Perseverance Is Not An Option…in Doing the Will Of God Consistently;

“For you have need to persevere {endure} so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”-{Heb 10:36}

“Have” – is in the present tense, which means we never outgrow the need to …persevere, endure…steadfastly…

“Perseverance, Endurance” – speaks of bearing up under a heavy load unflinchingly and describes the character of the person who does not surrender to circumstances or trials and looks forward and has the ability to focus on what is beyond the trial and pressures to the glory that lies ahead. It’s not a grin and bear it but has hope, a confidence in Him as if it was worthless.-“ Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”- {Heb 10:35}. In the midst of suffering, don’t turn away but keep turning to Him and doing His Word. Convinced and submitted to the Gospel, testifying of it because He and it are real to you, because you have experienced the power of the Gospel.

Perseverance { “hupomone” from hypomeno, the verb,} “there is the idea of energetic resistance, steadfastness under pressure, and endurance in the face of trials… In the New Testament the main sense of “hypomeno” is perseverance or steadfastness.” -{Bakers Evangelical dictionary of Biblical Theology}. “… remaining under, endurance, steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to “remian{endure} under the challenges He allots in life.“-{ Helps Word studies}

Perseverance is not optional in order to obey His Word and do the right thing, amidst difficult trials, intense pressures, temptations, suffering, persecution, the solicitation to sin against God, and denying the LORD. When tempted to turn side from His Word, persevere in choosing to do His Word! Isaiah said “they who wait…” The word “wait” means to “hope in confident expectation…” and he goes on to say that those who do so, “will renew their strength,” this speaks of an exchange. We give Him our weariness, weakness and he gives us HIS strength. He goes on to say that those who “hope with confident expectation in the LORD, that, “…they will mount up with wings as eagles and run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.”-{Isaiah  40:31}. Hoping in God is not the hope of the gambler, the “hope” of chance but the “hope” of certainty! The confident expectation, the certainty that what God says is certain to deliver what He promises, for He who promises is forever the same! “I the LORD do not change.”-{Malachi 3:6}. He is unchanging and this is reason to endure, steadfastly, persistently persevere in hope, for “God is faithful…”-{1 Cor 10:13}.

There is a future hope, a promise.

“…so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”-{Heb 10:36}.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.“-{Rom 8;18}.

“Perseverance is the grace of suffering Christians (Jas 1:4-note; Jas 1:5) and the correct reaction to all tribulations -(Ro 5:4, 5-note).”-{John Owen}

Perseverance {hypomeno}, the verb, “there is the idea of energetic resistance, steadfastness under pressure, and endurance in the face of trials… In the New Testament the main sense of “hypomeno” is perseverance or steadfastness.” -{Bakers Evangelical dictionary of Biblical Theology}.

 

HOW CAN WE PERSEVERE?

1.COMPLY TO HIS WILL

“…so that when you have done the will of God,” “So that” gives the explanation for perseverance which is “the will of God.”

2. CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT;

To persevere, endure in trials, and choose to do the will of God presently! Live in the now, one choice at a time. Do what is right, do what is before you, doing His will, as revealed in His Word. Choose to obey His Word in the presence of difficulties, pressures, and temptation to compromise under pressure.

 3. CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST.
To Do His will in the present, don’t throw away your confidence in the LORD Jesus. -{ v35} -{Read Heb 3:6;4:16;10:19-} We are never told to have confidence in ourselves but in Christ and these passages referenced show this. Focus and rely upon Him. His person, His Word to govern and guide, His Spirit to empower. Our confidence in Christ to fulfill His promise,”…receive what He has promised,”…eternal life! Perseverance does not save us, but is an evidence we are saved.”But the one who perseveres {endures} to the end will be saved.”-{Matt 24:13}. “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”-{Heb 10:39}.
It is characteristic of those whom the LORD has saved to persevere, and they receive the promise, of eternal life. 
Look to God’s promises for the future, that the LORD Jesus is…coming again! ” For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” -{v37}. The “in a very little while,” is from God’s perspective, not ours. His timetable. “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”-{2 Peter 3:8}.
4. COMING AGAIN OF CHRIST ;
One motivation for you and me to persevere, endure, to be steadfast in our trials, temptations, pressures, is that… Jesus is returning! Focus on Him. His return, shows among other things His Sovereignty, His Kingship, He cannot be stopped, just as the grave, satan, sin could not hold Him in the grave. He is all powerful. He rules, He is coming… again. “They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”-{Acts 1:11}.
He will right every wrong, He will take us safely to Himself, if He has not already taken us into His presence beforehand using death as a means to safely bring us Home to the Father’s House. Persevere knowing He who promises is true and… we will be eternally with Him and knowing… He is coming again! Think on Truth and let it transform your thinking, build your confidence, hope, assurance with anticipation of confident expectation of His promises to you. 
5. CONSIDER JESUS 

“…And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. “-{Heb 12:1-2}.

To “run with perseverance we consider Jesus and live by faith in Him, not in our “feelings” as the authority for our living, but Him and His Word…Living by faith is living in dependence upon Him.”But My righteous one shall live by faith;…”-{Hebrews 10:38}.

6. FEED ON THE SCRIPTURES 

” For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” -{Romans 15:4}

The story is told of  a Scottish physician,A.J.Cronin, who because of illness was forced to take a leave of absence. He decided to write a novel. He was half way through it when he became disheartened and threw the manuscript in the bin. He  was totally discouraged and went for a walk on the highlands and saw a man digging in a bog trying to drain it so it could be used a a pasture. As Cronin spoke to him the man responded, “My father dug at this bog and never made a pasture. But my father knew and I know that it’s only by digging you can make a pasture. So I keep on digging.”

Cronin felt rebuked at his own “throwing in the towel” and quitting and was encouraged and motivated to continue again, to persevere, endure and he finished the novel and it sold three million copies! He left his practice and became a world famous writer.

We too may find ourselves in difficult, hard circumstances, places of pressure, temptation to deny the LORD, turn away from obeying Him, in a “bog” as it were, we need to keep “digging” in the place God has us, enduring, persevering, steadfastly in hope, in order to do the will of God, perseverance is a necessity, not optional nor occasional. As the word “HAVE” is in the “present tense” which means we are always to persevere, keep on keeping on persevering. Keep digging!

The book of Hebrews tells us that we have “need of endurance {perseverance}” – (10:36), and that we are to  “run with endurance {perseverance} the race that is set before us” -(12:1). How? By “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (v.2).  This is how we keep “digging,” persistently persevering in the hard place,doing the will of God… one choice at a time!