Born to Perservere

Good evening. Welcome's a voice in the wilderness. I'm Don

Noble of Pure Heart Ministries, and I welcome you today

with exceedingly abundantly and overflowing joy. Well right around the

corner is one of my favorite holidays. I love, love,

love Thanksgiving. It is a very special day for me. Now,

tonight's message isn't necessarily about Thanksgiving, but but it is.

So let me just start. The title of the message

is Born to Persevere. When you read the stories of

the lives of Olympic champions, you get inspired, You get

challenged and motivated to do something great, something of value

for the Kingdom of God, well, at least I do.

What I admire about these champions is their dead dog perseverance,

the every day commitment to rise early and begin practicing

over and over and over, the physical skills that got

them where they are come rain, snow, hail, sleet, sunshine.

They are not deterred. Their goal is to excel, to

win now. To stay that motivated, sometimes up to four

years and more, is amazing to me. What drives them

to be so motivated, I don't know, but there must

be some inner strength that compels them. I would say

they were born to persevere. Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday.

And when I look back at the Pilgrims, I think

to myself, would I have had the courage to make

such a voyage. First of all, I get seasick easily,

so I would have had to trust the Lord, and

I mean trust the Lord to keep me steady and

from being sick. No patches were available then to put

behind my ear. I went on an eight hour fishing

trip with my husband years ago out in the ocean.

Oh my goodness. Once we anchored, I was sick, and

I mean sick. I did not throw up, but the

entire time I was so nauseated from motion sickness that

all I did was just lay down. It was torture.

So I can't imagine going from England to this land

called America across the ocean, oh my god, two months.

I don't yeah, Like I don't know. It would have

to be Jesus. The Mayflower. I mean, I think about

these things. The Mayflower was a wooden ship with no

creature comforts, and I imagine imagine having to relieve yourself

of bodily needs without a bathroom. Ay yea ye. Honestly,

these folks were, in my humble opinion, committed, committed to

the cause. What cause was that? For religious freedom? And

once they landed at a place they named Plymouth, the

difficulties just began even more overwhelming. Arriving in Massachusetts on

November eleventh was not the most op tune time to

be felling trees and building living quarters. Winters today, even

today in that part of the country can be brutal,

and the story tells us that, yes, it was a severe,

harsh winter when they came for them that first winter.

By spring half of them had perished. Those left behind

continued to persevere. Now, I started reading a book recently,

just recently. Actually, I have like a gazillion books, and

so you know, I just I remembered I had the

book and remembered that I hadn't read it. So just

like a week ago, I picked this book up and

started reading. And I haven't finished the book, but it

is a book I want to encourage you to read.

If if any of my listeners out there, if any

of you are readers, you will want to get this book.

The author is J. J. Y mill Brandt, M. I, L, B, R,

A and D. T. And the title is They Came

for Freedom, the forgotten epic Adventure of the Pilgrims. And

one of the interesting things about Jay the author is

he is and he actually lists his pedigree in the

back of the book. But Miles Standish, who was the

captain of the ship, that's his distant relative, and so

he can go back and name all the people back

to Miles Standish. I think that's cool. Jay's also a lawyer.

He wrote another book that I would encourage you to read.

I'm gonna get it on my reading list, David Livingstone,

the Story of his life. Anyway, this book about the Pilgrims,

just you know, I like obviously. I think if you've

listened to me for any length of time, you know

I like history. So I'm excited to, you know, finish

the book. I'm only seventy two pages in, so that's

not far. But the beginning of the book introduces the

reader to two gentlemen who were key leaders in the

separatist movement, and they were called separatists because they wanted

to literally separate themselves from the Church of England. These

two men were the Reverend Greenwood and a mister Henry Barrow.

So I wanted to read something to you. This is

from the book. They did not call themselves pilgrims, but separatists.

They found the High Church government infused theocracy of the

Church of England not only repulsive but sinful. Following the

Apostle Paul's admonition to quote come out from among them

and be separate, they did so, separating unlawfully from the

Anglican Church. In the late sixteenth century, they founded a

separatist church, modest and modeled after the early Christian Church

of the Gospel. See I like that, I really like that.

Now what happened is that mister Barrow seemed to have

came from a wealthy family and he was getting a

lot of grief about separating from the Church of England,

and so the Archbishop of Canterbury, a man by the

name of John wit Gift. Oh my goodness, I did

not like this man. And when I read this you

understand why he gained the reputation of a tyrannical, self

centered priest. And you know, he climbed the church hierarchy.

