This is a new sermon seires Called “Perseverance”, The Power of Perseverance, 2 Timothy 4:9-22 You can watch more here.
***Intro***
How many of us have been involved in ministry for 5 years are more? Say Amen. How about 10
years? 20? 30?
Let me ask you another question. For all of us who have been in ministry for a while, who has
been hurt by people? Say, “Lord have mercy.”
In an article by Practical Shepherding, 50% of pastors quit within the first 5 years. 80% within
the first 10. 75% say that they are under a lot of stress, and 91% say that they have experienced
burnout.
We are going to be wrapping up our series entitled, “Perseverance” this morning. Whether you are a
pastor, greeter, make the coffee, or go to a small group, this is going to be something we all need to
hear. Because we all are called to the Mission of Christ; individually, and as a whole. So, perseverance is
vital to us as a Church, especially through this time of transition that we find ourselves in.
Remember these Weeble Wobbles? “Weebles wobble, but they won’t fall down. You can tip
them, whack them, punch them, but they keep popping back up. This reminds me of the apostle Paul’s
ministry.
He was shipwrecked and kept on preaching the gospel. He was beaten within an inch of his life
over and over and kept on preaching. He was cold. He was hungry. He was naked. Every time he
popped back up. How could he do that? What was his secret?
In his final words to Timothy, he reveals 3 attitudes that will help us get back up every time. And
ultimately, he will reveal the secret sauce, so to speak, that kept him going time after time.
So, as you may know, I like to have a little interaction when I share. It’s going to help our
message stick with us. I’ll ask, “Will you persevere?”
I want you to say, “I may wobble, but I won’t fall down!”
Let’s try it…
Are you ready to learn to be a champ at perseverance? Let’s jump into the Word together.
***Attitude of Forgiveness ***
-Read 2 Tim. 4:9-22.-
The Apostle Paul had been arrested, put in prison, and was awaiting his execution. He speaks of many
friends scattering to different places. So on top of his enemies capturing him, he has been deserted by
those he loves the most.
Verse 14 says that Alexander did me much harm, and the Lord will repay. Alexander opposed
Paul and may have even been a part of Paul being arrested. Imagine how Paul must have felt toward
this man. Can you think of someone who has done you much harm?
“James, jump!” These were the last words I would hear before waking up in a hospital bed. I
was sitting in the back of a pickup truck at a red light when another truck slammed into us at 50 miles an
hour. My co-worker tried to tell me to jump before the impact, but the truck collided into us before I
could respond.
I was told that I had a fracture in one of my vertebrae but didn’t need surgery. Only therapy.
During the 8 weeks or so of therapy, all I could think of was the guy who hit us.
In the police report, the cop said the driver had been drinking. However, for some unknown
reason, they did not arrest him. What? Why?
I was out of work. My crew was out of work because they were in the truck also. And this guilty
drunk driver walks away. I hated him for that. He should have to pay! Isn’t that what we feel when we
are wronged? Somebody should pay!
All of us get hurt by others in life. We have two choices. One choice is to not forgive, stay
angry, and get bitter. Sound fun? Look at this list of what unforgiveness gets you. Stress, anxiety,
chronic anger, and higher health risks like heart disease, diabetes, and other stress related problems.
But there is another choice. Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul says in verse 14. The Lord will repay.
Our first attitude of perseverance is forgiveness. It seems hard to forgive sometimes, because like me, I
wanted him to pay. But repaying is the Lord’s job. I had the choice of letting it go.
Letting go feels hard because we think it means that what happened is okay. Is there anywhere
that Paul says that what Alexander did was okay? No. He simply gives it to the Lord.
What has helped me is to think of forgiveness as letting go of a grievance, nothing more. When I
let go of my grievances toward that man, I was liberated. Everyone makes mistakes. I got 2 DWIs when
I was younger, so I’m not perfect either. As a Church, let’s remember that none of us are perfect. We
all will need some grace for something eventually.
The better we can get at letting the Lord repay those who wrong us, the more we can persevere. Like
the Weeble, things will just rock us for a moment, but when we let it go, we are fresh in the spirit to
continue life and ministry.
So, what grievances do you need to give to the Lord? Are you still bitter and angry about something that
happened a long time ago? Hear the voice of the Lord and let Him repay. Let it go.
Will you persevere?
“I may wobble, but I won’t fall down!” We forgive each other so that we can persevere in the lord!
Let’s learn more from Paul
***Attitude of Dependency***
-Verse 16-
In verse 16, Paul says at my first offense, none supported me, but all abandoned me. Wow. Paul is
referring to his first trial with Emperor Nero. Teaching Christianity was a definite death sentence in
those days. No one wanted to travel with Paul down that path. All of them deserted him.
