Podcast
[0:00] Thank you for tuning into this message preached at Karis Church. The word of God is to be lived. May you receive direction from this message that will be a lamp to your feet.
[0:12] God's been asked me to preach on perseverance. And I believe that it's definitely in line with the theme of the year, which is a year of faith. We walk by faith and not by sight.
[0:24] Because there's no way you walk by faith and not have to persevere through some things. So I believe that God is just walking us through what faith is going to be like, how it's going to be expressed, how it's going to be lived, whether it's going to be tested or not, and how we can go through all of that.
[0:40] And also this month is a month of exploit and triumph. There's no way you would experience triumph if you don't persevere. Okay, so perseverance is a necessary part. And it's good that we are hearing this word earlier on in the year, so that as we go through, when you hit May, June, July, August, September, and you feel like it's getting a bit shaky, you must remember that God expects us.
[1:01] If we are walking by faith and not by sight, we would have to persevere. We would have to push through. Amen. Perseverance is doing something despite its difficulty and seeing it through the end, achieving a certain success.
[1:12] So perseverance is telling us that we have to continue in spite of, continuing making the effort onto your desired end. You continue in spite of the Christian life is a life of perseverance.
[1:25] Once we get saved, as amazing salvation is, we clap for you. You do your new believers classes and all the things that comes with salvation. Straight away, you don't get to go to heaven.
[1:35] So salvation is the start of a journey, of the Christian journey. And it's not a journey that you stop. You must finish. It's not a race. You stop. You can take a break, but you must finish.
[1:46] Not a break from believing in Jesus Christ, but a break to just catch your breath. But still, you have to continue. You have to persevere. It's a journey. You don't stop.
[1:56] We don't quit. We don't give up. We don't stop. We don't quit. We don't give up. You don't say, I'm tired. I'm walking out of this. You're walking out of life, an eternal life. And so when you are called and when you are saved, as you walk forward or however you got saved, once you gave your life to Christ, it's just the beginning.
[2:13] And God has actually has a plan for which he called you. So you only see the end of a thing because you continue. If you don't continue, you don't get to see the end of it.
[2:24] You only finish a thing because you continue. If you don't continue, you don't get to finish it. When you see a porter pick a clay, a piece of clay and slap it on the wheel and start, the porter has an intention.
[2:36] And some of us will be thinking, is it going to be a plate? Is it going to be a cup? Is it going to be a vase? What is it going to be? But the porter already knows. So as they pick the clay and put it on the wheel, they will put some water. They will turn it, turn it, sometimes they pick a stone and take it out.
[2:49] They'll feel something. And as they're feeling and moving it around, they have an intention. The porter has a plan of where they're getting to. They may not announce it, but by the time they finish, you know exactly what their intention is.
[3:00] If the porter does not get to finish, we would not know. And more so, it will not be of use. And so as much as God is the author and the porter of our lives, once he lands us on that wheel, we must avail ourselves and allow him to mold us until he's finished.
[3:15] Halfway is not good enough. If we stop halfway, nobody will know the beauty of your destiny. If you run away, nobody will know how much, how beautiful, how amazing the plan God had for you.
[3:27] Those of us who sometimes you've been in church for a while and people are around and people backslide, that's not when their lives have become the most beautiful. When people backslide, they fall into all kinds of temptations.
[3:37] The story that they began, all of a sudden, is not as beautiful. And sometimes it goes worse and worse and worse. Why? They stopped. They stopped the journey and decided to step off the track.
[3:50] Any long-distance runner is not going to win a prize. As long as it is, they still have to finish in order to win the prize. Olympics are full of professionals, so that's not the best place to look at.
[4:00] But when you look at your school, your school races, there were people who did not really prepare. But they had a lot of friends who were giving them fans. Yeah. So they thought that fans would be enough.
[4:12] And so they were bigging them up. You know, before they came, they were feeling themselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They knew they are strong. You know, so it's not bad. They can make it. I've seen a few in my time in school. There's no long-distance runner who is preparing and not know that if they're going to win, they have to finish the race.
[4:30] James chapter 1, verse 2. My brethren, count at all joy when you fall into diverse trials and temptation, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
[4:42] Verse 2. My brethren, count at all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, and you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
[4:55] Like in James says, talks about, let faith produce patience. Some verses say, let faith produce perseverance. Perseverance. Your faith must produce perseverance.
