NJ - PERSEVERE / ENDURE FOR WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED

Focus on Joy

STAND WAIT PERSEVERE

INTRODUCTION

Good morning and welcome to church, it is great to see you all hear as we worship God and thank Him for all He has done for us. If you are visiting with us today, we pray that you will be blessed and that you would encounter Jesus and all He has for you. We look forward to catching up with you after our service around morning tea.

Today we will be looking what it is to persevere / endure for what God has for us. We may not see it at this moment, but we can see it afar if we are looking and trusting in God for all He has for our lives. We will look at three different stories in the Bible that we can apply to our lives, that will help us on this journey of persevering / enduring for what God has promised us.

LETS PRAY

Father we love You and thank You, we thank you for Your grace is sufficient for us; we thank You that in our weakness You are strong. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would bring revelation of Your word and give us strength that we may have the power to overcome. Amen

Psalm 102:18 NKJV

18This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.

POINT 1

Trust in the promises of God

Trusting in God's promises means believing that He will fulfill what He has said in His word, despite any doubts or uncertainties we may face. It involves relying on His character and faithfulness, recognising that His promises are based on His unchanging nature and power. This trust enables us to experience peace, strength, and hope in difficult times. 

Hebrews 11:1–16 NIV

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Why trust in God's promises?

God's Character: God is trustworthy because He is faithful, good, and powerful. His promises are rooted in His very nature, making them dependable and true. 

His Word: The Bible is filled with God's promises, offering guidance, comfort, and assurance to believers. 

Overcoming Doubt and Fear: Trusting in God's promises can help us overcome doubt, fear, and worry, allowing us to experience His peace and strength. 

Living a Life of Faith: Trusting in God's promises is an active choice that involves believing even when we don't see immediate results. 

Experiencing Blessings: God's promises often include blessings such as provision, protection, guidance, and strength. 

How to cultivate trust in God's promises:

Study God's Word: Spend time reading the Bible and learning about God's promises. 

John 14:1–6 NKJV

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Pray and Meditate: Talk to God about your fears and doubts, and ask for His help in trusting Him. 

Remember God's Faithfulness: Reflect on past experiences where God has proven Himself faithful. 

Choose to Trust: Make a conscious decision to trust God's promises, even when you don't understand or feel like it. 

Psalm 23:1–6 NIV

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Live a Life of Obedience: Trusting God involves aligning our lives with His will as revealed in His word. 

By trusting in God's promises, we can experience His peace, strength, and blessings in every area of our lives. 

What does Hebrews 11:13 mean?

In this case, the point is that each of these people had a faith that "looked forward." Despite not having a crystal-clear view of the future, they chose to trust in God and obey.

In some cases, such as Abraham and Sarah, they did not even live to see the promises fulfilled. And yet, their perspective was eternal, rather than temporary.

As an earlier verse pointed out, these were men and women "looking forward" to God's ultimate plans.  These people of faith accepted God's promises and "greeted them from afar," from that perspective.

This is the kind of faith which the writer of Hebrews wants to inspire in those who read this letter.

Trusting in Gods promises, helps us to persevere/endure for what God has for our lives.

POINT 2

Persevere / Endure for God’s Promise

Hold onto all that God has promised you

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Israel were in captivity, when this word from God came to them. The verse is not a promise of immediate freedom from exile, but rather a declaration of God's ongoing care and purpose for His people, even in their captivity. The Israelites were instructed to build lives, plant gardens, and seek the welfare of Babylon, while also praying for their own future return to Jerusalem. 

They had 70years of captivity that they were dealing with.

Don’t get stuck in your present circumstances and forgetting that God is with you.

Make a declaration and stand upon God’s word

Will you make the sacrifice that is needed for your family and for the generations to come?

Will you be the one that stands in the gap - As for me and my house we will serve the Lord

Joshua 24:15 NKJV

15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Walks - Runs - Sprints (GOOD & BAD)

POINT 3

For the Joy you can endure

For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus saw into the future to see you and I walking in a restored relationship with God the Father.

He saw the completed work, what sin had destroyed, He saw the fulfillment.

The Father has sent us a helper, Holy Spirit

John 14:26–27 NKJV

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

As excruciating as was for Jesus to go through all that He went through, there was joy for Him as He knew the fullness of what was being fulfilled.

Jesus knew His sacrifice was the answer for all humanity and that is why we see today the enemies fight against God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

CONCLUSION

Today as we have studied the word of God, we have seen many examples of people that held onto the promise of God that they had heard.

PERSEVERE / ENDURE FOR WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED

POINT 1 - Trusting in the promises of God

POINT 2 - Persevere / Endure for God’s Promise

POINT 3 - For the Joy you can endure

SALVATION OPPORTUNITY

CLOSE

Father we thank you that we have heard Your word today, we ask Holy Spirit to help us to understand Your word and apply it to our lives that we can walk in the fullness of Your plan for our lives.