Last week we started a series called:
ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN
Matthew 6
9 Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Purpose of this series:
To help us understand how Christianity has shaped the world we know
Big Question:
What happens to a culture when it takes the TRUTHS of Christ but abandons the CHRIST
Each week
Looking at a MORAL LAW that God has placed into his creation and that Jesus revealed in His Ministry
Today’s Topic is…
Perseverance and Self-Control
Perseverance:
Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition
This idea isn’t just taught and valued in the Bible…
The grind
Culture understands that Success
Article after article
How to persevere to reach your goals
How to have self-control to be successful
Why does culture think this and where did it come from?
Why is this valuable?
Let’s ask some HARD QUESTIONS:
1: If there is NO GOD, does it really matter if I work hard for my dreams?
2: If there is no god, why should I fight so hard to overcome my circumstances
3: If I am on my own, who is responsible for helping me when I fail?
But Jesus teaches us this…
Matthew 7:14
14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it
Greatest invention of the 20th century:
The Microwave
Mom sending food for dorm room in college
Some things are PERFECT for the microwave
Cheap
Cook fast
There is NO PERSEVERANCE to a microwave
Want our food faster
Convenience appliance
Never put a $20 steak in it
Want to use this microwave as an example of a type of faith
MICROWAVE FAITH:
Faith that is impatient and cheap
Microwave faith is often a DEFAULT FAITH for many
Microwave faith sounds like this:
If God really loved me…
If God was really good, He wouldn’t allow…
If I can just do enough, then God will
This kind of faith will ALWAYS LET YOU DOWN
Christian faith is not about instant gratification
The Bible called us to endurance
Heb. 12:1–2
1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
So how do we mature from a MICROWAVE FAITH?
Paul give us some help…
Romans 5
2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.
Perseverance is Process
Learning to persevere is all about self-control
What does Self-Control look like?
1: Controlling my EMOTIONS
How you feel about yourself, your circumstances, and others in a given situation
We control our emotions with the TRUTH
TRUTH is TRUTH regardless of how we feel
What is the TRUTH about this situation?
God IS in control (Isaiah 41:10)
I AM a child of God (John 1:12)
He has a GOOD plan for me (Romans 8:28)
I CAN trust him no matter what (Proverbs 3:5)
2: Controlling my REACTIONS
Just because I feel out of control, doesn’t mean that I must respond that way
I can speak in love even when I don’t feel loved
I can forgive even if there is no apology given
I can bring calm where there is chaos
I can bring healing when there is pain
3: Controlling my THOUGHTS
Where the mind goes, the heart often follows
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Keeping your thoughts on…
God’s Goodness
God’s promises
God’s Salvation
God’s love for me
By exercising SELF-CONTROL in our:
Emotions
Reactions
Thoughts
God has the OPPORTUNITY to TEACH US to persevere in difficult times
Then PERSEVERING produces a STRONG, WELL BUILT faith that can stand up to all sorts of circumstances
Helpful tips:
- Never underestimate the power of PRAYER and FASTING
- Have a prayer list with verses that you believe God has spoken to you for a specific season
- Find a mentor who has experienced similar things