[5:07] Your faith, as you walk with God, it will start building perseverance. It will start building perseverance in you. Perseverance means keeping going in spite of the difficulty until you have gotten to your desired end.
[5:19] So if you have faith, it will show in how you are able to keep going until we see the desired end the Lord has planned for you. Verse 12 goes on to say that, blessed is the man who endures temptation.
[5:35] For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised him to those who love him. So the end result of perseverance is, blessed is the man who endures.
[5:48] Stay at it. Persevere. The scripture says that you are blessed and that you will receive the crown of life. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 36, it said, we need persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive that which he has promised.
[6:05] You need to endure. You need to persevere so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive the promise. And so as much as you start well, your persevering faith is important.
[6:18] So a good start is good. I'm sure you've seen a few people start a race and you think they were the ones who were going to win. But halfway, sometimes not even halfway, right at the end, you see that some people had preserving capacity.
[6:29] They had preserved some energy somewhere. You were convinced that this person, and sometimes even right at the right end, the finishing line, sometimes they literally have to use electronic means to find out who actually won.
[6:43] So how you start is good. A good start is always good, particularly if it's a quick race. A good start is very important because it gives you a head start. A good start gives you a head start.
[6:54] However, that is not a race. Having a good start is not winning the race. Winning the race requires continuing to take one step again and again and again to get to the finish line.
[7:08] And so by God's grace, we've had, before we even entered the new year, 2025, we had faith seminar. After faith seminar, we fasted. After fasting, we've had end of fasting service.
[7:22] I mean, we didn't just finish. We had end of fasting impartation service. What is all this for? It's to make sure that you have a good start. You have a good start. And we have heard scriptures.
[7:33] We have heard examples, powerful preachings that you and I couldn't even sit down. We were on our feet. It's to help you to have a good start. But not every day in the year, you're going to have end of fast impartation service.
[7:46] You're going to go out there and you have to live the life. You have to live the word. You have to hold on to the promises. You have to tarry with God. There are different things you'd have to do that would ensure that your faith is kept alive.
[7:57] You are indeed walking by faith and not by sight. And that's not just on one occasion. You have to persevere in it. Even in times of difficulties, you have to persevere. In times when you are tested to give up, you have to persevere.
[8:09] In times when your past is calling you, you have to persevere. In times when you feel that it's enough now, you have to persevere. Because it is only through perseverance of faith that you will obtain the promise.
[8:21] And so what I've discovered is in our faith, there shouldn't be a better yesterday. There shouldn't be a better yesterday. It doesn't mean that it will look exactly the same. Yesterday will look exactly the same as today. But indeed, we have to walk with God in a way that there shouldn't be a better yesterday.
[8:36] God has told us that your faith is as good as what it is today. The scripture says, now, faith is. Faith is not later. Faith is now. So you could have moved mountains yesterday, but faith has to be now.
[8:47] If it is biblical faith, if it is God faith, if it is faith, then it has to be in the now. So as we are sitting here, somebody's faith may be tested. Or somebody's faith is being tested as you walked into service.
[8:58] Because of some news you heard, because of an email you read, your faith is under test. The efficacy of your faith, the strength of your faith is in now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, now.
[9:09] So every living opportunity we have, we have to be walking by faith in order to obtain the promise. Romans chapter 8, verse 28.
[9:20] It said, we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. For those he for knew who he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.
[9:31] Who would be predestined? He conformed to the image of his son so that he will be the firstborn amongst many brethren. Christ is our example. And those he predestined, he called.
[9:41] And those he called, he justified. Those he justified, he glorified. What am I talking, trying to make a point from this scripture is because it's a journey. All things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
[9:54] When you are called, it's based on his predestination. After you are called, he will justify you. He will glorify you. So the end of our journey is glorification. It is God's desire not to bring you to a place of shame.
[10:07] The Christian is not supposed to end in shame. People are not supposed to be pitying you as a Christian. You may go through trials and challenges, but you are not supposed to end in pity.
