Nevertheless

Key Passages

2

Numbers 13:27–28 NKJV

27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Luke 5:4–5 NKJV

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

A. In the English vocabulary, there are a handful of words that have the potential to change the entire context of a sentence a conversation, even the outcome of an entire situation.

B. Have you ever heard an apology that wasn’t a true apology, or have you ever been given a compliment that wasn’t a compliment.

C. In the word of God, we are made aware of a single word that has changed, in a multitude of ways, entire dialogues, entire situations, and even an entire world, simply by the power and truth that proceeds this one simple word.

D. There is a funny-looking adverb that appears to be made up of three words squished together, the word is: NEVERTHELESS.

E. Nevertheless is synonomous with: in spite of that (a pesar de eso)/everything, nonetheless, even so, however, but, still, yet, though, be that as it may, for all that, despite that/everything, after everything, having said that (habiendo dicho), that said, just the same, all the same, at the same time, in any event, come what may, at any rate, notwithstanding, regardless, anyway, anyhow, still and all, howbeit “even so" or "all the same.”

Synonyms

A. Nevertheless is synonomous with: in spite of that (a pesar de eso)/everything, nonetheless, even so, however, but, still, yet, though, be that as it may, for all that, despite that/everything, after everything, having said that (habiendo dicho), that said, just the same, all the same, at the same time, in any event, come what may, at any rate, notwithstanding, regardless, anyway, anyhow, still and all, howbeit “even so" or "all the same.”

Definition

A. In the Old Testament, the original Hebrew means, strangely enough (curiosamente), “a ceasing, an end, a finality”(un cese, un fin, una finalidad)

B. In the New Testament Greek, in Luke’s writing, the word “nevertheless” is used (and I quote from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Abridged): “after negative sentences” ( despues de frases negativos), and “serves to mark a transition to something new” (sirve para marcar una trasicion o cambio a algo nuevo.).

C. Finally, from the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition, in today’s English grammar, the word simply means, “In spite of all that…” (a pesar de todo eso)

Positive to Negative

A. In , “nevertheless” changes a positive to a negative.

1. If you follow the story of the 12 spies, and you’ll discover that, to a man, every one of them experienced the wonder (la maravilla) of Canaan.

a. It wasn’t just Joshua and Caleb that pulled down a (cluster)bunch of grapes (racimo de uvas).

b. It wasn’t just Joshua and Caleb that ate the fruit (pomegranates, figs, grapes)(granadas, higos, uvas) of the land ‘til juice was dripping from their chin.

2. However (Sin embargo), in 10 of the spies, there was a “nevertheless” that changed their entire perspective (perspectiva completa).

a. They witnessed God’s Promises, but couldn’t trust His protection, His provision or His power.

b. God did not lead them to this point just to leave them wishing, “If only”. (Dios no los guio a este punto solo para dejarlos deseando, "Si solo".) God has not brought First UPC to this point just to leave us desiring something greater.

B. But it was 85% of the spies that used THE POWER OF ‘NEVERTHELESS’ to change a positive “we saw” into a negative “we can’t”.

1. Their attitude was “Yes, there’s plenty of promise in the land that we spied out, but in spite of all that…” God has entrusted this church with many promises, do not qualify the promises he has promised us with an attitude that calls in to question the Lords ability to bring those things to pass.

C. It was this “Nevertheless” attitude that became “an end, a ceasing, a finality” (un cese, un fin, una finalidad), because it stopped what GOD wanted to do for Israel.

MEN WE CANNOT SUCCUMB TO THIS TRAP. God is doing great things amongst us, yet, there are still greater things HE has for us…don’t qualify HIS promises with your own agenda.

From a Negative to a Positive

A. In Luke’s recording of the miracle of the fishes, we experience THE POWER OF ‘NEVERTHELESS’ changing a negative to a positive.

1. Simon Peter really didn’t want to throw his nets out again.

a. He’d just spent the morning cleaning them. (See vs. 2)

b. He was a fisherman by trade, and knew the waters. (Era un pescador de profesión, y conocía las aguas.)

c. His own expertise told him there was no reason to try again. (Su propia experiencia le dijo que no había razón para intentarlo de nuevo.)

d. And he even went so far as to inform the Lord that “We’ve already tried…”(E incluso fue tan lejos como para informarle al Señor que "ya lo hemos intentado ...")

