Hang Tough
Context: I Cor 13: 1-13
Text: I Cor. 13:7 – “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Introduction
Have you every had one of “those” weeks? You know the times when every thing seems impossible? Or, maybe, you have faced hard times or terrible problems?
How do you handle life when you are “stressing out”?
I believe that the best answer is to “hang tough”.
It means to just stay with it and wait for the problem to be over; or, to just have patience and trust God.
V.R. Mitchell once said, “When you come to a river and you have to get across to the other side and you can’t get over it. And, you can’t get around it. Then, take Jesus by the hand and just go through it”.
Gene Rice is famous for preaching a sermon called “If You Can Take It, You Can Make It”.
The Bible tells about others who have had a “Bad Hair Day” and survived. People like ---
David
Job
Daniel
Three Hebrew Children
Paul
The Bible also gives us instructions as to how to “Hang Tough”.
It comes when we live our lives in absolute assurance and confidence in the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You can “Hang Tough” when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a “light” at the end of the tunnel.
You can “Hang Tough” when you know that you are loved, and that the love of the Lord has filled your soul.
Here it is in the Word:
I Cor. 13:7-13 – “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
I. Bear All Things
“Every problem is an opportunity to prove God’s power. Every day we encounter countless golden opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems.” Chuck Swindoll
But, we that are called Christians must be able to “handle them”.
We are to be able to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Why? Because, our help cometh from the Lord and the world cannot carry the weight of the world on its shoulders.
David said, “He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” Psalms 18:17-19
Bearing means to stand when others cannot or will not stand.
Bearing means to carry the “burden”. The word burden refers to the “carrying capacity of a ship”
Bearing means to “put up with” the troubles and problems of life and still maintain decorum and Christianity.
Bearing means “I will not quit” nor “will I fall”.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30
II. Believe All Things
Faith is believing that this life is a journey. On a journey you will face all kinds of situations.
Good days/bad days
Loss/Gain
Blessings/Troubles
But faith keeps you going. It helps you to deal with the problems of life. Faith is “seeing what cannot be seen with the natural eyes”.
I believe the first answer to facing our problems and being able to “hang tough” is FAITH .
When Paul talks about faith, he is referring to the “ability to believe and trust completely in the word, work, and walk of the Lord Jesus Christ and our ability to also follow His Example”
We are to have a faith that will “bear us up” in the middle of the raging storms around us. It is the “knowing” that God is in control of everything that we face.
Hebrew 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”.
When Isaac looked for a well of water, he had faith in God. It was a big order for that land.
But when he found a place and dug the well, he found his water. Then, some people came and took it away from him.
Did he fall apart? Did he quit serving God? Did he fall out with the church, or the preacher? No!!
He just walked by faith and dug another well. When he lost that well, what did he do?
Some would get down on themselves. They would beat themselves up and think they were the worst well diggers in the world. Some would blame God. Some would get angry on the inside (which is bitterness) and determined to quit. But, Isaac, when on, and, dug another well. When he found it, he called it Beersheba. “Beer” is the from the word that means “water” and “sheba” comes from the word that means “there is room for all of us”.
Your faith will make a difference.
I am talking about your belief in God, His Word, The Lord, and yourself.
III. Have Hope in All Things
A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing--we’re behind."
"Boy," said the spectator, "I’ll bet you’re discouraged."
"Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. "We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!" -- Source unknown
Hope is the gift that God gave to man when man fell in Eden.
In fact, hope is the fruit of faith and love. It is the vision of man and more especially of the Christian.
Hope came when Christ was promised.
Hope was assured, when Christ was crucified and risen from the dead.
Hope is the motivation of all of us – the hope of eternal life, the hope of heaven, and the hope of worshipping God.
“As Alexander the Great was setting out on his conquest of Asia, he inquired into the finances of his followers. To ensure that they would not be troubled over the welfare of their dependents during their absence, he distributed crown estates and revenues among them. When he had thus disposed of nearly all the royal resources, his friend General Perdiccas asked Alexander what he had reserved for himself. "Hope," answered the king.
"In that case," said Perdiccas, "we who share in your labors will also take part in your hopes." He then refused the estate allotted to him, and several other of the king’s friends did the same.” Daily Walk
“During the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home. One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of Scripture promises about God’s provision and keeping. Then, going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to his darkest hour.
Soon afterward, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord’s presence. Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many. "Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head. Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day."
It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence known most clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that He is our only source of strength. And when we see this truth, like Pastor Gerhardt, we receive new hope. Are you facing a great trial? Take heart. Put yourself in God’s hands. Wait for His timing. He will give you a "song in the night." Unknown
IV. Endure All Things
The test of endurance is the motivation behind the test.
It means to have a purpose and a “heart” for the journey.
The greatest test of all is the test of “love”.
Hanging with Jesus
Prosecution
Persecution
Execution
Resurrection
How will love help you to “endure the hard times” or “Hang Tough”? It will help through the inward motivation of “pleasing God”.
Love is not about self. It is about serving.
Love is caring
Love is sharing
Love is bearing
Love will motivate you to stop
Love will move you to continue
Love will make you determined
Love will keep you in the arms of Jesus forever
Jesus gives us a wonderful example of Love. He is love personified. In him, we find the kind of love that will care for others. Our children’s crusade had the theme of “Back to School”.
Our text for the crusade was “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
It implies the attitude of love. I will love other before they love me. I will love others so that they cannot do anything but love me.
I will love God even in the middle of my greatest problems because I know that He loves me through my problems.
Conclusion
Christians need to learn to “Hang Tough”. Even it you are---
Having a “bad hair day”.
Or, if you are at the end of your rope?
Then, it is time to “Take Jesus by the hand and just go through the problem”.
“Nothing is ever as bad as it first appears to be…” “The end is worth the trip”.
Altar Service:
Call for people who are facing problems to come for prayer.
A recent television documentary pointed out that the cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey. The big cat can sprint seventy miles per hour. But the cheetah cannot sustain that pace for long. Within its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart, which causes the cheetah to tire quickly. Unless the cheetah catches its prey in the first flurry, it must abandon the chase. Sometimes Christians seem to have the cheetah’s approach to ministry. We speed into projects with great energy. But lacking the heart for sustained effort, we fizzle before we finish. We vow to start faster and run harder, when what we need may be not more speed but more staying power--stamina that comes only from a bigger heart. Motion and busyness, no matter how great, yields nothing unless, we allow God to give us the heart.
Grant Lovejoy.