[10:18] The scripture says, I was young and now I'm old. Never have I seen the righteous forsaken, nor his sick beg for bread. So your life is supposed to be secured, including your children's, as you serve the Lord.
[10:29] God is interested in not just us, but the generations that follow us. In case you feel you are under extreme pressure, God's desire and God's plan is not to bring you to shame. Anything that looks shameful, you need to fight it because it's not God's plan for you.
[10:42] Many parts of theology have taught many things. That would seem like God doesn't have a beautiful plan for any of us, but it's a lie. Even when it looks like this is not what we planned, we can see the glory of God in it.
[10:55] Many of the apostles didn't die as kings. There were people who didn't carry them on their shoulders and bury them in golden coffins. But today we speak of them and we talk of them as the heroes of our faith, even though most of them died via crucifixion and all manner of death.
[11:10] Jesus himself died naked on the cross. But do we see that as shame? No, because we see God glorifying him. And so no Christian is supposed to end in shame. It might not look like the way we think, but when we read Hebrews chapter 11, we see all manner of heroes.
[11:27] And the scriptures is not shy about how people end. Some receive their young, some were also son to a son in half. And the scripture says it is glorious. That was not shameful because their faith was in place.
[11:40] The person whose end is shameful is the person who abandons their faith. Who has once tasted of this heavenly gift and walks away. That life, that end is a shameful end.
[11:50] Not the one who continued in faith and in the eyes of men seemingly the ending hasn't been glorious. God is more interested in how we walk by faith and not by sight than what men define as glorious.
[12:02] So anybody walking in faith is leading to glory. Anybody who is walking by faith is walking into glory. Amen. Your end will be glorious in Jesus name. Amen. When we say the believer must persevere, we are not talking about the believer who does nothing or the believer who is perfect.
[12:19] We are not talking about perfection. When we talk about perseverance, we are not talking about perfection because we are all striving on to perfection. But you can persevere in spite of your imperfections. Why do I say that?
[12:30] The scripture says in Proverbs 24, verse 16, the righteous fall seven times and he rise again. So as long as you are not certain where you fell and you can rise up and continue, you are persevering.
[12:42] That's what God requires of us. He requires of us perseverance to keep going. So if you fall, you get up, you continue. So we are not talking about a perfect story. And the scripture doesn't show anybody who is perfect apart from Jesus.
[12:55] The other time I was having a discussion with my daughters and they were saying that, but the story of David is a bit funny. I said, of course, it is funny. It is supposed to be funny. Just so that in case it happens to somebody, they can know that God is not embarrassed about this.
[13:09] There are so many stories that should not be in the Bible. Because if you look at it, God is not supposed to be interested in people like this. But the scripture is not shy.
[13:20] The scripture talks about many things. Sometimes even if you make a movie out of it, children should not be able to watch. It's in the Bible. Why did God not silent about, wasn't silent about Paul's life before salvation?
[13:31] He could have made it nice that, oh, he just, you know, had an encounter. And then after the encounter, he became this man. It would have been very, we would have preferred that story. Because it sounds more powerful.
[13:43] God used men with faults to tell us that it doesn't matter where you are. He has interest in you. It doesn't matter where you find yourself.
[13:56] God is interested in you. The one who is persevering, it's not the one who never sinned, but it's the one whose sin doesn't have dominion over them. So it's not because you never sinned, but you never stayed in it.
[14:06] You did not stay in it. Sin does not have dominion over you. Sin does not have dominion over you. That's the one who is persevering. Let's remind ourselves that it's interesting. In Romans chapter 8, verse 24 talks about the intercessory ministry of the Holy Spirit.
[14:21] And then when you go further down, it also, verse 26 and then verse 34, also talks about the intercessory ministry of Jesus. In one chapter, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us.