2. However, Simon used THE POWER OF ‘NEVERTHELESS’ to change a negative to a positive.

B. You see, Simon had tasted futility, but trusted in the faithfulness of the Master.

1. Once again, THE POWER OF ‘NEVERTHELESS’ had come in to play

a. “Lord, we’ve worked these waters all night long and haven’t caught the first thing…but in spite of all that…” (“...Maestro, toda la noche hemos estado trabajando, y nada hemos pescado; mas en tu palabra…)

b. Lord, the doctor told me it was incurable

Lord, i was hurt as a child,

Lord I have no family

Lord, everything around me looks like it is all loss

Lord my marriage is failing (señor mi matrimonio está fallando),

My children don’t serve you

My boss is mean,

My coworkers ridicule,

Lord I don’t fit in…etc…(Mi jefe es malo, mis compañeros de trabajo se burlan, Señor, no encajo con la multitud)

c. You think of whatever you want to, whatever is your reason, whatever is your excuse, whatever gives your logical mindset more credibility and you do as Peter did, Master - we have toiled all the night, and have not taken nothing. (piensa lo que sea que le dé más credibilidad a su mentalidad lógica y hace lo que hizo Pedro,Maestro, toda la noche hemos estado trabajando, y nada hemos pescado.)

This was an absolutely true statement (una declaración verdadera)

Lord logically calculating the chance of my promise coming to fruition, there seems to be a 0 % chance of it happening...

Lord looking at my abilities, looking at my finances, looking at my home life, looking at my past, looking at what I can bring to the table....there seems to be a 0 % chance.

d. Don’t tread water in your what you can see, feel, or control, instead, anchor on to HIS WORD.

e. If this is not enough, let me bring it home a bit...King David was a murderer and adulterer and he was rejected by his dad, he was rejected by his brothers, he was rejected by his boss, he was rejected by the enemy…(El rey David era un asesino y un adulterio y su padre lo rechazó, sus hermanos lo rechazaron, su jefe lo rechazó, el enemigo lo rechazó …)

Some of you are in a place, or something is going on in your life in that you are frustrated, you are angry, you are mad, and you want to quit…just like some of you want to quit your job, your marriages, you want to quit church, you want to quit ministry…but I come here to tell you today, NEVERTHELESS AT YOUR WORD

(Algunos de ustedes están en un lugar, o algo está sucediendo en su vida en el que están frustrados, enojados, enojados y quieren renunciar ... al igual que algunos de ustedes quieren dejar su trabajo, sus matrimonios, quieres dejar la iglesia, quieres dejar el ministerio ... pero vengo aquí para decirte hoy, SIN EMBARGO, A TU PALABRA)

C. It was this “Nevertheless” that, in the Greek form, “served to mark a transition to something new”

1. It was here that Jesus called His disciples to become “fishers of men”.

ADVERB: a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there ).

ADVERB: a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there ).

A. True Praise is a nevertheless action (alavanza verdadera, es un accion de sin embargo)

True Prayer is a nevertheless action

B. True Prayer is a nevertheless action

C. Fasting is a nevertheless sacrifice

D. True Godly Love is a nevertheless expression

Why, because these actions are qualified by a nevertheless that is proceeded by the WORD OF GOD that is true and goes beyond your feelings, your emotions, your experiences, your faults, your surroundings...

(¿Por qué, porque estas acciones están calificadas por un sin embargo que se lleva a cabo por la PALABRA DE DIOS que es verdadera y va más allá de sus sentimientos, sus emociones, sus experiencias, sus fallas, su entorno ..)

NEVER THE LESS AT YOUR WORD...

E. The true character of an individual is revealed in the test and I want my NEVERTHELESS that identifies me in my trial to qualify the truth of who JESUS is…because at your word

I know you are my healer

I know your are my provider

I know you are my saviour

I know you are my counselor

I know you are my prince of peace

NEVER THE LESS AT YOUR WORD...

Conclusion

Luke 5:1–3 NKJV

1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

Some of you may think that because you are in a place of net washing, and you see the net washing as an end, and you think that God is done with you, you think that you are washing your nets to hang them up, to never be used again. That your place in this work, in this church, is done...

Little do you know, that God has you at the right place, at the right time…and we the body are at the cusp of the greatest outpouring of miracles, signs and wonders...

Don’t think that the washing of your net, is of your own will, it is precisely timed…because there is a time coming soon, when God is going to say CHURCH, LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP, AND LET DOWN YOUR NET.

And we cannot be in the place to qualify our unbelief....NOOOO…we must be ready…NEVER THE LESS LORD…AT YOUR WORD.