Do you realize that the worst punishment our justice system has, besides the death penalty, is
solitary confinement? That’s because being alone is no fun. The Apostle Paul, in his final season of life,
had been abandoned by those he cared about the most. Have you ever been abandoned? It’s horrible.
But look at what he says next. The Lord stood by me. The Lord. Stood by me. How excited are
we to get a picture with someone famous? Or someone we look up to greatly? We feel special being in
their presence. What about Jesus?
Whoever you may admire in this world, Jesus is more admirable. Whoever you like because of
their accomplishments, Jesus has done more. If you like a rich person, Jesus is richer. If you like a
person because they are famous, Jesus is more famous. And guess what? He’s standing with you.
You can’t see Him, but He’s there. Standing in the midst of your trials. Standing with you when
you mourn. Standing with you when you just can’t take it anymore. Jesus stands with you.
Do you feel alone this morning? Do you feel like no one understands you? Do you feel rejected
by a cruel world? Jesus stands with you.
Paul says that the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. The Apostle Paul knew where his
strength lay. Not in this world, not in his own power, not in some drug or stimulant, but in the Lord.
How much would our lives change if we looked to Jesus first?
The second attitude of perseverance is dependency. Dependency on Jesus. Here’s something
you might want to write down. Our level of stress equals our lack of dependency on God.
What? How can that be? Think about it. We can only be stressed about something we haven’t
surrendered. God doesn’t ask us to trust Him for His own sake, it’s our privilege. In that sense, our
stress can become an indicator that we have lost our dependency in that area.
Think about the transition that we are going through. We stress if we are wanting things to happen our
way. What if we give it to God? No stress. It’s God’s anyway. We are only fooling ourselves if we think
otherwise.
Am I saying I don’t stress? No way. I was stressed about this sermon. Can you believe that? How can I
be stressed about a sermon? It’s God’s sermon not mine. But when I try to make it mine, I stress. Do
you see? When I think about what you think of me, I get stressed. But if it’s God’s sermon, I have
nothing to do with it. If you have an opinion, tell God.
Ruthie and I visited Estes Park a few years ago. Beautiful mountains! On our first day there, we
decided to take a scenic hike around a lake near our hotel. It was a 6-mile hike, which was much longer
than what we would normally walk. We didn’t care much because we were enjoying ourselves. A 6-
mile hike felt more like 2 miles somehow.
Walking 6 miles was fun because it felt easy. For some reason walking 30 feet to take the trash
out seems like a marathon. How ridiculous! We can walk or do something strenuous because it’s fun,
like playing tennis, dancing, etc. But when it comes to something we don’t want to do it seems like
we’re spending twice the energy.
What I’m getting at is that when we depend on God, there is an ease in life. And ministry. When there
is ease, we can last a lot longer. We can persevere with the Lord’s strength not our own.
The prophet Isaiah said that those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength! They will soar
on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
If we want to persevere, we rest on God’s shoulders. Paul was able to forgive his friends
because he was not dependent on them, but on God. Because of that, he was able to write these very
words that are teaching us today.
So, what is causing you stress today? What have you not given to God? Jesus stands with you.
He is the strength that we depend on.
Will you persevere?
“I might wobble, but I won’t fall down!”
So, what does the Lord give Paul strength to do?
***attitude of boldness***
“The Lord strengthened me so that the proclamation could be fully accomplished…”
-Verse 17-
What if a person had the cure for cancer, and never told or helped anyone? What would we say about
that person? How could he be so selfish? Why did he not share it? Some might even go so far as to say
that he was a sicko. How could he let people die when he had the cure?
Well, sin is the rash of humanity. We have countries killing each other for reasons I’m not sure
of. We have greed, lust, crime, lies, betrayal, pain, suffering, sickness, and everyone is looking all over to
figure out why humans do the things they do. Why is humanity so broken?
Where can anyone find hope?
And the whole time, we have the answer. The answer is alive within us. A hope that we have
found. But this is not a hope that is meant to be hidden. Jesus gave His life to plant a seed. Seeds are
meant to be scattered!
-romans 10:14-
Verse 17 “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that the proclamation could be
accomplished.” Paul was strengthened to bring hope to a dying world. In Romans 10:14, Paul says,
“How can they hear unless someone is sent?”
If you had been with Ruthie and me in 2016, you would have seen us learn a valuable lesson in ministry
flexibility. It was a late Saturday night, and I was preaching the next morning. Ruthie and I decided to
take our doggie “B” to the park to run around. She was a rescue doggie, and was scared of people, so
we took her to a nearby park at night so that she could run and play.