[14:32] Jesus himself is interceding for us. why he's covering and overseeing his interest in you jesus is praying for you the holy spirit is interceding for you to ensure that you persevere to ensure that you don't give in you are god's treasure god keeps his eye on you it will be a shame for god to put everything in and you give up when you're going through challenges think about it you might think that your leader is not praying for you your friends are not praying for you but the holy spirit intercedes for you jesus intercedes for you the holy spirit has an intercessory ministry ministry for the believer jesus has an intercessory ministry for the believer because they don't want you to give up they don't want the enemy to have an upper hand over your life they pray for you in romans chapter 8 verse 31 verse 32 said you are my true disciple if you continue in my word every true disciple must continue in the word must continue in faith if you don't take anything away at least remember that the intercessory ministry of the holy spirit and of jesus is speaking for you we are not required of perfection but we are being required to persevere persevere persevere we have many examples in scripture when you look at hebrews chapter 11 many examples of people in spite of their challenges persevered but i'll pick peter i'll pick peter in luke chapter 4 is peter's first encounter with jesus when andrew his brother goes to tell him that we found the messiah andrew identified jesus as the messiah whilst peter in matthew 16 declared cry him as the messiah the christ not just the christ son of the living god that is the difference andrew saw him as the christ but he didn't have the revelation that he was a son of the living god so peter first met jesus i wonder what jesus thought about him when he first met him i'm sure jesus knew luke chapter 5 he calls him to follow him after a whole you know drama jumping out of the boat i'm a sinner all manner of things this guy is dramatic he's not the only one fishing but he has to make a scene so anyway we see him many many points in jesus's ministry and after jesus's ministry so he gets called he's the one who has the boldness and the faith to step on the water but interestingly he doesn't finish walking on water he's the one who declares as jesus as the christ the son of the living god he was with jesus on the mount of transfiguration in matthew chapter 17 he denied jesus three times but he also affirmed his love for jesus three times i think he canceled it isn't it three times jesus said do you love me do you love me do you love me said lord you know lord you know my heart i'm not perfect but you know my heart i love you and on the back of that jesus said tend for my sheep feed my sheep not because of his perfection but he continued and then jesus dies of course denying him jesus comes back he's the one who said he's going out fishing after jesus has come and done or he said died he said i'm going out fishing i don't know where this whole thing is going he went back fishing unfortunately some people followed him it's rather unfortunate but we thank god but it's all showing that the imperfection of a man christ would appoint he preached on the day of pentecost he healed the lame man stood up to the authorities in acts chapter 5 we're reading it and receiving god's preaching on it he was the first to preach to gentiles in in colonia's house he also withdrew from the gentiles doesn't make sense but he did because he should have remembered that encounter sometimes encounters are not like it's not permanent because after all that he saw and knew the instruction and just as he preached the holy gods fell all that how can you then later sit amongst gentiles and pretend that these ones are unclean because a few brothers have come from jerusalem it doesn't make sense but it's very human in some way well we are all some way even better is doing better but how did he end he earned faithful he ended faithful peter ended faithful he wrote the first book of peter second book of peter is believed he wrote mark through john mark he remained faithful and fulfilled a prophecy about how he would
[18:32] die jesus spoke in john chapter 21 as to when you are young you go about your business but when you are old someone will lead you by your hand and take you a place where you don't desire jesus was prophesying about how he was going to die he will be led to the cross it happened he fulfilled everything he fulfilled everything and jesus declared him as his apostle he was jesus's foremost apostle a man with all these shades of ups and downs but what is to his credit is he persevered he continued he continued sometimes there are silence sometimes you think oh what happened to him how did peter because he gets to a part of the new testament you see that you know now god is using paul more peter recognized it but he didn't leave the faith he continued he persevered to the end he's found faithful found faithful why must we persevere perseverance is necessary hebrews chapter 12 verse 1 and 2 therefore we also since we are surrounded by so greater cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and sin which easily ensnared us and let us run with endurance some versions who say with perseverance the race which is set before us looking on to jesus the altar and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endure the cross the spice and the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of god why must we persevere we persevere because we pursue a purpose we pursue a purpose we have a race to run we have a race to run if you don't run your race your lane will be empty my race is different from your race your race is different from your sister or your brother's race on that judgment they said each one will have to stand before him and give account i've always put at the back of my mind that on the day when they are called they're going to call david and i will entry you're going to call me by myself and so i'm always very mindful somebody's equity is not mine i tell my children there is no you don't have