A Call For Perseverance | Revelation 14:12-13 | Richard Caldwell

Scripture

• Revelation 14:12–13

About this sermon

Introduction: God’s power is at work for the PRESERVATION of His people. God’s power is demonstrated by the PERSEVERANCE of His people. Two weeks ago, we talked about that two-sided spiritual coin of the perseverance of the saints, and the preservation of the saints. We noted that our perseverance is explained by God’s preserving power. We truly persevere, but THROUGH the faith that God sustains, by the STRENGTH that God supplies. What we are reminded about this morning, is that God’s does this through a variety of means. WHATEVER MEANS THAT GOD USES, IT ALWAYS REPRESENTS GOD’S PERSONAL WORK. God’s power is known by us in a PERSONAL WAY — His Spirit carries out His work. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of the inheritance given to us in Christ. The Holy Spirit represents Christ’s presence with us until we meet with our Savior. The Holy Spirit works to teach us, to correct, to guide, to comfort, to strengthen — GOD IS PERSONALLY AT WORK PRESERVING US WHATEVER MEANS HE CHOOSES TO USE. And He uses all the circumstances of our lives — including persecution — to form Christ’s character in us. BUT HE CARRIES OUT OF THAT PRESERVING WORK IN A WAY THAT INVOLVES OUR FAITH. ESV 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. That faith requires TRUTH. That faith RESPONDS to truth. And one of the truths that God uses for the preservation and perseverance of His people is the KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT AWAITS THOSE WHO REFUSE CHRIST. GOD USES WARNINGS IN THE PRESERVATION OF HIS PEOPLE. When God warns, His people have ears to hear. When God describes the treasures that exist in Christ, and the everlasting loss that is experienced when people die without Christ, the people of God BELIEVE HIM and continue in the choice they made the day they received Christ. None of this is ever in doubt in the case of truly converted people. But what we are observing from Scripture is how GOD DOES IT. We saw, in verses 6-11, angelic messengers who will preach to the whole earth at the end of the tribulation period. 1. An angel with the message of the gospel 2. An angel with the message of judgment upon the system of antichrist. 3. An angle with a description of the damnation that will be experienced by people who refuse the gospel and follow after the beast. A WORLD ALREADY WITHOUT EXCUSE IS GIVEN AN EVEN GREATER WITNESS THAT LEAVES NO DOUBT THAT IT IS WITHOUT EXCUSE. Now, in verses 12 and 13, we see how the knowledge of all of this — what awaits those who reject God’s merciful call to worship Him alone — is tied directly to the perseverance of God’s people. I. THE CONTINUANCE OF THE SAINTS OF GOD (vs.12a) Before we talk about the continuance of the saints, let us just be clear about what that word “saints” signifies. It signifies the fact that the people of God are now set apart from the world and belong to God. The word speaks of holiness, and their holiness in this context consists of their positional sanctification. They are GOD’S PEOPLE. Forgiven by God. Justified by God. Purchased for God. Taken hold of by God. Transferred by God. Safe in the hand of God. In short, SET APART UNTO GOD or DEDICATED TO GOD, CONSECRATED TO GOD, by GOD’S DOING. These are the people in view.

Topics

• Bible Study
• Perseverance
• Prophecy & End Times