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.”
c Thank God, according to His Word, our Father holds the rope
aa (John 10:29) 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
bb Sometimes when life hits the fan we act like we’ve never seen a Bible, experienced His presence, promise fulfilled.
d We as Christians have hope —not in the human spirit, human goodness, human endurance, human advancement — our hope is in the power of God (Eternal, forever, omnipotent) and He has no expiration date!
II So teach us to number our days... (Lessons)
A Moses writes that our 70-80 years’ “pride” is labor & sorrow.
1 Pride (Hebrew: Gaon) in Rabbinic Hebrew was a man of great learning, the head of Rabbinic academics (you could learn from him, & he’d teach you something!)
a The pride (teacher) of life is labor & sorrow, “so teach us...”
b When we begin to understand that God’s way for us has labor & sorrow built into them, we’ll drop the false belief that when we get saved our life is somehow relieved of all trouble.
aa When we understand labor/sorrow are ordained by God, our spiritual expectations begin to change.
bb When we realize God is good in His plans for us, we get over sorrow sooner & labor less.
2 I believe that for 80 years, school is in session (represented with 2" dash)
a Four seasons (quarters) of our lives:
aa Preparation (0-20): growing up, training, character building, learner’s heart; but also undisciplined, irresponsible, unsubmissive to the Word: what we sow in this season will heighten or limit the production of our next season.
bb Production (20-40): produce babies/business, establish families, confirming your sense of calling.
cc Provision (40-60): Our baby/business responsibilities have stabilized, able to give more of ourselves to the body of Christ/Kingdom, learned from experience & revelation in raising family & establishing our life in Him, His Word & way (not the time to quit!)
dd Protection (60-80): protect what God has put under our care, statesman, these are folks who always want to say something, & these are those who have something to say.
b God teaches us lessons in each season that we must learn.
B We must endure labor & sorrow to receive the wisdom.
1 Enduring hardship is not grinning & bearing it until hardship passes. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 2:3 (NASB)
a Enduring means recognizing that the hardship is ordered of God.
b Enduring brings on the blessing of God. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. Matt 24:13 (NASB)
2 At the end of our days, we’re not going to fade on God, but rather we’re going to make a presentation (a heart of wisdom).
a (IL) The Greeks, well-known for their competitive spirit, invented the art of competitive running (marathon, high hurdles, short races), but there was one race held periodically outside the Olympics that was very popular, the torch relay.
aa 10-12 men would meet before the city fathers, be given torches (tar soaked in a hollow container), the torches would be lit, & then the men raced through obstacles & barriers set before them through the streets and alleys of the town.
bb You couldn’t stop, prop your torch up, had to shield the torch from the wind, if you went too fast your flame would go out, too slow and your torch would burn out.
cc The winner of the race was the first man to cross the finish line with his torch still lit. Winning wasn’t dependant on speed, but rather endurance.
b If we quit every project before we’ve done all we can do, we don’t understand endurance.
aa If we give up on people without giving them the opportunity to change or God time to work, we’re not practicing endurance.
bb Don’t give up!
3 What does endurance look like?
a At home: divorce is not an option, patient with your kids, trust God
b At work: what lesson am I supposed to get? Recognize hardship is ordered by God.
c At church: don’t retire, serve in every season (not talking about mind over matter, but rather spirit over flesh).
Conclusion:
A Today, we’ve looked at how endurance changes the way we look at the length & lessons of the days of our lives.
1 An enduring hearts makes it difficult for the devil to break us down in times of disappointment, difficulty, distress.
2 We must endure hardships, learn our lessons, in the length of time God has given us.
a What season are you in this morning?
b If you botched & butchered previous seasons . . . don’t blow this season too.
aa You’ve only got one life to live, love, learn . . .
bb I’m going to have Janet play a video that will act as the lead in to my invitation.
c Play “One Life To Love”
3 Ask people who are ready to dedicate their life to make their way to the alter.
a Ask God to forgive you of yesterday’s failures, lack of humility,
b Thank you Lord! Today I understand . . .
aa Your @ work to bring to pass your will in my life, for you good pleasure.
bb Since your @ work, I will endure as a good soldier.
cc I’ll hold on, because I know after this hardship has passed you will have worked your good good work within me.
c So, I’ll yeild to you now, & I’m not going to avoid this time in my life.
d I’ll walk in obedience to you, regardless of the pressure exerted against me.
aa My life is your hands, your holding the rope, I trust you.
bb Amen!
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