any right to anything when it comes to god apart from protection and blessing but in terms of your placement in god each one must pursue their purpose each one their race in ark chapter 20 verse 24 but none of these things move me nor do i count my life dear to myself so that i may finish my race with joy and the ministry which i received from the lord jesus christ to testify of the gospel of the grace of god he said i that i may finish my race of course he qualified it some of you just want to finish well however you finish you know some people they get to the finish line they fall down it's like this is it there's a better way to finish you know some people when they finish to they throw their hands up and it's like i have all the energy in the in the world i've finished throwing their fist up and some people just dive and just fall down some people are so tired they start shaking particularly long distance races but the key thing is they finish their race they finish their race some people call themselves olympian but they never had a medal but at least they become they can be called olympian because they have entered the olympics you might think it's nothing but the world recognizes it i'm an olympian and some people also classify themselves they are finalists so just olympian is one level some people too are finalists some people are semi-finalists i don't think there's a special name for those who do the initial rounds they are just olympians but a different classification even within the olympics and there's one that also won the gold some won the silver and some won the bronze but some people just lined up just lined up he's an olympian and for them the key thing was to pursue a certain purpose i want to go to the olympics and some people also go and say i want to win there's a purpose to be pursued look i firmly believe this god has investment in anybody and everybody he saves as you are hearing the word of god as god is bringing you into revelation understanding of the word is god's investment the first investment is the fact that he died and he intentionally saved you some of us we are the only saved ones in our families god is intentional and the initial
[22:36] investment is his death and he continues to invest the more if you invest into something and you get no return all of us will be upset even when the bank tells you they're going to give you no point no no no no no no no no one percent you still expect a slight movement on your balance after maybe five months because the interest rate is so low but you still at the end of the year you one pound 50 at least you got something why because it's an investment when you invest you expect something the same way your salvation is god's personal investment and then where he has placed you it's another level of investment the word you are hearing the teachings you are receiving the encouragement you are receiving the prayers you are receiving it's all god's investment god uses his pastors and his ministers and his leaders as conduits only as vessels to pass on his investment into you whatever you're doing is not as it may be personal to your leader but for god is very personal your leader will go to bed and wake up and the first thing they think of might not be you it's true because they when they wake up they probably are thinking am i awake or am i hearing the alarm or what is going on ah my body i wish i'll sleep some more as a human but god calls us the apple of his eye is that personal and so god is expecting the investment he's put to you he's expecting some interest he's saved you beautifying your life you are a nice church we pray we fast everybody is nice i mean it's nice but god has created all of this as an investment in you so that you can really be intentional about how you serve him how you walk with him and as a commission i can never stop saying this god has given us a lot god has given us a lot if you go out and you are evangelizing and there are some people only giving charts and sandwiches i know you know what you think however remember that to him much is given much is required so don't be busy laughing at those who are giving sandwiches and saying this is not evangelism maybe that's all they know you know more god has invested some knowledge in you some revelation and insights deep insights in you he's expecting a return on his investment yeah what we know is not supposed to make us puff up at all a charge to keep i have a god to glorify and ever side dying soul to save and fit it for the sky there's a charge we have so we persevere because we have a purpose to pursue if you don't pursue your purpose you're sinning against yourself ask anybody who serves in the house of god is personal development aside everything oh we are serving god we are serving god it's personal development there are things you could never do but because of church you are doing even if you could do you've been polished in church because of the irregularity of your service so it's only improving even if you put it so even if you don't serve god you realize that personally most of the time when i tell people go and talk to that person outside the church setting in the workplace i said one of the things that is not very common is somebody going to ask another person can you mentor me you have flattered them because normally people just go to work and go home go to work and get paid nobody puts honor on them like that if you ask somebody can you come and give a talk in my in my church hey me i should come and give it doesn't matter see who is asking you anyway go and ask them who is asking them that you like i put so much value on you i think there's something in you that you can do this a lot of people don't get an opportunity somebody say oh i i like the way you've done things i want to hear your journey your career journey oh they'll tell you you take me to lunch and i'll tell you my courage oh people have people a lot of people don't have anybody putting honor on them they just work and get paid they work and get paid there's more beginnings of this church you have found wanting but you go out to be honest the standard out there is not that it's not a big deal honestly i believe me the standard out there's no big deal it's a the high there's a high standard when it comes to the kingdom so if you serve serve well it will develop you and if you don't please try apart from god's return on his investment it'll only help you but if you don't pursue your purpose you are sinning against yourself
