2 Timothy 3:14-16 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
	As the Apostle Paul continues his encouragement to Timothy, he makes a very remarkable statement that needs to become part of the fabric and make-up of every Christian. After listing all the things that will be evident in the works of this world, in its sin and depravity, Paul encourages us to continue in the spiritual truth that we have learned. We are to hold on to the Biblical teachings and the instructions given to us through the Holy Spirit via our spiritual teachers and our godly parents who have raised us up in the Lord. We need to persevere in our faith in Christ Jesus and not be put off by all the attacks and the pressures that will be exerted upon us to cave in, to give up, and to capitulate in our faith and our belief.
	Against the ceaseless and relentless pounding of this world’s demands and pressures and forces, we are encouraged to persevere unto the very end in the truth and the love and the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We are given the reality of what it means to so abide in Him, to be so at one with Christ that we can not even function apart from Him on this earth. Our Lord commands us with this admonition to recognize what is now true of us in John 15:4-10. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. 
	…for apart from Me you can do nothing. This is the exact reason that we must abide in Christ, that we can persevere under the most intense of earthly attacks, because we are one with Christ. We must continually remind ourselves of the fact that we are now His Body, united to Him in every aspect of our lives. We are so vitally part of Him, and He of us, that to deny Him, to turn from Him, to give in to the onslaughts and to lose our courage and our conviction after Him would mean an utter denial of ourselves. Apart from the fullness of the knowledge of Christ in this living relationship as His Body, we are stunted in growth. Apart from Him, we lack the ability to maintain our hearts in that abiding presence and desire after Him to even greater depths of Himself. Please be aware that this desire costs, and it costs dearly. This is not something that can be received with half-heartedness. To know Christ to the depths of Him living forth His life in us in complete oneness, requires utmost sacrifice and the complete putting to death of sin and self. This is not an easy road, neither is it painless nor smooth. There are deep chasms to traverse and high peaks to survive. There are raging rivers and torrential storms that must be suffered and endured. But as we continue on the path, weary and battered and scared as we may be, we will learn that our perseverance unto Him leads to endless peace and comfort and joy in the Lord. 
There are many Christians, very well-meaning and sincere Christians who have never been taught the depth of scripture. They have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, but they have not, as yet, been brought into the living relationship of oneness that is ours in Him. They know Him to a point, and no further. Sometimes, it is a denominational emphasis on one aspect of His great love and character that builds up a defensive bulwark around itself, refusing to go any further. Sometimes it is a lack of proper teaching and misguided ministry that handcuffs those believers. Sometimes it may be simply the desire to know Him only to a certain depth, and no deeper. It is a fearful unwillingness to have God reveal His fullness because of the cost. This is why we need to keep each other in prayer, that there is an earnest desire welling up in each of us to go on in Christ, individually and corporately. That is why it is so vital that we do not become complacent, but rather encourage each other to forge ceaselessly and determinedly into all truth in Jesus Christ. 
This is the heart of those who want to hear, as we read in Acts 13:42+43. And as Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God. 
These people wanted to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They wanted to hear the truth proclaimed and they urged Paul and Barnabas to continue in this ministry. They were hungry for that which God gave through the teaching of Paul and Barnabas and would not settle for anything less than hearing the Word made known. 
On a most personal note, both Laura and I need this covering of the grace of God in the ministry of His Word. We need to seek continually after Him to feed the flock of His chosen people. It must be Him and Him Alone Who is proclaimed and lived before you, and that requires your support and prayers after all the fullness of God. Just as the people urged Paul and Barnabas, so must the church urge all of its shepherds to feed and to draw continually from The Shepherd for the sake of the entire flock. 
