Perseverance: Father’s Day Edition – Sermon – Pastor David Page

Welcome back to our series Not So Secret Sauce! Today is special, not just because we’re diving into the next key ingredient of faith, but because it’s Father’s Day. So first, let’s celebrate all the dads, granddads, stepdads, foster dads, spiritual dads. Every man who has invested in someone’s life with love and leadership. We honour you today.

Dads, you know something about perseverance. Whether it’s working long hours, coaching the team, or praying for your kids through rough seasons, fatherhood is no walk in the park. And That’s exactly what we’re talking about today: Perseverance.

We’ve been talking through 2 Peter creating a list of qualities that help us live out a full, vibrant faith:

• Faith
• Goodness
• Knowledge
• Self-control
• And now… perseverance.

Each of these builds on the other. You need self-control to persevere and without perseverance, there’s no moving forward.

When I was a young fire recruit, I had the opportunity to train in Indianapolis for building collapse rescue. The kind of training you pray you never need to use, but one that could save lives in the worst-case scenario.

One day during training, we were given a final challenge. Picture this: a pitch-black, debris-filled course simulating a collapsed building. We were in full gear, navigating through tunnels and tight spaces with almost no visibility. Every step was a grind. Every movement was slow and painful.

About halfway through, I hit a breaking point. My muscles were screaming. My mind was racing. I was drenched in sweat and completely exhausted. There was a voice in my head that said, “Just stop. No one will blame you.”

But then another voice rose up inside me and said, “You didn’t come this far to quit now.”

So, I kept going. One foot. One crawl. One breath at a time. And eventually, I made it through. I wasn’t the fastest. I wasn’t the strongest. But I didn’t stop. It turns out that wasn’t a voice in my head, it was one of the instructors, but he was right!

That’s perseverance. And That’s exactly what it takes to follow Jesus well.

And That’s also the image the Bible uses when talking about the Christian life, the life of following Jesus. It’s not a sprint. It’s not a quick fix. It’s a long, grueling, beautiful, meaningful race. And sometimes you’re running strong. Other times, you’re crawling.

So, here’s the first truth of this message: The Christian life is not for the faint of heart. There are moments, maybe you’ve had them, where you’re spiritually exhausted. You’ve prayed and nothing seems to change. You’ve tried to forgive, but the pain is still there. You’ve resisted temptation, but it keeps creeping back.

You’re not alone. That’s why perseverance is essential. It’s not optional. If we’re going to live the full life God has called us to, we have to keep going, even when it’s hard.

PERSEVERE BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT ALONE

One of the most defeating feelings in any hard season is the sense of isolation. When trials come, when we’re exhausted, or when our faith feels weak, the enemy loves to make us believe we are walking alone. “No one understands. No one sees you. You’re the only one struggling.” These lies fester in the silence.

But Hebrews 12 reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Imagine walking into a stadium filled with generations of faith heroes, Abraham, Ruth, David, Mary, Peter, Paul, standing and cheering FOR YOU! And they’re not cheering as spectators but as those who’ve already run this race. Their presence reminds us that perseverance is possible. They made it and so can we.

It doesn’t stop with the saints of old. God gives us a church family, a body of believers, to walk with us. We are meant to lean on each other, pray for each other, carry each other’s burdens, and encourage each other through the trials. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to fake it. If you’re weary, you don’t have to hide it. Let others in. Join a group. Open your life to godly community, but more than anyone else, remember this: Jesus is with you.

He doesn’t cheer from the stands He runs beside you. He’s walked this road. He’s endured the hardest trial. He’s felt abandonment, betrayal, and pain, yet He overcame.

If you feel alone today, it’s time to break that lie. Reach out. Let others come alongside you. And remember: the very presence of Christ is with you in every step of your race.

1992 OLYMPICS

One of the most powerful pictures of perseverance comes from the 1992 Olympics. Derek Redmond was a British sprinter running the 400-meter. About halfway through, he tore his hamstring. He collapsed in pain. The race was over – at least in the competitive sense.

But then something incredible happened.

His father ran out of the stands past security and lifted his son onto his shoulder. Together, they limped to the finish line.

That is the heart of the Father. Not standing at a distance, but stepping into your pain, walking beside you, saying: “I’ve got you. We’re going to finish this.”

It’s powerful to know we’re not alone, that we’re surrounded, supported, and strengthened by others and by Christ Himself. But as we run this race, there’s another truth we can’t ignore. Even with a crowd cheering us on, even with Jesus running beside us, there are still things that can trip us up. It’s not always the exhaustion from the outside that slows us down. Sometimes, it’s the baggage we’re carrying inside. The reality is this: you can be surrounded by encouragement and still be stuck.

And that leads us to the second truth today; one that’s both challenging and freeing.

REPENTANCE CLEARS THE PATH FOR PERSEVERANCE

You can’t run with endurance when you’re tangled in sin. That’s not condemnation its truth wrapped in grace.

