“PERSEVERANCE”:

 

PERSEVERANCE

OBSERVATION by Robert

Worldly zealots are pressing for the necessity of a mixture of Gentile philosophy with Christian principles. Apostle Paul professes great satisfaction in those who demonstrate steadfastness, constancy and encourages them to perseverance. 

We have been shown in the article “OUR CHALLENGE,” published September 25,2020, who and what spirits we will be confronting. Political Correctness and Delusional Paranoia have brought forward the true condition of those currently walking as the worldly being described in 2Timothy 3: For men shall be lovers of their selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful. Unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (the God is Love without being Chaste movement); from such turn away. 

Christian armour, Ephesians 6:18. We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defence against these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the case requires: and we must pray always. 

Not as though we were to do nothing else but pray, for there are other duties of religion and of our respective stations in the world that are to be done in their place and season but we should keep up constant times of prayer, and be constant to them. 

We must pray upon all occasions, and as often as our own and others’ necessities call us to it. We must always keep up a disposition to prayer, and should intermix prayers of utterance with other duties, and with common business. 

Though set and solemn prayer may sometimes be unseasonable (as when other duties are to be done), yet pious utterances can never be so. We must pray with all prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public, private, and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden with all the parts of prayer. 

Confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgivings for favours received. We must pray in the Spirit our spirits must be employed in the duty and we must do it by the grace of God’s good Spirit. 

We must watch thereunto, endeavouring to keep our hearts in a praying frame, and taking all occasions, and improving all opportunities, for the duty: we must watch to all the motions of our own hearts towards the duty.

When God says, seek my face, our hearts must comply, Psalms 27:8. This we must do with all perseverance. We must abide by the duty of prayer, whatever change there may be in our outward circumstances and we must continue in it as long as we live in the world. 

We must persevere in a particular prayer not cutting it short, when our hearts are disposed to enlarge, and there is time for it, and our occasions call for it. We must likewise persevere in particular requests, notwithstanding some present discouragements and repulses. 

And we must pray with supplication, not for ourselves only, but for all saints for we are members one of another. Observe, none are so much saints, and in so good a condition in this world, but they need our prayers, and they ought to have them. 

CLOSING STATEMENT by Robert

Yeshua supposes that all God’s people are praying people, all God’s children keep up both a constant and an occasional correspondence with him, send to him statedly, and upon every emergency. It is our privilege and honour that we may pray.

It is our duty, we ought to pray, we sin if we neglect it. It is to be our constant work we ought always to pray, it is that which the duty of every day requires. 

We must pray, and never grow weary of praying, nor think of leaving it off till it comes to be swallowed up in everlasting praise. But that which seems particularly designed here is to teach us constancy and perseverance in our requests for some spiritual mercies that we are in pursuit of, relating either to ourselves or to the church of God. 

When we are praying for strength against our spiritual enemies, our lusts and corruptions, which are our worst enemies, we must continue instant in prayer, must pray and not faint, for we shall not seek God’s face in vain. So, we must likewise in our prayers for the deliverance of the people of God out of the hands of their persecutors and oppressors.

Whose I am and then it follows, whom I serve. To be religious is to serve God. How? We must make a business of it, and not be slothful in that business. Not slothful in business. 

There is the business of the world, that of our particular calling, in which we must not be slothful, 1 Thessalonians 4:11. But this seems to be meant of the business of serving the Lord, our Father’s business, Luke 2:49. 

Those that would approve themselves Christians indeed must make religion their business–must choose it, and learn it, and give themselves to it they must love it, and employ themselves in it, and abide by it, as their great and main business. And, having made it our business, we must not be slothful in it: not desire our own ease, and consult that, when it comes in competition with our duty.

Slothful servants will be reckoned with as wicked servants. We must be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. God must be served with the spirit (Romans 1:9; John 4:24), under the influences of the Holy Spirit. Whatever we do in religion it is pleasing to God no further than it is done with our spirits wrought upon by the Spirit of God. 

And there must be fervency in the spirit–a holy zeal, and warmth, and ardency of affection in all we do, as those that love God not only with the heart and soul, but with all our hearts, and with all our souls. This is the holy fire that kindles the sacrifice, and carries it up to heaven, an offering of a sweet-smelling savour–Serving the Lord.

He gave them good counsel Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, Matthew 26:41 [1] There was an hour of temptation drawing on, and very near the troubles of Christ were temptations to his followers to disbelieve and distrust him, to deny and desert him, and renounce all relation to him 

[2] There was danger of their entering into the temptation, as into a snare or trap of their entering into a parley with it, or a good opinion of it, of their being influenced by it, and inclining to comply with it which is the first step toward being overcome by it 

[3] He therefore exhorts them to watch and pray Watch with me and pray with me. While they were sleeping, they lost the benefit of joining in Christ’s prayer “Watch yourselves, and pray yourselves. 

Watch and pray against this present temptation to drowsiness and security pray that you may watch beg of God by his grace to keep you ⁰, now that there is occasion” When we are drowsy in the worship of God, we should pray, as a good Christian once did, “The Lord deliver me from this sleepy devil!” Lord, quicken thou me in thy way, Or, “Watch and pray against the further temptation you may be assaulted with watch and pray lest this sin prove the inlet of many more” Note, When we find ourselves entering into temptation, we have need to watch and pray⁰, now that there is occasion” When we are drowsy in the worship of God, we should pray, as a good Christian once did, “The Lord deliver me from this sleepy devil!” Lord, quicken thou me in thy way, Or, “Watch and pray against the further temptation you may be assaulted with watch and pray lest this sin prove the inlet of many more” Note, When we find ourselves entering into temptation, we have need to watch and pray

“As to both, your duty is to watch and pray. Therefore, the time is kept a secret, that you may be engaged to stand always upon your guard (Mark 13:33).

Take ye heed of everything that would indispose you for your Master’s coming, and would render your accounts perplexed, and your spirits so too watch for his coming, that it may not at any time be a surprise to you, and pray for that grace which is necessary to qualify you for it, for ye know not when the time is and you are concerned to be ready for that every day, which may come any day.” 

This he illustrates, in the close, by a parable. Our Master is gone away, and left us something in trust, in charge, which we must give account of, Mark 13:34. He is as a man taking a far journey for he is gone to be away a great while, he has left his house on earth, and left his servants in their offices, given authority to some, who are to be overseers, and work to others, who are to be labourers. 

They that have authority given them, in that had work assigned them, for those that have the greatest power have the most business and to them to whom he gave work, he gave some sort of authority, to do that work.

And when he took his last leave, he appointed the porter to watch, to be sure to be ready to open to him at his return and in the mean time to take care to whom he opened his gates, not to thieves and robbers, but only to his Master’s friends and servants. 

Thus, our Lord Jesus, when he ascended on high, left something for all his servants to do, expecting they should all do him service in his absence, and be ready to receive him at his return. All are appointed to work, and some authorized to rule.

Robert