The Apostle Peter reiterates this in 1 Peter 1:10-16. He explains very clearly the plan and purpose of our full entreaty unto God for the sake of His Body of Believers. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven —  things into which angels long to look. Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,  but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 
Our perseverance, as His Church, is unto holiness. This is not for our self indulgence in being able to vaunt ourselves above others and to lay claim to something special in our own right and standing. God forbid such wickedness in our hearts. It is because we are to be so after the things of God and so in tune with Him for His sake Alone, that we can do nothing else but be the ever increasing expression of His Holiness. It is Christ in us, and the fact of our abiding in Him which brings forth a clearer and clearer expression of Him and His very nature in truth and honor. We are His witnesses and our lives reflect Him in every avenue of our interaction with others. That is why we cannot compartmentalize Him, we cannot limit Him, and we absolutely cannot be just Sunday Christians. He lives forth from us every moment of every day and we are to give ourselves so completely to Him that He is not hindered, in any manner, in that living expression of Himself in our lives. 
	There is very, very much at stake in our desire to persevere in this process of Holiness unto God. There is a tremendous heart of responsibility that is set before us as members of the Body of Christ. Heb 12:1-3 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy 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 has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. We are to consider Christ, and thereby we will not grow weary and lose heart. It is so easy to become discouraged in this life when we pray and pray and pray and do not seem to see anything taking place. We can lose heart when we seem to battle the same sin and the same earthly natural tendencies day after day after day. And, in another vein, it is hard when we are called to suffer for the sake of Christ and we feel like we are a doormat or a punching bag for other’s frustrations. It is utter and absolute death to self when we get continually kicked in the teeth for doing what is good and right before God, when we love and love and love and yet always seem to receive nothing but hatred and distain in return. In all these earthly frustrations and crises and abuses, it is so easy for our eyes to fill with tears of self-pity and utter frustration. We consider our lives with all its struggles and we can become dismayed, disheartened, discouraged and depressed, if we do not keep our eyes focused on Christ! Here, in the depth of our despair is the key answer to the question of the reason and purpose of life. Do we live our lives after seeking the contentment of this world or do we live unto the contentment of the Lord God Almighty? We will only and always find disappointment if the purpose of everything is set in this realm. Our reason and purpose for living is only of value as our lives proclaim the glory of Jesus Christ.
As we read repeatedly in Gal 6:7-10, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. We are not to lose heart in our living witness of Jesus Christ. We are to hold onto Him and live in accordance with His guidance and direction, in all obedience to His Word and the Holy Spirit. We are to subjugate our lives in such a manner as to continually be putting sin to death and not growing weary of that living action of obedience. We do so daily, as each testing of our faith and our endurance and our determined heart after Christ takes place. We live forth in glorious victory because we know that He is our source and He is our strength and He is our ability to overcome every obstacle of this life to His Glory Alone . 
As we daily die to self, we find that the means of our earthly vindication is not held within the manner in which we are treated in this realm. It is not based on our perceptions of what is or is not taking place. It is not based on what we think is fair or unfair. It is not in any measure focused on our limited perception of life. It is set in the fulfillment of the glory of God, no matter what it costs us in this world. God is very specific as to the fact that we must persevere unto His glory to the very end. Rom 2:3-8 And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 
Each of us is to live our lives unto Him in every aspect and facet. There is no area that we can hold back from Him, not even those little ones that we covet unto ourselves. We belong to Him and are to live unto Him in wholeness of heart and soul and being. This utterness of life is what makes us the partakers of eternal life, after all. It is set in Christ and it is knowing Christ which is eternal life. If we deny Him, if we turn our backs to Him, if we withhold our hearts, even in the minutest measure, we will find that our self-seeking sets a wall between us and the full revelation of Jesus Christ. This attitude effectively hinders our complete enjoyment of His eternal life in our relationship with Him. In this attitude of withdrawal, we are not losing our salvation, but we are forfeiting our complete joy in Him.
	Christ, Himself, puts this in perspective in another manner, as we see in Rev 3:10-12, 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth. 'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown. 'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. We dare not allow anyone to take away the crown that Christ has given us. That crown is the glory of God and our part in its establishment in all of creation. Who we are and all that we do is reflected in His Glory for His sake. It is our responsibility as Christians, as members of the Body of Christ and as the Sons of God to show forth His Glory in our lives on this earth. It is never a matter of what we will receive, but always of that which He will receive in all Glory and Praise. So be it!
You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

This morning’s benediction is 1 Chron 16:34-36 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Thy holy name, And glory in Thy praise." Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, "Amen," and praised the Lord. Amen