“Do you smell something?” I kept asking Ruthie. I would notice it for a moment, then it was
gone. “I could have sworn I smelled something awful,” I kept saying. I checked the garbage can nearby.
Nope. I checked my pits. All good. Was it the lake?
Finally, “B” gets close enough for Ruthie to see her. “What is all over her back?!” Ruthie asks
worriedly.
“O my gosh! It’s manure!”
“B” was a Great Pyrenees and matted deep into her multilayer coat was a fresh thick mass of
dung. NOOOOOO!!!
All we had with us were some Bounce sheets in the door of the car. We dipped them in the lake
and attempted to remove the repulsive crud off her back. To no avail. Her fur was matted.
We had to put her in the car, dung and all. Her sparkling brown innocent eyes looked at me like,
“What did I do, Daddy?”
Innocent but stinky, we brought her home where we bathed her 4 times outside. I held the
leash and the water hose. And cheerleaded for Ruthie while she removed layer after layer of filth.
I looked up at the clock when we got ready for bed. 2:30 a.m. Is this what pastors go through?
I thought because I was giving the message that I was supposed to have the perfect
circumstances. Go into Church Sunday morning floating on a cloud, with no distractions. But I have
learned. There is no such thing as the perfect time. We preach when we are called to preach, ready or
not.
But that’s the way it is in life. If we are waiting for the perfect moment to start telling people
about Jesus, we’ll never get there. Look at Paul. In prison, abandoned by those he cared for, and still
rejoicing that the Lord gave him strength to preach one last time.
What about us? Are you waiting for the perfect time? Are we expecting God to give us the bat
signal before we share Jesus with them? Paul said that the Proclamation was accomplished. Are we
prepared to proclaim?
The 3rd attitude for perseverance is boldness. Boldness for the gospel. Like Michael said last
week, that doesn’t always mean that we are going to get a bullhorn and go down to 6th street. People
have different approaches to ministry.
To be honest, I cling to the gifts god has given me. I get to speak from a stage. I feel that I could
grow in 1 on 1 ministry. I feel that my beliefs are very personal, so I respect others space because of
that. I could be more intentional in starting spiritual conversations.
One thing I heard a missionary say, that I found helpful, is that people don’t understand
doctrine. They understand love. According to him, he suggested not seeking conversion first, but loving
people first. Others are more likely to listen to us when they can sense that we are genuine. Perhaps
inviting a new acquaintance to a cup of coffee might be appropriate. My point is, there are lots of ways
we can connect with folks. Invite them to Church and let Michael preach the socks off them!
I like to pray for people. It doesn’t take long, and people hardly ever say no, even if they don’t
go to Church. I guess they figure, “I don’t know if there is a God, but what could it hurt?”
So, when I get people to let me pray for them, I confess the forgiveness of sins through the
Cross. I walk them through a confession of Salvation, and if they agree, I believe God’s grace will cover
them. If they believe. At the very least, I am planting seeds for them to think about.
So, what do you feel that you can improve to bring more hope to the world? Let’s have an
attitude of boldness to save this hurting world.
Will you persevere?
I might wobble, but I won’t fall down!
***conclusion***
The importance of perseverance is vital to our staying in the game. Not only in ministry, but in
life as well. We talked about an attitude of forgiveness, so that we let God’s grace flow through us. So
that we will not become bitter. An attitude of dependency on God, and His strength, gives us an ease in
life for longevity. An attitude of boldness toward saving a world that needs hope will keep us
intentional.
We spoke of what Paul was able to persevere through. Getting whipped, beaten, stoned, etc.
What gave him the strength to never give up?
-VERSE 18-
Verse 18: “ The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His Heavenly
Kingdom.”
We know that Paul went through terrible circumstances in this life. So maybe the rescue he is referring
to here is the ultimate rescue in the life to come.
To Paul, this ultimate rescue that he speaks of in verse 18 was a reality that was ever before
him. He saw Jesus. He saw Jesus with his own eyes and talked to Him. The gospel of Christ was more
than words on a page to Paul. It was a reality larger than this present world.
Think about this. Paul suffered greatly at times. But now that pain is gone. The hunger is gone.
The disappointment is gone. But the words that God spoke through him have blessed a countless
number of souls over the last 20 centuries and will continue to live on. You see, one day the suffering
of this present life is going to be over for us too. But the story of our lives will live on. The words we
speak. The way we love. The way we persevere.
What do you want to live on from your life? Is it worth a little suffering to make a lasting ripple
in eternity?
Here is the question. How real is Jesus to you? IIs the reality of Christ’s Kingdom larger than this
world?
Let’s let the reality of Heaven help us to persevere, so that God may write a story of hope
through us.
Will you persevere?
I may wobble, but I won’t fall down!
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information.
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.