He received, achieved authority, prestigious professorships, and eventually the vice

chancellery of Trinity College. He had an aggressive vision for

the Church of England. He wanted religious uniformity across England,

uniformity in theology and practice, consistent most importantly with his

own belief Whitgift took great lengths to bring down. This

is the part I don't like about him. Went to

great lengths to bring down, even put to death, those

who opposed his vision. He hated Puritans, who sought to

cleanse the Church of England of its trappings of Roman Catholicism.

He needed the hyarchical vestiges of Catholicism and its supremacy

of authority to maintain his place of power and prominence.

Of course, if the Puritans presented a threat, then the separatists,

who wanted to see the Church of England disappear altogether

spoke utter heresy. So the good Reverend Greenwood was already

in prison for his opposition to the Church of England.

And so then mister Barrow comes under the Uh what

shall I say? Uh? The good the good Archbishop Witgift

found mister Barrow and decided that mister Barrow was also

a problem. So these two men uh stood so strong

for their beliefs. Uh I was, you know, I felt inadequate,

like as a Christian, like reading about what was going

on with them. Several times, like on two occasions they

were brought to be executed, but they had two stays

of execution, two different they had stays of execution, and

then finally they were executed on the gallows. I call

them brave men. I call them committed Christians, believers in christ.

I call them men who persevered for the truth of

the Gospel, knowing, knowing that they could end up on

the gallows because you could not come against the Church

of England. Now I share this story because they really

led the way for the Puritans and others to leave

England for religious freedom. Now I look at this maybe

a little different than you look at it, but I

look at it like I'm looking forward to meeting Reverend

Greenwood and mister Henry Barrows. These are heroes. And see,

if I didn't tell you about them, you may not

know about them. I didn't know about them till I

read this book. And so these men are heroes, you know,

just like in the Book of Hebrews in the Bible,

and they have that listing of the like the Hall

of Faith. Well, these men would be in the Hall

of Faith for that era, for that time, and they

really were committed, and they knew what the end result

was going to be. They were hoping that they could.

You know, they did make a plea, and Queen Elizabeth

is one of the times she did stay the execution.

But you know, well they understood that what they were

doing was going to be a problem for them. And

so I feel like I have so much to be

thankful for for mister Henry Barrows and Reverend Greenwood. You know,

these are people, including including all of those on the

Mayflower people before us, who paved the way for this

nation and the freedom we had and still hold. Deer,

I think we tend to forget those things. I think,

you know, time passes, and you know, we didn't live

in the sixteen hundreds, so we kind of miss I think,

important historical situation and people who really helped advance the gospel.

You know Hebrews twelve, and I'm gonna read verses one

through three, but those verses encourage us as believers to

lay hold of the race of endurance and church we

need endurance. Let me just read those scriptures. This is

Hebrews chapter twelve, I'm reading out of the New King

James version verses one through three. Therefore we also, since

we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight and the sin which

so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance

the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus,

the author and finisher are of our faith, who for

the joy that was set before him, endured the cross,

despising the shame, and has sat down at the right

hand of the throne of God. For consider him who

endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become

weary and discouraged in your souls. So Jesus is the

perfect picture, the perfect person who portrays for us as

believers of one who persevered, one who endured. He endured

such hostility from these sinners against himself, And so we

need to remember that lest we become weary and discouraged

in our souls. Let me tell you it is pretty

easy these days to get weary and discouraged in your soul.

Oh yeah, So, Church, we need endurance the church today,

and I'm talking about the overall church. Okay, I'm not

pointing my finger at you. I'm just saying, overall, the

church today in America is nothing like the church back then.

We're soft, we're easily distracted, and we're swayed by the

things of this world. Perseverance, Uh, I don't see that.

Let's just look at some scriptures here. This is I

think I lost my place here. Yeah, Tewod Timothy, chapter two.

I put my little thing in the wrong place in

my bible, Tewod Timothy, chapter two. New King James, version

one through twenty six. You therefore, my son, this is

Paul encouraging his son Timothy, be strong in the grace

that is in Christ, Jesus and the things that you

have heard from me among many witnesses. Commit these two

faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of

Jesus Christ. And as as we know, we know those

Pilgrims endured great hardship, not just crossing the ocean, but

once they got to America, it was, you know, trying

to build a life there. So they endured hardship as

a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Because that's why they

came no one. Verse four. No one engaged in warfare

entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he

may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And

also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned

unless he competes according to the rules. The hard working

farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider

what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding

in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ, of the Seed

of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,

for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to

the point of chains. But the Word of God is

not chained. So Paul saying, I have suffered so much

trouble as an evil doer, not because he did evil, No,

he wasn't an evil doer, but people said he was.

