Perseverance

2 Timothy 2:7-13

7 Consider what I say,

and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David,

was raised from the dead according to my gospel,

9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains;

but the word of God is not chained.

10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect,

that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus

with eternal glory.

11 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him. 

12 If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He also will deny us.

13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

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Colossians 1:19-23

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself,

 by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,

 having made peace through the blood of His cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated

and enemies in your mind by wicked works,

yet now He has reconciled

22 in the body of His flesh through death,

to present you holy, and blameless,

and above reproach in His sight — 

23 if indeed you continue in the faith,

grounded and steadfast,

and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard,

which was preached to every creature under heaven,

of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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Titus 1:16

16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him,

being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

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Matthew 7:17-27

17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 

21 "Not everyone who says to Me,'Lord, Lord,'

shall enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 

22 Many will say to Me in that day,

'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,

cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 

23 And then I will declare to them,

'I never knew you; depart from Me,

you who practice lawlessness!' 

24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,

I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 

25 and the rain descended, the floods came,

and the winds blew and beat on that house;

and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 

26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine,

and does not do them,

will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 

27 and the rain descended, the floods came,

and the winds blew and beat on that house;

and it fell. And great was its fall." 

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Matthew 10:22

22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.

But he who endures to the end will be saved. 

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Matthew 24:10-13

10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another,

and will hate one another. 

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

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Mark 13:13

13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.

But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

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Revelation 2:7

7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life,

which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."'

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Revelation 2:10-11

10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.

Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison,

that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 

11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."' 

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Revelation 2:17

To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.

And I will give him a white stone,

and on the stone a new name written which no one knows

except him who receives it."'

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Revelation 2:25-28

25 But hold fast what you have till I come. 

26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end,

to him I will give power over the nations —  

27'He shall rule them with a rod of iron;

They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' — 

as I also have received from My Father; 

28 and I will give him the morning star. 

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Revelation 3:5

5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments,

and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life;

but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 

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Revelation 3:11-12

11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 

12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God,

and he shall go out no more.

I will write on 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 I will write on him My new name. 

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Revelation 3:19-21

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.

Therefore be zealous and repent. 

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,

I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne,

as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 

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Romans 8:23-39

23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,

even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption,

the redemption of our body.

24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope;

for why does one still hope for what he sees?

25 But if we hope for what we do not see,

we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.

For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,

but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings

which cannot be uttered.

27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,

because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose.

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined

to be conformed to the image of His Son,

that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called;

whom He called, these He also justified;

and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,

who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,

how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,

or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."  

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors (overcomers)

through Him who loved us.

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities

nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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2 Thessalonians 3:3-5

3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing

and will continue to do the things we command.

5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.

NIV

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

NIV

2 Peter 1:5-8

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;

and to goodness, knowledge;

6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;

and to perseverance, godliness;

7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,

 they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive

in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Matthew 13:20-23

20 But he who received the seed on stony places,

this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 

21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.

For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word,

immediately he stumbles. 

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word,

and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,

and he becomes unfruitful. 

23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word

and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:

some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

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John 15:1-12

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;

and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

unless it abides in the vine,

 neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 

5 "I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;

for without Me you can do nothing. 

6 If anyone does not abide in Me,

he is cast out as a branch and is withered;

and they gather them and throw them into the fire,

and they are burned. 

John 6:70-71

70 Jesus answered them,

"Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 

71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon,

for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

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The branch that does not bear fruit has not drawn his spiritual life

from Jesus Christ, who is the vine.

This is a false branch that has no life in itself

that has tried to attach itself to Christ for whatever reason.

This is sometimes referred to as a "Judas Branch".

Judas walked with Jesus, but never belonged to Jesus.

He was not a believer who lost his salvation,

Judas was always lost.

These Judas Branches will one day be cast into the lake of fire.

These are also TARES that Jesus referred to in Matthew 13

Matthew 13:24-30

Another parable He put forth to them, saying:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 

25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares

among the wheat and went his way. 

26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop,

then the tares also appeared. 

27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him,

'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?

How then does it have tares?' 

28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'

The servants said to him,

'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' 

29 But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares

you also uproot the wheat with them. 

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest

 I will say to the reapers,

 "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them,

but gather the wheat into my barn."'" 

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Notice, the parable of the tares follows the parable of the soils,

confirming the interpretation that their are those

who look saved,

but are in fact counterfeit Christians,

who are lost and were never saved.

They never had the genuine fruit of salvation within them,

so they never were able to bear genuine spiritual fruit.

John 15:7-12

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,

you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;

so you will be My disciples. 

9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you;

abide in My love. 

10 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. 

11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you,

and that your joy may be full. 

12 This is My commandment,

that you love one another as I have loved you. 

Notice, every branch that actually draws its life from Christ,

abides in Christ,

bears genuine spiritual fruit.

Notice also, it is the Father who prunes and works on the branch

so that it produces fruit, more fruit, and much fruit.

It is the fruit that reveals the genuine branches who have their life

in and from Christ, and this fruit remains.

It is Christ and the Father who gives life to the branch

and who produces the fruit on the branch.

1 John 2:19

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us;

for if they had been of us,

they would have continued with us;

but they went out

that they might be made manifest,

that none of them were of us.

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Those who leave Christ, or His church, never belonged to Christ.

If they had belonged to Christ, they would have continued

to follow Christ and His church.

When they leave, they demonstrate that they never actually

belonged to Christ nor His church.

they demonstrate they are, and always have been lost.

Hebrews 12:1-15

 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,

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher 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.

3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself,

lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed,

striving against sin.

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

 Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives."  

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;

for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

8 But if you are without chastening,

of which all have become partakers,

then you are illegitimate and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us,

and we paid them respect.

Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits

and live?

10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them,

but He for our profit,

that we may be partakers of His holiness.

11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful;

nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness

to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down,

and the feeble knees,

13 and make straight paths for your feet,

so that what is lame may not be dislocated,

but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness,

without which no one will see the Lord:

15 looking carefully

lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;

lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble,

and by this many become defiled;

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2 Corinthians 12:7-10

And lest I should be exalted above measure

by the abundance of the revelations,

a thorn in the flesh was given to me,

a messenger of Satan to buffet me,

lest I be exalted above measure.

8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times

that it might depart from me.

9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,

 that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs,

in persecutions, in distresses,

for Christ's sake.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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