[26:37] because what would we tell god on the judgment day i have a new policy now i tell myself a lot of things i see i said this one to rot what we have we'll use it to serve god because it will rot yes it will rot it doesn't have eternal value it doesn't have eternal value there are things that we need that god will provide must provide there are things god does just to beautify our lives just to put laughter in your mouth but don't be stuck on those ones because it does not have eternal value it will rot it will rot if you don't pursue your purpose you are sinning against your church one yourself one against your church your church fellowship our church is nice our church is this our church is that some of us are sitting in there god has been speaking to you about things you must do you are not doing them you're sinning against your church this church you say is nice this church you say has been a blessing to you there are some things god is speaking to you don't do you're sinning against the church and if you don't pursue your purpose you have been rebellious towards god yeah john chapter 15 verse 16 it says you did not choose me but i chose you that you may bear fruits that your foot should remain so if we didn't save ourselves but he saved us he saved us for a purpose he said he saved us he i chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and not just bear any fruit that your fruit should remain your foot should remain and so this is god's desire for choosing you and appointing you if you choose not to you're being rebellious against god point number two why we must persevere so you can't give up because you're pursuing a purpose point number two because a disciple must be developed when you go on to an apprenticeship program which is quite similar to discipleship you're supposed to watch what the master is doing and you're doing equally not today's you know sophisticated apprenticeship but like the blacksmith apprentice mechanic apprentice yes that kind of that is the original apprenticeship you're following a carpenter a builder that kind of apprenticeship today we have very high level sophisticated ones but the original apprentice who is following a carpenter you start off pick me this is a nail bring it now you have different measurements this thing you use this kind of nail that one you need what this is a hammer bring it we'll hit the hammer this way and then after he's hitting it maybe halfway you say you come and hit it you hit it then you hit your hand oh sorry that's next time put your finger away then you're learning you're learning over time you have become a nail hitter expert and then you move on to something else then you become an expert in that before you become a full-blown carpenter and an aspect carpenter at it before you finish your apprenticeship and so the disciple must be developed because if you finished nail hitting course as part of your apprenticeship and you said i finished i'm a master nail hitter and so i don't care how to cut the wood how to make a chair how to make a table but me since i've learned how to hit nail i'm going i'm going to put my um in previously they used to do business card i'm going to put my i'm going to make a business card and go around and share who is going to employ you as a carpenter who is going to give you um business as a carpenter your speciality is nail hitting so i don't know who is going to bring you into their house or into their business to say you come and come and do nail hitting for me it's going to be a very tricky one it's likely you might not be employed it's likely your apprenticeship will not gain you much reward why you did not finish your your apprenticeship you did not persevere so your master may be funny he likes spitting when he's working or i mean all kinds of things his height is it's it's funny he likes shouting anything he has to talk softly he won't oh there are different reasons why you feel i don't want to be around this guy however you know that the apprenticeship the apprenticeship is not done until i finished all aspects of the apprenticeship so you stay the disciple must be developed that's why we have to persevere you can't abandon ship you can imagine noah jumping out of the water because the thing is taking long we are fed up with the animals are smelling too much i'm tired you can imagine the outcome of his story so you don't just jump ship you don't just abandon the journey the race god has put you on you don't just give up i mean this is the patterns i'm not happy anymore i've left where
[30:40] are you going where just allow yourself to be developed let people annoy you a bit it's okay it's okay for people to annoy you it's a test of you know the scripture it says anger lies in the bosom of fools so if people annoy you and you don't react then we see oh you're operating by wisdom the word of god is true you know there are many things that god uses to develop us but anything that robs you in a bad way you are you are fed up you are tired you get people are you upset i mean why are you upset have you not upset somebody before when the spiritual maturity course comes jump on i know some of you can quote all the scriptures but apply and come what affects uh the development and we read in hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 is weights and sin weights and sin weights and sin weights and sin weights will weigh you down they will slow you down weights will slow you down nobody is running fast and piling up their clothes just to run fast because i'm feeling cold so i'm going to wear a double heavy winter jacket no you're not going to win that race so if you want to go and go