Endurance: How To Be Smiling In The End Series

Endurance: How to Be Smiling in the End

Psalm 90:10-12

Feb. 8, 2009 FBC, Chester Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction

A Endurance: The capability of sustaining prolonged stressful effort.

1 The Thing: (Ben Grimm) Changed on a genetic level due to be bombarded w/ cosmic rays. (Withstand temps of -15 to 800, hold his breath for 9 minutes underwater, 15 lbs. of explosives can explode on his chest w/o a scratch.

a Wolverine: (James Howlett) Shot and heals w/in minutes.

b Silver Surfer: (Noran Radd) Doesn’t need oxygen, water, food, rest, coldness of space, heat of a super nova.

2 Our special guest today, uses these items to endure intense heat.

B I believe there are four weapons given to us by God to keep Satan from frustrating the grace of God in our lives. (Humility, Endurance, Repentance, Obedience)

1 Last week we talked about humility (realize everything we have is from God.)

2 Today, we talk about endurance.

a We do experience breakdowns, frustrations, disappointments.

b An enduring heart makes it difficult for the enemy to break us down in hard times.

3 As for the days of our life , they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.11 Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalms 90:10-12 (NASB)

t.s.: Let’s look at how endurance is a supernatural power in the life of believers.

I As for the days of our lives, they contain... (Length)

A A linear length of time, 70-80 years, 25,550 days

1 Out of 100,000 people, 88,000 will reach 55 years, 70,000 will reach 70, and almost 17,000 will live past 85 (U.S. men average 77.6; women 81.9)

a God has given every soul a certain amount of time to have a human experience.

aa Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass. Job 14:5 (NASB)

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. Psalms 139:16 (NASB)

bb Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:13-14 (NASB) (IL) Blow a bubble to represent the beauty & brevity of our life.

b We come out of the womb with an expiration date on our back.

aa (IL) Our headstone will have our birthday and date of death...expired.

bb God works in your life through time (He is above, transcends time, but works through it).

2 Time is not our enemy, it’s our friend.

a Time is God’s way of making sure everything doesn’t happen to us all at once, and also to make sure something does happen when it’s supposed to.

aa Whatever is taking place in your life, you need to be there to experience what you’re there to experience.

bb It didn’t happen before because you couldn’t have handled it before.

b God works in “due time”

aa But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law...Gal 4:4 (NASB) Jesus was born at the right time.

bb For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6 (NASB) Jesus was crucified at the right time.

cc Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time...1 Peter 5:6 (NASB)

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Gal 6:9 (NASB) We will be exalted & reap at the right time.

dd God doesn’t move early/late...He’s right on time.

c We’ve got to trust that He knows what He’s doing & that He loves us.

3 (IL) In South America, a group of botany students from U. of I discovered a new species of plant that was growing out over the side of a cliff, they needed a sample.

a They talked of how to get it & a possible solution was to use a rope to lower one of the students down (too heavy.)

b A small boy, the son of their guide, was approached & asked and he agreed under one condition. He said, “I’ll do it only if my father holds the rope.”