, the reason for quitting comes down to perceived or real hardships, discomfort and/or uncertainty. May people let their fears and doubts paralyze them from moving toward their goals. Their motivation isn’t strong enough to drive them to work on it.
Developing a tenacious spirit is a master skill to success. It is easier to relax and do nothing, or just live in our comfort zone, rather than face the uncertainty and discomfort of striving for and potentially failing in attaining our goals.
There are many in our society who will live the “good enough” philosophy. But is that the witness of our God, His Son or His Spirit? The scriptures don’t support this idea. Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We are called to do everything in His name. Who’s name? (Jesus’) Whose name?
A few years ago, I had a friend who talked about growing up in a neighborhood in Chicago where everyone knew everyone. If you did anything your parents would hear about it from the others in the neighborhood. My friend talked about the ‘name’ his father and brothers had built up in the neighborhood. Wherever he went, if he gave he mentioned his last name, people would immediately give him respect. His father and his brothers had created a reputation that people knew the last name meant whatever was committed to, would be completed. The neighborhood knew their word was a bond whereby they would be treated fairly and any dispute would be settled. No questions asked.
In the same way, we, as Christ’s children, carry and represent His Name.
For anyone who claims Christ as their Lord, the Bible details a new identity. At salvation, God gives a new definition for one's life that is despite failures and shortcomings, but founded upon the spotless, sinless life of Jesus. This "identity in Christ" is made up of His attributes that God offers us to call our own: "child of God" (Gal. 3:26), "made new" (2 Cor. 5:17), "righteous" (2 Cor. 5:21), "loved unconditionally" (Rom. 8:38–39), "complete" (Col. 2:10) and "God's masterpiece" (Eph. 2:10), to name a few.
To identify means to "establish who someone is."
As we look through the scriptures, there are hundreds of examples of people who have led tenacious lives.Tenacity is a biblical trait to be cultivated through connection, control, confidence, commitment
Tenacity is more than persistence.
Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for is going to transpire.
Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted, that the things He stood for – love and justice and forgiveness and kindness among men – will not win out in the end; ” (Feb 22, Utmost on High, Oswald Chambers)
From Abraham and Moses to Peter and Paul, the scriptures demonstrate the tenacity of people who live their faith.
Tenacity is a common trait of the greatest saints of our faith and there is a great example of connection being cultivated in Abraham’s story. If you have a bible today, turn to Genesis 22. The background to the scripture is Abraham has left his home, family and friends to follow God. It would be years of roaming the desert when he and his wife would have a child at the ripe old age of 100. ‘Seriously, think about it. Would you keep believing in God’s faithfulness after so many years? How precious must have been the child be to Sarah and Abraham. Now, it's a short time later and Isaac is a young boy. So let’s dive into the scripture - Genesis 22:1:
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Talk about tenacity. God has blessed Abraham with the impossible - a miracle son. And then without provocation, God speaks to Abraham and tells him to kill the boy. Herein lies the greatest aspect of gaining tenacity - connection to God.
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t protest. He just follows the direction. He is controlled and confident in God’s sovereign will. God would never ask Him to do or endure anything that would not be used for good. I wonder how many tears were flowing from Abrahams eyes or he wondered if he had heard God incorrectly? The bible doesn’t tell us because it's not relevant. The story is about Abraham’s tenacity.
The power of the relationship connection with God and
The confidence a belief in God’s love can bring
The controlled obedience to know God has a plan we need only execute,
Give a listen to the rest of the story.
10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
Tenacity is the culmination of our connection. Abraham was ready. The knife was in his hand. The child was bound. AND then God stepped in. Tenacity is a biblical trait to be cultivated through connection, control, confidence, commitment.
If the world was to describe you, would they call you tenacious or hesitant?
Christ was tenacious. He came and knowing all the costs, He stayed connected, controlled, confident and committed to seeing His role in God’s larger plan. It’s why the passover table is so special. We get to experience every week what it must have felt like to know the outcome of one's life and do it anyway.
