Sabbath 2/7/15 West Palm Beach SDB Church Pastor Jasmine sermon- Possessing a Relentless Spirit
POSSESSING A RELENTLESS SPIRIT HEBREWS 12:1-3
Relentless – persistent, consistent, continuous, unwavering, non-stop, never-ending, unceasing, tireless, untiring, tenacious!
The Father is the model – He didn’t quit when man rebelled.
John 3:16 – I’m stopping at nothing. If it takes giving up my Son, I will. Do you realize how much God loves you? How much He wants you, values you, cherishes you, wants to have a relationship with you? He is relentless in His love for you.
Jeremiah 3:14 – “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.
God is saying – I’m married to you, you can walk out the door, you can slam the door, turn your back on me, you can rebel, run, be self-willed and stubborn, but you cannot escape my love for you. I’m committed to you. I’m still calling you my child, my love, one to whom I’m married. I love you with an everlasting love; with an unconditional love. And there’s nothing you can do to change that love.
But don’t think that you can live anyway, or do anything and get into my Kingdom. No, there is a difference between His love and His inheritance.
One of the saddest things about Hell (not politically correct to speak about Hell) is that people will be there knowing that God loves them, but they still made the choice to reject Him. You can go to Hell, but it’s not easy to get there. You have to trample on the love of God, trample on the blood of Jesus, go past the Holy Spirit, and past the prayers of all those people praying for you.
God has done so much for us to escape that dark eternity. That is because He is a relentless God. He pursues us, convicts us, wakes us up, nudges us, shakes us up, gets our attention, contends with us, and stirs us to our senses. That’s just the way He is.
Satan also has a relentless spirit, but it is a pollution or corruption of the relentless Spirit of God. Satan’s relentless spirit – cruel, harsh, merciless, brutal, unscrupulous, ruthless, severe, heartless; it’s designed to mess you up, wear you out, wear you down, distract you, destroy your faith; he comes at you, and tries to get you off course.
It’s a spirit of weariness!
The greatest of saints in the Bible had to deal with this kind of onslaught of the enemy. The Devil comes at you with one thing after another.
Daniel 7:25 (ESV) – He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Elijah – Mt. Carmel – Jezebel (1 Kings 19:4); while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
Weariness of soul!
Job 10:1 (KJV) – My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Paul (2 Corinthians 11:28) – Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Trying to deplete you, exhaust you, and overwhelm you!
I’m not talking about this today to give glory to the Devil, or to give him credit, or to make us feel vulnerable. I’m telling us so that we may be alert to his strategies. The Bible says we must not be ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 2:11 – in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
The fact is that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.
We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us.
The outward man may perish, but the inward may is renewed day by day.
Yes, there is a fight going on, but the Devil doesn’t know what he’s up against because God has given me a relentless spirit to fight back, to press on, to not play dead, to not give up, to not give in. He may be relentless, but he will not win the fight.
Luke 22:31 – Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.
Yes, Satan wants you, because God wants you. Whoever you are, the beggar, the Canaanite woman, the prophet, the pastor in the pulpit, the ordinary man in the pew, God values you, and Satan wants you because of your value to God.
Understand that we have no value in and of ourselves; we have no value except for the blood of Jesus, and if we stick it out with God, He will stick it out with us, the Devil will lose and we will win. Those with a relentless spirit, the Bible calls overcomers. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony.
By ourselves, we cannot defeat Satan, but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (fleshly) but mighty (have divine power) to the pulling down of strongholds.
Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
Isaiah 59:19 – So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. – Daily Devotion – to be pro-active
How about talking with Jesus before the problems come
Pre-emptive strike – read the Bible, pray, sing songs, go to church
Don’t be distracted, don’t lose focus
I will stop at nothing – until my marriage is fixed, until my kids are saved, until I get out of this financial mess, until I’m delivered from my addictions,
I must fight the good fight, I must have the spirit of a warrior, I must finish my course, I must hear “well done; you’ve been resilient; you’ve been relentless.”
We must be relentless in our resistance to Satan and sin – Hebrews 12:1 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, We must be relentless in running our race with perseverance – Hebrews 12:1 We must be relentless in our pursuit of God – spend time with God – get rid of the drive-by and drive-thru mentality
I want more of God
Car wash – passing lane; you can get through fast, but you won’t get your car very clean.
Paul – Philippians 3:12-14 – Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
When was the last time God apprehended you? God got a hold of you? You stayed in His presence long enough for Him to capture you, body, soul, and spirit?
I want to linger in His presence. I don’t want to be just in the outer courts. I want to go into the inner courts, and look in His face, and fall at His feet. In His presence I get wisdom. In His presence, I get direction. In His presence I get comfort. In His presence, I get clarity. In His presence, I get peace.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You.
When was the last time like Jacob, you said, I will not let you go, until you bless me? When was the last time someone looked at you and knew that you were with the Lord because it left a mark on you?
That’s what a relentless spirit does. In these days, if you don’t have a relentless spirit, you will miss out on so much from the Lord, and you will be defeated by all that the Devil throws at you.
At the transfiguration, Jesus shone so brightly, that one of the Disciples didn’t want to leave. That’s what a relentless spirit gets.
Ask, and it shall be given. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be open
Ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking.
We must look past the cross and see the empty tomb. Endure what’s taking place that’s not so good, because there is a victory up ahead. Because of the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the agony of the cross.