fast you can't allow weights so again because it says weight there's a difference between weight and sin he said you should lay aside weight and there are sins that easily beset you sin will trap you sin will trip you sin will trip you whilst weights will slow you down weights will slow you down what are the things that you promised yourself at 31st night you sat in the service and he said you you stop watching some things particularly those of you who are into football and politics and soap operas that kind of thing yeah it can be a main weight because you try to check one thing particularly if you watch youtube and then the next one was five minutes and the next one was three minutes 25 seconds and then the next one was this and the next one was that but at the time you realize sometimes you're not even sitting now you're going to switch you off so you're standing in front of the tv but at the time you realize you're still in front of the tv for 20 minutes your hand is like this about to close the laptop but as you are watching you are moving from one shot to another one shot to another by the time you feel it shots are very dangerous there's another one for instagram they're all the small small ones you think oh it's under one minute and it goes takes you the devil is clever but god is wise they have used their clevernessness or whatever to make sure that they will just move take you over just a little bit over just a little bit over just a little bit over by the time you realize all the promises you made crying you made a covenant the only thing that was left of blood pure blood you cut covenant with god you say god 2025 i'll do even you know when 2024 was getting to an end and some things were besetting you say it's okay we'll get to 2025 we are starting fresh yes oh yes we are starting fresh you were so convinced so convinced but because you haven't released yourself from that weight you haven't been being intentional what the scripture says you say you should lay it aside you haven't been intentional about laying it aside so when you see the temptation coming you see it with a flag on top of that ship it's coming it's coming it's coming it's coming it's coming lay it aside lay it aside and sin will trip you yeah you'll be running running running then you fall when you fall you now have to get up by the time you realize those who were with you are long gone does the christian sin yes does it cost the christian to sin yes it's two yeses it's two yeses does the christian sin yes the fact that the christian sin doesn't mean that there's no consequence for the christian sin the fact that you hear that the christian can sin doesn't mean that you have license to sin because it will cost you to trip you it has tripped many you get up and
[34:42] sometimes nobody knows only heaven knows the impact of that sin because you got up and you continue running and it seemed like there was nothing there was no consequence we are continuing but only heaven knows how you've cut yourself short so when you get there you realize that wow this destiny god had for me i had no clue and i i know i know that each one of us when we get to heaven we think that it really was not worth it everything that was a weight that we're battling with and everything that easily beset us every sin that easily beset us we will know that it wasn't worth it we will know because when you see the glory of god what will let me walk away from this but we have to perceive this by faith because we don't see it yet we don't see it yet so the disciple must be developed so your development is important why it's even going to help you in the pursuit of your purpose so you must persevere in your development and not allow weight and sin the last point is we must persevere because there is a price to possess there's a price to receive there's a price to possess as i said earlier on the end of our journey is glorious god has called us he's predestined us he's called us he's justified us and he's bringing us to glorification and so as a believer you must know that there's an end to this journey the journey has an end after we finish here on earth it will be done it will be done there's coming a day when your name will be called from heaven come home come home whatever you've done it's like you are sitting in exam you may have a lot to write or you may have finished but there will come a time where they will say pens down each one of us is going to have our pens down moments time is up time is up and therefore it's time to go home and when it's time to go home it will be time to give account and receive your reward first the salonians chapter 2 verse 19 says for what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing is it not even you the presence of our lord jesus christ art is coming for you our glory and our joy jesus christ himself is our glory and is our joy we will stand before him the songwriter says i can only imagine what it would be like when i stand before him and so there's a price to possess there's a soul to be saved there's a kingdom to be built and there's a a savior to be pleased a god to serve a brother to help a prayer to be prayed a word to be shared there is something that needs to be done and that's why we must persevere how do we persevere by walking by faith and not by sight because the saints perseverance is perseverance of faith persevere in your faith not giving up not giving in because we are not of those who put their hands to the plow and look back so i really want to be you to be encouraged by the word today that your development is hinged on your perseverance your prize that you're going to possess is hinged on your perseverance and your the fulfillment of your purpose is hinged on your perseverance in jesus name may god help us amen thank you for listening to this message why not visit your local carous church or follow us on all relevant social media platforms including instagram and linkedin you can also hear more messages on all relevant streaming platforms and the carous church app don't forget to like and share the message be blessed