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.
In order to succeed at anything in this life, you will have to get past the sufferings that it might entail. For example, if you are going to climb all the way to the top of a mountain, you will have to get past the sore muscles, a twisted ankle, a torn ligament, or numbness in your fingers due to the brutally cold weather. You will need to keep pressing forward through heavy snowfall and the bitter Arctic winds. When others in your party decide to turn around and go back, you will have to possess the inner fortitude to go it alone, if you are ever going to reach the summit.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
When someone has an iron will, they refuse to give up, even despite severe obstacles, persecution, opposition, and suffering. They are persistent and resolute, pursuing goals with a relentless determination to fulfill them. Many times people would raise up persecution against the disciples of Christ and try to prevent them from preaching the things of God’s Kingdom. But no matter how poorly they were treated by some, the disciples would endure hardness, shake off the dust, and keep marching into battle!
2 Timothy 2:3 (KJB) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul had to go through numerous sufferings during his life, but he endured them all out of faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, and the ministry to which he had been called.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (KJB) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Even Peter and the other Apostles had to endure persecution, but it never prevented them from continuing on and preaching the truth in Christ Jesus.
Acts 5:40-42 (KJB) And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is very similar to that of a soldier, because we must hold the front line and completely resist all of the evils in this world.
Ephesians 6:11-17 (KJB) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
There will be some people who begin the Christian Life who are not going to be capable of enduring the sufferings that come along with it. When their neighbors, relatives and even their own parents began to turn on them and cast out their name as an evildoer, they will turn away from Christ in order to maintain the peace. People such as these are unworthy of the kingdom of God
Mark 4:16-17 (KJB) And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 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.
The Christian life is very much like an endurance race, because in order to receive the prize of eternal life, we will have to endure all the way to the end. This means that when people try to knock you down and prevent what you are doing for Christ Jesus, you must get back up and continue to keep running! When they reject your words, they are rejecting Christ Jesus, and I guarantee that He will punish their evil works swiftly!
2 Timothy 4:14-18 (KJB) Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Those who become a Christian are going to have to deal with some sort of tribulations and persecutions, but when they happen to you, you can understand that this is the same way they treated our precious Lord Jesus.
1 Peter 4:12-13 (KJB): “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you… But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings”
2 Timothy 1:8 (KJB) Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2 Timothy 4:5 (KJB) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
2 Timothy 3:12 (KJB): “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”.
There were many times when the Apostle Paul had to stand all alone, just as David did when he went out to do battle with Goliath, but during those times you will have to fight the good fight, being relentless and determined to go on no matter how many stand in opposition against you. Whenever you have to deal with persecutions and sufferings, we must endure them all as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. We must be unyielding in our faith and persistent in our objectives, filled up with a heart of perseverance, and a mind filled with,….
…..Iron Will
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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