God is pursuing you. Are you pursuing Him?
AMEN
POSSESSING A RELENTLESS SPIRIT HEBREWS 12:1-3
Relentless – persistent, consistent, continuous, unwavering, non-stop, never-ending, unceasing, tireless, untiring, tenacious!
The Father is the model – He didn’t quit when man rebelled.
John 3:16 – I’m stopping at nothing. If it takes giving up my Son, I will. Do you realize how much God loves you? How much He wants you, values you, cherishes you, wants to have a relationship with you? He is relentless in His love for you.
Jeremiah 3:14 – “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.
God is saying – I’m married to you, you can walk out the door, you can slam the door, turn your back on me, you can rebel, run, be self-willed and stubborn, but you cannot escape my love for you. I’m committed to you. I’m still calling you my child, my love, one to whom I’m married. I love you with an everlasting love; with an unconditional love. And there’s nothing you can do to change that love.
But don’t think that you can live anyway, or do anything and get into my Kingdom. No, there is a difference between His love and His inheritance.
One of the saddest things about Hell (not politically correct to speak about Hell) is that people will be there knowing that God loves them, but they still made the choice to reject Him. You can go to Hell, but it’s not easy to get there. You have to trample on the love of God, trample on the blood of Jesus, go past the Holy Spirit, and past the prayers of all those people praying for you.
God has done so much for us to escape that dark eternity. That is because He is a relentless God. He pursues us, convicts us, wakes us up, nudges us, shakes us up, gets our attention, contends with us, and stirs us to our senses. That’s just the way He is.
Satan also has a relentless spirit, but it is a pollution or corruption of the relentless Spirit of God. Satan’s relentless spirit – cruel, harsh, merciless, brutal, unscrupulous, ruthless, severe, heartless; it’s designed to mess you up, wear you out, wear you down, distract you, destroy your faith; he comes at you, and tries to get you off course.
It’s a spirit of weariness!
The greatest of saints in the Bible had to deal with this kind of onslaught of the enemy. The Devil comes at you with one thing after another.
Daniel 7:25 (ESV) – He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Elijah – Mt. Carmel – Jezebel (1 Kings 19:4); while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
Weariness of soul!
Job 10:1 (KJV) – My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Paul (2 Corinthians 11:28) – Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Trying to deplete you, exhaust you, and overwhelm you!
I’m not talking about this today to give glory to the Devil, or to give him credit, or to make us feel vulnerable. I’m telling us so that we may be alert to his strategies. The Bible says we must not be ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 2:11 – in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
The fact is that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.
We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us.
The outward man may perish, but the inward may is renewed day by day.
Yes, there is a fight going on, but the Devil doesn’t know what he’s up against because God has given me a relentless spirit to fight back, to press on, to not play dead, to not give up, to not give in. He may be relentless, but he will not win the fight.
Luke 22:31 – Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.
Yes, Satan wants you, because God wants you. Whoever you are, the beggar, the Canaanite woman, the prophet, the pastor in the pulpit, the ordinary man in the pew, God values you, and Satan wants you because of your value to God.
Understand that we have no value in and of ourselves; we have no value except for the blood of Jesus, and if we stick it out with God, He will stick it out with us, the Devil will lose and we will win. Those with a relentless spirit, the Bible calls overcomers. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony.
By ourselves, we cannot defeat Satan, but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (fleshly) but mighty (have divine power) to the pulling down of strongholds.
Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
Isaiah 59:19 – So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. – Daily Devotion – to be pro-active
How about talking with Jesus before the problems come
Pre-emptive strike – read the Bible, pray, sing songs, go to church
Don’t be distracted, don’t lose focus
I will stop at nothing – until my marriage is fixed, until my kids are saved, until I get out of this financial mess, until I’m delivered from my addictions,
I must fight the good fight, I must have the spirit of a warrior, I must finish my course, I must hear “well done; you’ve been resilient; you’ve been relentless.”
We must be relentless in our resistance to Satan and sin – Hebrews 12:1 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, We must be relentless in running our race with perseverance – Hebrews 12:1 We must be relentless in our pursuit of God – spend time with God – get rid of the drive-by and drive-thru mentality
I want more of God
Car wash – passing lane; you can get through fast, but you won’t get your car very clean.
Paul – Philippians 3:12-14 – Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
When was the last time God apprehended you? God got a hold of you? You stayed in His presence long enough for Him to capture you, body, soul, and spirit?
I want to linger in His presence. I don’t want to be just in the outer courts. I want to go into the inner courts, and look in His face, and fall at His feet. In His presence I get wisdom. In His presence, I get direction. In His presence I get comfort. In His presence, I get clarity. In His presence, I get peace.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You.
When was the last time like Jacob, you said, I will not let you go, until you bless me? When was the last time someone looked at you and knew that you were with the Lord because it left a mark on you?
That’s what a relentless spirit does. In these days, if you don’t have a relentless spirit, you will miss out on so much from the Lord, and you will be defeated by all that the Devil throws at you.
At the transfiguration, Jesus shone so brightly, that one of the Disciples didn’t want to leave. That’s what a relentless spirit gets.
Ask, and it shall be given. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be open
Ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking.
We must look past the cross and see the empty tomb. Endure what’s taking place that’s not so good, because there is a victory up ahead. Because of the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the agony of the cross.
God is pursuing you. Are you pursuing Him?
AMEN