The religious called him an evil doer. And just like

mister Henry Brows, and just like Reverend Greenwood, exactly the

same thing. They suffered trouble as evil doers because the

Archbishop of Canterbury thought they were wicked men. He hated

them because it challenged his prominence and his authority and

his place of superiority m Verse ten. Therefore, Paul says,

I endure all things for the sake of the elect. Okay,

I Paul says, I endure not just some things. I

endure all things, all things for the sake of the elect.

The elect is you and I, that they also may

obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This is a faithful saying, Paul says verse eleven. This

is a faithful saying. For if we died with him,

we shall also live with him. If we endure, we

shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he

will also deny us. If we are faithless. He remains faithful.

He cannot deny himself. But that little verse twelve, if

we endure, we shall also reign with him. I like

that because that says, if I keep persevering, and I

keep enduring the trials and tribulations that come my way,

I am going to reign with Christ. That's a wonderful gift.

That's a wonderful reward for being a good soldier of

the Kingdom of God. Amen. Verse fourteen. Remind them of

these things. In other words, he's telling Timothy his little

his pastor. I shouldn't say little, but Timothy's a past

one of his pastors, and he's saying, remind them, in

other words, remind the congregation of these things, charging them

before the Lord not to strive about words to no prophet,

to the ruin of the hearers, and other words arguing

causing a commotion. You know, don't do that. Be diligent

to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does

not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase

to more ungodliness. And that's something that people, ah, they

tend to forget that scripture to shun profane and idle babblings.

Shun profane and idle babblings. Don't go there. So when

somebody starts in conversation and starts all this babbling nonsense,

profane stuff that is not godly, don't listen to it,

because if you do, it will increase to more ungodliness.

You know, Just put your fingers in your ears and

go no, no, no, no, no no no, Verse seventeen.

Not only not only will these profane and idle babblings

increase to more ungodliness verse seventeen, and their message will

spread like cancer. Oh my goodness, that's pretty scary. And

that's what happens. It happens all the time. And you

know what happens. Hymenius and Philidus are of this sort.

So Paul points out to men who are just like this.

They are sharing profane and idle babblings verse eighteen, who

have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is

already passed, and they overthrow the faith of some. So

there are people they could be tears in the body

of Christ, or they could be so called Christians, and

they stray concerning the truth. You know, they're not paying

attention to God's word. They're talking about things that have

that are not the truth obviously verse nineteen. Nevertheless, the

solid foundation of God stands having this seal quote the

Lord knows those who are here is and quote let

everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

So the best thing to do, basically, Paul is saying,

you know, like get away from these people. I mean,

there are people that I've had to literally just walk

away from because their idle babblings are so ungodly, and

it's it's just it's so irritating. I mean it, it's

so disruptive to my spirit that I can't listen to it.

Verse twenty. But in a great house there are not

only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood

and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore,

if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, in other words,

from the dishonor, he will be a vessel for honor,

sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

So we can see that, you know, this set of

scriptures here Paul is really challenging us to be good soldiers,

to endure all things, to not strive about words, you know,

because not you know, don't have arguments and divisions, and

you know these are not healthy things. They're not it

says he said, to the ruin of the hearers. So

I want to tell you that these pilgrims, eventually, that's

what happened to them. Yes, it's a kind of a

sad ending to their group there in Plymouth. And obviously

I'm running out of time, so I can't share that

with you tonight, but maybe I'll share it on the

next broadcast. Anyway, I wish you a happy, blessed Thanksgiving.

Enjoy your family, enjoy your time together. Let there be

peace among the brethren. Amen, Let there be peace and

joy among your family. Well, this is Don Noble. You

can go to www dot pureheart dot today and listen

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West Virginia to six zero six zero. That's Pure Heart

Ministries PO Box eighty five, Valley Grove, West Virginia, two

six zero six zero. Thank you so much for praying

for me and this ministry. I am eternally grateful. Well,

this is Don Nobel. I look forward to being with

you next week. Shalom shaloam, Peace be unto you.