What Is Endurance

Text:

Revelation 14:12:

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

 

Theme:

What Is Endurance

 

Introduction:

• The Book Of Revelation is the only prophetic book of the New Testament and is written by the Apostle John while he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos.
  • The book’s purpose is to reveal what happens during the Apocalypse, or end times., or last days.
  • As the other book written by the Apostle John, The Gospel of St. John, its primary focus during these end times is Jesus, the Christ.
  • Our text occurs after the following:
    • The letter to the seven churches (1:1 – 3:22)
    • The prophetic vision of Heaven (4:1 – 5:14)
    • The seven seals (6:1 – 7:17)
    • The seven trumpets (6:1 – 11:20)
    • The woman and her child (12:1 – 12:17)
    • The two beasts (13:1 – 13:18)
    • The setting apart of the saints (144,000) (14:1-5)
• Our text is found in the context of the 14^th chapter of Revelation where the Apostle John has documented the revelation of the three angelic warnings given to those who remained:
  • 1 à “Fear God, and give Him glory”
  • 2 à “Babylon is fallen”
  • 3 à the doom of “whoever worships the beast”
• Those who remained consisted of:
  • The “number that no man could number”
    • Revelation 7:9 refers to them in a vision, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
    • There are those who were not of the original 144,000 who can go to Heaven
      • These are the ones to whom the angels are giving warnings.
      • They had to remain after the 144,000 were already taken up into Heaven and while the wrath of God’s judgment is released upon the rest of the world
    • Those who will not be going to Heaven – those who worshipped the beast
      • The wheat AND the tares are mixed together
        • Matthew 13:29-30, “But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest:”
      • The sheep AND the goats herd together
        • Matthew 25:32, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”
        • We have to dwell in the midst of the evildoers
      • The unsaved, nonbeliever, sinner, enemy, adversary are in this number!!
• This is where the text comments a critical piece of information for the believer:

“Here is the patience of the saints”

• It is due to this context that the patience/endurance of the saints/believers is realized/defined!
  • The believer is known by their fruit à Luke 6:44, “For every tree is known by his own fruit….”
    • The believer is known by his/her ability to endure
      • 2 Timothy 2:3, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
      • Matthew 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
        • As Rev. J. L. Henderson used to say, “If you can’t take it, you can’t make it!”
        • It’s all about hanging in there!!
      • Now that we understand the importance of ENDURANCE, we can let Revelation 14:12 explain to us What is ENDURANCE??

 

Body:

• What characterizes ENDURANCE for the believer?
  • Obedience – “keep the commandments of God” – KNOW RIGHT
    • Keeping the commandments of God
      • John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
      • Leviticus 22:31, “Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.”
    • Critical to the life and living of the believer
      • Psalms 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
    • Obedience maintains our intimate relationship with God
      • For the OT children
        • Deuteronomy 30:20, “That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
      • For the NT generation
        • Acts 5:29, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
        • Hebrews 5:9, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”
      • If folks are not obedient, LEAVE THEM ALONE!
        • 2 Thessalonians 3:14, “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”
      • WE ENDURE OUT OF OBEDIENCE
        • Endurance starts with obedience for the believer – We are supposed to!
        • Philippians 1:29, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”
  • Faith – “keep…the faith of Jesus” – LIVE RIGHT
    • Keeping the Faith IN Jesus the Christ
      • Not self, friends, money, things, or the world!
      • Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
      • Hebrews 12:2, “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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
    • Faith starts with BELIEVING
      • 1 Peter 1:21, “Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”
      • Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:”
    • Therefore, for the believer FAITH IS
      • Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
      • Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
    • BUT, Faith requires work!
    • James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
    • Faith is known by how you LIVE
      • 1 Thessalonians 1:3, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;”
    • WE ENDURE THROUGH FAITH
      • Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
  • In summary,
    • Moses tells us what we are to do:
      • Deuteronomy 8:6, “Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.”
    • The hymn makes it clear:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy with Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Conclusion:

• In conclusion, we can see that ENDURANCE is founded upon our ability to patiently wait!
  • There is a reward to those who wait on God!
  • Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
    • It’s all about waiting ON GOD!!
      • Out of OBEDIENCE à the Bible says so!!
      • Through FAITH à HE IS ABLE!!!
        • The Hebrew boys said it best in Daniel 3:17, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
          • I can ENDURE because I know that HE IS ABLE!!!!!

2 Timothy 2:10, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

 

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