Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
How many times have you put a few batteries into your flashlight but they only lasted for a few hours? How many times have you put batteries in your children’s toys, but had to continually replace them with fresh ones? It’s no wonder why they sell fifty of them in a pack at your local box store. Some batteries just won’t hold a charge for a long period of time, and they will quickly go dead. On the other hand, a deep cycle battery is very different. In comparison to normal lead acid batteries, deep cells have thicker lead plates which allows them to provide continuous power over a long period of time. They are very different from the battery that you have in your vehicle which is used to start the engine. A car battery was created for short bursts of power, but will quickly discharge, while a deep cycle is made specifically to endure extended duration of use.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Like a car battery, some people who begin the Christian Life will only last for a short period of time and then fizzle out. At one time they were filled up with an energetic and seeking heart for God, but along the way, they started to run out of power. The bright light of loving obedience that they once possessed for Christ began to grow dim, and the loyal and faithful person they once were, disappeared from view. On the other hand, true men of God are ready to go the distance, because their hearts are charged up with the power of the Holy Spirit, and like a deep cell battery, they are ready to endure to the end.
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13
Whenever you enter a marathon, you need to keep running if you eventually want to win. You need to set the pace, and keep at it, and not allow yourself to become distracted by the things that are going on around you. You might trip and fall down or even get a side ache, but you have to get up and keep running in order to cross over the finish line. Endurance is defined as the ability to withstand hardship or adversity and being capable of continuing forward no matter what difficult situations may arise. Perseverance is a similar word which means to be persistent in achieving something, even when faced with opposition, difficulties, or delays in success. We must have endurance if we want to enter into eternal life. Some of the most wicked things that you will have to deal with in this life will come from your own relatives and family members, but we must continue to strive forward, never ceasing to keep our eyes on the goal, and the prize of eternal life.
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:13
There are many reasons why many people are not going to endure in the Christian faith, and the Lord names a few of them in the following passage.
Mark 4 ³ Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: ⁴ And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. ⁵ And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
⁶ But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
⁸ And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. ⁹ And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
¹⁰ And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. ¹¹ And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: ¹² That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. ¹³ And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
¹⁴ The sower soweth the word. ¹⁵ And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷ And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
¹⁸ And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
¹⁹ And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
²⁰ And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
As I’ve said for over twenty years, be careful what you love. Some people will claim that they love another person with all of their heart, but if that’s the case, they have completely rejected the first commandment. Nothing in this world, whether a woman, a wife, or your own relatives can ever supersede and replace the Lord Jesus as the ruler of our hearts. If Jesus isn’t your greatest love, you will never become obedient to His will, and those who don’t love Him enough to obey Him are outside the love of the Heavenly Father.
John 14 ²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? ²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Some batteries are not made for the long run, and some people who attempt the Christian Life are the same way. Although the Lord Jesus died for them to save them, some of them will burn brightly for a period of time but then burn out, backsliding to the point of damnation. The love and devotion that they once had for the Lord, will become less important than other things. Rather than seeking Him as they once did in the past, their hearts will grow cold, and re-focused on the temporal concerns of this world. People such as these are taking the path of Judas and Esau, placing temporal concerns above the things of God.
Just remember, there is no going backwards in the Christian Life, only forwards. We must press towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Those who desire eternal life must strive to enter in, and never look back. Our lights must be shining brightly all the way to the end, empowered with a Spirit-filled life, and the endurance of a……
……Deep Cycle Battery
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 