The Enduring Disciple, Part 3
The Crown of Eternal Life is a Banquet Wrapped in Toil
Minister Tony Igwe
November 16, 2025
Key Words
Meaningless – Vapor, smoke, short, easily dissipated
Toil - the can in which God’s blessings are sealed!
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless!
Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3 What do
people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
Proverbs 4:1-9(MSG) 1-2 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; sit up and take notice so you’ll
know how to live. I’m giving you good counsel; don’t let it go in one ear and out the other. 3-
9 When I was a boy at my father’s knee, the pride and joy of my mother, He would sit me down
and drill me: “Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom!
Forage for Understanding! Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch! Never walk away from
Wisdom—she guards your life; love her—she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do
this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms
around her—believe me, you won’t regret it; never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace, she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”
Key Kingdom Concept (Sermon in a sentence): The Crown of Eternal Life starts now; although life
is short and full of troubles grab it with both hands, learn from your mistakes and live!
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful
heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always
anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this
meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is
your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it
with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working
nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
1. God blessed us before we had done anything!
Ephesians 1:3-4 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in
the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the
creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Ecclesiastes 9:7 7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for
God has already approved what you do.
2. Don’t forget, God has already cleansed you.
Ecclesiastes 9:8 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.
Romans 5:8 – 10. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the
death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
3. Don’t procrastinate, grab life with both hands!
Ecclesiastes 9:9 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God
has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome
labor under the sun.
John 10:10 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full.
4. Toil, because your blessing depends on it.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the
dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
John 13:14-17 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one
another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell
you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now
that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
5. The Crown of Eternal Life is God’s beautiful gift.
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer
beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the
human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better
for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and
find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
John 17:3 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
The Enduring Disciple, Part 2
Stay in the Fight
Sunday, November 9, 2025
Minister Walter J. Lewis
Sermon in a sentence:
God Guarantees Victory, but we have to Stay in the Fight
Key Scripture:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Key Terms:
Disciple - A follower or learning who is not just a student, but someone who actively imitates and applies the teachings of their master
Endure - to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding
Prefight: Accept the Fight
Exodus 3:10-12 [10] So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” [11] But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
1. Know Your Opponent
Exodus 5:1-2 [1] Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” [2] Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
2. Get Back Up
Exodus 5:22-23 [22] Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? [23] Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”
Proverbs 24:16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
3. Keep Your Guard Up
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Ephesians 6:10 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Exodus 14:12-14 [12] Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
[13] Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. [14] The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
4. Go To Your Corner
Matthew 11:28-29 [28] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Exodus 33:7,11a [7] Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. [11a] The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend…
5. Punch Back, with POWER
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 [3] For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. [4] The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Exodus 17:8-11 [8] The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. [9] Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” [10] So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. [11] As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
6. Don’t Get Disqualified
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 [26] Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. [27] No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Numbers 20:5-12 [5] Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” [6] Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. [7] The Lord said to Moses, [8] “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
[9] So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. [10] He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” [11] Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
[12] But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
7. Fight until the finish
Joshua 21:43-45 [43] So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. [44] The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. [45] Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
The Enduring Disciple Part 1
Faith That Endures to the End
Sunday, November 2, 2025
Sister Linda Kent
Key Scripture
Hebrews 10:36 (CEB)
“You need to endure so that you can receive the promises after you do God’s will.”
I. Introduction
- Transforming the spiritual atmosphere takes time—change happens in God’s appointed time.
- True change begins when hearts are stirred, prayers are sown, and God’s divine purpose takes root.
- It requires endurance and partnership with those appointed by God.
II. Sermon in a Sentence
Endurance is more than just holding on—it is the quiet strength to trust God when everything around you says, “Give up.”
III. Key Concepts
A. Endurance
- The ability to withstand hardship or adversity.
- Choosing not to give up when things get tough.
- Having patience, persistence, and faith to keep moving forward.
- Trusting God even when circumstances say, “just give up.”
B. Faith
- Firm belief in something for which there is no visual proof.
C. Disciple
- A follower or learner who not only studies but actively imitates and applies the teachings of their master.
IV. Endurance in the Lives of God’s Chosen
A. God’s Chosen Endure Hardship
- Throughout Scripture, men and women chosen by God endured trials while fulfilling His will.
