1st Thessalonians – The Word Working in You – 2007

The Power of Perseverance (Part One) 1) Perseverance is the price of victory. In the spiritual war, you and I are engaged in a spiritual war and victory. In that spiritual war, as far as our personal lives is concerned, is going to require perseverance. Revelation 3:10. “Because you have kept my command to persevere. I will keep you from the hour of trial, which will come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.” This is not talking about the Rapture in that passage. How do I know he's not talking about the Rapture in that passage? Because if he's talking about the Rapture in that passage and you don't persevere, you don't go, which is a false teaching. What is he talking about? The hour of trial he's talking about is not to Israel. The hour of trial he's talking about is to the church and may I suggest, we are in it. if you want to be delivered in this hour of trial, you are going to have to persevere and Rev 3:10. 2) Perseverance is greater than either patience or endurance. Perseverance is greater than either patience or endurance. Whether you look at it in the Greek language or look at it in the English language, patience primarily denotes a mental stamina. In other words, I'm willing to tolerate this. I'll put up with this last patience. We are patient with those who try our patience. Endurance denotes more of a physical perspective. I'm under pain, but I'm going to bear it. What is the difference between perseverance, patience and endurance? The answer is this perseverance not only bears up but perseveres toward a clear goal. There is a goal out there that you are pushing toward. You'll remember, Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14. “It's not as if I have already attained. Neither am I already made perfect. But this one thing I do forgetting the things that are behind and looking forward to what's ahead. I press on to the goal for the prize of the high calling that I have in Christ.” He had a goal in mind. It was not just I'll put up with this It was not just I can take the pain. It's there's a purpose in this and I am driving for the purpose. That is a big, big difference. Perseverance focuses on purpose. 3) Perseverance is a key ingredient of Christian character. Perseverance is a key ingredient of Christian character and can only be developed through trials. There's only one way to get perseverance, and that is to suffer. Paul says in Romans 5:3-4 “Not only this, but we glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character and character produces hope.” A good question for us today would be can we really glory in our tribulations? 4) Only genuine spiritual growth can develop true perseverance. only true spiritual growth. Yeah, it takes affliction on the outside, but it takes spiritual growth on the inside. You remember the passage in 2nd Peter 1:5, when he says, “for this very reason, bringing in all diligence, add to your faith, virtue and true virtue, knowledge and a knowledge, self-control, and a self-control, perseverance and a perseverance, godliness…” You ought to be conformed to Christ. Therefore, Paul says, “If we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him (2 Pet 2:12).” 5) The Greatest Arena for displaying perseverance is prayer What is the greatest arena for displaying perseverance? What is the greatest place that you will ever display? Your perseverance, your suffering, or your fear, where you're at You're ready for it. You're in prayer. Oh, no. You may not always be suffering. You are always to be praying. You may not always be under trial. You ought always to be praying every day. 24 hours, however, minutes and many minutes and seconds. You have all those opportunities to be praying. You'll touch the world with prayer. Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. Make sure you're in the spirit. Being watchful to this and with all perseverance and supplication for the saints….”

Related Topics: Prophecy, Tribulation | More Messages from Gene Cunningham | Download Audio

From Series: "Jesus' Roadmap for the Future"

The Olivet Discourse -- Jesus' Roadmap for the future, is one of the three major discourses (sermons) of Jesus. They include: 1. The Sermon on the Mount/Galilee Discourse (Matthew 5–7) 2. The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21 3. The Upper Room Discourse (John 13–17) Each of these messages is aimed at a specific period of history, which we call a dispensation. They lay out God’s dispensational plan, like a road map, from the time of the crucifixion to the end of time. The Sermon on the Mount was directed to the generation in which Jesus lived and was His platform as King—if Israel would receive Him. Obviously, they rejected Him as their King. However, this will be the basis of Jesus’ administration during the 1,000-year Kingdom Age (Millennium). Then, the Olivet Discourse was aimed at the consequences of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah, and anticipated the destruction of the nation (70 A.D.) and the final Tribulation period. Remember that the Church Age is an intercalation—meaning an insertion, like a parenthesis, into the Age of Israel. This means that with the Rapture of the Church, the Tribulation picks up where 70 A.D. leaves off. This is why the Church Age is called a “mystery” (Rom. 11:25; 16:25; Eph. 3:1–13; Col. 1:26–27), which is a graduate course to “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). Finally, the Upper Room Discourse was directed toward the Church Age, which began at Pentecost and would continue to the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13–18). The uniqueness of this Age is summarized by Paul’s phrase “in Christ,” and all of the elements involved in what we call “positional truth”—our total union with Christ and the indwelling of His Spirit in us, which occurs nowhere else in history. With the removal of the Body of Christ, the Church, Israel would again become the focus of God’s working on this Earth (Romans 9–11; Revelation 6–19).