Sin doesn’t just offend God; it ensnares us. It wraps around our feet and pulls us down, trip after trip, fall after fall. Bitterness, addiction, gossip, pride, jealousy, each one is a weight. The longer we hold on to them, the harder it becomes to move forward.

Repentance is the great gift of the gospel. It is not about shame, it’s about release. When we confess, we are cutting the cords that have held us back. We are handing God the burdens we were never meant to carry. We are being re-aligned with His purpose, His power, and His pace.

Think of the fire training again. Imagine trying to crawl through that collapse course with an oxygen tank that didn’t work, or boots full of stones, or gear that was way too heavy. That’s what unrepented sin is like. You’re trying to press on, but your spiritual gear is sabotaging you.

Hebrews tells us to throw it off.

All of it.

Don’t manage it. Don’t negotiate with it. Don’t excuse it.

Throw it off.

And the beauty is this: when we do, we don’t just lighten our load, we receive mercy. God meets us in our repentance with love, forgiveness, and restoration. We don’t limp forward in guilt; we walk in new strength.

Today, take inventory. What’s entangling you? Where do you need to surrender? Don’t wait. Let repentance be your starting line for the next lap of the race.

WE CAN PERSEVERE BECAUSE CHRIST DID

At the heart of our faith is the cross. The cross is not just as a symbol of love, but of endurance. Jesus didn’t just suffer for us, He chose to. He saw the cross coming, and He didn’t flinch. He leaned forward and walked straight into the storm. Why? Because of the joy set before Him.

What was that joy? It was you. It was your freedom. Your future. Your reconciliation to the Father. Jesus endured betrayal by friends, injustice in court, mockery by crowds, lashes on His back, nails in His hands, and He did it all with the end in mind. So, when Hebrews says, “Fix your eyes on Jesus,” it’s not just a Sunday School phrase. It’s the key to finishing well. When we focus on our own strength, we get discouraged. When we fixate on our failures, we give up. When we lift our gaze to Jesus, our Saviour, our Champion, we find the courage to keep going.

He’s not just an example; He’s our source.

That means you don’t need to conjure up willpower. You need to look to the One who already won. Every ounce of perseverance you need is found in Him.

BAPTISM: DEATH TO LIFE

One of the clearest, most powerful pictures of perseverance in the Christian life is baptism.

Think about what happens in that moment. You’re standing in the water, your old life, your old habits, your old failures, all of it represented in that moment. And then, you go under the water. That symbolizes death. Burial. Finality. Just like Jesus went into the grave, you go down as a way of saying: “That life is over.”

But you don’t stay under.

You’re lifted back up, cleansed, new, alive. It’s a resurrection moment. It’s a declaration to the world: “I belong to Jesus now. His death is my death. His victory is my victory. His Spirit now lives in me. And because of that I’m free”.

That’s not just a symbolic ritual it’s a spiritual milestone, because even after baptism, life gets hard. You still face temptation. You still walk through disappointment. You still struggle at times to keep going. But in those moments, baptism reminds us: We’ve already died to our old selves, and We’ve been raised to a new life.

Romans 6:4 says it like this:

“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too may live a new life.”

Baptism is more than a beginning it’s a reminder of your endurance. It marks you as someone who’s not going back. Someone who’s crossed a line. Someone who’s keeping their eyes on Jesus, no matter what.

That’s what baptism declares: There’s no turning back. It’s not just a picture of what Jesus did for you, it’s a declaration of how you’re going to live for Him.

So, let me ask you: Have you forgotten the power of that moment? Have you drifted back into old patterns, old doubts, old excuses? Or maybe you’ve haven’t taken that step yet and today is the day to say, “I’m all in.” Whether you’re still soaking wet from a recent baptism or it’s been years since you came up out of that water, the call is the same.

Keep going. Don’t quit. Don’t settle for survival when Jesus died for your victory.

And that brings us to our challenge today.

Peter said: “Add to your faith…”
We’ve added goodness.
We’ve added knowledge.
We’ve added self-control.
Now add perseverance.

This week, I’m challenging you to apply this in two tangible ways:

1. Choose One Area to Push Through, Not Pull Back
   Where have you been tempted to quit? Your marriage? Your faithfulness? Your prayer life? Your role as a spiritual leader in your home? Yourself? Identify one place where God is asking you to dig in and not give up and this week, take one deliberate step forward in that area, even if it’s just showing up again.
2. Bring Someone With You
   Remember, you’re not meant to run this race alone. Who can you encourage this week? Who in your life is struggling and needs to hear: “Keep going. I’m with you. Jesus is with you”? A text. A call. An invitation to church. Your perseverance might be the spark someone else needs to keep running their race.

Let’s take a moment right now to respond, not just with words, but with our hearts.

Maybe as we talked about perseverance, God put something on your heart. A place where you’re tired. A place where you’ve wanted to give up. A place where sin has entangled you or where isolation has worn you down. Or maybe, you’re just ready to say, “I’m not backing down. I’m all in.”

As I pray, make this your prayer too. Open your hands where you are. Bow your head. Let’s ask God to meet us in this moment.