It
seems like we live in the land of never ending snow. Just about the time the
roads get clear and the grass emerges, we get another blast of winter. Our latest
dump of 12 inches of snow and blizzard conditions on April 14-15 is being
depicted as a historic storm. We know that this cannot keep up forever (we
hope), but this really seems like the endless winter. It reminds me a little of
“The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” where it was always winter but never
Christmas.
In
the face of endless winter, the word that best describes the attitude that we
need to develop is perseverance. At the end of clearing your driveway for the
12th time, it would be tempting to give up and move to Arizona. That
may work for some people, but the majority of us are stuck right here. So instead
of giving up we need to push on. This past Sunday was a good example of perseverance.
Even though we had to cancel two of our three worship services, we did gather
in a time of amazing worship together.
Our
endless winter is a picture of the spiritual climate of the world we live in
today. The hearts of so many have gone cold and they have turned their backs on
Christ. Many people are lamenting the state of the church and the prospects for
the future. Some just want to close their doors and hold on until Jesus comes.
But that is not God’s plan at all. God’s plan is that we will persevere in the
faith with the goal of thriving, not just surviving.
We
need to remember that no matter how spiritually dark and cold it seems the church
of Jesus Christ will prevail. At the very birth of the church, Jesus made that
promise, at a time when it seemed impossible. Peter had just confessed that
Jesus is the Messiah; a powerful statement of faith that Peter did not fully
understand. In response that Peter’s confession, Jesus made a promise.
Jesus
replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed
to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you
bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:17-19)
The
rock that Jesus was referring to was not Peter, as such, but Peter’s confession
of faith. It is upon that confession that Jesus is God’s Messiah that the
church has been established. For over 2000 years the world has been trying to
snuff out the light of the Gospel but the church remains. The church is still a
major influence throughout the entire world. The victory over sin and death has
been won by Christ, and His church will prevail.
Although
Satan knows that he cannot overcome the church as a whole, he also knows that
he can neutralize individual believers. By discouraging and immobilizing individual
Christians, Satan can hinder the effectiveness of the church. That is his main
strategy. He is more than willing to let Christians believe in the ultimate
victory of the church, while, at the same time, planting the seeds of doubt and
discouragement about the local church and even the individual’s faith. He
begins to whisper words of discontent into ours. “I know that the Church
universal will survive, but will our church survive?” “I know that The Faith
will prevail, but will my faith endure?” These are the seeds of doubt that
Satan is constantly planting in our minds. The Bible’s answer to those doubts
is perseverance.
Perseverance
is not holding on until Jesus comes. Perseverance is pressing forward even when
it seems like we are making no progress. Perseverance is holding onto the light
of the Gospel even when the world seems so dark. Perseverance is leaning into
the strength and power of Christ, even when our own strength is waning. Perseverance
is determining to keep going and not give stop until we cross the finish line.
Paul,
Peter, and James all tell us that perseverance is the pathway to ultimate
victory.
Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only
so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope
does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:1-5)
For
this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities
in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and
unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)
Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
Every
distance runner knows that perseverance is the key to doing your best and
finishing well. There comes a time in every race when the runner wants to give
up. It is at those very moments when perseverance takes over and the strength
to continue returns. So it is with our spiritual journey. There are many times
when the race gets hard and exhausting. It is at those times, when we feel our
weakest, that we need perseverance. As Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us, it is at those
times that we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and press on toward the goal.
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the
cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not
grow weary and lose heart.
Right
now, our winter seems to be endless, but we know that spring will come and
summer will prevail. Right now, it seems like the cold and darkness of sin is
winning the battle for people’s hearts, but we know that the truth of Christ
will prevail. So, in the face of seemingly endless winter, persevere!
Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
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