- Examples: lied on, humiliated, thrown into lions’ dens and fiery furnaces, ridiculed, sacrificed—all for God’s purpose.
- Each life pointed others to God for salvation.
B. God’s Intentional Choice
Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart…”
- Those chosen for divine purpose are handpicked by God.
- He plants specific desires that grow as we dedicate our lives to Him.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.”
- God’s plans may not match our expectations, yet His will is perfect.
V. Biblical Examples of Endurance
A. Noah
- Built the ark over 75–100 years, enduring mockery and disbelief.
- Remained faithful to God’s purpose: saving those who dared to believe.
B. Moses
- Chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt.
- Faced anger, rebellion, fear, and disobedience from his people.
- Though denied entrance to the Promised Land, God’s mercy allowed him to see it.
- Lesson: Even in failure, you remain chosen—your calling stands firm.
Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)
“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him…”
C. Other Examples
- Jesus: Endured the shame of the cross for humanity.
- Hannah: Endured ridicule; gave birth to Samuel through perseverance.
- Paul: Suffered beatings, starvation, and imprisonment for the Gospel.
Truth: God intentionally chooses His children for purpose—each hardship refines and positions us for His glory.
VI. Case Study: The Life of Joseph
A. Chosen and Favored
Genesis 27:3–5 (NIV)
Israel loved Joseph and gave him a special robe; his brothers hated him for it.
- God’s plan for Joseph began early.
- Even conflict and jealousy were used by God to initiate His divine plan.
B. Purpose through Disruption
- God sometimes shakes our plans to align us with His.
- Pain, loss, and setbacks are instruments of preparation.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
“All things work together for the good of those who love God…”
- Every hardship prepares us for God’s purpose.
- Worship through the storm transforms trials into testimonies.
C. Faith in Adversity
- Joseph remained faithful despite betrayal and slavery.
- His character was his anchor—he never forgot who God was.
II Timothy 2:3 (KJV)
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Romans 8:37 (NIV)
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
VII. Joseph’s Journey of Endurance
A. Age 17 – God’s Plan Begins
- God separated Joseph from the familiar to strengthen him.
- Pain of rejection became the pathway to elevation.
- Endurance required faith in God’s unseen hand.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
“Without faith it is impossible to please God…”
B. Joseph in Potiphar’s House
Genesis 39:2–4 (NIV)
“The Lord was with Joseph… and gave him success in everything he did.”
- True discipleship is remaining faithful in uncertain seasons.
- Even in bondage, Joseph’s faithfulness made him a light to others.
C. Joseph in Prison
Genesis 39:20–21 (NIV)
“While Joseph was in the prison, the Lord was with him and granted him favor…”
- His imprisonment was not punishment but positioning.
- God used connections in the prison for Joseph’s future elevation.
- Faith is tested when we must trust God without visible progress.
Genesis 39:23 (NIV)
“The warden paid no attention… because the Lord was with Joseph.”
- Joseph’s faithfulness continued, proving that God’s presence remains even in hardship.
- God honors consistency and integrity even in low seasons.
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
D. Divine Fulfillment
- Joseph’s endurance led to the preservation of Israel.
- He chose forgiveness over revenge, understanding God’s purpose.
Genesis 50:20–21 (NIV)
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”
- Every setback was a setup for divine purpose.
- God completed what He started through Joseph’s faithfulness.
VIII. The Call to Endure
- Just as Joseph endured years of trial, we must also remain steadfast.
- God will complete what He began.
- Endurance fulfills God’s mission: to make earth look a little more like heaven.
- Our faith anchors us until His promises are fulfilled.
Habakkuk 2:3 (KJV)
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time… though it tarry, wait for it; it will surely come.”
IX. Closing Encouragement
- Life will test you. Friends may fail you. Family may betray you.
- But stand firm—faith anchored in God cannot be shaken.
- Let your endurance be your testimony.
- What looks like a setback is part of God’s setup for His glory.
- Be faithful, stay strong, and endure to the end.
Disclaimer: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We believe and teach that the Bible is God’s Word — His opinion — and provides His instruction for how to live life under His rule (i.e., the Kingdom of God).
